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 42) 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 Celeste Gerwig (born August 4, 1983) is an American actress, screenwriter, and film director. She is known for her work in both independent films and big studio movies. Greta first became known for acting in and helping to write smaller, independent films. Later, she started directing major movies.

In 2018, Time magazine named Greta Gerwig one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She has worked with filmmaker Joe Swanberg on movies like Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007). She also often works with her husband, Noah Baumbach. Together, they made films such as Greenberg (2010) and Frances Ha (2012). For Frances Ha, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

Greta Gerwig has also acted in many other films. These include Damsels in Distress (2011) and To Rome with Love (2012). She also appeared in Jackie (2016) and 20th Century Women (2016).

As a director, Greta has written and directed several popular films. These include Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2019). Her fantasy-comedy film Barbie (2023) was also a huge success. All three of these movies were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. For Lady Bird, she was nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. For Little Women, she was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. Barbie, which she co-wrote, became the first movie directed by a solo woman to earn over a billion dollars worldwide.

Early Life and Education

Greta Gerwig was born in Sacramento, California. She grew up in the River Park area of the city. Her mother, Christine, was a nurse who helped with babies. Her father, Gordon, worked with small business loans at a credit union. Greta is very close to her parents. They even appeared as her character's parents in her movie Frances Ha. She has an older brother who designs outdoor spaces and a sister who works for the government. Greta's family has German roots.

Greta was raised in the Unitarian Universalist faith. She went to St. Francis High School, an all-girls Catholic school in Sacramento. She finished high school in 2002. Greta has said she was "an intense child." She was interested in dance when she was younger. Later, she tried competitive fencing, but it was too expensive to continue. She originally planned to study musical theater in New York. However, she ended up graduating from Barnard College with a degree in English and philosophy. While in college, she performed in shows with her dorm-mate Kate McKinnon. Kate McKinnon later starred in Greta's movie Barbie.

Career Highlights

Starting Out in Film (2006–2009)

Greta Gerwig in 2008

Greta Gerwig first wanted to write plays. But when she wasn't accepted into playwriting programs, she started acting. In 2006, while still in college, she had a small role in Joe Swanberg's movie LOL. She also appeared in Baghead. She began working closely with Joe Swanberg. They co-wrote Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007). They also wrote and directed Nights and Weekends (2008) together.

Through these films, Greta became a key person in a new style of independent filmmaking. This style was sometimes called "mumblecore." It focused on natural conversations and everyday life. Greta didn't like the term "mumblecore." She said these movies were "the real movie," not just practice for bigger films. Even though she worked on many independent films, she didn't become widely famous right away. She felt "really depressed" around 2008. To earn money, she worked as a nanny and a tutor.

Independent Film Success (2010–2016)

In 2010, Greta Gerwig starred in Noah Baumbach's film Greenberg. She acted alongside Ben Stiller. A film critic from The New York Times praised her acting. He said she was changing how people think about acting. In 2010, Greta appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the first time. From 2011 to 2015, she was the voice of Pony in the animated TV show China, IL.

In 2011, she starred in the comedy Damsels in Distress. A critic named Roger Ebert praised her performance. He said she was perfect at playing a smart character who wasn't stuck up. In 2012, Greta was in Woody Allen's movie To Rome with Love. She acted with Jesse Eisenberg.

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. Her third movie with Baumbach, Mistress America, was released in 2015.

In 2014, Greta was a judge 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. She was nominated for an award for her performance.

Greta's next big role was in Maggie's Plan (2015). A critic compared her acting to that of Annie Hall. In 2016, she had supporting roles in two acclaimed films. She played Nancy Tuckerman in Jackie. She also played Abigail Porter in 20th Century Women. She received an award nomination for her role in 20th Century Women.

Becoming a Director (2017–2019)

Greta Gerwig at the 2018 Berlin International Film Festival

In 2017, Greta Gerwig directed her first solo film, Lady Bird. She also wrote the movie. It was a coming-of-age story starring Saoirse Ronan. Lady Bird was a big success. It earned over $78 million worldwide on a $10 million budget. Critics loved Greta's writing and directing. The film was named one of the top ten films of 2017 by many groups. It even set a record for the most positive reviews in a row on the website Rotten Tomatoes.

Lady Bird won two Golden Globe Awards. It was also nominated for five Academy Awards. These included Best Picture, Best Director for Greta, and Best Original Screenplay for Greta. Greta 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. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. In June 2018, it was announced that Greta would direct a new film based on Louisa May Alcott's book Little Women. She had already written the script. Little Women was released in December 2019. It received great reviews. The film received six Oscar nominations. Greta was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Barbie and Future Projects (2020–Present)

Journalist Abby Phillip with Greta Gerwig during a Q&A for Barbie in 2023

Greta Gerwig starred with Adam Driver in Noah Baumbach's 2022 film White Noise. This movie was based on a book and released on Netflix.

Greta also directed and co-wrote the fantasy comedy Barbie for Warner Bros. Pictures. The movie is based on the famous Barbie dolls. It was released in theaters on July 21, 2023. Margot Robbie played Barbie, and Ryan Gosling played Ken. Barbie was a huge hit. 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 nominations, including eight Oscar nominations. Greta and Noah Baumbach were nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Greta worked on the script for Disney's live-action film Snow White. She wrote some jokes for it. In July 2023, it was reported that Netflix hired her to write and direct two films based on C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia book series. Greta's agent said she wanted to direct bigger studio films. The first Narnia film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew, is expected to be released in November 2026 in IMAX theaters before coming to Netflix.

In 2024, Greta Gerwig 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 at Cannes.

Directing Style

Greta Gerwig's films often draw from her own life experiences. She once said that she starts with things from her own life, but then they quickly become their own stories. Greta encourages her actors to bring their own personalities to their roles. She believes that her writing and directing are "all about actors." However, she also makes sure that the script is followed very closely.

Greta has mentioned that Woody Allen has greatly influenced her work. Other filmmakers and artists who have inspired her include Howard Hawks, Ernst Lubitsch, Carole Lombard, Joan Didion, Patti Smith, Federico Fellini, Chantal Akerman, Claire Denis, Mia Hansen-Løve, John Huston, Mike Leigh and Agnès Varda.

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. Their first son was born in March 2019, and their second son was born in February 2023.

Greta has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Acting Roles

Films

Television Shows

Stage Plays

Music Videos

Filmmaking Work

Awards and Nominations

In 2011, Greta Gerwig received an award from the Athena Film Festival. This award recognized her artistic talent as one of the best actresses of her generation in Hollywood. In 2018, she was nominated for Best Director at the 90th Academy Awards for Lady Bird. This made her the first woman in eight years to be nominated in that category. She was also one of only five women ever to receive this nomination at that time. Her work on Lady Bird was nominated for sixteen awards and won six of them.

Actors Nominated for Academy Awards Under Gerwig's Direction
Greta Gerwig has directed several actors who received Oscar nominations for their performances.

Images for kids

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  Greta Gerwig in 2024

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  Greta Gerwig's signature

See also

In Spanish: Greta Gerwig para niños