Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham in 2024
Born (1986-05-13) May 13, 1986 (age 38)
New York City, U.S.
EducationThe New School
Oberlin College (BA)
Occupations
  • Writer
  • director
  • actress
  • producer
Years active2006–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2021)​
Parents
RelativesCyrus Grace Dunham (sibling)

Lena Dunham (/ˈliːnə ˈdʌnəm/; born May 13, 1986)[1] is an American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is the creator, writer, and star of the HBO television series Girls (2012–2017), for which she received several Emmy Award nominations and two Golden Globe Awards.[2][3] Dunham also directed several episodes of Girls and became the first woman to win the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series.[4] She started her career writing, directing, and starring in her semi-autobiographical independent film Tiny Furniture (2010), for which she won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. She has since written and directed the 2022 films Sharp Stick and Catherine Called Birdy.

In 2013, Dunham was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.[5] In 2014, Dunham released her first book, Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned".[6] In 2015, along with Girls showrunner Jenni Konner, Dunham created the publication Lenny Letter, a feminist online newsletter.[7][8] The publication ran for three years before its discontinuation in late 2018.[9]

Dunham briefly appeared in films such as Supporting Characters and This Is 40 (both 2012) and Happy Christmas (2014). She voiced Mary in the 2016 film My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. On television, aside from Girls, she has played guest roles in Scandal and The Simpsons (both 2015). In 2017, she portrayed Valerie Solanas in American Horror Story: Cult.[10]

Dunham's work, as well as her outspoken presence on social media and in interviews, have attracted significant controversy, praise, criticism, and media scrutiny throughout her career.[11][12]

  1. ^ Willis, Jackie (May 14, 2019). "Lena Dunham Celebrates Her 33rd Birthday With Brad Pitt: 'It Was the Best Day Ever'". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  2. ^ "Lena Dunham – Bio". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences / Emmy Award. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  3. ^ "Winners & Nominees: Lena Dunham". Hollywood Foreign Press Association / Golden Globe Award. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  4. ^ Gates, Anita (Fall 2013). "The It Girl". Directors Guild of America. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  5. ^ Danes, Claire. "The 2013 TIME 100". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on July 9, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  6. ^ Gross, Terry (September 29, 2014). "Lena Dunham On Sex, Oversharing And Writing About Lost 'Girls'". Fresh Air. NPR. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  7. ^ Jagannathan, Meera (September 29, 2015). "10 fast facts about Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner's first Lenny Letter". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  8. ^ Owen, Laura Hazard (March 4, 2016). "Lena Dunham's Lenny Letter has grown to 400,000 subscribers with a 65 percent open rate". NiemanLab. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  9. ^ Lewis, Hilary (October 18, 2018). "Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner's Lenny Letter Website to Shut Down (Reports)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  10. ^ "How Lena Dunham and 'American Horror Story' Delivered a Timely Look at Feminism". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  11. ^ Davis, Allison P. "Lena Dunham Comes to Terms With Herself". The Cut. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  12. ^ Wolcott, James. "Can Lena Dunham Recover from Her High-Profile Mistakes?". HWD. Retrieved November 26, 2018.