Elisabeth Moss facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elisabeth Moss
Moss in 2017
Born	Elisabeth Singleton Moss (1982-07-24) July 24, 1982 (age 42) Los Angeles, California, US
Citizenship	United States United Kingdom
Occupation	Actor producer
Years active	1990–present
Spouse(s)	Fred Armisen ​ ​ (m. 2009; div. 2011)​
Children	1
Awards	Full list

Elisabeth Singleton Moss (born July 24, 1982) is an American actress and producer. She has won many awards, including two Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2017, she was called the "Queen of Peak TV" by Vulture. This means she was one of the most important actresses during a time when there were many great TV shows.

Elisabeth Moss started acting in the early 1990s. She first became known for playing Zoey Bartlet, the youngest daughter of President Josiah Bartlet, in the TV show The West Wing (1999–2006). She gained more fame for her role as Peggy Olson in the drama series Mad Men (2007–2015). Later, she won a Golden Globe Award for playing Detective Robin Griffin in the miniseries Top of the Lake (2013).

She also won two Primetime Emmy Awards for producing and starring as June Osborne in the show The Handmaid's Tale (2017–present). More recently, she starred in the series Shining Girls (2022) and The Veil (2024). Elisabeth Moss has also been praised for her movie roles in films like Girl, Interrupted (1999), Us (2019), and The Invisible Man (2020). She has also performed in plays on Broadway.

Early Life and Education

Elisabeth Moss was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father, Ronald Charles Moss, is British, and her mother, Linda Moss, is American with some Swedish background. Both of her parents are musicians. Her mother plays jazz and blues harmonica professionally. Elisabeth also has a younger brother. She was raised as a Scientologist.

When she was younger, Elisabeth wanted to be a professional dancer. She traveled to New York City to study ballet at the School of American Ballet. After that, she studied with Suzanne Farrell at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She kept studying dance as a teenager, but she also started getting acting jobs. To balance her schoolwork and her acting career, she began homeschooling and finished high school in 1999.

Career Highlights

Starting Out in the 1990s

Elisabeth Moss's first acting role on screen was in 1990. She appeared in the NBC miniseries Lucky/Chances. From 1992 to 1995, she played Cynthia Parks in the TV series Picket Fences. She also lent her voice to characters in animated shows like Frosty Returns (1992) and the film Once Upon a Forest (1993). She appeared in the TV movie Gypsy (1993) and played a young girl in the movie Imaginary Crimes (1994).

In 1995, she was in the remake of the Walt Disney Pictures film Escape to Witch Mountain. She also played a younger version of actress Ashley Judd in the TV movie Love Can Build a Bridge (1995). She had supporting roles in films like Separate Lives (1995) and The Last Supper (1995). She continued voice acting for shows like Freakazoid! and It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown! (1996).

In 1999, Moss began a recurring role as Zoey Bartlet in the TV drama The West Wing. She played the daughter of President Josiah Bartlet and First Lady Abbey Bartlet. She stayed on the show until it ended in 2006. Her character became very important in the fourth season of the show.

Also in 1999, she had a supporting role in the film Girl, Interrupted. In this movie, she played a patient in a mental hospital. She also had small parts in the dramas Anywhere but Here and Mumford.

Success in the 2000s

In 2002, Elisabeth Moss appeared in a TV commercial for Excedrin. She talked about how the medicine helped people with migraines. This commercial was very popular and ran for several years. It helped her earn money while she worked to become a successful actress.

Moss appeared in several films in 2004, including Heart of America. She also made the movie Virgin, which earned her a nomination for an Independent Spirit Award in 2004. She had a supporting role in Ron Howard's Western movie The Missing (2003).

Moss at the 12th Satellite Awards in December 2007

From 2005 to 2006, Moss had a supporting role in the horror series Invasion. She also appeared in TV shows like Grey's Anatomy and Medium in 2007. She was in the horror film The Attic and the drama Day Zero (2007).

In 2006, she was cast as Peggy Olson in the drama series Mad Men. Peggy starts as a secretary and becomes a copywriter. For this role, Moss was nominated for five Emmy awards between 2009 and 2015. She was also nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2010.

While working on Mad Men, Moss made her Broadway debut in October 2008. She played Karen in the play Speed-the-Plow by David Mamet. She then had a small role in the comedy film Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009). She also appeared in the comedy Get Him to the Greek (2010).

Rising Stardom in the 2010s

In 2011, Moss performed in London's West End in the play The Children's Hour, alongside Keira Knightley. In 2012, she played Galatea Dunkel in the film On the Road, which was based on a famous novel.

Moss played detective Robin Griffin in the 2013 miniseries Top of the Lake. This show was created by Oscar-winner Jane Campion. For her role, Moss won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film. In 2014, Moss starred in the independent film Listen Up Philip. This was her first time working with writer-director Alex Ross Perry. She also starred in The One I Love (2014).

Moss at PaleyFest in 2014

In September 2014, it was announced that Moss would star on Broadway in the play The Heidi Chronicles. The play opened in March 2015. Even though it received some good reviews, it closed in May 2015. Moss was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance.

After Mad Men finished, Moss worked with Alex Ross Perry again. She starred in Queen of Earth (2015), a psychological thriller. She also had a supporting role in the British drama High-Rise (2015).

In 2017, Moss began playing June Osbourne / Offred in the Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale. She has received great praise for this role and won a Primetime Emmy Award for Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The second season of Top of the Lake also premiered in 2017.

In 2018, Moss starred in a short film for the song "On the Nature of Daylight" by composer Max Richter. She also reunited with Alex Ross Perry for Her Smell, where she played a rock star. She appeared in The Old Man & the Gun (2018). In 2019, Moss co-starred in Jordan Peele's horror film Us. Later that year, she starred in The Kitchen.

Recent Work in the 2020s

In 2020, Moss starred in Shirley, playing the author Shirley Jackson. She also had the main role in the horror-thriller film The Invisible Man, which was released in February 2020 and received excellent reviews. In 2021, Moss appeared in The French Dispatch, directed by Wes Anderson. She also appeared in Next Goal Wins (2023). In 2020, Moss started her own production company called Love & Squalor Pictures.

In 2022, she starred as Kirby Mazrachi in the Apple TV+ thriller series Shining Girls. This show was based on a 2013 novel. She was also an executive producer and directed two episodes of the series. Moss said this experience was "one of the most complicated things I've ever done." A reviewer from The Hollywood Reporter said, "No single actor in the past 25 years has a more reliable television track record than Elisabeth Moss."

In 2024, she starred in the FX on Hulu thriller series The Veil. She played Imogen Salter, an experienced MI6 agent. She also served as an executive producer for this series. A reviewer from NPR wrote that by the end of The Veil, he was convinced it was "Moss' best role, and best performance, yet. She's amazing."

Personal Life

Moss with Fred Armisen in 2009

Elisabeth Moss has both British and American citizenship.

She met comedian Fred Armisen in October 2008. They got engaged in January 2009 and married on October 25, 2009. They separated in June 2010, and their divorce was finalized in May 2011.

Moss practices Scientology and identifies as a feminist. When a fan asked about her role in The Handmaid's Tale and her involvement with the Church of Scientology, Moss explained her beliefs on Instagram. She wrote that "Religious freedom and tolerance and understanding the truth and equal rights for every race, religion and creed are extremely important to me."

In January 2024, Elisabeth Moss shared that she was expecting her first child.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and Nominations

Elisabeth Moss has won many awards for her acting in movies and TV shows. She has received:

• Two Golden Globe Awards from four nominations.
• Two Primetime Emmy Awards from fourteen nominations.
• Two Critics' Choice Television Awards from five nominations.
• Two Screen Actors Guild Awards from fifteen nominations.

See also

In Spanish: Elisabeth Moss para niños