Jane Levy

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title: "Jane Levy" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1989-births", "21st-century-american-actresses", "actresses-from-los-angeles", "actors-from-marin-county,-california", "american-film-actresses", "american-people-of-english-descent", "american-people-of-irish-descent", "american-people-of-scottish-descent", "american-television-actresses", "goucher-college-alumni", "jewish-american-actresses", "living-people", "people-from-san-anselmo,-california", "21st-century-american-jews", "archie-williams-high-school-alumni"] description: "American actress (born 1989)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Levy" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American actress (born 1989) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Jane Levy
image	Jane Levy WonderCon 2013.jpg
caption	Levy at the 2013 WonderCon
birth_name	Jane Colburn Levy
birth_date
birth_place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
alma_mater	Stella Adler Studio of Acting
occupation	Actress
years_active	2010–present
spouse
partner	Thomas McDonell (2011–present)
children	1
::

| name = Jane Levy | image = Jane Levy WonderCon 2013.jpg | caption = Levy at the 2013 WonderCon | birth_name = Jane Colburn Levy | birth_date = | birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | alma_mater = Stella Adler Studio of Acting | occupation = Actress | years_active = 2010–present | spouse = | partner = Thomas McDonell (2011–present) | children = 1

Jane Colburn Levy ( ; born ) is an American actress. After attending the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, she debuted as the original Mandy Milkovich on the Showtime comedy-drama Shameless (2011). Levy left Shameless following its first season to portray the lead of the ABC sitcom Suburgatory from 2011 to 2014.

Transitioning to film, Levy collaborated with director Fede Álvarez as the lead of the horror films Evil Dead (2013) and Don't Breathe (2016). She returned to television with series regular roles on the Hulu comedy-drama There's... Johnny! (2017) and horror fantasy Castle Rock (2018), in addition to headlining the Netflix thriller miniseries What/If (2019). From 2020 to 2021, Levy portrayed the title character of the NBC musical comedy-drama Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy.

Early life

Jane Colburn Levy was born on December 29, 1989 in Los Angeles, California, the second child of Mary (née Tilbury), an artist and florist, and Lester Levy, a musician turned mediator. She has one elder brother, Simon. She attended Sir Francis Drake High School, where she was on the hip hop dancing team and was captain of the soccer team; she began playing soccer at age five.

Levy attended Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, for one year, where she played on the Division III varsity women's soccer team. After experiencing significant depression during her first year of studies, Levy chose to drop out of Goucher College and instead opted to study acting. She subsequently transferred to the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City, where she graduated from the Conservatory.

Career

2010–2015

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Jane_Levy_(8611518194).jpg" caption="Levy in 2013"] ::

Levy moved to Los Angeles after two years in New York City. She played the recurring character Mandy Milkovich, her first TV role, during the first season of the Showtime comedy-drama Shameless in early 2011. In March 2011, she landed the first lead role of her career on the sitcom Suburgatory, with Jeremy Sisto and Cheryl Hines, resulting in Emma Greenwell replacing Levy in her Shameless role for season 2 onward. On May 9, 2014, Suburgatory was canceled by ABC after three seasons.

Levy was named by both TV Guide and TheInsider.com as one of the breakout stars of 2011, and was included on the top eleven list of funniest women compiled by AOL. Forbes named her as one of the handful of entertainment stars on their list of 30 under 30 who are "reinventing the world" (a list of the brightest stars of the future). Noting that Suburgatory was "one of the big hits of the new [TV] season" and that Levy would be seen in two upcoming films, Forbes called her "one to watch".

Levy appeared in two films in 2012: Fun Size, the first feature from Gossip Girl creator Josh Schwartz, and Nobody Walks directed by Ry Russo-Young and written by Lena Dunham. Levy later starred in the 2013 remake of the horror classic The Evil Dead, as the drug-dependent Mia, replacing Lily Collins, who had originally been cast. The following year, she starred in two independent films, About Alex and Bang Bang Baby. In 2015, Levy co-starred opposite Rene Russo and Oliver Platt in Frank and Cindy.

2016–present

In 2016, Levy teamed up again with Evil Dead director Fede Álvarez, starring in horror film Don't Breathe, which tells the story of three friends breaking into the house of a wealthy blind man. A sleeper hit, Don't Breathe received critical acclaim and grossed over $156 million. That same year, she starred with Lucas Till in Monster Trucks, Paramount Animation's first live-action/CGI film, directed by Ice Age Chris Wedge.

In 2017, Levy appeared as Dez in I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore directed by Macon Blair, and as Elizabeth in an episode of Showtime series Twin Peaks. In November 2017, Levy starred in Hulu's There's...Johnny! as Joy Greenfield, the female lead. That year, Levy also co-starred with Glenn Close in the Amazon pilot Sea Oak, written by George Saunders and directed by Hiro Murai.

In 2018, Levy appeared in Sony Crackle's zombie comedy Office Uprising, and starred as Jackie Torrance, niece of Stephen King's Jack Torrance, in Hulu's critically acclaimed Castle Rock, also inspired by King's work. Levy starred in Mike Kelley's Netflix thriller miniseries What/If alongside Renée Zellweger and Blake Jenner. She appeared in James Franco's romantic drama The Pretenders as Catherine, the female lead. From 2020 to 2021, she starred as the titular character in Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist from NBC, which ran for two seasons.

Personal life

On March 3, 2011, Levy married actor Jaime Freitas. According to court documents, the couple separated on October 31, 2011. In April 2013, Levy filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.

Levy is currently in a relationship with actor Thomas McDonell. Their son was born in late 2024.

Filmography

Film

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Director(s)	Notes	Ref.	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2023	2025	2026
Nobody Walks	Caroline	Ry Russo-Young
Fun Size	April Martin-Danzinger-Ross	Josh Schwartz
Evil Dead	Mia Allen	Fede Álvarez
About Alex	Kate	Jesse Zwick
Bang Bang Baby	Stepphy Holiday	Jeffrey St. Jules
Nicholas & Hillary	Hillary	Elizabeth Orr	Short film
Here Now	Mel	Gregg Araki	Short film
Frank and Cindy	Kate	G.J. Echternkamp
Don't Breathe	Rocky	Fede Álvarez
Monster Trucks	Meredith	Chris Wedge
I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore	Dez	Macon Blair
Office Uprising	Samantha	Lin Oeding
Pretenders	Catherine	James Franco
A Little Prayer	Tammy	Angus MacLachlan
The Toxic Avenger	Cheerful Insurance Rep	Macon Blair	Voice
The Problem with People	Natalya	Chris Cottam
Atropia	Nancy	Hailey Gates
	Eva Gardiner	Brian Duffield	Filming	last1=Kroll	first1=Justin	title=Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy And Emily Rudd Join Whalefall Adaptation From 20th Century & Imagine Entertainment	url=https://deadline.com/2025/06/elizabeth-shue-john-ortiz-janey-levy-whalefall-1236412548/	website=Deadline Hollywood	access-date=June 5, 2025	date=June 5, 2025}}
::

Television

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.	2011	2011–2014	2014	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020–2021	2021	2023
Shameless	Mandy Milkovich	5 episodes
Suburgatory	Tessa Altman	Main cast; 57 episodes
Kroll Show	Madison	Episode: "Krolling Around with Nick Klown"
Swedish Dicks	Taylor Slow / Ruth	Episode: "Howl Like a Big Dog"
Twin Peaks	Elizabeth	Episode: "Part 5"
Sea Oak	Min	Television film
There's... Johnny!	Joy Greenfield	Main cast; 7 episodes
Castle Rock	Diane "Jackie" Torrance	Main cast; 10 episodes
What/If	Lisa Donovan	Main cast; 10 episodes
Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist	Zoey Clarke	Main cast; 25 episodes
Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas	Television film
Dave	Brittany Parker	Episode: "Harrison Ave"
::

Awards and nominations

::data[format=table title=""]

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
2021	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy	Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards	Best Actress in a Broadcast Network or Cable Series, Comedy
2025	Independent Spirit Awards	Best Supporting Performance	A Little Prayer
::

Notes

References

References

1. "Jane Levy". [[AllMovie]].
2. Munsi, Pallabi. (May 12, 2021). "Jane Levy? Arrived. In One Piece? Just About".
3. Gerri Miller. (August 24, 2016). "Hollywood Now: Adam Brody's New Series, Jane Levy's Thriller and Gold-Medal Olympians Ervin & Ledecky". InterfaithFamily.com.
4. (March 2, 2012). "Actress Jane Levy first starred in soccer". [[ESPN]].
5. Feinberg, Scott. (January 22, 2021). "'Awards Chatter' Podcast: Jane Levy ('Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist')". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
6. Nededog, Jethro. (September 28, 2011). "'Suburgatory' Star Jane Levy Isn't Afraid the Show Will Offend Suburbanites". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
7. "Tessa Altman played by Jane Levy". ABC.
8. Andreeva, Nellie. (March 9, 2011). "Jeremy Sisto To Star In ABC Comedy Pilot 'Suburgatory'".
9. Wightmann, Caroline. (March 17, 2011). "Ana Gasteyer lands 'Suburgatory' role".
10. "Breakout Stars of 2011". TV Guide.
11. "2011's Biggest Breakout Stars!: Jane Levy". TheInsider.com.
12. (November 30, 2011). "Top 11 in '11: TV's Funniest Women". AOL TV.
13. (December 20, 2011). "'Forbes' Names Stars Under 30 Who Are 'Reinventing the World'". East Idaho News.
14. Noer, Michael. (December 19, 2011). "The 30 Under 30". Forbes.
15. "30 Under 30: Entertainment". Forbes.
16. Nussbaum, Danielle. "Jane Levy on Her Breakout Role in Suburgatory". Teen Vogue.
17. Barton, Steve. (April 24, 2012). "Jane Levy Talks Evil Dead Remake". Dread Central.
18. Fleming, Mike. (February 3, 2012). "Jane Levy Is New Star Of 'Evil Dead' Remake".
19. "About Alex".
20. Sumi, Glenn. (August 19, 2015). "Review: Bang Bang Baby".
21. Harvey, Dennis. (February 25, 2016). "Film Review: 'Frank and Cindy'".
22. Collis, Clark. (August 17, 2016). "Jane Levy was tormented for real while making horror-thriller Don't Breathe".
23. "Don't Breathe".
24. "Don't Breathe (2016)".
25. (February 19, 2014). "Paramount Wants Lucas Till & Jane Levy in 'Monster Trucks' Toy Movie". firstshowing.net.
26. (April 29, 2014). "Lucas Till – Lucas Till and Jane Levy to star in Monster Trucks". contactmusic.
27. "I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore.".
28. (April 25, 2016). "Twin Peaks Revival: Complete Cast List Revealed (and It's Bananas)".
29. (16 November 2017). "'There's ... Johnny!': TV Review".
30. (June 26, 2017). "'Castle Rock': Jane Levy & Sissy Spacek Cast In Hulu Series From J.J. Abrams & Stephen King". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
31. Barton, Steve. (February 8, 2016). "Evil Dead's Jane Levy Joins Steven C. Miller's Office Uprising".
32. Longeretta, Emily. (2018-07-25). "Castle Rock's Jane Levy Opens Up About Her 'Morbid' Character". Us Weekly.
33. "Castle Rock: Season 1 – Rotten Tomatoes".
34. Porter, Rick. (2018-08-22). "'Castle Rock's' Jane Levy Joins Renee Zellweger in Netflix Series 'What/If'". The Hollywood Reporter.
35. Calvario, Liz. (November 17, 2016). "James Franco to Direct 'The Pretenders' With Jane Levy".
36. "Jane Levy (II)".
37. Nessif, Brue. (May 6, 2013). "''Suburgatory's'' Jane Levy Files for Divorce from Husband After 7 Months". E! Online.
38. Monde, Chiderah. (May 6, 2013). "'Suburgatory' actress Jane Levy files for divorce after secret marriage". New York Daily News.
39. Nepales, Ruben V.. (April 19, 2020). "Jane Levy's 'Extraordinary' new series lets you sing out your pandemic stress". Inquirer.
40. (May 11, 2025). "Me nursing on the side of the freeway after my baby screamed so hard he threw up 🫠".
41. "Jane Levy Filmography". [[AllMovie]].
42. Fuller, Daniel. (August 19, 2015). "Elizabeth Orr's Nicholas & Hillary". [[Atlanta Contemporary Art Center]].
43. Gush, Charlotte. (July 6, 2015). "Teenage apocalypse: Gregg Araki made an awesome short film for Kenzo". [[i-D]].
44. Miska, Brad. (June 21, 2018). "Exclusive 'Office Uprising' Trailer Drinks the Kool-Aid, Kicks Zombie Ass!". [[Bloody Disgusting]].
45. Nemiroff, Perri. (January 31, 2023). "Jane Levy and the 'A Little Prayer' Filmmakers Discuss the On and Off-Camera Magic of David Strathairn". [[Collider (website).
46. Complex, Valerie. (2023-08-15). "Fantastic Fest Sets 2023 Lineup; Legendary Pictures' ''The Toxic Avenger'' To Open, Blumhouse Horror Comedy ''Totally Killer'' Closes".
47. (June 5, 2025). "Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy And Emily Rudd Join ''Whalefall'' Adaptation From 20th Century & Imagine Entertainment".
48. Ashton, Will. (2020-03-13). "Shameless: Why The Main Cast Members Left, Including Emmy Rossum".
49. "Jane Levy Credits". [[TV Guide]].
50. Sims, David. (February 12, 2014). "Kroll Show: "Krolling Around With Nick Clown"". [[The A.V. Club]].
51. (June 7, 2017). "Swedish Dicks : Keanu Reeves et Peter Stormare réunis dans la première bande-annonce de la série". [[AlloCiné]].
52. Robinson, Joanna. (June 5, 2017). "Did Twin Peaks Just Sneakily Re-Introduce an Old Fan Favorite?". [[Vanity Fair (magazine).
53. Dueben, Alex. (December 14, 2017). "Jane Levy Gets in Character for 'Sea Oak' and 'There's…Johnny!'". [[New York (magazine).
54. (2020-06-29). "Jane Levy Finds The Biggest Challenge Of Her Career With 'Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist', Becoming "A Musical Theater Person" In The Process".
55. Behnke, Megan. (November 2021). "First Look At Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Christmas Movie Delivers Full Mall Performance And Premiere Date". [[CinemaBlend]].
56. (2023-04-03). "FXX's Dave Returns with Sharp, Funny Start to Third Season {{!}} TV/Streaming {{!}} Roger Ebert".
57. Lisa Respers France. (February 3, 2021). "Golden Globes 2021: See the full list of nominees".
58. Schneider, Michael. (August 29, 2021). "'Ted Lasso,' 'The Crown,' 'The Mandalorian,' 'Cruel Summer,' 'New Amsterdam' Among HCA TV Awards Winners". [[Variety (magazine).
59. Film Independent. (December 3, 2025). "Here Are Your 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominees!". [[Film Independent Spirit Awards.

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