Rachel Elizabeth Brosnahan (born July 12, 1990) is an American actress. She stars as aspiring stand-up comedian Miriam “Midge” Maisel in the critically acclaimed Prime Video period comedy series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–present), for which she has won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2018 and two consecutive Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 2018 and 2019. She also had a recurring role in the Netflix political thriller series House of Cards (2013–2015), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination and played a lead role in the WGN drama series Manhattan (2014–15).
Brosnahan made her film debut in the horror film The Unborn (2009) and has subsequently appeared in films including Beautiful Creatures (2013), Louder Than Bombs (2015), The Finest Hours (2016), and Patriots Day (2016).
Early life
Brosnahan was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the daughter of Carol and Earl Brosnahan, who worked in children’s publishing. Her mother is British. Her father is American and of Irish descent. From the age of four, Brosnahan was raised in Highland Park, Illinois. She has a younger brother and sister. Brosnahan is the niece of the late fashion designer Kate Spade (née Brosnahan).
Brosnahan is not religious. However, while she is not Jewish, she was “happily immersed” in the Jewish culture because of Highland Park’s Jewish community; she attended many Passover Seders, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and Hanukkah observances in Chicago’s North Shore.
Brosnahan attended Wayne Thomas Elementary School and then Northwood Junior High School. She performed in musical theater during junior high school and high school. At Highland Park High School, she was on the wrestling team for two years and was a snowboarding instructor. When Brosnahan was 16, she took a class with Carole Dibo, director of Wilmette’s Actors Training Center and now Brosnahan’s manager. Brosnahan graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2012.
Career
Brosnahan was cast in her first movie role as Lisa in the Michael Bay-produced horror film The Unborn (2009) while she was still in high school. During college, she performed in single episodes of television series such as Gossip Girl, The Good Wife, Grey’s Anatomy, and In Treatment. After college, she began landing recurring roles in series such as the crime thriller The Blacklist (2014), and the short-lived medical drama Black Box (2014).
She first appeared on stage in 2009 in Up at Steppenwolf Theatre followed by her Broadway debut in The Big Knife with Roundabout Theatre Company in 2013. In 2016 she played Desdemona in Othello at New York Theatre Workshop opposite David Oyelowo and Daniel Craig.
In 2013, she starred in the critically acclaimed Netflix political drama House of Cards with Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. Although she was initially booked for only two episodes, she caught the eye of showrunner Beau Willimon, and her character was significantly expanded. Her role brought her career prominence and received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
In 2016, she appeared in Woody Allen’s Amazon series Crisis in Six Scenes with Allen, Elaine May, and Miley Cyrus.
Since 2017, she has appeared as the title character in the Amazon period comedy series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Brosnahan said that, while she is not Jewish, her exposure to Jewish culture growing up helped prepare her for the role of Midge Maisel, a 1950s Jewish housewife who pursues a career in stand-up comedy when her marriage falls apart. Her performance earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, two Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Critics’ Choice Television Awards, among others.
The cast of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in 2018
After her Emmy Award win, Brosnahan stated that The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel resonated with viewers because “the show is equal parts fantasy and reality. It has beautiful clothes, beautiful sets. I think in some ways it’s aspirational too. It’s about a woman who’s reinventing herself after completing the dream she had laid out for herself. Everything falls apart; she finds herself anew. It’s never too late to do that. And it’s funny and, I think, filled with joy at its core, and that’s something we need a lot more of in the world right now.”
Brosnahan appeared in the drama film The Courier, alongside Benedict Cumberbatch. The film was released in January 2020. In December 2020, Amazon released I’m Your Woman where Brosnahan starred alongside Arinzé Kene.
Personal life
It was reported in 2018 that Brosnahan had married actor Jason Ralph, but she later revealed in January 2019 that they had been married “for years” before their relationship became public. Both attended the 76th Golden Globe Awards ceremony in 2019, where she thanked him during her acceptance speech.
Activism
Brosnahan has twice completed the “Live Below the Line” challenge.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Work | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Unborn | Lisa | |
| 2009 | The Truth About Average Guys | Molly | |
| 2011 | Coming Up Roses | Alice | |
| 2012 | Nor’easter | Abby Green | |
| 2012 | Adrift | Alex | Short film |
| 2013 | Beautiful Creatures | Genevieve Duchannes | |
| 2013 | Care | Drea | Short film |
| 2013 | A New York Heartbeat | Tamara | |
| 2013 | Munchausen | Girl | Short film |
| 2014 | Basically | Shandy | |
| 2014 | I’m Obsessed with You | Nell Fitzpatrick | |
| 2014 | The Smut Locker | Jamie White | Short film |
| 2015 | James White | Woman (Ellen) | |
| 2015 | Louder Than Bombs | Erin | |
| 2016 | The Finest Hours | Bea Hansen | |
| 2016 | Burn Country | Sandra | |
| 2016 | Patriots Day | Jessica Kensky | |
| 2017 | Boomtown | Jamie | |
| 2018 | Fifteen Years Later | Amy | Short film |
| 2018 | Change in the Air | Wren | |
| 2019 | Spies in Disguise | Wendy Beckett | Voice role |
| 2020 | The Courier | Emily Donovan | |
| 2020 | I’m Your Woman | Jean |
Television
| Year | Work | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Mercy | Samantha | Episode: “We’re All Adults” |
| 2010 | Gossip Girl | Girl | Episode: “It’s a Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad World” |
| 2010 | The Good Wife | Caitlin Fenton | Episode: “Poisoned Pill” |
| 2010 | In Treatment | Eating Disorder Girl | Episode: “Jesse: Week Six” |
| 2011 | CSI: Miami | Melanie Garland | Episode: “Countermeasures” |
| 2013–2015 | House of Cards | Rachel Posner | 19 episodes |
| 2013 | Grey’s Anatomy | Brian Weston | Episode: “The Face of Change” |
| 2013 | Orange Is the New Black | Little Allie | Episode: “Bora Bora Bora” |
| 2014 | Olive Kitteridge | Patty Howe | Episode: “Incoming Tide” |
| 2014 | The Blacklist | Jolene Parker / Lucy Brooks | 6 episodes |
| 2014 | Black Box | Delilah Buchanan | 5 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | Manhattan | Abby Isaacs | 23 episodes |
| 2015 | The Dovekeepers | Yael | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Crisis in Six Scenes | Ellie | 4 episodes |
| 2017–present | The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel | Miriam “Midge” Maisel | 26 episodes |
| 2019 | Saturday Night Live | Herself (host) | Episode: “Rachel Brosnahan/Greta Van Fleet” |
| 2019–2020 | Elena of Avalor | Princess Chloe (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | 50 States of Fright | Heather | 3 episodes |
| 2020 | Saturday Night Seder | Herself | Television special |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Up | Maria | Steppenwolf Theatre Company |
| 2013 | The Big Knife | Dixie Evans | Roundabout Theatre Company |
| 2016 | Othello | Desdemona | New York Theatre Workshop |