Banks nació en Pittsfield, Massachusetts, como la mayor de los cuatro hijos de Ann y Mark Mitchell. Su padre era obrero en una fábrica de General Electric y su madre, hasta hace poco tiempo, trabajó en un banco. Cuando era niña, participó en el programa de juegos de Nickelodeon Finders Keepers.
Se graduó de la Escuela Secundaria Pittsfield en 1992 y es una graduada cum laude de la Universidad de Pensilvania, en donde era integrante de la fraternidad femenina Delta Delta Delta. Fue la primera en su familia en obtener un título universitario. En 1998, completó sus estudios en el American Conservatory Theater.
Banks was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and grew up on Brown Street, the eldest of four children of Ann (née Wallace) and Mark P. Mitchell. Her father was a factory worker for General Electric and her mother worked in a bank.
Growing up, she played baseball and rode horses. She was in little league when she broke her leg sliding into third. She then tried out for the school play which was her start in acting.
She graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1992, and is a member of theMassachusetts Junior Classical League. She attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority. Banks graduated magna cum laude in 1996 with a major in communications and a concentration in theater arts. In 1998, she completed schooling at the American Conservatory Theater and earned an MFA.
Carrera
Banks cambió su nombre para evitar confusión con la actriz Elizabeth Mitchell. Debutó como actriz en la película independienteSurrender Dorothy como Elizabeth Casey. Banks es reconocida por sus papeles en Seabiscuit, Heights, las películas de Spiderman (en donde interpreta a Betty Brant), y la comedia de culto Wet Hot American Summer. Rápidamente comenzó a adquirir fama por películas como The 40-Year-Old Virgin y Slither. También interpretó a la novia de Mark Wahlberg en la película de 2006 Invincible.
En mayo de 2006, apareció en el último episodio de la quinta temporada de la serie de la NBC Scrubs como la Dra. Kim Briggs, la novia de J.D. (Zach Braff). El personaje ha aparecido recurrentemente durante la sexta y la séptima temporada.
En 2005, también apareció en la serie Stella, ya que es amiga de los creadores y los protagonistas de la serie. En 2007, Banks interpretó el papel protagonista femenino en la comedia Meet Bill, junto a Aaron Eckhart y Jessica Alba. Banks también tuvo un papel menor en la comedia navideña de 2007 Fred Claus, co-protagonizada por Vince Vaughn y Paul Giamatti, y actuó en la comedia de 2008 Definitely, Maybe junto a Isla Fisher y Ryan Reynolds.
Banks protagonizó con Seth Rogen la comedia de Kevin Smith Zack and Miri make a porno, la cual fue estrenada en octubre de 2008. Ha aparecido en el thriller The Uninvited, y también como la antigua Primera Dama de Estados Unidos Laura Bush en la película de Oliver Stone sobre la vida de George W. Bush, W.
Banks es una co-protagonista frecuente del actor Paul Rudd, y ambos han aparecido en cuatro películas juntos hasta la fecha (Wet Hot American Summer, The Baxter, The 40 Year Old Virgin, y Role Models).
En el año 2012 ha actuado en la adaptación al cine de Los Juegos del Hambre, interpretando a Effie Trinket.
Banks changed her name to avoid confusion with actress Elizabeth Mitchell. She made her acting debut in the 1998 independent film Surrender Dorothy, as Elizabeth Casey, appeared in various films over the next seven years before gaining more prominent widespread exposure through the 2005 comedy film The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
In August 2005, at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Banks starred in William Inge's Bus Stop as Cherie, the sexy, blonde, aspiring nightclub singer. Jeffrey Borak wrote that Banks' portrayal was acted "with poise, clarity and a shrewd feel for Cherie's complexities. Her performance is all of a piece and in harmony, stylistically, with the performances around her...." In 2005, she appeared on the series Stella, and in May 2006, she had a role in the season five finale of the NBC sitcom Scrubs as Dr. Kim Briggs, the love interest of J.D. (Zach Braff). The character appeared throughout seasons six, seven and eight as a recurring guest star.
Banks at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
In 2006, Banks appeared in the American football drama film Invincible, in which she played Mark Wahlberg's love interest. Later, she and co-star Wahlberg were nominated for the "Best Kiss" award at the MTV Movie Award. Also that year, she landed the starring role in the comedy-horror film Slither.
In 2007, she played the female lead in the comedy film Meet Bill, alongside Aaron Eckhart and Jessica Alba. Also that year, Banks had a small role in the Christmas comedy film Fred Claus, co-starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti. In 2008, she played a love interest in the comedy film Definitely, Maybe, alongside Isla Fisher and Ryan Reynolds, starred with Seth Rogen as the eponymous female lead in the Kevin Smith comedyZack and Miri Make a Porno, and played United States First Lady Laura Bush in W., Oliver Stone's biopic of George W. Bush.
In 2009, Banks appeared in the thriller The Uninvited, a remake of the Korean horror film A Tale of Two Sisters. The film was about an intrusive stepmother who makes life miserable for the teen daughters of her new husband. Banks based her character, Rachel, on Rebecca De Mornay's character in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle". "It was very important to me that every line reading I gave could be interpreted two ways," says Banks of her role, "So that when you go back through the movie you can see that".
Banks is a frequent co-star of actor Paul Rudd, the two having appeared in five films together to date (Wet Hot American Summer, The Baxter,The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Role Models and Our Idiot Brother).
Banks was cast as a love interest for Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) in the fourth season of the Emmy Award-winning sitcom 30 Rock.Intended to appear in four episodes in 2010, Banks went on to become a recurring character with thirteen appearances by the end of the fifth season, including her marriage in the episode Mrs. Donaghy. Her performance in season five earned her a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards.
Banks appeared in the movie The Hunger Games, playing Effie Trinket, a woman from "The Capitol" who escorts the District 12 tributes to the Hunger Games. She continues in the role in the 2013 film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. In a February 2013 episode, Banks reprised her role as Sal on Modern Family.
Banks will portray Melinda Ledbetter Wilson, current wife of Brian Wilson in the upcoming biopic, Love and Mercy which is based on the legendary musician and founding member of the Beach Boys.
Vida personal
El 5 de julio de 2003, Banks se casó con Max Handelman, quien había sido su novio desde la universidad. Se convirtió al judaísmo luego de casarse con él. Tienen dos hijos, Felix (2011) y Magnus (2012).
Banks met her husband, sportswriter and producer Max Handelman, on her first day at college on September 6, 1992. They were married in 2003. She and her husband had their first child, Felix, who was born via a surrogate in March 2011. In November 2012, Banks announced that her family had welcomed another son, Magnus Mitchell, also born via a surrogate.
Banks was raised in a family of both Irish Catholic and Anglo-Saxon Protestant background. She went through parts of the process of conversion to Judaism, her husband's faith, and studied with rabbis. In 2013, speaking of her religion, she stated that she practices Judaism, though "I did not have my mikveh, so technically I'm not converted", and added, "Frankly, because I'm already doing everything [practicing religious rituals], I feel like I'm as Jewish as I'm ever going to be".
Filmografía
Elizabeth Banks en el estreno de
Spider-Man 3 en 2007.
- Surrender Dorothy (1998) como Vicki.
- Shaft (2000) como la amiga de Trey.
- Wet Hot American Summer (2001) como Lindsay.
- Ordinary Sinner (2001) como Rachel.
- Spider-Man (2002) como Betty Brant.
- Swept Away (2002) como Debi.
- Without a Trace (2002) como Clarissa (1 episodio en 2002).
- Atrápame si puedes (2002) como Lucy Forrest.
- The Trade (2003) como Sioux Sever.
- Seabiscuit (2003) como Marcela Howard.
- Spider-Man 2 (2004) como Betty Brant.
- Heights (2005) como Isabel.
- Sexual Life (2005) como Sarah.
- The Baxter (2005) como Caroline Swan.
- The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) como Beth.
- Daltry Calhoun (2005) como May.
- Slither (2006) como Starla Grant.
- The Sisters (2006) como Nancy Pecket.
- Scrubs (2006) como la Dra. Kim Briggs (13 episodios en 2006-2007).
- Invincible (2006) como Janet Cantrell.
- Spider-Man 3 (2007) como Betty Brant.
- Wainy Days (2007) (2 episodios en 2007).
- Fred Claus (2007) como Charlene.
- Comanche Moon (2008) como Maggie.
- Definitely, Maybe (2008) como Emily (Sarah).
- Meet Bill (2008) como Jess.
- Meet Dave (2008) como Gina Morrison.
- W. (2008) como Laura Bush.
- Zack and Miri make a porno (2008) como Miri.
- Role models (2008) como Beth.
- The uninvited (2009) como Rachael.
- The Next Three Days (2010) como Lara Brennan.
- Our idiot brother (2011)
- Los juegos del hambre (película)(2012) como Effie Trinket.
- Man on a Ledge (2012)
- Movie 43 (2012)
- People Like Us (2012) como Frankie.
- What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012) como Wendy Cooper.
- Pitch Perfect (2012) como Gail Abernathy-McKadden.
- Los juegos del hambre: en llamas (2013) como Effie Trinket.
- La Gran Aventura LEGO (2014) como Lucy
Televisión
- Third Watch(1999, como Elaine Elchisak 1 episodio).
- Sex and the City (2000, como Catherine 1 episodio).
- All My Children
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2001, como Jaina Jensen 1 episodio).
- Stella (2005 1 episodio).
- Scrubs (2006, 13 episodios durante 3 temporadas)
- American Dad
- 30 Rock
