Greta Gerwig

Greta Gerwig
Gerwig at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	Greta Celeste Gerwig (1983-08-04) August 4, 1983 (age 33) Sacramento, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, playwright, director, screenwriter
Years active	2006–present

Greta Celeste Gerwig (born August 4, 1983) is an American actress and filmmaker. Gerwig first came to prominence through her association with the mumblecore film movement.

She has collaborated with directors Joe Swanberg and Noah Baumbach on several projects. Notable work with Baumbach includes Greenberg in 2010, Frances Ha in 2012 (Golden Globe nomination), and Mistress America in 2015. She starred in Whit Stillman's Damsels in Distress in 2011, and in Woody Allen's To Rome with Love in 2012. She played the title role in the 2015 drama Maggie's Plan, and had supporting roles in the 2016 films Jackie and 20th Century Women.

A native of Sacramento, California, Greta Gerwig is the daughter of Christine (née Sauer), a nurse, and Gordon Gerwig, a financial consultant and computer programmer. She has a younger brother. She has German, Irish, and English ancestry. Gerwig was raised as a Unitarian Universalist, and also attended an all-girls Catholic school. She has described herself as "an intense child". With an early interest in dance, she intended to do a degree in musical theatre in New York. She graduated from Barnard College, where she studied English and philosophy instead. Outside of class, she performed in the Columbia Varsity Show alongside Kate McKinnon.

Gerwig originally intended to become a playwright, but was cast in a minor role in Joe Swanberg's LOL in 2006, while still studying at Barnard. She began a partnership with the director and an association with other mumblecore filmmakers. Mainstream success remained elusive. "I was really depressed. I was 25 [in 2008] and thinking, 'This is supposed to be the best time and I'm miserable' but it felt like acting was happening for me, and I went back to acting classes," she said. She made her first talk show appearance in 2010 on Jimmy Kimmel Live!