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, 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 TV show Girls (2012–2017). For her work on Girls, she won several awards, including two Golden Globe Awards. She also became the first woman to win the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series.

Dunham began her career by writing, directing, and starring in her independent film Tiny Furniture (2010). This film earned her an Independent Spirit Award. Later, she wrote and directed the films Sharp Stick (2022) and Catherine Called Birdy (2022).

In 2013, Time magazine named Dunham one of the 100 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-created Lenny Letter, a feminist online newsletter, which ran for three years.

Dunham has also appeared in other films like This Is 40 (2012) and Happy Christmas (2014). She voiced a character in the animated film My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea (2016). On television, she had guest roles in shows like Scandal and The Simpsons (both 2015).

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 known for using dolls and dollhouse furniture in her art.

Lena's father is from an English background. Her mother is Jewish. Dunham has said she feels "very culturally Jewish." She found a connection to her Judaism through the poetry of Yehuda Amichai.

Dunham went to Friends Seminary and then to Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn. There, she met Jemima Kirke, who would later star 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. Then she transferred to Oberlin College, where she earned a degree in creative writing in 2008.

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

Career Highlights

Early Works and College Films

While at Oberlin College, Dunham made several short films. She uploaded these films to YouTube. One of her early films, The Fountain, became very popular online.

Other early films include Pressures (2006) and Open the Door (2007). These were later included as extras on the Tiny Furniture DVD.

In 2007, Dunham starred in a web series called Tight Shots for Nerve.com. It had ten episodes.

In 2009, Dunham created Delusional Downtown Divas, a web series for Index Magazine. This show made fun of the art scene in New York City. She and her friends used their own money and borrowed equipment to make it.

Also in 2009, Dunham showed her film Creative Nonfiction at the South by Southwest Festival. It's a comedy about a college student trying to finish a screenplay.

Breakthrough with Tiny Furniture

Dunham speaking at the Maryland Film Festival in 2010

Dunham's career really took off with her film Tiny Furniture in 2010. This movie was partly based on her own life. It won the Best Narrative Feature award at South by Southwest. It was also shown 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 sibling in the film. For Tiny Furniture, Dunham also won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.

The success of Tiny Furniture led to a deal with HBO. HBO connected Dunham with experienced showrunner Jennifer Konner. Konner was a big fan of Tiny Furniture. She was excited to work with Dunham.

David Carr from The New York Times wrote about Dunham. This helped introduce her to producer Judd Apatow. Apatow watched Tiny Furniture and was impressed. He joined the team to help develop Dunham's next project for HBO.

Mainstream Success with Girls

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

Dunham's TV series, Girls, was approved by HBO in early 2011. Three episodes were shown at the 2012 South by Southwest Festival. They received positive reviews.

The show is about Hannah Horvath, a writer in her 20s living in New York City. Dunham plays Hannah. Some of Hannah's experiences, like struggling financially and making difficult choices, were inspired by Dunham's own life.

The first season of Girls premiered on HBO on April 15, 2012. It was praised by critics. James Poniewozik from Time called it "raw, audacious, nuanced and richly, often excruciatingly funny."

However, the show also faced some criticism. Some viewers felt it did not show enough diversity in its characters.

The first season earned Dunham four Emmy Award nominations. These were for her acting, writing, and directing. She also won two Golden Globe Awards for the show. In February 2013, Dunham made history. She 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 final episode of the first season had over one million viewers.

The second season of Girls also received strong reviews. Critics praised it for being "sharper, smarter, and more richly layered." The second season aired from January to March 2013. Third and fourth seasons were then approved. The third season premiered in January 2014 with over one million viewers. The next month, Dunham hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live.

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

In January 2015, Girls was renewed for a fifth season. That year, Dunham started a production company called A Casual Romance Productions. This company develops TV and film projects.

Dunham with Avy Kaufman at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival

In September 2015, Dunham said that the sixth season of Girls would likely be the last. HBO later confirmed this.

In 2016, Dunham appeared in her mother's film, My Art. She also voiced Mary in the animated film My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea. This film was shown at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.

In 2017, she played Valerie Solanas in American Horror Story: Cult. Solanas was a real-life feminist writer.

The sixth and final season of Girls ended on April 16, 2017. The series had a total of 62 episodes.

Recent Projects

Since 2016, Dunham has been working on a second book. It will also be published by Random House.

In February 2018, her production company announced Camping. This was a remake of a British comedy series for HBO. Jennifer Garner starred in it, and Dunham was a showrunner and writer.

Camping received mixed reviews from critics. Some found it hard to enjoy.

In August 2018, it was announced Dunham would appear in the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. This movie was directed by Quentin Tarantino. Dunham played the role of Catherine "Gypsy" Share. In October 2018, Dunham and Konner ended their production partnership. In August 2019, Dunham started a new company called Good Thing Going Productions.

In 2019, Dunham and Alissa Bennett started a podcast called The C-Word Podcast.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Dunham announced she would write a serialized novel. It was called Verified Strangers. She wanted to help herself and readers during a time of worry. The story began on the Vogue website. Dunham also directed an episode of HBO's Industry. She appeared in the film The Stand In (2020).

In 2021, Dunham had a small role in the film Music. She also helped produce Genera+ion, a show for HBO Max.

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 is based on a children's novel by Karen Cushman. It premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. It was later released in theaters and on Prime Video.

In December 2023, Netflix announced a new series called Too Much. Dunham is co-creating, writing, executive producing, and directing this series.

In the Media

Dunham has been featured on the covers of many magazines. These include Vogue, Elle, and Rolling Stone. In 2017, she appeared on the cover of Glamour magazine. She praised the magazine for showing an unedited photo of her legs.

Lenny Letter

In 2015, Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner started Lenny Letter. It was an online newsletter focused on feminist topics. It was supported by advertising from companies like Hearst and Condé Nast.

Lenny Letter published regular newsletters. It also had special issues for fiction and poetry.

Famous articles included an essay by actress Jennifer Lawrence. She wrote about the gender wage gap in Hollywood. Singer Alicia Keys also wrote about her choice to wear little to no make-up.

Personal Life

In 2012, Dunham started dating Jack Antonoff. He is a musician, known from the band fun. and Bleachers. They were together until December 2017. They separated in a friendly way.

Dunham was diagnosed with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) as a child.

In February 2018, Dunham wrote an essay for Vogue. She shared her decision to have a surgery called a hysterectomy because of endometriosis.

In 2019, Dunham shared that she has Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS). This is a condition that affects connective tissues.

In July 2020, Dunham shared her experience with COVID-19 on Instagram. She had "severe symptoms for three weeks." She wanted to encourage people to take social distancing seriously.

Dunham began dating English-Peruvian musician Luis Felber in January 2021. A mutual friend set them up. In September 2021, Dunham and Felber got married in a Jewish ceremony.

A 2024 TV show, Finding Your Roots, showed that Dunham is a descendant of Stephanus van Cortlandt. He was the first mayor of New York City who was born there.

Political Activities

Dunham supports various causes. These include gun control, which aims to regulate firearms. She also supports immigrant rights, which protect people who move to a new country. Additionally, she supports LGBT rights, which advocate for fair treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

In 2014, Dunham received the Horizon Award from Point Foundation. This award recognized her support for the gay community.

In April 2016, she wrote in support of Hillary Clinton. She also joked about moving to Vancouver, Canada, if Donald Trump won the election. After Trump won, Dunham decided to stay in the U.S. She said she would "fight and love" in her own country.

In June 2017, Dunham supported Jim Johnson. He was a Democratic candidate for governor in New Jersey. Later that month, Dunham also supported Jeremy Corbyn. He was the leader of the Labour Party in the United Kingdom.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Lena Dunham para niños

• List of Oberlin College and Conservatory people