Kathryn Hahn
Kathryn Marie Hahn (born July 23, 1973)[1][2] is an American actress and comedian. She began her career on television, starring as grief counselor Lily Lebowski in the NBC crime drama series Crossing Jordan (2001–2007). Hahn gained prominence appearing as a supporting actress in a number of comedy films, including How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), Step Brothers (2008), The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009), Our Idiot Brother (2011), We're the Millers and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (both 2013), and Glass Onion (2022).
Kathryn Hahn
- Actress
- Comedian
1981–present
2
As a lead actress in film, Hahn starred in Joey Soloway's comedy-drama Afternoon Delight (2013), the comedy film Bad Moms (2016), and its 2017 sequel, and the Tamara Jenkins drama Private Life (2018). For the latter, she received critical acclaim and a Gotham Award nomination for Best Actress. She has appeared in various dramatic films, including Revolutionary Road (2008), This Is Where I Leave You (2014), Tomorrowland (2015), The Visit (2015), and Captain Fantastic (2016), for which she received her first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. She voiced Ericka Van Helsing in the two subsequent films of the Hotel Transylvania franchise (2018–2022) and Doctor Octopus in the Academy Award winning animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018).
In television, Hahn was featured in a recurring guest role on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation (2012–2015), for which she received a Critics' Choice nomination for Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series, she had a recurring role as a rabbi in the Amazon Prime Video comedy-drama series Transparent (2014–2019), for which she received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Hahn also starred in the Amazon Prime Video comedy series I Love Dick (2016–2017), the HBO comedy miniseries Mrs. Fletcher (2019), the HBO drama miniseries I Know This Much Is True (2020), and the Apple TV+ limited series The Shrink Next Door (2021). Since 2020, Hahn has voiced the role of Paige Hunter in the Apple TV+ animated musical comedy series Central Park.
She portrayed Agatha Harkness in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) miniseries WandaVision (2021), and Clare in Hulu series Tiny Beautiful Things (2023) for which she received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie respectively.[3][4]
Early life[edit]
Kathryn Marie Hahn was born in Westchester, Illinois, the daughter of Karen (née Bunker) and Bill Hahn.[5][6]
She grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio,[7] and was raised Catholic, attending St. Ann's Catholic school in Cleveland Heights and Beaumont School.[8][9] Hahn attended Northwestern University, where she obtained a BA in theater. Afterward, she earned her MFA in drama from Yale University.[10]
Career[edit]
1999–2012: Early work[edit]
Hahn's first appearance on any television program was Hickory Hideout, a local puppet show for children for then-NBC owned-and-operated station WKYC in Cleveland.[11] (By the time of its cancellation, Hickory Hideout was airing across all of NBC's O&O stations.) While attending a festival, she was introduced to creator/producer Tim Kring. Hahn impressed Kring so favorably that he created the character of Lily Lebowski in Crossing Jordan specifically for her.[12] The series aired from 2001 to 2007. Hahn has said of meeting Kring, "NBC and Tim Kring took a huge leap of faith in casting me. To be worked into a show that was in production and on the schedule is an amazing stroke of luck." On October 21, 2008, TV Guide reported that Hahn had signed a talent holding deal with Fox.[13]
In 2003, Hahn appeared in a supporting role alongside Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in the romantic comedy film How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. The following year she appeared in Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy with Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd, Around the Bend, and Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie. She later had more supporting roles in films, including the 2005 romantic comedy-drama A Lot like Love starring Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet; The Holiday (2006) with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet; the science fiction adventure drama The Last Mimzy (2007) alongside Rainn Wilson; Step Brothers (2008) starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly; Revolutionary Road (2008) starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet; The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009), How Do You Know (2010) with Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, and Jack Nicholson, Our Idiot Brother (2011) with Paul Rudd, and Wanderlust (2012) with Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston.
In 2008, she made her Broadway theatre debut in the revival of the comedy Boeing-Boeing starring opposite Mark Rylance. She starred as Gloria, an American fiancée and airline stewardess. In 2009, she was cast as Eddy in a proposed American remake of the British TV series Absolutely Fabulous. A pilot was filmed but it wasn't picked up to series.[14][15]
On television, Hahn starred alongside Hank Azaria in the short-lived NBC comedy series Free Agents, a 2011 remake of the British series of the same name.[16] She had recurring roles on HBO shows Hung and Girls. From 2012 to 2015, she received praise for her recurring role on the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation as Jennifer Barkley, the campaign manager of Leslie Knope's (Amy Poehler) opponent Bobby Newport (Paul Rudd). (She had previously co-starred with Rudd in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, How Do You Know, Our Idiot Brother, and Wanderlust.)[17]
She received a 2012 Critics' Choice Television Award nomination for Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series for her performance in Parks and Recreation.[18]
Personal life[edit]
Hahn is married to actor Ethan Sandler, whom she met at Northwestern University.[56] The couple reside in Los Angeles and have two children.[12]
On March 5 2024, her father William died.