Natasha Lyonne

Natasha Lyonne began her career with a recurring role as Opal on Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986) and an uncredited film debut in Heartburn (1986). She followed this with a supporting role in Dennis the Menace (1993) before gaining attention in Woody Allen’s Everyone Says I Love You (1996). Lyonne secured a starring role in the independent comedy Slums of Beverly Hills (1998), which earned her positive critical notices. This success led to significant roles in But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) and the popular American Pie film series, where she played Jessica across multiple installments from 1999 to 2012.

Lyonne experienced a significant career resurgence with her acclaimed role as Nicky Nichols in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, which ran from 2013 to 2019. Her performance earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014, along with two Screen Actors Guild Awards as part of the outstanding ensemble performance. Building on this momentum, Lyonne further solidified her artistic impact by co-creating, writing, directing, and executive producing the critically acclaimed Netflix series Russian Doll (2019–2022). This innovative series garnered multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for its first season.

Her directorial work also includes episodes of Orange Is the New Black, Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, Shrill, and High Fidelity, as well as the Kenzo short film Cabiria, Charity, Chastity (2017). In recent years, Lyonne has continued to expand her multifaceted career. She starred as Charlie Cale in Peacock’s mystery series Poker Face, which premiered in 2023 and is ongoing, earning her Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her lead performance. In 2019, Lyonne co-founded Animal Pictures, a production company, with Maya Rudolph.

She is also slated to star in the upcoming film The Fantastic Four: First Steps, anticipated for release in 2025.