Jane Levy Biography

Jane Colburn Levy (born December 29, 1989) is an American actress. She is best 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. She was named by critics as one of the breakout stars of 2011, and Forbes named her on their list of 30 under 30 who are "reinventing the world" (a list of the brightest stars of the future).

In 2016, she starred in the suspense/horror film Don't Breathe.

Early life

Levy was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of Mary (ne Tilbury), an artist, and Lester Levy, a musician. Her father is Jewish and her mother is of English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry. 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 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. The film's reception has been positive, with Levy's performance being critically acclaimed.

Levy will star Monster Trucks, Paramount Animation's first live-action/CGI film, which is 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

Film

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
2017	Monster Trucks	Meredith	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2011	Shameless	Mandy Milkovich	5 episodes
2011-2014	Suburgatory	Tessa Altman	Main cast; 57 episodes
2014	Kroll Show	Madison	1 episode ("Krolling Around with Nick Klown")
2017	Twin Peaks		Filming