Alison Pill (born November 27, 1985) is a Canadian actress. A former child actress, Pill began her career at age 12, appearing in numerous projects before transitioning to adult roles with a breakthrough role in the television series '' The Book of Daniel'' (2006). That same year, she made her Broadway debut in '' The Lieutenant of Inishmore'' (2006) earning a nomination for Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. Pill's other notable stage roles include in '' Blackbird'' (2007), ''

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

'' (2007), '' The Miracle Worker'' (2010), '' The House of Blue Leaves'' (2011), and '' Three Tall Women'' (2018). Pill had prominent roles in the films '' Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen'' (2004), '' Plain Truth'' (2004), '' Dan in Real Life'' (2007), ''

Milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

'' (2008), '' Midnight in Paris'' (2011), '' Hail, Caesar!'' (2016), and ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

'' (2018). From 2012 to 2014 she played Maggie Jordan in Aaron Sorkin's

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

drama series '' The Newsroom'' and acted in the television series '' In Treatment'' (2009), '' The Pillars of the Earth'' (2010), '' American Horror Story: Cult'' (2017), '' Star Trek: Picard'' (20202022), '' Devs'' (2020), and '' Them'' (2021). She is also known for her role as Kim Pine in the film '' Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'' (2010) and the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

animated series '' Scott Pilgrim Takes Off'' (2023).

Early life and education

Pill was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. Her father, a professional engineer, is

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

n. Pill attended Vaughan Road Academy, in its Interact program, designed for studying dance, music, athletics, and theatre.

Career

1997–2007: Rise to prominence

Pill decided to become an actor when she was 10 years old. As a member of the Toronto Children's Chorus, she was chosen to narrate one of their performances. Her mother tried to discourage Pill by getting her a job as a background performer on the series '' Kung Fu: The Legend Continues''. By the time she was 11, she had played a guest role on an episode of the children's series '' The New Ghostwriter Mysteries''. At 12, she landed roles in two TV movies and a mini-series, a guest appearance on the TV series '' Psi Factor'' and voiced the character "Cornflower" on the animated series "Redwall" (1999–2001). After roles in two more television movies, she landed her first feature film role, a small-budget Canadian movie called '' The Life Before This'' in 1999, followed by the role of Jacob's older sister Marfa in '' Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang''. Pill played roles in four more TV movies before the age of fourteen. The next year, she landed a small role in '' Skipped Parts'' in 2000 starring Drew Barrymore and Mischa Barton, then appeared in four more TV movies and features that year, including playing Farrah Fawcett's daughter in the TNT network movie ''

Baby In common terminology, a baby is the very young offspring of adult human beings, while infant (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'baby' or 'child') is a formal or specialised synonym. The terms may also be used to refer to Juvenile (orga ...

'' and a lead role in the Canadian film ''The Dinosaur Hunter'', which was originally intended to be shown at a dinosaur museum and on a provincial education channel, but which made its way to the Burbank International Film Festival, winning Pill an award for Best Child Actress. She landed the role of young Lorna in the ABC-TV biopic '' Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows'' in 2001, based on the memoir by Garland's daughter, Lorna Luft. That year, Pill also played Sissy Spacek's daughter in the TV flick ''Midwives''. In 2003, she played

Katie Holmes Kate Noelle Holmes (born December 18, 1978) is an American actress. She first achieved fame as Joey Potter on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003). Holmes made her film debut with a supporting role in Ang Lee's '' The Ice Sto ...

's sister in the indie feature '' Pieces of April''. Pill won the lead in the CTV-TV movie ''Fast Food High'', about a teenager who gets a job at a fast food restaurant and tries to set up a union. She also landed a supporting role in '' Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen'' in 2003, starring

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at age three. She appeared as a regular on the soap opera ' ...

. Pill ventured off into stage acting, with the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

staging of ''None of the Above'' as the first item in her theatre credentials. In 2006, she starred as Grace Webster in the short-lived NBC drama '' The Book of Daniel''. That same year, she made her Broadway debut playing Mairead in

Martin McDonagh Martin Faranan McDonagh ( ; born 26 March 1970) is a British-Irish playwright and filmmaker. He is known for his Absurdism, absurdist Black comedy, dark humour which often challenges the modern theatre aesthetic. He has won List of awards and no ...

's black comedy play '' The Lieutenant of Inishmore'' for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. Because of her busy work schedule, Pill's schooling was done through a program for children in the entertainment industry. Since graduating from high school, Pill moved to New York to pursue a career in theatre, but continued to work in movies such as '' Dan in Real Life'' in 2007. She returned to Broadway in the Theresa Rebeck play ''

'' (2007) acting alongside F. Murray Abraham, Bobby Cannavale, and Dylan Baker. John Lahr of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' praised Pill describing her as "excellent" adding, "It says something about the appeal of Alison Pill—an actress with a big future—that her compelling combination of ferocity and fragility carries the audience beyond the inconsistencies of the story." That same year she acted in the Manhattan Theatre Club production of the David Harrower play '' Blackbird'' starring alongside Jeff Daniels. The production was directed by Joe Mantello and was helmed at New York City Center's Stage I. For her performance she received the Drama League Award, Lucille Lortel Award, and Outer Critics Circle Awards nominations. This was followed by ''The Distance From Here'', ''On the Mountain'',.

2008–2014: Film roles and ''The Newsroom''

Pill had a major supporting role as campaign manager Anne Kronenberg in the 2008 film ''

''. In 2009, she performed with

Erin Hill Erin Kathleen Hill is an American harpist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and actress. Her Celtic album hit #1 on the Billboard World Music Chart and she has played and sung with Kanye West, Cyndi Lauper, Moby, Sinéad O'Connor, Eny ...

& her Psychedelic Harp playing the '' Twilight Zone''-inspired "Meredith Moon" and "The Real North Pole" sci-fi Christmas Harp. Pill was cast as April on '' In Treatment''. In 2009 she replaced

Elliot Page Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page; born February 21, 1987) is a Canadian actor, producer, and activist. He is known for his leading roles across Canadian and American film and television, and for his outspoken work as an activist for LGBTQ righ ...

in a role in ''Jack & Diane'' but due to postponement of the project neither ended up in it by the time it ran in 2012. She later played Kim Pine in the movie '' Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'', as well as in ''Scott Pilgrim vs. the Animation''. She portrayed

Empress Maud Empress Matilda (10 September 1167), also known as Empress Maud, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter and heir of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Duchy of Normandy, Norm ...

in the miniseries '' The Pillars of the Earth''. In theatre, Pill starred with

Abigail Breslin Abigail Breslin (born April 14, 1996) is an American actress. Following a string of film parts as a young child, she rose to prominence at age 10 after playing Olive Hoover in ''Little Miss Sunshine'' (2006), for which Breslin received a nomin ...

in the Broadway revival of the William Gibson play '' The Miracle Worker'' (2010), David Rooney of '' Variety'' wrote, "Pill has demonstrated her skill at animating prickly contemporary women who can go from sullen vulnerability into bellicose attack mode in a flash. She's no less convincing as 20-year-old Boston-Irish Sullivan, hired in 1887 by the Keller family in Alabama to serve as governess to Helen, left deaf and blind by an illness in her infancy". The following year she acted in another Broadway revival, the

John Guare John Guare ( ; born February 5, 1938) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He is best known as the author of '' The House of Blue Leaves'' and '' Six Degrees of Separation''. Early life He was raised in Jackson Heights, Queens.Druckma ...

play '' The House of Blue Leaves'' with Ben Stiller, Edie Falco,

Jennifer Jason Leigh Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough in the teen film ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). She re ...

, and Thomas Sadoski. In the play she portrayed a kindly, partially deaf actress. She received positive reviews with ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' describing her as "delightfully daffy", and ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' declaring, "Pill's funny-sad ethereal performance exposes the cultivated poise and glamour of Hollywood as another empty fantasy". She appeared in

Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...

's acclaimed romantic comedy '' Midnight in Paris'' (2011) portraying Zelda Fitzgerald alongside Tom Hiddleston as F. Scott Fitzgerald. The following year she reunited with Allen playing Hayley in '' To Rome with Love'' (2012). She has starred in short films including ''Denise'' in 2012 with Chris Messina and ''Santa Baby;'' she sang and danced in ''Santa Baby''. In 2016, she appeared in ''Cover Up'' by Satya Bhabha with Jason Ritter, to be released at the LA Shorts Fest, and ''Woman in Deep'', where she played a woman who calls a suicide prevention hot line and is put on hold, directed by Janicza Bravo. From 2012 until its ending in 2014, she was in the

political drama series '' The Newsroom'' portraying journalist Maggie Jordan at a fictional cable news show. In a Geffen Playhouse production of '' Wait Until Dark'' (2013), Pill starred as a blind woman who must fend for her life. Myron Meisel of ''

'' compared Pill's performance favorably to previous actors who played the role such as Lee Remick and

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...

, writing "the reliably talented Pill instills he rolewith a distinctive individuality." She starred in Bong Joon-ho's post-apocalyptic film ''

Snowpiercer ''Snowpiercer'' () is a 2013 Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic action thriller film based on the French climate fiction graphic novel ''Le Transperceneige'' by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette. The f ...

'', alongside Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton, which was released in 2013. Pill appeared in '' Cooties'' (2014) starring

Elijah Wood Elijah Jordan Wood (born January 28, 1981) is an American actor and producer. Wood made his film debut with a minor part in ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989) at the age of eight and achieved recognition in the early 1990s as a child acto ...

. In '' Zoom'', Pill played Emma, an aspiring comic book artist.

2015–present

She acted in the

Coen Brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, together known as the Coen brothers (), are an American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Among their most acclaimed works are '' Blood Simple'' (198 ...

comedy '' Hail, Caesar!'' (2015) playing Eddie Mannix's wife. Pill starred in '' Goon: Last of the Enforcers'' as Eva Glatt, Glatt's love interest in first movie '' Goon'', now married to Glatt. Pill was part of the cast of '' The Family'' as Willa Warren. In 2016, Pill co-starred with

Jessica Chastain Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in projects with Feminism, feminist themes, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Jessica Chastain, various ...

in the EuropaCorp thriller '' Miss Sloane''. In 2017, she joined '' American Horror Story: Cult'', starring as Ivy Mayfair-Richards, one of the main characters of the storyline. In 2018 she played former

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American former politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He has been called vice presidency o ...

's daughter Mary in the Oscar-nominated film ''

''. That same year she acted in the Broadway revival of the

Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as ''The Zoo Story'' (1958), ''The Sandbox (play), The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), ''A Delicat ...

memory play '' Three Tall Women'' acting alongside Glenda Jackson and Laurie Metcalf. In 2020, she was part of the TV series '' Devs'' directed by Alex Garland on FX on Hulu, playing Katie, the chief designer of the Devs system. In 2021, she starred in the film '' All My Puny Sorrows'' with Sarah Gadon, as two

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

sisters who leave their religious lives behind. Alison won Best Actress in a Canadian Film by Vancouver Film Critics Circle for her role in the movie. Pill was also part of the TV series '' Them,'' playing Betty Wendell. For the first two seasons of '' Star Trek: Picard'', she played scientist Dr. Agnes Jurati. Pill returned to Broadway playing Sonya in the 2024 revival of the Anton Chekov play '' Uncle Vanya'' starring opposite Steve Carell, William Jackson Harper, Jayne Houdyshell, and Alfred Molina at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

. David Cote of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' hailed her performance writing, "Pill proves to be the evening's MVP" adding, " heembodies that brokenness with a palpable heat I wish could have ignited everything around her".

Personal life

Pill was engaged to actor Jay Baruchel from 2011 to 2013. Baruchel made their engagement public when he thanked Pill as his fiancée during an acceptance speech at the

Genie Awards The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculpt ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Ontario. Baruchel alluded to their break-up in a

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

posting on February 16, 2013. Pill married actor Joshua Leonard May 24, 2015, They have a daughter, Wilder, born November 19, 2016.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Web

Theatre

Discography

with Sex Bob-Omb

;Soundtrack

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Alison Pill profile in ''The New York Observer''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pill, Alison 1985 births 20th-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian actresses Canadian child actresses Canadian film actresses Canadian stage actresses Canadian television actresses Canadian voice actresses Living people Actresses from Toronto Canadian people of Estonian descent Canadian expatriate actresses in the United States Vaughan Road Academy alumni