Cailee Spaeny

Cailee Spaeny Bio

Cailee Spaeny is an American actress who has transitioned from stage work in Missouri to leading roles in major films and television. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and raised in Springfield, Missouri, she joined the Springfield Little Theatre as a child and studied acting, voice, and dance before leaving school at 13 to pursue acting full-time. Spaeny gained early recognition in 2018 with key roles in Pacific Rim Uprising, Bad Times at the El Royale, On the Basis of Sex, and Vice. She later earned wider acclaim with the FX miniseries Devs and the HBO limited series Mare of Easttown, and won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival in 2023 for her portrayal of Priscilla Presley in Sofia Coppola’s biographical film Priscilla. Her recent work includes leading roles in the dystopian drama Civil War, the science fiction horror film Alien: Romulus, and the murder mystery Wake Up Dead Man.

Early Life and Background

Cailee Spaeny was born on July 24, 1998, in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Mark Spaeny and Reja Spaeny. She is the seventh of nine children and was raised in Springfield, Missouri, where the family attended a Southern Baptist church. Growing up in a large family in the Midwest shaped her early years and her sense of discipline.

As a young girl, Spaeny joined the Springfield Little Theatre group, where she acted in many plays and took acting, voice, and dance classes six days a week. The routine gave her a steady grounding in performance and stagecraft from an early age, and she often spoke later about how those classes felt like a second home. When she was 13 years old, she decided to leave school to focus on acting, and she briefly worked at the Springfield-area theme park Silver Dollar City.

During the 2014–2015 season, Spaeny landed the role of Dorothy in a stage production of The Wizard of Oz at the Springfield Little Theatre. The production marked one of her first sustained professional stage experiences and helped confirm her commitment to acting as a career. It also set the stage for her move into film and television work in her late teens.

Path to Acting

Spaeny’s transition out of school and into the entertainment industry began with local theatre and odd jobs in Missouri, including her brief stint at Silver Dollar City. With her family’s support, she pursued auditions and eventually connected with talent representatives who helped her reach Hollywood projects. Her experience as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz gave her early confidence on set and in front of audiences.

By her late teens, Spaeny had secured representation and began auditioning for film roles in Los Angeles. Her training in voice and dance, combined with years of stage work, made her comfortable with physical performance and long rehearsal schedules. These skills would later help her handle the demanding action sequences in her science fiction films.

In 2018, Spaeny made her feature film debut, marking her formal arrival in the wider film industry. Within a single year she appeared in four major studio releases, an unusually fast start for a young performer. Her steady climb from Springfield stages to Hollywood features set the foundation for the breakthrough roles that followed.

Cailee Spaeny Career

Early Career (2018–2021)

Spaeny made her film debut in March 2018 in Pacific Rim Uprising, the sequel to the 2013 science fiction film Pacific Rim, directed by Steven S. DeKnight. She played Amara Namani, one of the protagonists, a self-taught engineer and orphan, in a performance that was generally well received, especially given that it was her first major film role. Later that year, she joined the cast of Bad Times at the El Royale, a thriller directed by Drew Goddard in which she played Rose Summerspring, the younger sister of Emily Summerspring, played by Dakota Johnson.

In November 2018, Spaeny appeared in On the Basis of Sex, a biographical legal drama directed by Mimi Leder about the life and early cases of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She played Jane C. Ginsburg, the elder daughter of Justice Ginsburg, portrayed by Felicity Jones. In December 2018, she appeared in Vice, a biographical comedy-drama written and directed by Adam McKay about the life of Dick Cheney, played by Christian Bale, taking the role of teenage Lynne Vincent opposite Amy Adams as the adult Lynne Cheney. Spaeny made her television debut in March 2020 in the miniseries Devs, created by Alex Garland, playing Lyndon, a central member of the team working on the secret Devs project at the technology company Amaya.

Breakthrough (2022–Present)

In 2020, Spaeny starred in The Craft: Legacy, a supernatural horror film written and directed by Zoe Lister-Jones, conceived as a sequel to The Craft (1996). The role was her first leading role in a film and her first time going through a traditional casting process. In January 2021, she appeared in How It Ends, an independent apocalyptic comedy also directed by Lister-Jones, playing Young Liza, the teenage version of the protagonist played by the director. In April 2021, she joined the cast of the HBO miniseries Mare of Easttown, created by Brad Ingelsby and starring Kate Winslet, where she played Erin McMenamin, a 17-year-old single mother caring for her young son in a small Pennsylvania town.

In April 2022, Spaeny joined the cast of The First Lady, a Showtime series depicting the personal and family lives of three First Ladies of the United States: Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford, and Michelle Obama. She played Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, also known as Anna Roosevelt Halsted, the only daughter of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. The role placed her alongside major stars and gave her a steady platform to showcase her period-drama skills.

In 2023, Spaeny starred as Priscilla Beaulieu Presley in Priscilla, directed by Sofia Coppola and co-starring Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley. Based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir Elvis and Me, the film premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival. Spaeny was widely acclaimed for her performance and won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. She also received a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

In 2024, Spaeny starred in Civil War, a dystopian war drama directed by Alex Garland, playing Jessie Collin, an aspiring war photographer. Also in 2024, she starred in Alien: Romulus, a film directed by Fede Álvarez and produced by Ridley Scott, playing the space colonist Rain Carradine. In 2025, Spaeny appeared in Wake Up Dead Man, a film in the Knives Out franchise, written and directed by Rian Johnson and starring Daniel Craig, where she played Simone Vivane, a former cellist of international renown.

Notable Works and Milestones

Among Spaeny’s most recognized works are her role as Amara Namani in Pacific Rim Uprising, her portrayal of Erin McMenamin in Mare of Easttown, and her award-winning turn as Priscilla Presley in Priscilla. Her performance in Priscilla earned her the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 2023 Venice Film Festival and a Golden Globe nomination. In 2024, she further cemented her standing as a leading actress with Civil War and Alien: Romulus, two films that showcased her range across genres from political drama to science fiction horror.

Cailee Spaeny Award Nominations

Cailee Spaeny has earned recognition from major awards bodies for her performances across film and television. Her most high-profile nomination came at the 81st Golden Globe Awards in 2024, when she was nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her portrayal of Priscilla Presley in the biographical film Priscilla. The nomination reflected the critical acclaim she received following the film’s premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.

Cailee Spaeny Awards Won

Cailee Spaeny’s most prominent award win came at the 80th Venice International Film Festival in 2023, where she received the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for her portrayal of Priscilla Presley in Sofia Coppola’s biographical film Priscilla. The Volpi Cup is one of the most prestigious individual honors in international cinema, and Spaeny was widely praised for bringing nuance and restraint to the title role.

Cailee Spaeny Family

Cailee Spaeny was born to Mark Spaeny and Reja Spaeny, and she is the seventh of nine children. She was raised in Springfield, Missouri, in a large household with strong Southern Baptist roots. Her siblings and parents supported her early decision to leave school at 13 and pursue acting, and her years in the Springfield Little Theatre group helped tie her family life to her early career.

Personal Life

Cailee Spaeny has kept much of her personal life out of the public eye. She is known for her close ties to her large family in Missouri and has often spoken warmly about her parents and siblings. Beyond her family connections, she has focused public attention on her work and craft rather than on details of her private relationships.