Lizzy Caplan

Elizabeth Anne Caplan is an American actress born on June 30, 1982. She achieved her film breakthrough playing Janis Ian in the comedy Mean Girls (2004). She gained further recognition for her television performances, notably starring as Virginia E. Johnson in the Showtime drama series Masters of Sex (2013–2016) and as Libby Epstein in FX on Hulu's Fleishman Is in Trouble (2022). Both roles earned her Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

Caplan was born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in its Miracle Mile district. Her family is Reform Jewish of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Her father, Richard Caplan, was a lawyer, and her mother, Barbara, was a political aide who died of cancer when Caplan was 13 years old. She is the youngest of three children, alongside her brother Benjamin and sister Julie, and her uncle was publicist Howard Bragman. Caplan attended Alexander Hamilton High School's Academy of Music, initially studying piano before focusing on drama. She also played on her school's soccer team and graduated in 2000, opting not to attend college to pursue acting.

Caplan made her acting debut in 1999 on the television series Freaks and Geeks as Sara. She appeared in various early 2000s television projects, including her first film From Where I Sit (2000), guest roles on Smallville and Once and Again, and the sitcom The Pitts. She later landed main roles as Marjee Sorelli in Related (2005–2006) and Kat Warbler in The Class (2006). In 2006, Variety named her one of "10 Actors to Watch". She also joined the cast of the comedy series Party Down starting in 2008.

In film, Caplan portrayed Marlena Diamond in the 2008 movie Cloverfield, receiving a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her other film credits include My Best Friend's Girl (2008), Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), 127 Hours (2010), Save the Date (2012), Bachelorette (2012), The Interview (2014), Now You See Me 2 (2016), Allied (2016), Cobweb (2023), and Now You See Me: Now You Don't (2025).

Caplan's portrayal of real-life human sexuality pioneer Virginia Johnson in Masters of Sex earned her critical acclaim along with Emmy, Satellite, and Critics' Choice Television Award nominations. To prepare for the role, she listened to interview tapes and read Thomas Maier's biography of Masters and Johnson. Caplan also sang a cover of "You Don't Know Me" for an episode of the series.

Caplan's other television work includes series-regular roles in Das Boot (2018), Castle Rock (2019), Truth Be Told (2019), Fatal Attraction (2023), and Zero Day (2025), alongside a recurring role in New Girl. In her personal life, Caplan married British actor Tom Riley in September 2017 after meeting in London in January 2015 while filming. The couple has one son, born in 2021.