Lily Rabe Bio
Lily Rabe (born June 29, 1982) is an American actress known for her work on stage, film, and television. She rose to prominence with her recurring roles on the FX horror anthology series American Horror Story starting in 2011, earning acclaim for her versatile portrayals across seasons. She is the daughter of playwright David Rabe and actress Jill Clayburgh, and studied acting at Northwestern University, graduating in 2004.
Her Broadway work includes Portia in The Merchant of Venice, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination. Rabe has appeared in films such as What Just Happened (2008), All Good Things (2010), Pawn Sacrifice (2014), Miss Stevens (2016), Golden Exits (2017), Vice (2018), Fractured (2019), and The Tender Bar (2021). On television, she has also been seen in The Whispers (2015), The Undoing (2020), The Underground Railroad (2021), and The First Lady (2022).
Early Life and Background
Lily Rabe was born on June 29, 1982, on the Upper West Side of New York City, New York. She is the daughter of playwright David Rabe and actress Jill Clayburgh, both respected figures in American theater and film. She has a younger brother, Michael Rabe, who is an actor and playwright, and an older paternal half-brother, Jason, who is a musician. Her father is Roman Catholic, while her maternal grandfather was Jewish and her maternal grandmother was Protestant.
Rabe was raised in Bedford, New York, before moving to Lakeville, Connecticut, when she was in seventh grade. She attended the Hotchkiss School, where she continued developing her interest in the performing arts. She studied dance for ten years, and it was during that time that her love for performance began to grow into something more serious.
The turning point came when Rabe was teaching ballet at a summer arts program in Connecticut. The program acting instructor asked her to perform a monologue in the final production, and she chose a piece from Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley. Rabe has said that moment made her realize she wanted to pursue acting. She then enrolled at Northwestern University, where she studied acting and graduated in 2004.
Path to Acting
Rabe made her professional stage debut at the Gloucester Stage Company in Massachusetts, appearing alongside her mother Jill Clayburgh in two one-act plays: Speaking Well of the Dead by Israel Horovitz and The Crazy Girl by Frank Pugliese. Those early roles allowed her to earn her Equity Card and gain standing in the theater community. In 2003, she returned to the Gloucester Stage Company to appear in Proof by David Auburn, and that same year she appeared in the film Mona Lisa Smile.
After graduating from Northwestern University, Rabe moved back to New York and quickly found work in Off-Broadway productions. She appeared in White Jesus by Deirdre O’Connor as part of The Democracy Project and participated in a workshop of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at the Roundabout Theatre Company. These early stage experiences helped her build the reputation that would later lead to a major Broadway debut.
Lily Rabe Career
Early Career (2001-2010)
Lily Rabe made her screen debut in 2001, appearing opposite her mother Jill Clayburgh in the film Never Again. Throughout the early 2000s, she balanced small film roles, including appearances in Mona Lisa Smile (2003) and No Reservations (2007), with steady work on the New York stage. She also took on early television parts, appearing in two episodes of Medium and in the HBO pilot Last of the Ninth, which was not picked up as a series.
Her Broadway debut came in 2005, when she was cast as Annelle Dupuy-Desoto in the revival of Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling, directed by Jason Moore. The performance earned her a Drama Desk Award nomination and established her as a rising stage talent. She continued building her stage résumé with roles in Colder Than Here, Heartbreak House by George Bernard Shaw, and Crimes of the Heart, the last of which transferred Off-Broadway to the Laura Pels Theatre in 2008.
Breakthrough (2010-2021)
Rabe breakthrough on the New York stage arrived in 2010, when she made her debut at Shakespeare in the Park as Portia in The Merchant of Venice, directed by Daniel J. Sullivan. The production transferred to Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre, where it ran from October 19, 2010, to February 20, 2011, opposite Al Pacino as Shylock. Her performance earned widespread praise and led to a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play nomination.
On television, her career reached a new level in 2011 when she joined the cast of American Horror Story on FX. She first appeared as Nora Montgomery in the first season and went on to play Sister Mary Eunice McKee in the second season, Misty Day in the third season, Aileen Wuornos in the fifth season, Shelby Miller in the sixth season, and Lavinia Richter in the ninth season. She is one of only three actors to appear in the show first six seasons, and she returned to the main cast in the tenth season in 2021 as Doris Gardner and Amelia Earhart.
During the same period, Rabe built an impressive list of film credits, including What Just Happened (2008), All Good Things (2010), Pawn Sacrifice (2014), Miss Stevens (2016), Golden Exits (2017), Vice (2018), Fractured (2019), and The Tender Bar (2021). She also took on additional television projects such as The Whispers (2015), The Undoing (2020), and The Underground Railroad (2021). In 2022, she appeared in the Showtime series The First Lady.
Notable Works and Milestones
Rabe is best known for her long-running connection to American Horror Story, which gave her one of the most celebrated recurring roles in modern anthology television. Her Broadway performance in The Merchant of Venice opposite Al Pacino remains a defining moment in her stage career. She has also earned recognition for her work in The First Lady and The Underground Railroad, two of her most high-profile television projects in recent years.
Lily Rabe Award Nominations
Lily Rabe has received recognition from several major awards bodies across her career in theater and television. She earned a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play nomination for her performance as Portia in the Broadway production of The Merchant of Venice. She was also nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her Broadway debut in the 2005 revival of Steel Magnolias. On television, her work on American Horror Story led to a Critics Choice Television Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries.
Lily Rabe Awards Won
Lily Rabe has earned several nominations across her career in theater and television. While she has not been widely documented as a winner of major industry awards, her consistent presence in acclaimed projects and her Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Critics Choice Television Award nominations reflect strong peer recognition for her body of work.
Lily Rabe Family
Lily Rabe comes from a deeply artistic family with strong ties to American theater and film. Her father, David Rabe, is a respected playwright known for his work in American drama, and her mother, Jill Clayburgh, was a celebrated actress recognized for her roles in film and on stage. She has a younger brother, Michael Rabe, who is an actor and playwright, and an older paternal half-brother, Jason, who is a musician.
Personal Life
Lily Rabe has been in a relationship with actor Hamish Linklater since 2014. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, in March 2017, and their second daughter in June 2020. In September 2021, Rabe announced her third pregnancy, and she gave birth to a son in June 2022. The family has made their home in the United States while Rabe continues to balance her work across stage, film, and television.