Zoe Kazan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zoe Kazan
Kazan in 2014
Born	Zoe Swicord Kazan (1983-09-09) September 9, 1983 (age 41) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Yale University
Occupation	Actress, screenwriter, playwright
Years active	2003–present
Partner(s)	Paul Dano (2007–present)
Children	2
Parent(s)	Nicholas Kazan Robin Swicord
Relatives	Maya Kazan (sister) Elia Kazan (paternal grandfather) Molly Kazan (paternal grandmother)

Zoe Swicord Kazan (born September 9, 1983) is an American actress and writer. She has starred in many movies, including Ruby Sparks (2012), The Big Sick (2017), and She Said (2022). Zoe also writes movies and plays. She wrote Ruby Sparks and helped write Wildlife (2018) with her partner, Paul Dano.

Zoe first acted on Broadway in 2008 in the play Come Back, Little Sheba. She has also acted in other Broadway plays like The Seagull (2008) and Doubt: A Parable (2024). As a playwright, she has written plays such as Absalom (2008) and We Live Here (2011).

On television, Zoe Kazan was in the HBO show Olive Kitteridge (2014). For this role, she was nominated for a big award called the Primetime Emmy Award. She also appeared in other TV shows like Bored to Death (2010), The Deuce (2017–2019), and Clickbait (2021).

About Zoe Kazan's Early Life and School

Zoe Kazan was born in Los Angeles, California. Her parents, Nicholas Kazan and Robin Swicord, are both screenwriters, which means they write movie scripts. Her grandparents were also famous in the arts. Her grandfather, Elia Kazan, was a well-known film and theater director. Her grandmother, Molly Kazan, was a playwright.

Zoe went to private schools in Los Angeles, including Wildwood School and Marlborough School. She then went to Yale University and studied theater. She graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Zoe Kazan's Acting and Writing Career

Starting Her Career (2003–2009)

Zoe Kazan in 2012

Zoe Kazan's first movie role was in 2003 in Swordswallowers and Thin Men. In 2006, she started acting on stage in an off-Broadway play called The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. She had small roles in movies like The Savages (2007) and Fracture. She also appeared in a TV show called Medium.

In 2008, Zoe made her first appearance on Broadway in the play Come Back, Little Sheba. Critics praised her performance. Later that year, she was in another Broadway play, The Seagull. She also acted in movies like Me and Orson Welles and Revolutionary Road.

Zoe also started writing plays. Her play Absalom was first performed in 2009. She finished the year by acting with Meryl Streep in the movie It's Complicated. She then returned to Broadway in the play A Behanding in Spokane in 2010.

Becoming a Lead Actress (2010–2016)

In 2010, Zoe Kazan had a main role in the movie Happythankyoumoreplease. She also starred in the independent Western movie Meek's Cutoff. On TV, she appeared in the HBO series Bored to Death. Her play We Live Here was first performed in New York City in 2011.

Zoe starred in the movie Ruby Sparks (2012), which she also wrote and helped produce. The movie was well-liked by critics. The next year, she starred in the romantic comedy What If with Daniel Radcliffe.

In 2014, her third play, Trudy and Max in Love, opened. That same year, she was in the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge. Her role earned her a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2016, she received good reviews for her acting in the horror movie The Monster.

Expanding Her Work (2017–Present)

In 2017, Zoe Kazan co-starred in the movie The Big Sick. This film was very popular and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 2018, she co-wrote the movie Wildlife with her partner, Paul Dano, who also directed it. That same year, Zoe starred in the Western movie The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Many critics thought her performance was a highlight of the film.

In 2020, Kazan starred in the TV series The Plot Against America on HBO. She also starred in the Netflix series Clickbait in 2021. In 2022, she starred in the drama film She Said, playing journalist Jodi Kantor.

In 2024, she returned to Broadway in the play Doubt: A Parable. She played Sister James, a nun who suspects a priest of wrongdoing. Her performance was praised by critics. As of October 2024, filming began on a TV adaptation of East of Eden, which Zoe is adapting.

Zoe Kazan's Personal Life

Zoe Kazan has been in a relationship with actor Paul Dano since 2007. They have two children together. Their daughter was born in August 2018, and their son was born in October 2022.

Zoe Kazan's Acting Roles

Movies

Zoe Kazan at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival

Television Shows

Theater Plays

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Zoe Kazan para niños