Clea DuVall | |
|---|---|
.jpg) DuVall in 2019 | |
| Born | Clea Helen D'Etienne DuVall (1977-09-25)September 25, 1977 (age 48)[1] Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1996–present |
Clea Helen D'Etienne DuVall (born September 25, 1977) is an American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. She rose to prominence in the late 1990s with supporting roles inThe Faculty (1998),But I'm a Cheerleader, andGirl, Interrupted (both 1999). Subsequent film credits includeGhosts of Mars (2001),Identity,21 Grams (both 2003),The Grudge (2004),Zodiac (2007), andArgo (2012).
On television, DuVall has appeared in recurring and regular roles on series such asCarnivàle (2003–2005),Heroes (2006–2007),American Horror Story (2012–2013),The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015),Better Call Saul (2015–2017),Veep (2016–2019), andThe Handmaid's Tale (2018–2022). She also voiced Elsa in the animated sitcomHouseBroken (2021–2023), which she co-created.
DuVall's directorial work includes the comedy featuresThe Intervention (2016) andHappiest Season (2020). She also created, wrote, and executive produced the coming-of-age drama seriesHigh School (2022).
DuVall was born and raised inLos Angeles, California.[1] Her forename derives from the novelClea byLawrence Durrell.[2][3] She worked in a coffee shop as a teenager and studied at theLos Angeles County High School for the Arts.[4]
DuVall made her screen debut in the low-budget horror filmLittle Witches (1996). This was followed by small parts in severalindependent features, as well as guest appearances onER andBuffy the Vampire Slayer (both 1997). Her breakthrough came in 1998 when she starred inRobert Rodriguez's sci-fi horror filmThe Faculty, receiving positive reviews for her portrayal of Stokely "Stokes" Mitchell, agoth high school student.[5][6] Also that year, she had a supporting role in the teen comedyCan't Hardly Wait, which later developed acult following.[7]
DuVall had roles in several films released in 1999, including the biographical dramaGirl, Interrupted, where she appeared as compulsive liar Georgina Tuskin; teen romantic comedyShe's All That, which opened atop the U.S. box office;[8] and the independent featuresWildflowers andBut I'm a Cheerleader. The latter, a satirical comedy in which she played a lesbian undergoingconversion therapy, is often cited as a favorite among fans ofLGBTQ cinema.[9][10] For her work inWildflowers, a drama about a 17-year-old intent on finding her birth mother, DuVall received rave reviews,[11] with Barry Johnson noting in his appraisal forThe Austin Chronicle, "[she] has those deep, round, chestnut eyes that convey years of experience with a solitary glance ... [she] always seems to capture that unique blend of wisdom and naiveté ... [here she] takes center stage in an impressive, nuanced performance that makes use of [her] magnetic screen presence".[12]
DuVall played supporting roles in a variety of features throughout the early 2000s, such asGhosts of Mars (2001), aspace Western directed byJohn Carpenter; ensemble dramaThirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001);The Laramie Project (2002), a documentary-style dramatisation of the murder ofMatthew Shepard; coming-of-age sports dramaThe Slaughter Rule (2002); theJames Mangold–directed mystery thrillerIdentity (2003); and the psychological crime drama21 Grams (2003), the critically acclaimed English-language debut ofAlejandro González Iñárritu.[13][14]
DuVall appeared as a series regular on theHBO drama seriesCarnivàle from 2003 to 2005, with theLos Angeles Times pointing out that her portrayal of tarot card reader Sophie was "especially good".[15] She also starred in the television filmHelter Skelter (2004) during that period, earning aSatellite Award nomination for her portrayal of real-life cult memberLinda Kasabian; and in the hit horror filmThe Grudge (2004), which grossed US$187 million at the box office.[16] Subsequent credits included guest appearances onCSI (2005),Lie to Me (2009),Numb3rs,Bones, andLaw & Order (all 2010), as well as key parts in films such asDavid Fincher'sZodiac (2007)[17] and the recurring role ofAudrey Hanson on theNBC sci-fi seriesHeroes (2006–2007).
Following appearances inAnamorph (2007) andPassengers (2008) and a small part in the legal dramaConviction (2010), DuVall co-starred inBen Affleck'sArgo (2012), a political thriller based on theIran hostage crisis of 1979–1981. For her portrayal of Cora Amburn-Lijek, one of the six American diplomats rescued from Iran in 1980, DuVall was awarded—alongside her co-stars—theSAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Also in 2012, she appeared in the recurring role of Wendy Peyser on thesecond season of theFX anthology seriesAmerican Horror Story.[18] Writing forSlate, Alyssa Rosenberg said of her work in the latter projects, "Where DuVall often played strong, even aggressive characters in the past, in bothAmerican Horror Story andArgo, she's turned in good performances by playing deeply vulnerable people trying to be strong in threatening circumstances".[19]
_crop_(cropped).jpg)
DuVall starred as Emma Borden, sister ofLizzie Borden—played byChristina Ricci—in theLifetime television filmLizzie Borden Took an Ax (2014), reprising the role for the limited seriesThe Lizzie Borden Chronicles the following year. The show received mixed reviews, but critics praised the performances of Ricci and DuVall; writing forThe Hollywood Reporter, Keith Uhlich said the actresses "have a delectable rapport not too far removed fromBette Davis andJoan Crawford at their hag-horror peak inWhat Ever Happened to Baby Jane?".[20]
DuVall made her feature directorial debut withThe Intervention (2016), which she also wrote, starred in, and produced.[21][22] Acquired byParamount Pictures after its premiere at the2016 Sundance Film Festival,[23] the comedy-drama was positively reviewed; Andy Webster ofThe New York Times noted that "DuVall juggles the emotional dynamics with fluid editing and light comic touches".[24] That same year, she starred in the independent featuresZen Dogs andHeaven's Floor, and guest-starred in three episodes ofAMC'sBetter Call Saul.
Between 2016 and 2019, DuVall played Marjorie Palmiotti on HBO's political satire seriesVeep, for which she was twice nominated—alongside her co-stars—for theSAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, winning in 2018.[25] She also starred in the independent dramedyAll About Nina (2018) and portrayed Sylvia in five episodes of the dystopianHulu seriesThe Handmaid's Tale (2018–2022), with Judy Berman ofTime calling it "the best work of [DuVall's career]".[26]
DuVall wrote and directed the 2020 romcomHappiest Season,[27] which premiered on Hulu to a positive critical reception,[28] later winning the 2021GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film.[29] Her next project—as creator, writer, director, and executive producer—was the coming-of-age drama seriesHigh School, which ran for a single season onAmazon Freevee.[30]Rolling Stone named it one of the best shows of 2022,[31] writing in their review, "[DuVall captures] the thrilling, horrifying, profoundly uncomfortable experience of adolescence".[32] She earned additional praise that year for her portrayal ofMalvina "Tommy" Thompson, personal aide toEleanor Roosevelt, in theShowtime drama seriesThe First Lady.[33]
DuVall's performance in a 2023 episode of thePeacock murder mystery seriesPoker Face was particularly well received.[34][35] She returned to direct an episode of the show in 2025.[36]
In February 2026, DuVall was cast as a member of the Seraphites in thethird season of theHBO post-apocalyptic drama seriesThe Last of Us.[37]
DuVall is alesbian.[38][39] She came out to close relations when she was 16, publicly coming out in 2016.[40] DuVall has said that she was "verycloseted" while makingBut I'm a Cheerleader.[41] She is close friends withMelanie Lynskey andNatasha Lyonne, with whom she worked onCheerleader andThe Intervention.[42] DuVall is married and lives in Los Angeles.[43][44]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Little Witches | Kelsey | |
| 1997 | The Alarmist | Suzy | |
| Niagara, Niagara | Convenience store clerk | ||
| 1998 | How to Make the Cruelest Month | Bell Bryant | |
| Girl | Gillian | ||
| Can't Hardly Wait | Jana | ||
| The Faculty | Stokely "Stokes" Mitchell | ||
| 1999 | A Slipping-Down Life | Nurse | |
| She's All That | Misty | ||
| Wildflowers | Cally | ||
| Sleeping Beauties | Clea | Short film | |
| The Astronaut's Wife | Nan | ||
| But I'm a Cheerleader | Graham Eaton | ||
| Girl, Interrupted | Georgina Tuskin | ||
| 2000 | Committed | Mimi | |
| 2001 | See Jane Run | Jane Whittaker | |
| Ghosts of Mars | Bashira Kincaid | ||
| Thirteen Conversations About One Thing | Bea | ||
| How to Make a Monster | Laura Wheeler | ||
| 2002 | The Slaughter Rule | Skyla Sisco | |
| 2003 | Identity | Ginny Isiana | |
| 21 Grams | Claudia | ||
| 2004 | The Grudge | Jennifer Williams | |
| 2005 | Two Weeks | Katrina | |
| 2006 | Champions | Billy | |
| 2007 | Zodiac | Linda Del Buono | |
| Ten Inch Hero | Jen | ||
| Itty Bitty Titty Committee | Singer | ||
| Anamorph | Sandy Strickland | ||
| 2008 | Passengers | Shannon | |
| 2009 | The Killing Room | Kerry Isalano | |
| 2010 | Conviction | Brenda Marsh | |
| 2012 | Argo | Cora Amburn-Lijek | |
| 2013 | Armed Response | Lena | Also executive producer |
| 2014 | Jackie & Ryan | Virginia | |
| Zen Dog | Marlene Meeks | ||
| 2015 | Ma/ddy | Dana | |
| Addicted to Fresno | Regina | ||
| 2016 | The Intervention | Jessie | Also writer, director, and executive producer |
| Heaven's Floor | Julia | ||
| 2018 | All About Nina | Paula | |
| 2020 | Happiest Season | N/a | Co-writer and director only |
| 2025 | Swiped | Charlotte |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Dangerous Minds | Nina | Episode: "Evolution" |
| 1997 | ER | Katy Reed | 2 episodes |
| Crisis Center | Laura Thomas | Episode: "Where Truth Lies" | |
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Marcie Ross | Episode: "Out of Mind, Out of Sight" | |
| On the Edge of Innocence | Ann | Television film | |
| The Defenders: Payback | Jessica Lane | Television film | |
| 2000 | Popular | Wanda Rickets | 2 episodes |
| 2001 | The Fugitive | Lynette Hennessy | 2 episodes |
| How to Make a Monster | Laura | Television film | |
| 2002 | The Laramie Project | Amanda Gronich | Television film |
| 2003–2005 | Carnivàle | Sofie Agnesh Bojakshiya | Main role |
| 2004 | Helter Skelter | Linda Kasabian | Television film |
| 2005 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Abigail Spencer | Episode: "Shooting Stars" |
| Fathers and Sons | Laura | Television film; uncredited | |
| 2006–2007 | Heroes | Audrey Hanson | Recurring role |
| 2008 | Grey's Anatomy | Jennifer Robinson | 2 episodes |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Mia Latimer | Episode: "Persona" | |
| The Watch | Cassie | Television film | |
| 2009 | Virtuality | Sue Parsons | Television film |
| Saving Grace | Maura Darrell | Episode: "Looks Like a Lesbian Attack to Me" | |
| Lie to Me | Michelle Russell | Episode: "Blinded" | |
| 2010 | Private Practice | Natasha | Episode: "Fear of Flying" |
| Bones | McKenna Grant | Episode: "The Bones on the Blue Line" | |
| Numb3rs | Melanie Bailey | Episode: "Devil Girl" | |
| Law & Order | Amanda Green | Episode: "The Taxman Cometh" | |
| 2010–2011 | The Event | Maya | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | CSI: Miami | Lyla Moore | Episode: "About Face" |
| And Baby Will Fall | Melinda White | Television film | |
| 2012–2013 | American Horror Story: Asylum | Wendy Peyser | 5 episodes |
| 2014 | The Newsroom | Lilly Hart | 2 episodes |
| Lizzie Borden Took an Ax | Emma Borden | Television film | |
| 2015 | The Lizzie Borden Chronicles | Main role | |
| 2015–2017 | Better Call Saul | Lara Cruz | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Brooklyn Animal Control | Madeleine Holmlund | Unsoldpilot |
| New Girl | Camilla | Episode: "Wig" | |
| 2016–2019 | Veep | Marjorie Palmiotti | Recurring role (seasons 5–6); main role (season 7) |
| 2018 | Take My Wife | Audience Member | Episode #2.3 |
| The Romanoffs | Patricia Callahan | Episode: "End of the Line" | |
| 2018–2022 | The Handmaid's Tale | Sylvia | 5 episodes |
| 2019 | Broad City | Lesley Marnel | 3 episodes |
| Looking for Alaska | N/a | Director only; episode: "I'll Show You That It Won't Shoot" | |
| 2021–2023 | HouseBroken | Elsa (voice) | Also co-creator, executive producer, and writer |
| 2021 | Q-Force | (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | The First Lady | Malvina "Tommy" Thompson | Recurring role |
| High School | N/a | Creator, director, and writer only | |
| 2023 | Poker Face | Emily Cale | Episode: "The Hook" |
| 2025 | N/a | Director only; episode: "The Big Pump" | |
| 2027 | The Last of Us | Seraphite | Season 3 |
