Molly Gordon

Molly Gordon is an American actress and filmmaker born on December 6, 1994. She first built her career through supporting performances in studio comedy features before securing prominent roles in independent films. Over time, she expanded her career beyond acting to write, direct, and produce feature films while maintaining regular roles across television and theater.

Raised in Los Angeles by Jewish parents, Gordon is the daughter of director Bryan Gordon and writer-director Jessie Nelson. She began performing on stage during early childhood, appearing in local Los Angeles theater productions at ages four and five alongside childhood friend Ben Platt. Alongside Platt and Beanie Feldstein, she formed a performance group called the Theater Geeks of America, which routinely gave shows at local retirement homes. Influenced by sketch comedy programs like Saturday Night Live and live performances at The Groundlings, she developed a strong focus on comedic acting. At age 17, she played Dot in her high school's production of Sunday in the Park with George. She later moved to New York City in 2014 to attend New York University, but departed after two weeks to work as a restaurant hostess and attend evening classes while pursuing acting.

Gordon made early screen appearances as a child in her mother's 2001 film I Am Sam as Callie, as well as the 2005 movie Bewitched. After pursuing acting in New York, she worked in minor off-Broadway, film, and television parts. Her first major television breakthrough came in August 2015 when she was cast as Nicky in the TNT pilot Animal Kingdom. The project was ordered to series, debuting in June 2016 with Gordon as a series regular through its third season. She also held a recurring role in the series Ramy.

Her feature film presence grew with her portrayal of Maddie, the daughter of Melissa McCarthy's character, in the 2018 comedy Life of the Party, followed by roles in Good Boys and the 2019 film Booksmart as Annabelle. In late 2018, Gordon began rehearsals to star as Alice Spencer in the off-Broadway musical Alice by Heart, co-written and directed by her mother, which ran through May 2019. She subsequently earned roles in independent comedies, starring as Maya in the 2021 film Shiva Baby and appearing in the 2022 feature Am I OK?.

In 2023, Gordon co-directed, co-wrote, produced, and starred as Rebecca-Diane in the musical comedy film Theater Camp, an adaptation of a 2020 short film she created with Noah Galvin, Ben Platt, and Nick Lieberman. The film premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. During post-production, she was cast as emergency room physician Claire Dunlap in the FX on Hulu series The Bear, playing the role from 2023 to 2026. Her subsequent projects include co-writing the story for and starring in the film Oh, Hi!, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, and portraying Rebecca Hampstead in the 2026 comedy film The Sheep Detectives.