Zoe Kazan

Early life and education

Kazan was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of screenwriters Nicholas Kazan and Robin Swicord. Her paternal grandparents were film and theatre director Elia Kazan and playwright Molly Kazan (). Elia was an Anatolian Greek emigrant from Istanbul, and Molly was a Mayflower descendant. The family surname was originally Kazantzoglou ().

Kazan was educated at the private Wildwood School, Windward School, and at the Marlborough School in Hancock Park, Los Angeles. She attended Yale University, where she was a member of the Manuscript Society, and graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in theatre.

Career

2003–2009: Early work and Broadway debut

After her film debut in 2003 as Samantha in Swordswallowers and Thin Men, Kazan had her first professional stage role in the 2006 off-Broadway revival of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, starring Cynthia Nixon. In 2007, she had a small role in The Savages, starring Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and guest-appeared in an episode of Medium. She next appeared in the films Fracture and In the Valley of Elah. That fall, she returned to the stage in a The New Group production of 100 Saints You Should Know for which she received a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play nomination. That same year she acted in Jonathan Marc Sherman's Things We Want alongside Paul Dano and Peter Dinklage directed by Ethan Hawke.

In January 2008, Kazan made her Broadway debut opposite S. Epatha Merkerson and Kevin Anderson in a revival of William Inge's Come Back, Little Sheba. Ben Brantley of The New York Times called her performance "first-rate", adding, "Ms. Kazan is terrific in conveying the character's self-consciousness." That year she also had roles as Gal Employee in the drama August with Josh Hartnett, Gretta Adler in the period drama Me and Orson Welles with Zac Efron and Maureen Grube in the romantic drama Revolutionary Road starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Kazan is also a playwright. In 2009, her play Absalom premiered at the Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, Kentucky. The play, about a father's tense relationships with his children, had been extensively read and workshopped since Kazan's junior year at Yale. She ended the year playing Meryl Streep's daughter in the Nancy Meyers romantic comedy It's Complicated also starring Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. She returned to Broadway acting in a production of Martin McDonagh's play A Behanding in Spokane with Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell until June 6, 2010. She also had lead roles in the movies I Hate Valentine's Day and The Exploding Girl, both in 2009.

2010–2016: Breakthrough and leading roles

In 2010, she had a main role in the comedy-drama Happy. Thank You. More. Please. as Mary Catherine, the cousin of Josh Radnor's character. She also starred as Millie Gately in Kelly Reichardt's independent Western drama Meek's Cutoff (2010) acting alongside Michelle Williams and Paul Dano. In the fall, Kazan played Harper Pitt in Signature Theatre Company's 20th-anniversary production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America. On the small screen, she appeared in four episodes of HBO's Bored to Death as Nina, the love interest of a fictionalized Jonathan Ames, played by Jason Schwartzman. Her play We Live Here, about a dysfunctional family, received its world premiere production from October 12 to November 6, 2011, at the off-Broadway Manhattan Theater Club in New York City. Among the ensemble cast was Amy Irving, and the director was 2010 Obie Award winner Sam Gold.

Kazan's starred in the title role of Ruby Sparks (2012), a comedy-romance film directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, and starring Kazan, Paul Dano, Chris Messina, Antonio Banderas, Annette Bening, Deborah Ann Woll and Steve Coogan. Kazan wrote the film and served as its executive producer. Eric Kohn of IndieWire praised the film declaring it a "startlingly insightful and whimsical romance". She received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay. The following year she starred in the romantic comedy What If directed by Michael Dowse starring opposite Daniel Radcliffe. The film premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival under the title, The F Word. The Hollywood Reporter wrote of their pairing, "Kazan and Radcliffe don’t have physical chemistry so much as an innocent, cheerful alignment of personalities".

In 2014, her third play, Trudy and Max in Love, opened at the South Coast Repertory. Also in 2014, she starred in the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge acting alongside Frances McDormand, Richard Jenkins, and Bill Murray. The role earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series. In 2016, she received critical praise for her performance in the A24 horror film The Monster which was directed by Bryan Bertino.

2017–present: career expansion

In 2017, Kazan co-starred in independent romance drama film The Big Sick with Kumail Nanjiani, Holly Hunter, and Ray Romano. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews. The film went on to receive an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay nomination. In 2018 she co-wrote the film Wildlife with her partner Paul Dano, who also directed. The film is based on the Richard Ford's 1990 novel of the same name. The film starred Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal. That same year Kazan starred in Joel and Ethan Coen's Western anthology film, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, in the vignette "The Gal Who Got Rattled". Many critics considered her performance one of the film's highlights.

In 2020, Kazan starred in the limited series The Plot Against America as Elizabeth "Bess" Levin, a version of the mother of author Philip Roth, on whose book the show was based. It debuted on HBO, and also featured Winona Ryder, Anthony Boyle, and John Turturro. Kazan starred in Clickbait, a limited series for Netflix. The following year she starred in the drama film She Said portraying journalist Jodi Kantor acting opposite Carey Mulligan as Megan Twohey. In 2024 she returned to Broadway acting in the revival of the John Patrick Shanley drama Doubt: A Parable acting opposite Amy Ryan and Liev Schreiber. In the play Kazan portrays an innocent nun Sister James who suspects a priest of misconduct. Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly wrote of her performance, "Kazan deftly manages to convey Sister James' struggle between innocent naivety and the loss of inner light that comes with considering ugly possible truths". In October 2024, filming began on her adaptation of East of Eden.

Personal life

Kazan has been the partner of actor Paul Dano since 2007. They have two children: a daughter born in August 2018 and a son born in October 2022.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. (July 15, 2021). "Historical Dictionary of Contemporary American Theater". Rowman & Littlefield.
2. [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/kazan Dictionary.com – Kazan]
3. Hernandez, Ernio. (March 9, 2010). "CUE & A: Zoe Kazan". [[Playbill]].
4. (2011). "30 Under 30 – Zoe Kazan". BroadwaySpace.com.
5. Stromboulopoulos, George. (November 16, 2022). "Zoe Kazan on growing up in a family of artists".
6. Cammila Collar. (2014). "Zoe Kazan Biography". [[The New York Times]].
7. "Zoe Kazan".
8. "Things We Want, Directed by Ethan Hawke, Debuts Off-Broadway Oct. 22".
9. "Come Back, Little Sheba (Broadway, 2008)".
10. "The Seagull". Internet Broadway Database.
11. "Zoe Kazan".
12. Jones, Kenneth. (November 13, 2008). "Zoe Kazan, Charles L. Mee, Naomi Wallace Are Among 2009 Humana Fest Writers". [[Playbill]].
13. (2010). "Announcing the Cast of 'Angels in America'". Signature Theatre Company.
14. (2011). "We Live Here". Manhattan Theatre Club.
15. "Ruby Sparks - Movie Trailers - iTunes". [[iTunes Store]].
16. Stephen Holden. (July 24, 2012). "She's Everything He Wants, and Therein Lies the Problem 'Ruby Sparks,' Written by and Starring Zoe Kazan". [[The New York Times]].
17. (July 23, 2012). "REVIEW: Thanks to Zoe Kazan, 'Ruby Sparks' Is Not Your Average Whimsical Romance".
18. "Film Independent Spirit Awards 2013: Full List of Nominees".
19. (September 9, 2013). "What If: Toronto Review".
20. McNulty, Charles. (January 13, 2014). "Review: 'Trudy and Max in Love's' amorous, adulterous journey". [[Los Angeles Times]].
21. (November 11, 2016). "Film Review: Monster".
22. "The Big Sick".
23. (January 23, 2018). "Oscar Nominations 2018: The Complete List".
24. Gross, Terry. (April 20, 2020). "For Zoe Kazan, 'Plot Against America' Is 'Scarily Prescient' And Personal".
25. Petski, Denise. (December 2, 2019). "'Clickbait': Zoe Kazan, Betty Gabriel, Adrian Grenier & Phoenix Raei Join Netflix Thriller Limited Series". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
26. Kroll, Justin. (June 7, 2021). "Carey Mulligan And Zoe Kazan To Portray The Real Life New York Times Reporters Who Broke The Harvey Weinstein Sex Scandal Story In Plan B And Annapurna Drama For Universal". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
27. "Doubt: A Parable review: Amy Ryan and Liev Schreiber are electric on Broadway".
28. Porter, Rick. (21 October 2024). "Netflix's 'East of Eden' Adds to Cast as Production Gets Underway".
29. Petrusich, Amanda. (July 20, 2012). "Actual Couples Explore a Fantasy, the Aesthetic Sort". [[The New York Times]].
30. Bunbury, Stephanie. (June 4, 2015). "Love and Mercy's Paul Dano relates to Brian Wilson's tortured genius". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
31. Juneau, Jen. (October 25, 2018). "Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan Welcome a Daughter".
32. Andaloro, Angela. (November 14, 2022). "Zoe Kazan Reveals She Quietly Welcomed Her Second Baby Three Weeks Ago". People.
33. Brantley, Ben. (October 10, 2006). "A Teacher Still Warping Young Minds, but Gently". [[The New York Times]].
34. Stasio, Marilyn. (September 18, 2007). "Review: '100 Saints You Should Know'". [[Variety (magazine).
35. Brantley, Ben. (November 8, 2007). "A Boys' Guide to Narcotizing the Pain". [[The New York Times]].
36. Brantley, Ben. (January 25, 2008). "Theater Review: 'Come Back, Little Sheba'". [[The New York Times]].
37. Blank, Matthew. (August 18, 2008). "Marquee value: ''The Seagull'' at the Walter Kerr Theatre". [[Playbill]].
38. (March 14, 2009). "'Absalom' an intriguing, complex debut for Kazan". [[The Courier-Journal]].
39. Als, Hilton. (March 15, 2010). "The Theatre: Underhanded".
40. (October 29, 2010). "'Angels in America' review: Zachary Quinto flies high in perfect revival of Tony Kushner play". Daily News.
41. Isherwood, Charles. (October 12, 2011). "Theatre Review We Live Here". [[The New York Times]].
42. (February 2, 2013). "Clive: Theater Review". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
43. Dziemianowicz, Joe. (June 17, 2014). "'When We Were Young and Unafraid,' theater review". Daily News.
44. Vine, Hannah. (October 4, 2016). "'Take a Look at Roundabout's Love, Love Love,'". [[Playbill]].
45. Clement, Olivia. (October 23, 2017). "Zoe Kazan's After the Blast Opens Off-Broadway". [[Playbill]].
46. "Highlights from Roundabout Theater Comopanys Broadway Revival of Doubt".
47. "Billy Elliot Leads Winners of 2009 Drama Desk Awards".
48. (October 19, 2017). "The 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards Winners".
49. "2009 Award Winners".
50. (February 23, 2013). "Independent Spirit Awards 2013: Winners List".
51. "Nominees / Winners 2015 Primetime Emmy Awards".
52. (December 6, 2017). "Critics Choice Award Nominations List Full".
53. "The 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards".
54. (October 7, 2008). "Zoe Kazan: Five Plays in Two Years—and Loving It". [[Broadway.com]].
55. (August 16, 2010). "The Leonard Lopate Show: Zoe Kazan". [[WNYC]].
56. (November 7, 2007). "Zoe Kazan on the Difference Between Nude Scenes and Ones in Panties".