Lizzy Caplan
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Anne "Lizzy" Caplan (born June 30, 1982) is an American actress. In film, she is best known for her roles as Janis Ian in Mean Girls
, Marlena Diamond in Cloverfield
, and April in Hot Tub Time Machine
. On television, her most notable roles include Kat Warbler in The Class, Amy Burley in True Blood
, Avery in Tru Calling
and Casey Klein in Party Down
.
, California
. She grew up in a Reform Jewish family. Caplan attended Alexander Hamilton High School, a public high school on Los Angeles's Westside. Caplan was a student at the school's prestigious Academy of Music, a performing arts program, and decided to pursue drama
after she lost interest in playing the piano. She starred in productions of Much Ado About Nothing
and You Can't Take It with You
. Caplan graduated in 2000.
acting career in 1999 playing the minor role of Sara on the critically acclaimed series Freaks and Geeks
, most memorably as a disco
dancer in the episode "Discos and Dragons". Caplan had a series of guest appearances on numerous shows, and was a guest on The Sharon Osbourne Show
. She also appeared in Jason Mraz
's music video "You and I Both
". In 2001, she played freak of the week Tina Greer in an episode of Smallville
, and reprised her role on the show in 2003. She appeared in two episodes of the ABC
series Once and Again
as Sarah, the ex-girlfriend of Mischa Barton
's character, Katie Singer.
Although already an experienced actress, she gained notice in the 2004 movie
Mean Girls
, where she played the alternative
-styled Janis Ian, named for the singer-songwriter
. In 2003, she starred in the television series The Pitts
, playing Faith Pitt. In the second season of Tru Calling
, she played Avery Bishop, a friend of Tru Davies.
Caplan landed a starring role in 2005, playing Marjee Sorelli, the troubled sister in Related, a one-hour dramedy on The WB. The show was canceled after one season. In 2006, Caplan played the starring role of Sara Weller in Wesley Strick
's thriller, Love is the Drug
. She was named one of “10 Actors to Watch” that year by Daily Variety
. After Related ended, Caplan was cast in the CBS
sitcom The Class, which premiered on September 18, 2006, and lasted one season. She played Kat Warbler, one of several elementary-school friends that reunite after 20 years.
Caplan, along with Jason Ritter
, presented a People's Choice Award for Favorite Soundtrack From a Movie in January 2007. She appeared with her The Class co-star Heather Goldenhersh
on the talk show The View in early 2007.
In 2008, Caplan appeared in the film Cloverfield
playing Marlena Diamond, and was nominated for a Saturn award as Best Supporting Actress. She also appeared in the romantic comedy My Best Friend's Girl playing Ami, the roommate of Kate Hudson's character Alexis. She is the voice of Faith Pitt in the animated version of The Pitts
, released in 2009. In 2008, Caplan guest starred on the vampire-themed HBO show True Blood
in a multiple-episode story arc as Amy Burley, the drug-addled girlfriend of Sookie Stackhouse's brother, Jason.
Caplan also appeared in the recently cancelled, yet critically acclaimed Starz ensemble comedy Party Down
, playing a struggling comedienne who is part of a catering crew. In 2010, she appeared in 127 Hours
, a film directed by Danny Boyle
. Based on a true story, Caplan played the sister of hiker Aron Ralston
, played by James Franco
, who was forced to amputate his own arm after being trapped by a boulder.
Mean Girls
Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have...
, Marlena Diamond in Cloverfield
Cloverfield
Cloverfield is a 2008 American disaster-monster film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams and written by Drew Goddard.The film follows six young New Yorkers attending a going-away party on the night that a gigantic monster attacks the city...
, and April in Hot Tub Time Machine
Hot Tub Time Machine
Hot Tub Time Machine is a 2010 American science fiction adult comedy film directed by Steve Pink. Four men, all of them bored with their adult lives, travel back to their 1980s teen-hood, courtesy of a time-shifting hot tub. It stars John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Kellee Stewart, Rob...
. On television, her most notable roles include Kat Warbler in The Class, Amy Burley in True Blood
True Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
, Avery in Tru Calling
Tru Calling
Tru Calling is an American television supernatural drama series that premiered on Fox Network on October 30, 2003. It ran for two seasons before being canceled....
and Casey Klein in Party Down
Party Down
Party Down is an American comedy television series created and primarily written by John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd that aired on the Starz network in the United States.-Conception:...
.
Early life
Caplan was born and raised in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. She grew up in a Reform Jewish family. Caplan attended Alexander Hamilton High School, a public high school on Los Angeles's Westside. Caplan was a student at the school's prestigious Academy of Music, a performing arts program, and decided to pursue drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
after she lost interest in playing the piano. She starred in productions of Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
and You Can't Take It with You
You Can't Take It with You
You Can't Take It with You is a comedic play in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The original production of the play opened at the Booth Theater on December 14, 1936, and played for 837 performances...
. Caplan graduated in 2000.
Career
Caplan began her televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
acting career in 1999 playing the minor role of Sara on the critically acclaimed series Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks is an American teen comedy-drama television series, created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow, that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season...
, most memorably as a disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
dancer in the episode "Discos and Dragons". Caplan had a series of guest appearances on numerous shows, and was a guest on The Sharon Osbourne Show
The Sharon Osbourne Show
The Sharon Osbourne Show refers to either of two TV chat shows hosted by Sharon Osbourne – the original US version, or the more recent UK version. These are described separately below.-US version :...
. She also appeared in Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
's music video "You and I Both
You and I Both
"You and I Both" is a song by Jason Mraz released as the third and final single from his debut album Waiting for My Rocket to Come.-Track listing:# "You and I Both" # "Common Pleasure" # "You and I Both"...
". In 2001, she played freak of the week Tina Greer in an episode of Smallville
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
, and reprised her role on the show in 2003. She appeared in two episodes of the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series Once and Again
Once and Again
Once and Again is an American television series that aired on ABC from September 21, 1999 to April 15, 2002. It depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father...
as Sarah, the ex-girlfriend of Mischa Barton
Mischa Barton
Mischa Anne Marsden Barton is a British-American fashion model, film, television, and stage actress, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in the American television series The O.C..-Early life:...
's character, Katie Singer.
Although already an experienced actress, she gained notice in the 2004 movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Mean Girls
Mean Girls
Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have...
, where she played the alternative
Alternative culture
Alternative culture is a type of culture that exists outside or on the fringes of mainstream or popular culture, usually under the domain of one or more subcultures...
-styled Janis Ian, named for the singer-songwriter
Janis Ian
Janis Ian is an American songwriter, singer, musician, columnist, and science fiction author. Ian first entered the folk music scene while still a teenager in the mid-sixties; most active musically in that decade and the 1970s, she has continued recording into the 21st century...
. In 2003, she starred in the television series The Pitts
The Pitts
The Pitts was a short-lived FOX sitcom that aired 7 half-hour episodes between March and April 2003. It is about a family and their bad luck. It was a satire on typical American sitcoms with over-the-top sight gags.-Premise:...
, playing Faith Pitt. In the second season of Tru Calling
Tru Calling
Tru Calling is an American television supernatural drama series that premiered on Fox Network on October 30, 2003. It ran for two seasons before being canceled....
, she played Avery Bishop, a friend of Tru Davies.
Caplan landed a starring role in 2005, playing Marjee Sorelli, the troubled sister in Related, a one-hour dramedy on The WB. The show was canceled after one season. In 2006, Caplan played the starring role of Sara Weller in Wesley Strick
Wesley Strick
Wesley Strick is an American screenwriter who has written such films as the comic-horror hit Arachnophobia, the Martin Scorsese remake of Cape Fear and the videogame adaptation Doom.-Life and career:...
's thriller, Love is the Drug
Love is the Drug (2006 film)
Love is the Drug is a 2006 American drama produced by Box Office Productions and Alpine Pictures. Directed by Elliott Lester, it was filmed in Los Angeles, California. It was previewed at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2006 before being released theatrically on a limited basis in Seattle,...
. She was named one of “10 Actors to Watch” that year by Daily Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
. After Related ended, Caplan was cast in the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
sitcom The Class, which premiered on September 18, 2006, and lasted one season. She played Kat Warbler, one of several elementary-school friends that reunite after 20 years.
Caplan, along with Jason Ritter
Jason Ritter
Jason Morgan Ritter is an American actor, son of the late actor John Ritter and actress Nancy Morgan. Ritter is probably best known for his role as Kevin Girardi in the television series Joan of Arcadia and as Sean Walker in the NBC series The Event.-Early life:Ritter was born in Los Angeles,...
, presented a People's Choice Award for Favorite Soundtrack From a Movie in January 2007. She appeared with her The Class co-star Heather Goldenhersh
Heather Goldenhersh
Heather Goldenhersh is an award-winning American actress. She has appeared on Broadway, on television, and in feature films....
on the talk show The View in early 2007.
In 2008, Caplan appeared in the film Cloverfield
Cloverfield
Cloverfield is a 2008 American disaster-monster film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams and written by Drew Goddard.The film follows six young New Yorkers attending a going-away party on the night that a gigantic monster attacks the city...
playing Marlena Diamond, and was nominated for a Saturn award as Best Supporting Actress. She also appeared in the romantic comedy My Best Friend's Girl playing Ami, the roommate of Kate Hudson's character Alexis. She is the voice of Faith Pitt in the animated version of The Pitts
The Pitts
The Pitts was a short-lived FOX sitcom that aired 7 half-hour episodes between March and April 2003. It is about a family and their bad luck. It was a satire on typical American sitcoms with over-the-top sight gags.-Premise:...
, released in 2009. In 2008, Caplan guest starred on the vampire-themed HBO show True Blood
True Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
in a multiple-episode story arc as Amy Burley, the drug-addled girlfriend of Sookie Stackhouse's brother, Jason.
Caplan also appeared in the recently cancelled, yet critically acclaimed Starz ensemble comedy Party Down
Party Down
Party Down is an American comedy television series created and primarily written by John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd that aired on the Starz network in the United States.-Conception:...
, playing a struggling comedienne who is part of a catering crew. In 2010, she appeared in 127 Hours
127 Hours
127 Hours is a 2010 biographical adventure drama film co-written, produced and directed by Danny Boyle. The film stars James Franco as mountain climber Aron Ralston, who became trapped by a boulder in Robbers Roost, Utah in April 2003....
, a film directed by Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle
Daniel "Danny" Boyle is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Trainspotting. For Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle won numerous awards in 2008, including the Academy Award for Best Director...
. Based on a true story, Caplan played the sister of hiker Aron Ralston
Aron Ralston
Aron Lee Ralston is an American mountain climber and inspirational public speaker. He is widely known for having survived a 2003 canyoneering accident in Utah in which he was forced to amputate his own right arm with a dull pocketknife in order to free himself from a dislodged boulder.The incident...
, played by James Franco
James Franco
James Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...
, who was forced to amputate his own arm after being trapped by a boulder.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | Freaks and Geeks Freaks and Geeks Freaks and Geeks is an American teen comedy-drama television series, created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow, that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season... |
Sara | Episode: "Pilot" Episode: "Beers and Weirs" Episode: "Tests and Breasts" Episode: "Discos and Dragons" |
| 2000 | From Where I Sit | Lily | TV movie |
| 2001 | Close to Home | Leigh | TV movie |
| 2001 | Undeclared Undeclared Undeclared is an American sitcom that aired on Fox during the 2001–02 season.- Premise :The half-hour comedy was Judd Apatow's follow-up to his earlier television series Freaks and Geeks, which also lasted for one season... |
Beautiful Girl | Episode: "Prototype" |
| 2001 | Once and Again Once and Again Once and Again is an American television series that aired on ABC from September 21, 1999 to April 15, 2002. It depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father... |
Sarah | Episode: "Tough Love" |
| 2001–2003 | Smallville Smallville Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross... |
Tina Greer | Episode: "X-Ray" Episode:"Visage" |
| 2002 | Orange County Orange County (film) Orange County is a 2002 American comedy film starring Colin Hanks and Jack Black. It was released on January 11, 2002. The movie was distributed by Paramount Pictures and produced by MTV Films and Scott Rudin. The movie was directed by Jake Kasdan and written by Mike White.-Plot:Shaun Brumder is a... |
Party Girl | |
| 2002 | Everybody's Doing It | Angela | TV movie |
| 2003 | Faith Pitt | 7 episodes | |
| 2003 | Hardcore Action News | Lizzy Lyons | Short film |
| 2004 | Mean Girls Mean Girls Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have... |
Janis Ian | |
| 2005 | Tru Calling Tru Calling Tru Calling is an American television supernatural drama series that premiered on Fox Network on October 30, 2003. It ran for two seasons before being canceled.... |
Avery Bishop | Episode: "Grace" Episode: "In the Dark" Episode: "Enough" Episode: "'Twas the Night Before Christmas... Again" |
| 2005–2006 | Related | Marjee Sorelli | 18 episodes |
| 2006 | Love Is the Drug Love is the Drug (2006 film) Love is the Drug is a 2006 American drama produced by Box Office Productions and Alpine Pictures. Directed by Elliott Lester, it was filmed in Los Angeles, California. It was previewed at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2006 before being released theatrically on a limited basis in Seattle,... |
Sara Weller | |
| 2006–2007 | Kat Warbler | 19 episodes | |
| 2006–2009 | American Dad! American Dad! American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television... |
Debbie (voice) | Episode: "The American Dad After School Special The American Dad After School Special "The American Dad After School Special" is the second episode of the second season of the animated series American Dad!, which aired on September 17, 2006 on FOX. It aired on September 22, 2006 in the U.l... " Episode: "Iced, Iced Babies" Episode: "Escape from Pearl Bailey Escape from Pearl Bailey "Escape from Pearl Bailey" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of American Dad!. It aired on Fox in the United States on November 9, 2008... " Episode: "Jack's Back" Episode: "Bar Mitzvah Hustle Bar Mitzvah Hustle "Bar Mitzvah Hustle" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of the animated series American Dad!.-Plot:After Debbie becomes fed up with Steve's immaturity, she meets Etan Cohen , Snot's bar mitzvah study buddy. To Steve's dismay, Debbie agrees to be Etan's date for his upcoming bar mitzvah... " |
| 2007 | Crashing | Jacqueline | |
| 2008 | Cloverfield Cloverfield Cloverfield is a 2008 American disaster-monster film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams and written by Drew Goddard.The film follows six young New Yorkers attending a going-away party on the night that a gigantic monster attacks the city... |
Marlena Diamond | |
| 2008 | My Best Friend's Girl My Best Friend's Girl (2008 film) My Best Friend's Girl is a 2008 romantic comedy film by Howard Deutch and stars Dane Cook, Kate Hudson, Jason Biggs, Diora Baird, Alec Baldwin, and Lizzy Caplan. It was released on September 19, 2008.-Plot:... |
Ami | |
| 2008 | (voice) | Episode: "Insurmountable High Score/Tim vs. the Baby" | |
| 2008 | True Blood True Blood True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana... |
Amy Burley | Episode: "Burning House of Love" Episode: "The Fourth Man in the Fire" Episode: "Plaisir d'amour" Episode: "I Don't Wanna Know" Episode: "To Love Is to Bury" Episode: "You'll Be the Death of Me" |
| 2009 | Juliette Flowers | ||
| 2009 | Crossing Over Crossing Over (film) Crossing Over is a 2009 American independent drama film about illegal immigrants of different nationalities struggling to achieve legal status in Los Angeles. The film deals with the border, document fraud, the asylum and green card process, work-site enforcement, naturalization, the office of... |
Marla | |
| 2009–2010 | Party Down Party Down Party Down is an American comedy television series created and primarily written by John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd that aired on the Starz network in the United States.-Conception:... |
Casey Klein | 20 episodes |
| 2010 | Hot Tub Time Machine Hot Tub Time Machine Hot Tub Time Machine is a 2010 American science fiction adult comedy film directed by Steve Pink. Four men, all of them bored with their adult lives, travel back to their 1980s teen-hood, courtesy of a time-shifting hot tub. It stars John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Kellee Stewart, Rob... |
April | |
| 2010 | Sonja Ralston | ||
| 2010–2011 | Childrens Hospital | Harmony Casey Klein |
Episode: "Show Me on Montana" Episode: "Party Down" |
| 2011 | High Road | Sheila | Post-production |
| 2011 | Queens of Country | Jolene Gillis | Post-production |
| 2011 | Frankie Goes Boom | TBA | Filming |
| 2011 | Mr. Sunshine | Vivian | Episode: "Ben and Vivian" |
| 2012 | Bachelorette Bachelorette (film) Bachelorette is an upcoming American comedy film written and directed by Leslye Headland, and produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. The film wrapped production in New York and is now in post-production.-Plot:... |
Gena | post-production |