Greta Gerwig facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Greta Gerwig
Gerwig in 2024
Born	Greta Celeste Gerwig (1983-08-04) August 4, 1983 (age 41) Sacramento, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Barnard College (BA)
Occupation	Actress screenwriter director
Years active	2006–present
Spouse(s)	Noah Baumbach ​ (m. 2023)​
Children	2
Awards	Full list
Signature

Greta Gerwig (born August 4, 1983) is an American actress, screenwriter, and film director. She started her career acting in independent films. Later, she became famous for directing big movies like Lady Bird, Little Women, and Barbie.

In 2018, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Greta Gerwig's Early Life and Education

Greta Gerwig was born in Sacramento, California. Her mother was a nurse, and her father worked with small business loans. Her parents even appeared in her movie Frances Ha! She has an older brother and a sister. Greta has German family roots.

She went to an all-girls Catholic school called St. Francis High School. She graduated in 2002. Greta once said she was a "very intense child." She loved to dance and even tried competitive fencing.

Greta planned to study musical theater in New York. But she ended up graduating from Barnard College. She earned a degree in English and philosophy. While in college, she performed in shows with her friend Kate McKinnon. Kate later starred in Greta's movie Barbie.

Greta Gerwig's Career in Film

Starting Out: Early Acting Roles (2006–2009)

Greta Gerwig in 2008

Greta first wanted to be a playwright, someone who writes plays. But she wasn't accepted into playwriting programs. So, she started acting instead.

In 2006, she got a small role in the movie LOL. She also appeared in Baghead. She began working with director Joe Swanberg. They wrote Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007) together. They also wrote and directed Nights and Weekends (2008) as a team.

During this time, Greta became known for a type of independent film called "mumblecore." These films often had natural acting and low budgets. Greta didn't like the term "mumblecore." She said these movies were "the real movie," not just a practice for bigger films.

Even with her early work, it was hard to find big success. Greta said she felt "really depressed" around age 25. She worked as a nanny and a tutor to earn money.

Independent Films and Collaborations (2010–2016)

In 2010, Greta starred in Greenberg with Ben Stiller. This movie was directed by Noah Baumbach, who she later married. A critic from The New York Times said Greta was "redefining just what it is we talk about when we talk about acting."

Greta also voiced a character named Pony in the animated TV series China, IL from 2011 to 2015. In 2011, she starred in the comedy Damsels in Distress. A famous critic, Roger Ebert, praised her performance.

In 2012, Greta appeared in Woody Allen's movie To Rome with Love.

Greta Gerwig at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival

Greta and Noah Baumbach wrote Frances Ha together. It came out in 2013. Greta played the main character and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award! Critics loved her performance, saying she "carried it from beginning to end."

Her third movie with Baumbach was Mistress America in 2015. It also received good reviews.

In 2014, Greta was a jury member at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival. She also made her stage debut in a play called The Village Bike in New York. Critics praised her acting in the play.

Greta's next big role was in Maggie's Plan (2015). She also had supporting roles in Jackie (2016) and 20th Century Women (2016). She earned praise for both roles, especially for 20th Century Women.

Directing Focus: Lady Bird and Little Women (2017–2019)

Greta Gerwig at the 2018 Berlin International Film Festival

In 2017, Greta directed her first solo film, Lady Bird. She also wrote the movie. It was a coming-of-age story starring Saoirse Ronan. The movie was a huge success, earning over $78 million worldwide.

Lady Bird received amazing reviews. Many critics loved Greta's writing and directing. It was even chosen as one of the top ten films of 2017. For a while, it held the record for the most positive reviews in a row on the website Rotten Tomatoes.

Lady Bird won a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. It also received five Academy Award nominations! Greta was nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. She became only the fifth woman in Oscar history to be nominated for Best Director.

In 2018, Greta lent her voice to Wes Anderson's animated film Isle of Dogs.

In 2018, it was announced that Greta would direct a new movie version of Louisa May Alcott's famous book, Little Women. She also wrote the script. The movie came out in December 2019 and was highly praised.

Little Women received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Greta was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. However, many people were upset that no women were nominated for Best Director that year, including Greta.

Barbie and Future Projects (2020–Present)

Greta Gerwig at a reception for Barbie in 2023

Greta starred with Adam Driver in Noah Baumbach's 2022 film White Noise.

Then, Greta directed and co-wrote the fantasy comedy Barbie with Noah Baumbach. It was based on the famous Barbie dolls. The movie starred Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken.

Barbie was a massive success! It earned over $1 billion worldwide. This made Greta the first woman with sole director credit to have a movie make more than $1 billion at the global box office. The film received many awards and eight Academy Award nominations. Greta earned another nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

In 2021, Greta worked on the screenplay for Disney's live-action Snow White film. In 2023, it was reported that Netflix hired her to write and direct two movies based on C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia book series. Greta's agent said she wants to direct "big studio" films.

In 2024, Greta was chosen to lead the jury for the main film competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. She was the first American female director to have this important role.

Greta Gerwig's Directing Style

Greta's films often draw from her own life experiences. She once said, "I tend to start with things from my own life, then pretty quickly they spin out into their own orbit."

She also encourages her actors to bring their own personalities to their roles. She believes that her writing and directing are "all about actors." However, she likes actors to stick closely to the script and doesn't allow much improvisation.

Greta has been influenced by many other directors and artists. She mentioned Woody Allen as a major influence. Other inspirations include Howard Hawks, Ernst Lubitsch, Joan Didion, and Agnès Varda.

Greta Gerwig's Personal Life

Greta Gerwig lives in Manhattan with her husband, filmmaker Noah Baumbach. They got married in 2023 after being together for 12 years. They have two sons, born in 2019 and 2023.

Greta has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Music videos

Theatre

Filmmaking credits

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer	Notes
2007	Hannah Takes the Stairs	No	Yes	No
2008	Nights and Weekends	Yes	Yes	Yes	Co-directed with Joe Swanberg
2010	Northern Comfort	No	Yes	No
2012	Frances Ha	No	Yes	No
2015	Mistress America	No	Yes	Yes
2017	Lady Bird	Yes	Yes	No
2019	Little Women	Yes	Yes	No
2023	Barbie	Yes	Yes	Executive
2025	Snow White	No	Yes	No	Post-production

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Awards and Nominations

Greta Gerwig has won many awards for her work. You can find a full list at List of awards and nominations received by Greta Gerwig.

In 2011, she won an award from the Athena Film Festival for her acting. In 2018, she was nominated for Best Director at the 90th Academy Awards for Lady Bird. This made her one of only five women in Oscar history to be nominated in that category.

Her movie Lady Bird was nominated for 16 awards and won six of them. When she found out about her Oscar nominations, Greta said she was "laughing and crying and yelling with joy."

See Also

In Spanish: Greta Gerwig para niños

• List of female film and television directors
• List of directors associated with art film