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Quick Facts
Biography
Jane Colburn Levy (born December 29, 1989) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Tessa Altman on the ABC comedy series Suburgatory. She made her television debut on Showtime's Shameless.
Levy appeared in the films Fun Size and Nobody Walks in 2012, and Evil Dead in 2013. In 2016, she teamed up with director Fede Alvarez again and starred in the horror film Don't Breathe.
Early life
Levy was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of Mary (née Tilbury), an artist, and Lester Levy, a musician. Her father is Jewish, while her mother is of English, Scottish, and Irish descent. She attended Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, California. While in school, she was on the hip hop dancing team and was captain of the soccer team, and appeared in community theatre productions of Annie and The Wizard of Oz. She describes herself at school as being a "floater", someone who got along with everyone. While at high school she visited England for five months. She attended Goucher College for a semester before transferring to the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City where she graduated from the Conservatory.
Career
Levy moved back to Los Angeles after two years in New York City. Levy was cast as Mandy Milkovich in a five-episode role on the Showtime series Shameless within a few weeks of returning to the West Coast.
In March 2011, she landed the first lead role of her career on the sitcom Suburgatory, with Jeremy Sisto and Cheryl Hines. Since being in the show she has been compared to Emma Stone, due in part to her red hair.
She 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 and Nobody Walks; the former was the first feature from Gossip Girl creator Josh Schwartz. Released before Halloween, Fun Size co-starred Victoria Justice and comedian Chelsea Handler. While filming it, Levy was disappointed that she failed to meet co-star Johnny Knoxville, as he was on set for the one week of shooting that she was not.
Levy 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.
In 2016, Levy starred in her Evil Dead director Fede Alvarez's horror film Don't Breathe, the story of friends who break into the house of a wealthy blind man. Also that year, she starred with Lucas Till in Monster Trucks, Paramount Animation's first live-action/CGI film, directed by Ice Age's Chris Wedge.
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.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | Nobody Walks | Caroline | |
2012 | Fun Size | April Martin-Danzinger-Ross | |
2013 | Evil Dead | Mia Allen | |
2014 | About Alex | Kate | |
2014 | Bang Bang Baby | Stepphy | |
2015 | Frank and Cindy | Kate | |
2016 | Don't Breathe | Rocky | |
2016 | Monster Trucks | Meredith | |
2017 | I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore | Dez | |
2017 | Office Uprising | Samantha | In post-production |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | Shameless | Mandy Milkovich | 5 episodes Season 1[1] |
2011–14 | Suburgatory | Tessa Altman | Main cast; 57 episodes |
2014 | Kroll Show | Madison | Episode: "Krolling Around with Nick Klown" |
2016 | Swedish Dicks | Taylor Slow / Ruth | Episode: "Episode 5" |
2017 | Twin Peaks | In post-production |
^[1] Replaced by Emma Greenwell after Season 1