Elizabeth Banks (néeMitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is known for playing chaperoneEffie Trinket inThe Hunger Games film series (2012–2015) and anICCA commentator in thePitch Perfect film series (2012–2017). She made her directorial film debut withPitch Perfect 2 (2015), whose $69 million opening-weekend gross set a record for a first-time director. She directed the action comedyCharlie's Angels (2019) and the horror comedy filmCocaine Bear (2023). Banks founded the film and television production companyBrownstone Productions in 2002 with her husband, Max Handelman.
Elizabeth Banks was born Elizabeth Mitchell[1] on February 10, 1974[2] inPittsfield, Massachusetts and grew up there, the eldest of four children of Ann (née Wallace) and Mark P. Mitchell.[3] Her father, aVietnam War veteran, was a factory worker forGeneral Electric and her mother worked in a bank.[4] She describes her family as "very meat-and-potatoes, old-schoolIrish Catholic."[5] Growing up, she playedbaseball and rode horses. She was inLittle League when she broke her leg sliding intothird base. She then tried out for the school play, which was her start in acting.[6]
After auditioning in New York, she was offered a role on the soap operaSanta Barbara. Taking the role would have required her to quit her education at the American Conservatory Theater, and as she had taken outstudent loans to complete her degree, she declined the offer.[12] She made her acting debut in the 1998 independent filmSurrender Dorothy as Elizabeth Casey, and appeared in various films over the next seven years, includingWet Hot American Summer (2001),Swept Away (2002) andSeabiscuit (2003).[13] Her most notable role up to that point wasBetty Brant inSam Raimi'sSpider-Man trilogy (2002–2007).[citation needed]
Banks gained more prominent widespread exposure with her role in the 2005 comedy filmThe 40-Year-Old Virgin.[14] In August 2005, at theWilliamstown Theatre Festival, she starred inWilliam Inge'sBus Stop as Cherie, the aspiringnightclub singer.[15] Jeffrey Borak wrote that Banks' portrayal was acted "with poise, clarity and a shrewd feel for Cherie's complexities. Her performance is all of a piece and in harmony, stylistically, with the performances around her."[16] In 2005, she appeared on the seriesStella, and in May 2006, she had a role in theseason five finale of theNBC sitcomScrubs as Dr.Kim Briggs, the love interest ofJ.D. (Zach Braff). Banks appeared throughout seasons six, seven, and eight as a recurring guest star.[17]
In 2009, Banks appeared in the horror filmThe Uninvited, a remake of theSouth Korean filmA Tale of Two Sisters.[22] The film was about an intrusive stepmother who makes life miserable for the teen daughters of her new husband. Banks based her character, Rachel, onRebecca De Mornay's character inThe Hand That Rocks the Cradle.[23] "It was very important to me that every line reading I gave could be interpreted two ways," says Banks of her role, "When you go back through the movie you can see that".[23]
In 2012, Banks starred in the romantic comedy filmWhat to Expect When You're Expecting and the action filmMan on a Ledge. She also starred as Gail Abernathy-McKadden in the musical comedy filmPitch Perfect, which became a critical and commercial success. In 2013, she directed and starred in separate segments ofMovie 43, a critically panned comedy anthology film.[28] Banks starred in the science fiction adventure filmThe Hunger Games (2012), playingEffie Trinket, a woman from "The Capitol" who escorts the District 12 tributes to the annual Hunger Games. She went on to reprise the role in the sequel filmsThe Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013),The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014), andThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015).[17] Banks co-starred in the 2014 movieEvery Secret Thing, playing Detective Nancy Porter investigating the disappearance of a young child with similarities to a case she had previously been involved with.[29] The same year, she provided the voice of the Master Builder Wyldstyle in the Warner Bros. animated filmThe Lego Movie.[30]
In 2014, Banks was recognized byElle Magazine during The Women in Hollywood Awards, honoring women for their outstanding achievements in film, spanning all aspects of the motion picture industry, including acting, directing, and producing.[31]
On May 2, 2019,ABC announced Banks as the host of the summer 2019 revival of the game showPress Your Luck, which she also executive produces.[46] Banks directed, produced, wrote, and starred as Bosley in the action comedy filmCharlie's Angels, which was released in November 2019.[47] In November 2019, it was announced that Banks was set to star in, direct, and produce a new adaptation ofThe Invisible Woman (1940), based on her own original story pitch.Erin Cressida Wilson is writer for the reboot of the female monster, while Max Handelman and Alison Small serve as producer and executive producer, respectively.[48]
Banks directed the 2023 comedy horror filmCocaine Bear, which she produced alongside Max Handelman for Brownstone Productions, andPhil Lord and Christopher Miller. The film grossed 90 million on a 30 to 35 million production budget.[55]
In January 2022, Banks was cast in the filmThe Beanie Bubble, co-directed by Kristin Gore and Damian Kulash.[56] In March 2023 it was announced that Banks would executive produce and voice the characterPebbles Flintstone in the upcomingFox animatedprime time seriesBedrock, which would be a reboot of the original seriesThe Flintstones taking place two decades after the series.[57] On July 18, 2024, it was announced that plans forBedrock were canceled by Fox.[58]
Banks met her husband, Max Handelman, asportswriter and producer fromPortland, Oregon,[59] on her first day of college on September 7, 1992. They were married in 2003 and have two sons, both born viasurrogacy.[8][60] Banks said that people have criticized her for using asurrogate mother, even though she was unable to carry her own children due toinfertility issues. "I don't feel I owe anybody an explanation...If my story helps people feel less alone on their journey, then I'm grateful for that," Banks said in an interview withPorter's Edit.[61]
Banks went through parts ofconversion to Judaism, her husband's faith, and studied with rabbis. In 2013, speaking of her religion, she said that she practices Judaism, although "I did not have mymikveh, so, technically, I'm not converted," but that she has "been essentially a Jew for like 15 years," adding, "Frankly, because I'm already doing everything (practicing religious rituals), I feel like I'm as Jewish as I'm ever going to be."[62][63]
In September 2020, Banks urged herInstagram followers to contactVoteRiders to get information and assistance withvoter ID requirements for the presidential election.[69][70]
^Banks, Elizabeth (November 4, 2015)."Love & Mercy, Elizabeth Banks".DP/30: The Oral History of Hollywood (Interview). Archived fromthe original on October 30, 2021. RetrievedApril 6, 2016.
^"Swept Away".The New York Times. RetrievedAugust 7, 2015.
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