Lily Rabe | |
|---|---|
 Rabe in 2014 | |
| Born | (1982-06-29)June 29, 1982 (age 42) New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Northwestern University (BA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Partner | Hamish Linklater (2014–present) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents | |
Lily Rabe (born June 29, 1982)[1][2] is an American actress. She is best known for her multiple roles on theFX anthology horror seriesAmerican Horror Story (2011–2021). For her performance asPortia in the Broadway production ofThe Merchant of Venice, she received a nomination for theTony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
Her film credits includeWhat Just Happened (2008),All Good Things (2010),Pawn Sacrifice (2014),Miss Stevens (2016),Golden Exits (2017),Vice (2018),Fractured (2019), andThe Tender Bar (2021). On television, she appeared in the seriesThe Whispers (2015),The Undoing (2020),The Underground Railroad (2021), andThe First Lady (2022).
Rabe was born on New York City'sUpper West Side,[3] the daughter of playwrightDavid Rabe and actressJill Clayburgh. She has a younger brother, Michael, an actor and playwright; and an older paternal half-brother, Jason, a musician.[4] Her father isRoman Catholic,[5] her maternal grandfather wasJewish, and her maternal grandmother wasProtestant.[6] Rabe was raised inBedford,New York, but moved toLakeville, Connecticut, when she was in seventh grade,[3] where she attended theHotchkiss School.[7]
Rabe studied dance for ten years. She was teaching ballet at a summer arts program in Connecticut when she was approached by the program's acting instructor, who asked her to perform a monologue in the final production.[8] She read a monologue from the playCrimes of the Heart byBeth Henley.[8] She said, "It was that moment, performing that monologue, that made me think, 'Maybe this is what I wanna do'."[8] She then went on to study acting atNorthwestern University, graduating in 2004.[9]
In 2001, Rabe made her screen debut opposite her motherJill Clayburgh in the filmNever Again. She made her professional stage debut, again opposite her mother, at the Gloucester Stage Company in Massachusetts. She starred in twoone-act plays,Speaking Well of the Dead byIsrael Horovitz andThe Crazy Girl byFrank Pugliese,[10] roles that enabled her to get anEquity Card.[11] In July 2003, she returned to the Gloucester Stage Company to appear inProof byDavid Auburn. That year, she also appeared in the filmMona Lisa Smile. After graduating, she moved back to New York. From September 29 through October 2, 2004, she appeared inWhite Jesus by Deirdre O'Connor,[12] one of a series of one-act plays presented asThe Democracy Project from theNaked Angels Theater Company.[13]
On January 21, 2005, she took part in aworkshop production ofThe Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at theRoundabout Theatre Company, directed byJoe Mantello.[14] She made herBroadway debut as Annelle Dupuy-Desoto in the 2005 revival ofSteel Magnolias byRobert Harling, directed byJason Moore[15] for which she was nominated for aDrama Desk Award.[16] She had been cast in the playSisters of the Garden, but had to drop out after being cast inSteel Magnolias.[17] From September through to October 2005, she appeared in the American premiere ofColder Than Here by English playwrightLaura Wade at theMCC Theater,[18] promptingNew York Magazine's Jeremy McCarter to call her performance "one of the best breakthroughs" of 2005.[19] From September to December 2006, she played Ellie Dunn in Roundabout Theatre Company's production ofHeartbreak House byGeorge Bernard Shaw.[20] In 2007, she appeared in the filmNo Reservations.
In August 2007, Rabe appeared inCrimes of the Heart at theWilliamstown Theatre Festival, the directorial debut of actressKathleen Turner.[21] In 2008, the production movedOff-Broadway to the Laura Pels Theatre, where it was staged by the Roundabout Theatre Company and ran from February 14 to April 13.[22] During a rehearsal, a piece of the set fell on Rabe, leaving her with a fractured rib[23] and causing her to miss a week ofpreview performances; the opening night was changed from February 7 to February 14.[22]
In August 2008, Rabe was cast as a plainclothes cop in the pilot of theHBO 1970s dramaLast of the Ninth,[24] written byDavid Milch and directed byCarl Franklin. In December 2008, it was reported that HBO had decided not to pick it up as a series.[25] That year, Rabe appeared in the filmsWhat Just Happened andThe Toe Tactic, as well as two episodes ofMedium. From January to March 2009, she appeared in the Broadway premiere ofRichard Greenberg's 1990 playThe American Plan at theSamuel J. Friedman Theatre.[26] In 2010, she made her debut appearance atShakespeare in the Park in a production ofThe Merchant of Venice, directed byDaniel J. Sullivan, that ran from June 30 to August 1.[27] Rabe was cast asPortia, which she described as "one of the great female roles."[28] She also co-starred in the 2010 filmAll Good Things.
Rabe next starred inThe Merchant of Venice, oppositeAl Pacino asShylock, in a performance described as a "smashing break-out".[29] The production transferred to Broadway at theBroadhurst Theater, where it ran from October 19, 2010, to February 20, 2011.[30] For her performance, she was nominated for theTony Award for Best Actress in a Play.[31] In March 2011, she was cast in theFOX drama pilotExit Strategy.[32] In July, it was confirmed that FOX had passed on the pilot.[33] Rabe appeared again at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in a production ofA Doll's House byHenrik Ibsen, where she playedNora Helmer.[34]
In August 2011, Rabe got her first regular role on a television series, as Nora Montgomery on theFX horror seriesAmerican Horror Story. She was later cast in the second season as the nun Sister Mary Eunice McKee (which she reprised in the fourth season). For the second season, she was nominated for aCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries. She was also cast in the third season as a resurgent witch, Misty Day, a role written for her by co-creatorRyan Murphy.[35] In the fifth season, she was a special guest star in the "Devil's Night" episode, playingAileen Wuornos. In the sixth season, she had a main role as Shelby Miller. Rabe is one of only three actors to appear in the show's first six seasons.[36] In 2019, for the ninth installment of the show, titled1984, Rabe returned in the recurring role ofLavinia Richter, a distraught mother who haunts Camp Redwood, an idyllic summer retreat with a history of massacre.
Rabe appeared at theGolden Theatre in the Broadway playSeminar byTheresa Rebeck. Directed bySam Gold, the cast includedAlan Rickman,Jerry O'Connell,Hamish Linklater andHettienne Park. It opened on November 20, 2011 and closed May 6, 2012. In May 2012, it was announced that Rabe would play actressMary Pickford inThe First, a film based on the bookPickford: The Woman Who Made Hollywood by Eileen Whitfield.[37] She finished work inthe Public Theater's production ofAs You Like It, part of the 50th Season ofShakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theatre. She playedRosalind in the production that opened on June 11, 2012, and closed on June 30, 2012. In October 2012, it was announced that Rabe would appear inWe're Just Married, a film written by her father and directed byRodrigo Garcia. Rabe was also a producer on the film.[38] In May 2013, she made her Los Angeles stage debut inMiss Julie byAugust Strindberg, adapted and directed byNeil LaBute.[39] In September 2013, she was cast as Commander Lyme inThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 andThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, the final two installments ofThe Hunger Games film series, based on the novels bySuzanne Collins.[40] She was later replaced in the films byGwendoline Christie due to a scheduling conflict.[41]
On February 14, it was announced that Rabe would appear inMuch Ado About Nothing as part of the 2014 Shakespeare in the Park season. The production began on June 3 and ran to July 6.[42] In 2014, she appeared inPawn Sacrifice, a film biopic about chess playerBobby Fischer, playing Fischer's sisterJoan Targ.[43] On February 24, it was announced that Rabe would appear withThomas Jane andJessica Alba in horror filmThe Veil.[44] It was released on January 19, 2016, throughvideo on demand, prior to home-media release on February 2, 2016.[45][46] That day, it was announced that Rabe would star inThe Visitors, a drama pilot forABC.[47] The pilot was later changed toThe Whispers and was officially picked up by ABC in May 2014.[48] The series premiered on June 1, 2015[49] and was subsequently cancelled on October 19, 2015 after one season.[50] In May 2016, Rabe was cast inGolden Exits directed byAlex Ross Perry.[51]
In August 2021, Rabe starred in thetenth season ofAmerican Horror Story, as Doris Gardner in the first half of the season, and as Amelia Earhart in the second. It was her first time as part of the main cast sinceRoanoke.[52]
In December 2016, it was reported that Rabe was expecting her first child with boyfriendHamish Linklater. She gave birth to a girl in March 2017.[53][54] In June 2020, they had their second daughter.[55][56] In September 2021, Rabe announced her third pregnancy with Linklater.[57][58] She gave birth in June 2022.[59]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Siena Boatman | Episode: "Scared Crazy" |
| 2006 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Nikki | Episode: "Recall" |
| 2008 | Nip/Tuck | Lanie Ainge | Episode: "Kyle Ainge" |
| Medium | Joanna Wheeler | 2 episodes | |
| 2009 | Last of the Ninth | Mary Byrne | Unsold TV pilot |
| 2010 | Saving Grace | Sarah Cullen | Episode: "You Can't Save Them All, Grace" |
| Law & Order | Andrea Wheaton | Episode: "Crashers" | |
| 2011–2015 | The Good Wife | Petra Moritz | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | Exit Strategy | Natalie Clayton | Unsold TV pilot |
| American Horror Story: Murder House | Nora Montgomery | 7 episodes | |
| 2012–2013 | American Horror Story: Asylum | Sister Mary Eunice McKee | 10 episodes |
| 2013–2014 | American Horror Story: Coven | Misty Day | 10 episodes |
| 2014 | American Horror Story: Freak Show | Sister Mary Eunice McKee | Episode: "Orphans" |
| 2015 | The Whispers | Claire Bennigan | 13 episodes |
| The Walker | Sarah | Episode: "How to Deal with a Frenemy" | |
| 2015–2016 | American Horror Story: Hotel | Aileen Wuornos | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | American Horror Story: Roanoke | Shelby Miller | 10 episodes |
| 2017 | Regular Show in Space | Ailen (voice) | Episode: "Meet the Seer" |
| The Wizard of Lies | Catherine Hooper | Television film | |
| 2017–2018 | Voltron: Legendary Defender | Honerva (voice) | 10 episodes |
| 2018 | Legion | Joan Barrett | Episode: "Chapter 12" |
| American Horror Story: Apocalypse | Misty Day | 2 episodes | |
| 2019 | American Horror Story: 1984 | Lavinia Richter | 3 episodes |
| 2020 | The Undoing | Sylvia Steineitz | 6 episodes |
| 2021 | Tell Me Your Secrets | Emma Hall | 10 episodes |
| The Underground Railroad | Ethel Wells | 2 episodes | |
| American Horror Story: Double Feature | Doris Gardner | 4 episodes | |
| Amelia Earhart | 2 episodes | ||
| 2022 | The First Lady | Lorena Hickok | 7 episodes |
| 2023-present | Shrinking | Meg | Recurring role, 7 episodes |
| 2023 | Love & Death | Betty Gore | 7 episodes |
| 2024 | The Great Lillian Hall | Margaret Tanner | Television film |
| Presumed Innocent | Dr. Liz Rush | 4 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Colder Than Here | Jenna Bradley |
| Steel Magnolias | Annelle Dupuy-Desoto | |
| 2006 | Heartbreak House | Ellie Dunn |
| 2008 | Crimes of the Heart | Babe Botrelle |
| 2009 | The American Plan | Lili Adler |
| 2010–2011 | The Merchant of Venice | Portia |
| 2011–2012 | Seminar | Kate |
| 2011 | A Doll's House | Nora Helmer |
| 2012 | As You Like It | Rosalind |
| 2013 | Miss Julie | Miss Julie |
| 2014 | Much Ado About Nothing | Beatrice |
| 2015 | Cymbeline | Imogen |
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Sanctuary | Reya | Matt Altman | Fiction podcast produced by Voyage Media, 8 episodes |
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Steel Magnolias | Nominated |
| 2011 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Play | The Merchant of Venice | Nominated |
| Tony Awards | Best Actress in a Play | Nominated | ||
| 2013 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries | American Horror Story: Asylum | Nominated |
| 2016 | SXSW Film Festival Awards[60] | Special Jury Recognition for Best Actress | Miss Stevens | Won |
| 2019 | Critics' Choice Movie Awards | Best Acting Ensemble | Vice | Nominated |
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