Lena Dunham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lena Dunham
Dunham in 2024
Born	(1986-05-13) May 13, 1986 (age 39) New York City, New York, U.S.
Education	The New School Oberlin College (BA)
Occupation	Writer director actress producer
Years active	2006–present
Spouse(s)	Luis Felber ​ (m. 2021)​
Parents	Carroll Dunham (father) Laurie Simmons (mother)
Relatives	Cyrus Grace Dunham (sibling)

Lena Dunham (born May 13, 1986) is an American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is well-known for creating, writing, and starring in the HBO television series Girls, which aired from 2012 to 2017. For her work on Girls, she received several nominations for the Emmy Awards and won two Golden Globe Awards. Dunham also directed many episodes of Girls. She was the first woman to win the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series.

She began her career by writing, directing, and starring in her independent film Tiny Furniture (2010). This film earned her an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. More recently, she wrote and directed the films Sharp Stick (2022) and Catherine Called Birdy (2022). In July 2025, she created the Netflix series Too Much, starring Megan Stalter.

In 2013, Time magazine recognized Dunham as one of the most influential people in the world. She released her first book, Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned", in 2014. In 2015, she co-founded Lenny Letter, an online newsletter focused on feminist topics. The publication ran for three years before it stopped in late 2018. Dunham has also appeared in other films and television shows, including guest roles in Scandal and The Simpsons.

Early Life and Education

Lena Dunham was born in New York City. Her father, Carroll Dunham, is a painter. Her mother, Laurie Simmons, is an artist and photographer. Her mother is Jewish, and Dunham has said she feels "very culturally Jewish."

Dunham attended Friends Seminary before moving to Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn. There, she met Jemima Kirke, who would later act in Tiny Furniture and Girls. As a teenager, Dunham won a Scholastic Art and Writing Award. She studied at The New School for a year. Later, she transferred to Oberlin College, graduating in 2008 with a degree in creative writing.

She has a younger sibling, Cyrus. Cyrus appeared in Dunham's first film, Creative Nonfiction, and also in Tiny Furniture. The siblings grew up in Brooklyn and spent their summers in Salisbury, Connecticut.

Creative Career Highlights

Early Short Films and Web Series

While a student at Oberlin College, Dunham made several independent short films. She uploaded these films to YouTube. Many of her early films explored personal relationships. She explained that she learned filmmaking by creating short video sketches and sharing them online.

Dunham on the set of her web series Delusional Downtown Divas (2009)

In 2007, Dunham starred in a ten-episode web series for Nerve.com called Tight Shots. This series was about young people trying to make a movie and be artistic. In 2009, Dunham created the web series Delusional Downtown Divas. This series made fun of the art scene in New York City. Also in 2009, Dunham's film Creative Nonfiction premiered at the South by Southwest Festival. In this comedy, she played Ella, a college student trying to finish a screenplay.

Breakthrough with Tiny Furniture

Dunham speaking at the Maryland Film Festival in 2010

Dunham achieved a major career success with her 2010 film Tiny Furniture. This film was partly based on her own life. It won Best Narrative Feature at the South by Southwest Music and Media Conference. The film also showed at other festivals, like the Maryland Film Festival. Dunham played the main character, Aura. Her real-life mother, Laurie Simmons, played Aura's mother. Her sibling, Cyrus, played Aura's on-screen sibling. For her work on Tiny Furniture, Dunham won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.

The success of Tiny Furniture led to a deal with HBO. The network connected Dunham with experienced showrunner Jenni Konner. Konner was a big fan of Tiny Furniture. Judd Apatow also saw Tiny Furniture and was impressed. He joined Dunham and Konner to help develop a new show for HBO.

Mainstream Success with Girls

Dunham at the premiere of Supporting Characters at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival

Dunham's television series, Girls, was approved by HBO in early 2011. The series follows Hannah Horvath, a writer in her twenties trying to make a living in New York City. Some of Hannah's challenges, like being financially cut off from her parents and making difficult choices, were inspired by Dunham's own experiences.

Dunham explained that Girls showed a part of the population not often seen on TV. She felt there was a "hole-in-between" space for young women figuring out their lives. The first season premiered on HBO on April 15, 2012, and received great reviews. Critics praised the series for being insightful and funny.

The first season earned Dunham four Emmy Award nominations for her acting, writing, and directing. She also won two Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. In February 2013, Dunham became the first woman to win a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series for her work on Girls.

Girls was renewed for a second season in April 2012. The first season finale had over one million viewers. The second season also received critical acclaim, with many calling it sharper and funnier. The show continued for six seasons, with the final episode airing on April 16, 2017.

Books and Other Projects

Dunham with Avy Kaufman at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival

In late 2012, Dunham signed a deal with Random House to publish her first book. The book, an essay collection called Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned", was published in September 2014. It reached number two on The New York Times Best Seller list in October 2014.

In 2015, Dunham launched A Casual Romance Productions. This company developed television and film projects. That year, she also appeared in a guest role in the ABC drama series Scandal. She also voiced Mary in My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea, an animated teen comedy film released in 2016. In 2017, she played Valerie Solanas in American Horror Story: Cult.

Recent Work and Productions

In February 2018, A Casual Romance Productions announced it would produce Camping for HBO. This was a remake of a British comedy series, starring Jennifer Garner. Dunham and Konner were showrunners and writers for the series. Camping received mixed reviews when it premiered.

In August 2018, it was announced Dunham would appear in the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film was released on July 26, 2019. Dunham played the role of "Gypsy". In October 2018, Dunham and Konner ended their partnership and closed their production company.

In October 2018, Dunham was hired to write a screenplay for a film. It was based on the memoir A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea: One Refugee's Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival. This book tells the true story of Doaa Al Zamel, a refugee who survived a shipwreck.

In 2019, Dunham and Alissa Bennett started a podcast called The C-Word Podcast. Dunham also launched a new production company called Good Thing Going that year. During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, Dunham wrote a serialized novel, Verified Strangers, to help people cope with social isolation. She also directed an episode of HBO's Industry and appeared in films like The Stand In (2020) and Music (2021). She was also an executive producer on the HBO Max series Generation.

In 2022, Dunham's second feature film, Sharp Stick, was released. She also directed, wrote, and produced her third film, Catherine Called Birdy. This film was an adaptation of the children's novel of the same name by Karen Cushman. It premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2022. The film was released in theaters on September 23, 2022, and began streaming on Prime Video on October 7, 2022. In December 2023, Netflix announced that Too Much, a new series co-created and directed by Dunham, would begin production in 2024.

In July 2025, Dunham and her husband Luis Felber created and released the Netflix romantic comedy television series Too Much. It starred Megan Stalter and Will Sharp. Dunham directed, produced, and wrote the series, which received positive reviews. After the show's release in September 2025, Dunham announced her second memoir, Famestick.

In the Media

Dunham has appeared on the covers of several magazines. These include Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, and Rolling Stone.

Lenny Letter

In 2015, Dunham, along with Jenni Konner, co-founded Lenny Letter. This was an online newsletter that focused on feminist topics. Lenny Letter featured articles by notable people. For example, actress Jennifer Lawrence wrote about the gender wage gap in Hollywood. Singer Alicia Keys also wrote about her choice to wear little to no make-up. In October 2018, Dunham and Konner announced that Lenny Letter would be closing down.

Personal Life and Health

In 2012, Dunham began dating Jack Antonoff, a musician. They were together until December 2017, separating amicably.

Dunham has spoken about managing her health. She has obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and endometriosis. In 2019, Dunham shared that she has Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS).

In July 2020, Dunham shared her experience with COVID-19 on Instagram. She wanted to encourage people to take social distancing seriously. She had severe symptoms for three weeks but was not hospitalized.

After being set up by a mutual friend, Dunham began dating English-Peruvian musician Luis Felber in January 2021. In September 2021, Dunham and Felber married in a ceremony in Soho.

Political Involvement

Dunham supports gun control, immigrant rights, and LGBT rights.

In 2012, Dunham appeared in a video advertisement supporting President Barack Obama's re-election. She defended the ad by tweeting that "The video may be light but the message is serious: vote for women's rights." In 2014, Point Foundation honored Dunham with the Horizon Award for her support of the gay community.

In April 2016, she wrote in support of Hillary Clinton. She had stated she would move to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, if Donald Trump won the election. After Trump's win, Dunham wrote that she would not move to Canada. She said she would stay in her country to fight for what is right. In June 2017, Dunham endorsed Jim Johnson, a Democratic candidate for governor in New Jersey. Later that month, she endorsed Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, in the 2017 United Kingdom general election.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Lena Dunham para niños

• List of Oberlin College and Conservatory people