Aubrey Plaza

Aubrey Christina Plaza is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer born on June 26, 1984, in Wilmington, Delaware. Raised in a Catholic household, she developed an interest in acting through community theater and high school productions. She attended Ursuline Academy, where she served as student-council president and graduated in 2002. During her youth, she enrolled in an improv school in Philadelphia, attended a summer filmmaking camp, and worked at a video store. She subsequently moved to New York and graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2006 with a degree in film and television production.

Plaza began performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in 2004, alongside performances at venues like the Laugh Factory and The Improv. Her early television career included an internship at Saturday Night Live, becoming an NBC page, and an appearance on 30 Rock in 2006. She also appeared in web series such as The Jeannie Tate Show and ESPN's Mayne Street. Plaza made her feature film debut in Mystery Team (2009) and appeared in Funny People (2009). That same year, she achieved wide recognition after being cast as April Ludgate on the NBC political satire sitcom Parks and Recreation, a role she pitched to the show's creators and played until 2015.

Following her breakout role, Plaza appeared in Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), Damsels in Distress (2011), and 10 Years (2011). She earned her first major film lead in Safety Not Guaranteed (2012), winning the Breakthrough Performance (Female) award at the 2012 Young Hollywood Awards. Her subsequent projects included lead roles in The To Do List (2013), Life After Beth (2014), Ned Rifle (2014), Dirty Grandpa (2016), and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016). She also held recurring or guest roles on television series such as Portlandia, The Legend of Korra, Criminal Minds, and Drunk History.

In 2017, Plaza expanded her career into producing, both starring in and producing the dark comedy feature films The Little Hours and Ingrid Goes West. From 2017 to 2019, she portrayed the Shadow King and Lenny Busker in the FX series Legion. Her later work includes starring roles in Child's Play (2019), Happiest Season (2020), and the independent thriller Black Bear (2020), which she also produced. In 2021, Plaza made her directorial debut with an episode of the Showtime anthology series Cinema Toast.

Plaza produced and starred in the 2022 film Emily the Criminal, receiving nominations for Best Lead Performance and Best First Feature as a producer at the Independent Spirit Awards. That same year, she starred as Harper in the second season of the HBO anthology series The White Lotus, earning nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Her additional projects include executive producing and voice acting for the animated series Little Demon, hosting Saturday Night Live in 2023, and making her stage debut off-Broadway in Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, which earned her a nomination for the Drama League Distinguished Performance Award.