Lizzy Caplan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lizzy Caplan
Caplan at the 2014 PaleyFest
Born	Elizabeth Anne Caplan (1982-06-30) June 30, 1982 (age 43) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1999–present
Spouse(s)	Tom Riley ​ (m. 2017)​
Children	1
Relatives	Howard Bragman (uncle)

Elizabeth Anne "Lizzy" Caplan (born June 30, 1982) is an American actress. She is famous for playing Janis Ian in the hit movie Mean Girls (2004). She has also been nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for her roles in the TV shows Masters of ... (2013–2016) and Fleishman Is in Trouble (2022).

Caplan's first big role was in the TV series Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000). She has appeared in many other shows, including Party Down, Castle Rock, and the animated series Inside Job.

Besides Mean Girls, she has acted in many movies. Some of her well-known films are Cloverfield (2008), Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), The Interview (2014), and Now You See Me 2 (2016).

Early life and education

Elizabeth Anne Caplan was born on June 30, 1982, in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in the city's Miracle Mile neighborhood. Her family is of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage and belongs to the Reform branch of Judaism.

Her father, Richard Caplan, was a lawyer. Her mother, Barbara Bragman, was a political aide, which means she helped government officials. Lizzy is the youngest of three children. Sadly, her mother passed away from an illness when Lizzy was 13. Her uncle, Howard Bragman, was a well-known publicist, a person who helps manage an actor's public image.

Caplan went to Alexander Hamilton High School. There, she studied at the school's Academy of Music. At first, she played the piano, but she later decided to focus on acting. She also played on her school's soccer team. After graduating in 2000, she decided not to go to college so she could start her acting career right away.

Acting career

Caplan at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con

Caplan started her career in 1999 on the TV show Freaks and Geeks. She played a character named Sara, who became the girlfriend of a character played by Jason Segel. After that, she appeared as a guest on several other shows.

Her big break in movies came in 2004 when she played the artistic and rebellious Janis Ian in Mean Girls. This role made her famous to a wider audience.

Over the years, Caplan has taken on many different roles. In 2008, she starred in the monster movie Cloverfield. For this role, she was nominated for a Saturn Award. She also acted in the comedy My Best Friend's Girl that same year. From 2009 to 2010, she starred in the comedy series Party Down as a struggling comedian. She returned to the show when it was brought back in 2023.

In 2014, she played a government agent in the comedy film The Interview. She has also appeared in popular shows like New Girl and provided her voice for animated shows like American Dad!.

Playing a real person in Masters of ...

From 2013 to 2016, Caplan starred in the TV series Masters of .... She played Virginia E. Johnson, a real-life pioneer who studied human relationships and health in the 1950s and 1960s. This was the first time Caplan had played a real person. She said she felt a "deep responsibility" to portray Johnson accurately.

To prepare for the role, Caplan read a biography about Johnson and her research partner, William H. Masters. The author of the book even let her listen to some of his interview tapes with the real Virginia Johnson.

Her performance was highly praised by critics. In 2014, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. This is one of the highest honors in television. Her work on the show also earned her nominations for other awards, including the Satellite Award and the Critics' Choice Television Award.

Personal life

In May 2016, Caplan got engaged to British actor Tom Riley. The couple had met in London in 2015 while she was filming the movie Now You See Me 2. They got married in September 2017. They have a son, who was born in 2021.

Selected filmography

Here are some of Lizzy Caplan's most well-known movies and TV shows.

Film

Television