Jordana Spiro

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Jordana Spiro
Jordana Spiro (31519772665) (cropped).jpg
Spiro in December 2016
Born (1977-04-12) April 12, 1977 (age 46)
Education Circle in the Square Theatre
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Columbia University
OccupationActress
Years active1995–present
SpouseMatthew Spitzer
Children1

Jordana Spiro (born April 12, 1977) is an American actress, director, and writer. As an actress, she has starred in numerous films and television series including Netflix's Ozark and TBS comedy television program My Boys .

Contents

Her debut feature Night Comes On , which she directed and co-wrote (with Angelica Nwandu) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018. She developed the film at the Sundance Institute’s Directors, Screenwriters, and Composers Labs, and through a Cinereach development grant. Her short Skin premiered at Sundance and won the Women In Film Productions award. Skin also won the Honorable Mention Award at SXSW, showed at Telluride, Palm Springs, and AFI among others. Spiro earned her MFA in Film from Columbia University (2015) and received the Adrienne Shelly Foundation Fellowship. She studied drama at the Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York and was selected to join the Berlinale Talent Campus in Berlin.

Early life and education

Spiro was born and raised in New York City. She is Jewish. [1] Spiro has a brother and three sisters. [2] She studied at the Circle in the Square Theatre [3] [4] school and briefly attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art [5] [6] in London. In fall 2009, she began the MFA Program in Filmmaking at Columbia University. [7] She finished the degree in 2015. [8] Spiro currently splits her time between Los Angeles and New York.

Career

Spiro's first film role was as Catherine Reece in the 1999 film, From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter , a direct-to-DVD prequel to the 1996 film From Dusk till Dawn .

In 2000 Spiro starred in her first TV series, the USA crime drama The Huntress . Co-star Annette O'Toole and Spiro played mother and daughter bounty hunters, based on the lives of Dottie And Brandi Thorson. The series ran for 28 episodes, concluding in 2001.

Spiro starred in the TBS original comedy series My Boys . [9] She played the role of P.J., a twenty-something "guy's girl", and sports reporter who tries to find romance within her world that is dominated by male friends. The series wrapped its fourth and final season on TBS in 2010.

Spiro also appeared in the 2009 comedy The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard alongside Jeremy Piven, Ed Helms and Rob Riggle, and produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. The Goods was directed by Neal Brennan. [10]

Additional credits include The Year of Getting to Know Us, which premiered at the 2008 Sundance film festival, IFC's Alone with Her, as well as guest appearances on Cold Case , [11] Out of Practice , [12] and CSI: NY . [13]

Spiro was scheduled to star in the planned 2010–11 television series Love Bites , but fell out of the role in June 2010 due to other contractual obligations. [14] Spiro was also cast alongside Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman in the thriller, Trespass . [15] She was a guest star on the Showtime 2011 season of Dexter . [16] For the 2012–13 season, she had the lead role in the Fox-TV medical/crime drama The Mob Doctor .

Recently, Spiro starred as Rachel Garrison in the Netflix crime drama Ozark . [17] [18]

In February 2024, Spiro joined the cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Shannah Sykes, an FBI agent on loan to the show's special victims unit squad. [19]

Personal life

She is married to Matthew Spitzer [20] with whom she has a daughter. [21]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1995 Maybe This Time ChaseTV series, 1 episode: "The Other Mother"
1996Her Last ChanceWaitress TV movie
1996 If These Walls Could Talk Alison (segment "1974")TV movie
1997 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Callie AndersonTV series, 1 episode: "Reptile Boy"
1998 Beverly Hills, 90210 Carrie KnoxTV series, 1 episode: "Dealer's Choice"
1998 City Guys ZoeyTV series, 1 episode: "A Guy and a Goth"
1998 One World AlexTV series, 3 episodes
1999 From Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter Catherine Reece
1999 Undressed MerrithTV series, season 2
2000–2001 The Huntress Brandi ThorsonTV series, main cast
2003Playas BallTonya Jenkins
2004Beck and CallJemmaTV movie
2004The Greener GrassHeather
2005 CSI: NY Tavia GreenburgTV series, 1 episode: "Tanglewood"
2005 Cold Case SuzanneTV series, 1 episode: "Revolution"
2005 JAG Navy Lt. Catherine GravesTV series, 3 episodes
2005 Must Love Dogs Sherry
2005 Out of Practice Bianca/RobertaTV series, 2 episodes
2005Partner(s)Anne
2006 Kitchen Confidential AlisonTV series, 1 episode: Praise Be Praise"
2006 Alone with Her Jen
2006ArgoBecca Short film
2006–2010 My Boys P.J. FranklinTV series, main cast
2007 Living & Dying Mary Jane
2007ResignedAlisonShort film
2008 The Year of Getting to Know Us Kim Temple
2009 The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard Ivy Selleck
2011 Trespass Petal
2011 Harry's Law Rachael MillerTV series, recurring role (season 1)
2011 Dexter Beth DorseyTV series
2012–2013 The Mob Doctor Dr. Grace DevlinTV series
2013–2014 The Good Wife Detective Jenna VilletteTV series, 4 episodes
2015–2016, 2020 Blindspot Sarah WellerTV series, recurring role (season 1), guest (season 5)
2017–2018, 2022 Ozark Rachel Garrison TV series, main cast (seasons 1–2), recurring role (season 4)
2019 To the Stars Francie Deerborne
2021 Fear Street Part One: 1994 Mrs. Lane
2021 Fear Street Part Two: 1978 Nurse Mary Lane
2021 Fear Street Part Three: 1666 The Widow/Mrs. Lane
2021 Small Engine Repair Karen Delgado
2022 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Delia Hackman
2024 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Special Agent Sykes

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References

  1. "SI.com – She's all that – Jul 3, 2007". CNN. July 3, 2007.[ dead link ]
  2. Jordana Spiro Interview Archived 2009-06-19 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "TV Guide: Jordana Spiro Biography"
  4. "Circle in the Square Theatre School - Acting and Musical Theatre Workshops in NYC". circlesquare.org.[ dead link ]
  5. "Royal Academy of Dramatic Art: Alumni Overview" Archived 2009-04-21 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Jordana Spiro is up to bat for Season 2 with 'My Boys'". USA Today.
  7. Kung, Michelle (23 July 2010). "'My Boys' Star Jordana Spiro on Balancing Work and Film School" (Digital). Wall Street Journal. New York: Almar Latour. Archived from the original on 14 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020. I started going to grad school at Columbia University to get my MFA in directing and I spent a lot of time shadowing ['My Boys' showrunner] Betsy Thomas in pre-production and then the editing room.
  8. "Film Alums & Current Student Chosen for Prestigious Artist Academy at Lincoln Center". New York: Columbia University. 26 September 2018. Archived from the original (Digital) on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2020. Alumni Barbara Cigarroa '18, Ellie Foumbi '17, Jordana Spiro '15, and current student Johnson Cheng were selected as participants for The Film Society of Lincoln Center's Artist Academy, an immersive four-day program that nurtures up-and-coming filmmakers by providing workshops, talks, screenings, and mentorship with industry professionals.
  9. "My Boys on TBS" (Archived 2010-02-05 at the Wayback Machine )
  10. "The Goods: Official Website" (Archived 2009-06-08 at the Wayback Machine )
  11. "CBS: Cold Case" [ dead link ]
  12. "CBS: Out of Practice" [ dead link ]
  13. "CBS: CSI: NY" [ dead link ]
  14. "Exclusive: Jordana Spiro exits 'Love Bites'". Ausiello Files. June 24, 2010. Archived from the original on June 27, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  15. Jordana Spiro joins 'Trespass' cast Archived 2010-09-04 at the Wayback Machine Hollywood Reporter. July 29, 2010
  16. Dexter Exclusive: Jordana Spiro to Rendezvous With (Spoiler)! TVLine. August 29, 2011[ dead link ]
  17. Drysdale, Jennifer (August 31, 2018). "Jordana Spiro Talks Pressure-Filled 'Ozark' Season 2 and Directorial Debut (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  18. Hunt, Rachel (March 29, 2022). "'Ozark' Season 4 Part 2 Trailer Major Spoiler Explained and Finally the Return of Rachel". CheatSheet. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  19. White, Jessica (February 22, 2024). "All About SVU's New Agent and Where You've Seen Her Before on the Show". NBC.com. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  20. Webber, Stephanie (May 31, 2014). "Jordana Spiro of The Mob Doctor Is Pregnant, Expecting First Child With Husband Matthew Spitzer". Us Weekly . Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  21. Triballeau, Charlie (September 4, 2018). "France-US-Film-Festival-Deauville". Seattle, WA: Getty Images . Retrieved 2018-09-05. US actress Jordana Spiro poses with her daughter and her husband Matthew Spitzer…