Carrie Coon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carrie Coon
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![]() Coon in 2013
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Born |
Carrie Alexandra Coon
January 24, 1981 Copley, Ohio, U.S.
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Education | University of Mount Union (BA) University of Wisconsin–Madison (MFA) |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2006–present |
Spouse(s) | |
Children | 2 |
Carrie Alexandra Coon (born January 24, 1981) is an American actress. She is famous for playing strong and interesting women in movies, TV shows, and plays. She has won a Critics' Choice Television Award and has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award.
On TV, Carrie Coon was nominated for an Emmy for her role as Gloria Burgle in the show Fargo (2017). She also got another Emmy nomination for playing a socialite in the HBO series The Gilded Age (2022–present). You might also know her from The Leftovers (2014–2017), where she played a mom dealing with loss, or The Sinner (2018).
She started her movie career in Gone Girl (2014). Since then, she has been in many films like Widows (2018), The Post (2017), and The Nest (2020). She also played Proxima Midnight in the superhero movie Avengers: Infinity War (2018). More recently, she starred in the comedy films Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024). On stage, she made her Broadway debut in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (2012), which earned her a Tony Award nomination.
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Carrie Coon's Early Life
Carrie Alexandra Coon was born in Copley, Ohio, on January 24, 1981. Her parents are Paula and John Coon. She has an older sister, an older brother, and two younger brothers. She finished high school at Copley High School in 1999.
After high school, she went to the University of Mount Union. She graduated in 2003 with a degree in English and Spanish. Later, in 2006, she earned a special degree in acting from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Carrie Coon's Acting Journey
Starting Out in Acting
Carrie Coon began her acting career in local theaters. After finishing her studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she quickly joined the Madison Repertory Theatre. Her first professional play was Our Town. After that, she worked with the American Players Theatre for four years.
In 2008, Carrie moved to Chicago. She performed in a play called Brontë. For several years, she traveled between Chicago and Wisconsin for different acting jobs. During this time, she also did "motion capture" work for a video game company. This means her movements were recorded to make characters in video games.
Her big break came in 2010. She was cast as Honey in the play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. This role led to many more parts in Chicago. She also performed the play in Washington, D.C. and New York City, making her first appearance on Broadway. For her performance, she won a Theatre World Award and was nominated for a Tony Award.
Before her big breakthrough, Carrie also had guest roles on TV shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Ironside, and Intelligence.
Becoming a Star
After her Tony Award nomination in 2014, Carrie Coon got a main role in the HBO drama series The Leftovers. She starred alongside actors like Justin Theroux. In the same year, she made her first movie appearance in Gone Girl. This movie was based on a book and directed by David Fincher.
In 2015, Carrie Coon starred in an Off-Broadway play called Placebo. She also worked on a play written by her husband, Tracy Letts, called Mary Page Marlowe. She was one of six actresses who played the main character at different ages. In 2015, she filmed two movies: Strange Weather and the horror romance The Keeping Hours.
Carrie Coon played the main role of Gloria Burgle in the third season of the TV series Fargo. For this role, she was nominated for an Emmy Award. She also won an award for her acting in both Fargo and The Leftovers. In 2017, she was in a short horror film called Great Choice. That same year, she played real-life journalist Meg Greenfield in the movie The Post, directed by Steven Spielberg.
In 2018, Carrie Coon co-starred in the movie Widows. She also provided the voice and movements for Proxima Midnight in the superhero movie Avengers: Infinity War. Proxima Midnight is a powerful character from the Black Order.
In 2020, Carrie Coon joined the cast of the HBO drama series The Gilded Age as Bertha Russell. She was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award in 2021 for her work in the film The Nest. In 2024, she joined the cast of the third season of The White Lotus, which will be out in 2025. She also starred in the family drama His Three Daughters (2023) with Elizabeth Olsen. This movie is about three sisters who care for their dying father. Critics praised her performance in this film.
Her Life Outside Acting
Carrie Coon married actor and playwright Tracy Letts in 2013. They have two children: a son born in 2018 and a daughter born in 2021.
Where You've Seen Her
Movies She's Been In
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Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2014 | Gone Girl | Margo "Go" Dunne | |
2016 | Strange Weather | Byrd | |
2017 | The Keeping Hours | Elizabeth | |
Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town | Virginia | ||
The Post | Meg Greenfield | ||
2018 | The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter | Linda Ferguson | |
Avengers: Infinity War | Proxima Midnight | ||
Kin | Morgan Hunter | ||
Widows | Amanda Nunn | ||
2020 | The Nest | Allison O'Hara | |
2021 | Ghostbusters: Afterlife | Callie Spengler | |
2023 | His Three Daughters | Katie | |
Another Happy Day | Irene | ||
2024 | Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire | Callie Spengler | |
Lake George | Phyllis |
TV Shows She's Starred In
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Denotes television series that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2013 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Talia Blaine | Episode: "Girl Dishonored" |
2013 | Ironside | Rachel Ryan | Episode: "Pilot" |
2014 | Intelligence | Luanne Vick | Episode: "Patient Zero" |
2014–2017 | The Leftovers | Nora Durst | Main role |
2017 | Fargo | Gloria Burgle | Main role (season 3) |
2018 | The Sinner | Vera Walker | Main role (season 2) |
2021 | What If...? | Proxima Midnight (voice) | Episode: "What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?" |
2022–present | The Gilded Age | Bertha Russell | Main role |
2025 | The White Lotus ![]() |
TBA | Main role (season 3) |
Her Work on Stage
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
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2006 | Our Town | Emily | Overture Center for the Arts (Madison Repertory Theatre) | |
Romeo and Juliet | Ensemble | American Players Theatre (Spring Green, Wisconsin) | ||
The Matchmaker | Ermengarde | |||
Measure for Measure | Juliet | |||
2007 | Anna Christie | Anna | Overture Center for the Arts | |
Misalliance | Hypatia | American Players Theatre | ||
The Merchant of Venice | Ensemble | |||
The Night of the Iguana | Charlotte | |||
2008 | The Diary of Anne Frank | Miep Gies | Overture Center for the Arts | |
Brontë | Emily | Remy Bumppo Theatre Company (Chicago debut) | ||
A Midsummer Night's Dream | Helena | American Players Theatre | ||
Henry IV | Lady Percy | |||
The Belle's Stratagem | Miss Ogle | |||
2009 | Magnolia | Ariel | Goodman Theatre (Chicago) | |
Henry V | Kate | American Players Theatre | ||
2010 | Blackbird | Una | Renaissance Theatreworks (Milwaukee) | |
Reasons to Be Pretty | Stephanie | |||
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Honey | Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Chicago) | ||
2011 | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Honey | Arena Stage (Washington, D.C.) | |
The Real Thing | Annie | Writers Theatre (Glencoe) | ||
2012 | The Girl in the Yellow Dress | Celia | Next Theatre (Evanston) | |
Pretty Penny | Crystal | Writers Theatre | ||
The March | Emily Thompson | Steppenwolf Theatre Company | ||
Three Sisters | Masha | |||
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Honey | Booth Theatre (Broadway debut) | ||
2015 | Placebo | Louise | Playwrights Horizons (Off-Broadway) | |
2016 | Mary Page Marlowe | Mary Page Marlowe (ages 27–36) | Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Chicago) | |
2017 | Mary Jane | Mary Jane | New York Theatre Workshop (Off-Broadway) | |
2020 | Bug | Agnes White | Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Chicago) |
Awards and Recognitions
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
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2013 | Theatre World Award | N/A | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Won | |
Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Play | Nominated | |||
2014 | St. Louis Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actress | Gone Girl | Nominated | |
San Diego Film Critics Society | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | |||
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Nominated | |||
Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Nominated | |||
Golden Schmoes Awards | Best Supporting Actress of the Year | Nominated | |||
IGN Summer Movie Awards | Best Movie Supporting Actress | Nominated | |||
IndieWire Critics Poll | Best Supporting Actress | 6th place | |||
Village Voice Film Poll | Best Supporting Actress | 6th place | |||
2015 | Empire Awards | Best Female Newcomer | Nominated | ||
Central Ohio Film Critics Association | Best Ensemble (shared with cast) | Nominated | |||
Georgia Film Critics Association | Best Ensemble (shared with cast) | Nominated | |||
Gold Derby Awards | Ensemble Cast (shared with cast) | Nominated | |||
Breakthrough Performer | — | Nominated | |||
Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | The Leftovers | Nominated | ||
2016 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actress in a Drama Series | Won | ||
2017 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie | Fargo | Nominated | |
TCA Awards | Individual Achievement in Drama | The Leftovers and Fargo | Won | ||
2018 | Chlotrudis Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Strange Weather | Nominated | |
Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries | Fargo | Nominated | ||
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Mary Jane | Nominated | ||
Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play | Won | |||
MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Fight (shared with Scarlett Johansson, Danai Gurira, and Elizabeth Olsen) | Avengers: Infinity War | Nominated | ||
Obie Award | Distinguished Performance by an Actress | Mary Jane | Won | ||
Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Drama / Genre Series | The Leftovers | Nominated | ||
2019 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries | The Sinner | Nominated | |
2020 | Chicago Film Critics Association | Best Actress | The Nest | Nominated | |
Florida Film Critics Circle | Best Actress | Nominated | |||
Gotham Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |||
Indiana Film Journalists Association | Best Actress | Nominated | |||
Jeff Award | Performer in a Principal Role – Play | Bug | Won | ||
2021 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Actress | The Nest | Nominated | |
2022 | Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Ghostbusters: Afterlife | Nominated | |
2023 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (shared with cast) | The Gilded Age | Nominated | |
2024 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Nominated |
See also
In Spanish: Carrie Coon para niños