Elizabeth Greer “Beanie” Feldstein (born June 24, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She first gained recognition for her starring roles in the comedy film Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), the comedy-drama film Lady Bird (2017), and the coming-of-age comedy film Booksmart (2019), the latter of which earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.
Feldstein also appeared in the Broadway musical Hello, Dolly! (2017–2018) and the FX horror comedy series What We Do in the Shadows (2019).
Early life and education
Feldstein was born in Los Angeles, the only daughter of Sharon Lyn (née Chalkin), a costume designer and fashion stylist, and Richard Feldstein, a tour accountant for Guns N’ Roses. Feldstein is Jewish. Feldstein is the youngest of three children; her elder brother is actor Jonah Hill; her eldest brother, Maroon 5 manager Jordan Feldstein (1977–2017), died suddenly of a blood clot at age 40.
Her caretaker nicknamed her “Beanie” when she was an infant, and her brothers kept it up. She attended the Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles and Stagedoor Manor, a theatre camp in New York. She and fellow Broadway and film actor Ben Platt have been best friends since high school. She graduated from Wesleyan University in 2015 with a degree in sociology.
Career
Feldstein made her acting debut in 2002, by appearing in the ABC comedy series My Wife and Kids. In 2012, she played Megan in the musical television pilot Madison High. In 2015, Feldstein appeared as a guest in the third season of Netflix’s comedy series Orange Is the New Black. That same year, she played the role of Anna in the comedy film Fan Girl.
Feldstein received recognition with a more significant role in the comedy film Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, alongside Seth Rogen and Zac Efron. The film was released on May 20, 2016.
Feldstein was also cast to play Lydia Harris in HBO’s period drama pilot The Devil You Know. She also guest starred in an episode of the NBC sitcom Will & Grace.
On October 18, 2016, it was announced that Feldstein would play Minnie Fay in the 2017 Broadway production of Hello, Dolly!, alongside Bette Midler, making her Broadway debut. The show began previews on March 15, 2017 and opened on April 20, 2017. Her performance earned positive reviews from critics.
Feldstein starred in Whitney Cummings’ directorial debut comedy film The Female Brain, which premiered at the LA Film Festival in June 2017. She also co-starred alongside Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf, in Greta Gerwig’s solo directorial debut Lady Bird, which was released to critical acclaim in 2017. The film earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Along with the cast, she was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
In 2019, Feldstein had a recurring role as Jenna in the first season of the television horror comedy series What We Do in the Shadows, an adaptation of the film of the same name. Her performance earned positive reviews from critics. She was not able to return for the second season, as was originally planned, due to other filming commitments.
Also in 2019, she starred in Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, the high school comedy Booksmart. Her performance garnered widespread critical acclaim and a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. She later portrayed the British lead character Johanna Morrigan in the coming-of-age comedy film How to Build a Girl, which was an adaptation of Caitlin Moran’s 2014 novel of the same name. The film and her performance garnered positive reviews from critics.
In 2020, she guest starred as Tess Anderson, a new intern at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, in the ABC medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy. Feldstein stated that it had been a dream of hers to appear on the series since she was a child. She also voiced a role in The Simpsons, featuring as a support group therapist in the episode “Frinkcoin”. She appeared in the television specials Saturday Night Seder and Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Celebration, performing a cover of “It Takes Two” from Into the Woods with Ben Platt on the latter program.
Feldstein is set to star in the drama film The Humans, based on Stephen Karam’s one-act play of the same name.
On August 6, 2019, it was announced that she will star as Monica Lewinsky in the third season of American Crime Story, subtitled Impeachment. On August 29, 2019, it was announced that Feldstein would be starring in Richard Linklater’s film adaptation of Merrily We Roll Along, which would be shot over the course of twenty years. Principal photography of the first section of the film has already been completed. Feldstein is set to star alongside Ben Platt and Blake Jenner.
Personal life
Feldstein is openly queer, and has been in a relationship with English producer Bonnie Chance Roberts since 2018.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising | Nora | |
| 2017 | The Female Brain | Abby | |
| Lady Bird | Julianne “Julie” Steffans | ||
| 2019 | Booksmart | Molly Davidson | |
| How to Build a Girl | Johanna Morrigan | ||
| TBA | The Humans | Brigid | In post-production |
| Merrily We Roll Along | Mary Flynn | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | My Wife and Kids | Beanie | Episode: “Crouching Mother, Hidden Father” |
| 2012 | Madison High | Marty | Unsold television pilot |
| 2015 | Orange Is the New Black | 2004 Party Girl | Episode: “Where My Dreidel At” |
| Fan Girl | Anna | Television film | |
| The Devil You Know | Lydia Harris | Episode: “Pilot” | |
| 2017 | Will & Grace | Stella | Episode: “Who’s Your Daddy”, uncredited |
| 2019 | What We Do in the Shadows | Jenna | 4 episodes |
| 2020 | The Simpsons | Support Group Therapist (voice) | Episode: “Frinkcoin” |
| Grey’s Anatomy | Tess Anderson | Episode: “Snowblind” | |
| Saturday Night Seder | Herself | Television special | |
| Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Celebration | Herself / Performer | ||
| Home Movie: The Princess Bride | Princess Buttercup | Episode: “Ultimate Suffering” | |
| Make It Work! | Herself | Television special | |
| 2021 | American Crime Story: Impeachment | Monica Lewinsky | Main role |
| TBA | Harriet the Spy | Harriet M. Welsch (voice) | Upcoming animated series; main role |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | “Girls Like You” (Original, Volume 2 and Vertical Video versions) | Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B | Herself |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Hello, Dolly! | Minnie Fay | Shubert Theatre | Broadway April 20, 2017 – January 14, 2018 |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Lady Bird | Nominated | |
| Awards Circuit Community Award | Best Cast Ensemble | Won | |||
| Online Film & Television Association Award | Best Ensemble | Won | |||
| Gold Derby Award | Best Ensemble Cast | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | Online Film & Television Association Award | Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | What We Do in the Shadows | Nominated | |
| IndieWire Critics Poll Award | Best Actress | Booksmart | Nominated | ||
| CinemaCon Award | Female Stars of Tomorrow (shared with Kaitlyn Dever) | Won | |||
| Hollywood Critics Association Award | Best Actress | Runner-up | |||
| 2020 | Golden Schmoes Award | Breakthrough Performance of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Queerty Award | Film Performance | Nominated | |||
| Online Film & Television Association Award | Best Breakthrough Performance: Female | Nominated | |||
| Dorian Award | Rising Star of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Santa Barbara International Film Festival | Virtuoso Award | Won | |||
| Golden Globe Award | Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical | Nominated |