Rachel Brosnahan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rachel Brosnahan
Brosnahan on the set of Superman in 2024
Born	(1990-07-12) July 12, 1990 (age 34) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Alma mater	New York University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2007–present
Spouse(s)	Jason Ralph ​ (m. 2016)​
Relatives	Kate Spade (aunt) Andy Spade (uncle)

Rachel Brosnahan (born July 12, 1990) is an American actress. She is famous for playing a character who wants to be a stand-up comedian. This was in the TV show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023). For this role, she won an Primetime Emmy Award in 2018. She also won two Golden Globe Awards in 2018 and 2019.

Rachel was also nominated for an Emmy for her role in the TV show House of Cards (2013–2015). She also acted in the drama series Manhattan (2014–2015). Her first movie was the horror film The Unborn (2009). She has been in many other films too.

On stage, she first performed on Broadway in 2013. This was in a play called The Big Knife. In 2016, she played Desdemona in Othello. She returned to Broadway in 2023 in the play The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window.

Early Life and Education

Rachel Brosnahan was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her parents are Carol and Earl Brosnahan. Her mother is from Britain, and her father is American. He has Irish family. From the age of four, Rachel grew up in Highland Park, Illinois. She has a younger brother and sister.

She went to Wayne Thomas Elementary School and Northwood Junior High School. She liked to perform in musical theater in junior high and high school. At Highland Park High School, she was on the wrestling team. She was also a snowboarding instructor. When she was 16, she took an acting class. Rachel finished her studies at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2012.

Acting Career Highlights

Starting Out in Acting (2007–2012)

While still in high school, Rachel got her first movie role. She played Lisa in the horror film The Unborn (2009). This movie was produced by Michael Bay. In college, she appeared in single episodes of TV shows. These included Gossip Girl, The Good Wife, and Grey's Anatomy. After college, she got regular roles in shows like The Blacklist (2014). She also appeared in the medical drama Black Box (2014).

Her first stage performance was in 2009 in a play called Up. This was at the Steppenwolf Theatre. She made her Broadway debut in 2013 in The Big Knife. In 2016, she played Desdemona in Othello. She acted alongside David Oyelowo and Daniel Craig in this play.

Becoming Famous with Mrs. Maisel (2013–2020)

In 2013, Rachel starred as Rachel Posner in House of Cards. This was a political drama on Netflix. She was only supposed to be in two episodes at first. But the show's creator liked her acting. Her role was made much bigger. This role made her very well-known. She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for it. In 2016, she was in Woody Allen's Amazon series Crisis in Six Scenes.

Cast members and producers of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in 2018

Starting in 2017, she played the main character in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. This is an Amazon comedy series. Rachel has said that growing up around Jewish culture helped her prepare for the role. She plays Midge Maisel, a 1950s Jewish housewife. Midge decides to become a stand-up comedy performer when her marriage ends. Rachel's acting in this show has won her many awards. These include a Primetime Emmy Award. She also won two Golden Globe Awards.

In 2019, Rachel Brosnahan started her own production company. It is called Scrap Paper Pictures.

Recent Work in Films and Theater (2020–Present)

Rachel was in the drama film The Courier in 2020. She acted with Benedict Cumberbatch. In December 2020, Amazon released I'm Your Woman. Rachel starred in this movie and also helped produce it. In 2022, she was in the western film Dead for a Dollar.

In 2023, she starred in a new version of the play The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window. She performed with Oscar Isaac. This play was first at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Later, it moved to the James Earl Jones Theatre on Broadway. She received good reviews for her performance.

In 2025, Rachel Brosnahan will play Lois Lane in the superhero film Superman. This movie is part of the DC Universe. It is directed by James Gunn. She will also star in a spy thriller called The Amateur.

Personal Life

In 2018, it was reported that Rachel Brosnahan had married actor Jason Ralph. She later shared in January 2019 that they had been married "for years" before it became public. They both attended the 76th Golden Globe Awards in 2019. Rachel thanked him during her award speech.

Rachel Brosnahan is the niece of handbag designer Kate Spade. Kate Spade was married to Andy Spade. Andy is the older brother of actor and comedian David Spade.

Film Roles

Year	Work	Role	Notes
2009	The Unborn	Lisa
	The Truth About Average Guys	Molly
2011	Coming Up Roses	Alice
2012	Nor'easter	Abby Green
	Adrift	Alex	Short film
2013	Beautiful Creatures	Genevieve Duchannes
	Care	Drea	Short film
	A New York Heartbeat	Tamara
	Munchausen	Girl	Short film
2014	Basically	Shandy
	I'm Obsessed with You	Nell Fitzpatrick
2015	James White	Woman (Ellen)
	Louder Than Bombs	Erin
2016	The Finest Hours	Bea Hansen
	Burn Country	Sandra
	Patriots Day	Jessica Kensky
2017	Boomtown	Jamie
2018	Fifteen Years Later	Amy	Short film
	Change in the Air	Wren
2019	Spies in Disguise	Wendy Beckett	Voice role
2020	The Courier	Emily Donovan
	I'm Your Woman	Jean	Also produced
2022	Dead for a Dollar	Rachel Kidd
2025	The Amateur	TBA	Post-production
	Superman	Lois Lane	Post-production
TBA	Lear Rex	Regan	Post-production

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television Roles

Theater Performances

Awards and Nominations