Natasha Lyonne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Natasha Lyonne
Lyonne in 2014
Born	Natasha Bianca Lyonne Braunstein (1979-04-04) April 4, 1979 (age 46) New York City, U.S.
Education	Tisch School of the Arts
Occupation	Actress writer director producer
Years active	1986–present

Natasha Bianca Lyonne Braunstein (pronounced /liˈoʊn/ or lee-OHN; born April 4, 1979) is an American actress, writer, director, and producer. She is known for her unique voice and strong personality. She has been nominated for many awards, including five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.

Natasha Lyonne started acting when she was a child. She became very well-known in the late 1990s. Some of her famous movies from that time include Everyone Says I Love You (1996), Slums of Beverly Hills (1998), But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), and American Pie (1999). Later, she appeared in many independent films. She gained even more fame for playing Nicky Nichols in the Netflix show Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019).

More recently, she has starred in the Peacock series Poker Face (2023–present) and the Netflix show Russian Doll (2019–2022). For Russian Doll, Lyonne also helped create the show, wrote episodes, directed, and was an executive producer. In 2023, Time Magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Early Life and Education

Natasha Lyonne was born in New York City. Her parents were Ivette Buchinger and Aaron Braunstein. Her father was a boxing promoter, race car driver, and radio host. Lyonne's parents came from Orthodox Jewish families, and she was raised in that faith. Her mother was born in Paris, France. Her mother's parents were Hungarian-Jewish people who survived the Holocaust.

Lyonne lived the first eight years of her life in Great Neck, New York. Then, she and her parents moved to Israel for about a year and a half. While in Israel, Lyonne acted in an Israeli children's film called April Fool (1989). This experience sparked her interest in acting.

After her parents divorced, Lyonne and her older brother, Adam, moved back to New York City with their mother. Lyonne attended the Ramaz School, a private Jewish school. She later went to Tisch School of the Arts for a film program. She did not finish high school, leaving before her senior year to attend Tisch. She also studied film and philosophy at New York University for a short time.

Career Highlights

Early Acting Roles: 1986–1999

Natasha Lyonne started modeling as a young child with the Ford Modeling Agency. At age seven, she played the character Opal on Pee-wee's Playhouse from September to December 1986. She also made her first movie appearance in Heartburn in the same year. Lyonne has shared that she had to learn to be a professional at a very young age.

After a supporting role in Dennis the Menace (1993), Lyonne got a big role at 16. She co-starred as D.J. in the musical comedy Everyone Says I Love You (1996), directed by Woody Allen. This led to her starring role as Vivian Abromowitz in the independent comedy Slums of Beverly Hills (1998). Critics praised her performance, noting how well she showed Vivian's mix of confusion and curiosity.

In 1999, Lyonne starred as Megan Bloomfield in the comedy But I'm a Cheerleader. This film helped raise awareness about the harms of conversion therapy. It has since become a very popular movie with a cult following. That same year, Lyonne played Jessica in American Pie (1999). This was a small but important role, and she played Jessica again in two of the film's sequels. American Pie earned over US$230 million at the box office. She also appeared in Detroit Rock City and Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby (both 1999).

Mainstream and Independent Films: 2000–2010

Natasha Lyonne at a screening of The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle in 2009

In 2000, Lyonne played Jeanne, a college activist, in the TV film If These Walls Could Talk 2. She also appeared in the drama The Grey Zone (2001), which was about the Holocaust. She continued to work steadily in the early 2000s. She was in big movies like Scary Movie 2, Kate & Leopold (both 2001), and Blade: Trinity (2004). She also took on roles in smaller films such as Zig Zag (2002), Party Monster (2003), and Madhouse (2004). Her role as Debbie Tennis in the 2010 horror comedy All About Evil was especially well-liked.

Recent Success and Awards: 2011–Present

Lyonne had a supporting role in Abel Ferrara's drama 4:44 Last Day on Earth (2011). Two years later, she joined the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black as a regular cast member. Critics loved her portrayal of prison inmate Nicky Nichols. For this role, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014. She also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series twice with her co-stars (2015; 2017).

Her other recent film roles include Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015), Yoga Hosers (2016), Handsome (2017), Show Dogs (2018), Honey Boy (2019), and James Gray's science fiction movie Ad Astra (2019).

After Orange Is the New Black ended, Lyonne began starring as Nadia Vulvokov in Russian Doll. Nadia is a woman stuck in a time loop on her 36th birthday. Lyonne also helped create and produce this comedy-drama series with Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler. The show started on Netflix in February 2019 and received great reviews. The Guardian called it "fine [and] impressive," praising Lyonne's performance.

Lyonne at The Paley Center for Media's PaleyFest 2014 honoring Orange Is the New Black

Russian Doll has had two seasons. Lyonne earned three Primetime Emmy nominations for her work on the show. These nominations were for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

In 2021, Lyonne played American actress Tallulah Bankhead in The United States vs. Billie Holiday. This movie was about the life of jazz singer Billie Holiday. The next year, she made a quick appearance as herself in the mystery movie Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. She also hosted the season 47 finale of Saturday Night Live. In January 2023, she began starring as Charlie Cale in the Peacock series Poker Face. Charlie is a casino worker who can tell when someone is lying. The show is inspired by TV mysteries like Columbo and has been very popular. It will return for a second season.

In May 2024, it was announced that Lyonne will star in the MCU superhero film The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is set to be released in July 2025.

Theatre Work

Lyonne made her New York stage debut in 2008 in Two Thousand Years at the Acorn Theatre. She was also part of the first cast of Love, Loss, and What I Wore (2009–2010), an off-Broadway play by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron.

In 2010, Lyonne received good reviews for her role in Kim Rosenstock's comedy Tigers Be Still. A critic from The New York Times said Lyonne was "a thorough delight" in her role as Grace. Lyonne also starred in Blood from a Stone in 2011 and participated in a special performance of Women Behind Bars in 2012.

Directing and Producing

Natasha Lyonne directed her first short film, Cabiria, Charity, Chastity, in 2017 for the fashion brand KENZO. She has also directed episodes of Russian Doll and Poker Face. Additionally, she directed an episode of Orange is the New Black in its final season. She also directed one episode each of the Hulu shows Shrill and High Fidelity.

Lyonne co-founded a production company called Animal Pictures with Maya Rudolph. Their first project was the comedy special Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine (2020), which Lyonne directed. The company also produces Russian Doll, Poker Face, Loot, and the animated series The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy. In October 2023, Maya Rudolph left the company, and Lyonne now runs Animal Pictures by herself. In May 2024, she signed a deal with another production company, Sister, to work together on future Animal projects.

Lyonne has shared her thoughts on directing. She believes that modern filmmaking can sometimes be too simple. She likes to make her films rich with details and information. She also thinks that doing a lot of research is very important for telling a good story. She advises filmmakers to "Read as many books, watch as many movies, and listen to as much music as you can."

Personal Life and Interests

In 1997, Natasha Lyonne used her earnings from Everyone Says I Love You to buy an apartment in Gramercy Park in New York City. As of 2023, she lives in New York City's East Village and also has a home in Los Angeles.

Lyonne values the close friendships she has made with other actors and creators. She is good friends with Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and Janicza Bravo. She is especially close to Melanie Lynskey and Clea DuVall. She has also said that Chloë Sevigny is like a sister to her. Lyonne is also close with Aubrey Plaza.

Lyonne enjoys crossword puzzles. In 2019, she even designed a crossword for The New York Times. During the 2023 WGA strike, she helped raise money for a good cause by offering fans the chance to solve a New York Times crossword with her. Her other interests include philosophy, classic movies, and quantum physics. Lyonne has a pet Maltipoo dog named Rootbeer, who often appears on her social media.

Selected Filmography

Film

Television

Music Videos

Accolades

See Also

In Spanish: Natasha Lyonne para niños

• The song "Natasha" from Want One (2003) by Rufus Wainwright was written for and about Lyonne.