Zoe Lister-Jones (born September 1, 1982) is an American actress and filmmaker who co-starred as Jen Collins Short in the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
sitcom ''
Life in Pieces
''Life in Pieces'' is an American television sitcom created by Justin Adler that aired on CBS from September 21, 2015 to June 27, 2019, with a total of 79 half-hour episodes spanning four seasons. It was produced by 40 or 50 Years, Inc. and Ka ...
'' from 2015 to 2019. She is also known for her roles in the television shows ''
Delocated'' (2009–2010), ''
Whitney'' (2011–2013), and ''
New Girl
''New Girl'' is an American television sitcom created by Elizabeth Meriwether and produced by 20th Century Fox Television for Fox that aired from September 20, 2011, to May 15, 2018. The series revolves around quirky teacher, Jessica Day ( Zo ...
'' (2015). Lister-Jones made her
directorial debut
This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
with the 2017 comedy-drama film ''
Band Aid''. In 2020, she wrote and directed the horror film ''
The Craft: Legacy''. During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
she co-wrote and co-directed the comedy-drama film ''
How It Ends'' (2021) with
Daryl Wein. In 2023 she produced, wrote, directed, and starred in the comedy series ''
Slip
Slip or The Slip may refer to:
* Slip (clothing), an underdress or underskirt
Music
* The Slip (band), a rock band
* ''Slip'' (album), a 1993 album by the band Quicksand
* ''The Slip'' (album) (2008), a.k.a. Halo 27, the seventh studio al ...
'' for
The Roku Channel
The Roku Channel is an over-the-top video streaming service available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the UK. The service was launched in 2017, and is owned and operated by Roku, Inc. It is the most popular free ad-supported streaming televisio ...
, with
Dakota Johnson
Dakota Mayi Johnson (born October 4, 1989) is an American actress. Her accolades include an Independent Spirit Award and a nomination for a British Academy Film Award.
The daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, Johnson made her ...
as executive producer under her TeaTime Pictures banner. On December 5, 2023, it was announced that ''Slip'' was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards.
Early life and education
Lister-Jones was born in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
,
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 ...
. Her mother is the Canadian-born and New York-based video artist
Ardele Lister, and her father is the American photographer and media artist
Bill Jones. Her mother was born to a
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family, whereas her father
converted to Judaism
Conversion to Judaism ( or ) is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. "Thus, by convertin ...
. In 2000, she graduated from
Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn. She graduated with honors from the
Tisch School of the Arts
The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University.
Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...
at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
and studied at the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. Lister-Jones performed with a rock band. Her mother was president of a local
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
egalitarian synagogue that the family attended every Saturday, and she also kept a kosher home.
Career
Her debut solo CD was titled ''Skip the Kiss''. Kyle Forester, who composed the score for ''
Breaking Upwards'', arranged the music for ''Skip the Kiss''.
Lister-Jones'
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 ...
theater credits include ''
Seminar
A seminar is a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some part ...
'', ''
The Little Dog Laughed'' and
The New Group's ''
The Accomplices
''The Accomplices'' is a 2007 play by ''New York Times'' reporter Bernard Weinraub. It premiered at The New Group in New York City in 2007 and played thereafter in regional theatres.
The play is based on Hillel Kook's (aka Peter Bergson) exp ...
''. Her screen credits include the political thriller ''
State of Play'', ''
Salt
In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...
'', ''
The Other Guys
''The Other Guys'' is a 2010 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Adam McKay, who co-wrote it with Chris Henchy. It stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg with Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, Samu ...
'', ''
The Marconi Bros.'', ''
Day Zero'', as well as quirky
independent film
An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...
s such as ''
Armless'', ''
Arranged'', and ''Palladio''. On television she has appeared in ''
Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...
'', ''
Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', ''
Law & Order: SVU'', ''
Law & Order: Trial by Jury'', on
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 ...
's ''
Bored to Death
''Bored to Death'' is an American comedy series that ran on HBO from September 20, 2009, to November 28, 2011. The show was created by author Jonathan Ames, and stars Jason Schwartzman as a fictional Jonathan Ames—a writer based in Brooklyn, ...
'', as Kim on
Adult Swim
Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...
's ''
Delocated'', as Lily in the cast of the NBC sitcom ''
Whitney'', as Kate in ''
Friends with Better Lives'', as Councilwoman Fawn Moscato in ''
New Girl
''New Girl'' is an American television sitcom created by Elizabeth Meriwether and produced by 20th Century Fox Television for Fox that aired from September 20, 2011, to May 15, 2018. The series revolves around quirky teacher, Jessica Day ( Zo ...
'', as Jen in ''
Life in Pieces
''Life in Pieces'' is an American television sitcom created by Justin Adler that aired on CBS from September 21, 2015 to June 27, 2019, with a total of 79 half-hour episodes spanning four seasons. It was produced by 40 or 50 Years, Inc. and Ka ...
'' and as Carolyn Hart in the HBO film ''
Confirmation
In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...
''.
In 2004, Lister-Jones wrote and performed the one-woman, ten-character show ''Co-dependence is a Four Letter Word'' at New York City's
Performance Space 122 (P.S.122).
In 2007, she appeared in the independent film, ''
Arranged''.
In 2009, Lister-Jones co-starred, co-produced (with
Daryl Wein), and co-wrote (with
Peter Duchan and
Daryl Wein) the independent feature ''
Breaking Upwards'', which explores a young New York couple who, battling
codependency
In psychology, codependency is a theory that attempts to explain imbalanced relationships where one person enables another person's self-destructive behavior, such as addiction, poor mental health, immaturity, irresponsibility, or under-ach ...
, strategize their own break up. The film was shot in New York on a budget of $15,000, and was featured in a ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' article as an example of sweat equity in the independent-film industry. Lister-Jones also wrote the lyrics and performed many of the tracks of the original motion picture sound track. ''Breaking Upwards'' premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in March, 2009.
Lister-Jones starred with
Sam Rosen in
Brady Kiernan's romantic drama ''
Stuck Between Stations'' (2011) alongside
Josh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel Hartnett (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor. He began his career on American Broadcasting Company, ABC's drama series ''Cracker (American TV series), Cracker'' (1997–1998), after which he became known as a teen idol thro ...
and
Michael Imperioli
Michael Imperioli (born March 26, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti in the HBO crime drama series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Suppor ...
. ''Stuck Between Stations'' premiered as an official selection of the Viewpoints section at the SVA Theater at the
2011 Tribeca Film Festival in
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 ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, U.S.A.
Lister-Jones starred in the independent feature film ''
Lola Versus'' (2012), her second project co-written with director
Daryl Wein. Distributed by
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Searchlight Pictures, Inc., formerly known as Fox Searchlight Pictures, is an American arthouse film production and distribution company, which since 2019 is owned by Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Disney Entertainment segment of the ...
, ''Lola Versus'' opened in theaters Summer 2012. It stars
Greta Gerwig
Greta Celeste Gerwig ( ; born August 4, 1983) is an American actress, screenwriter, and film director. Initially known for working on various mumblecore films, she has since expanded from acting in and co-writing independent films to directing ...
, Zoe Lister-Jones,
Bill Pullman
William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting.
Pullman made his film debut i ...
,
Hamish Linklater
Hamish Linklater (born July 7, 1976) is an American actor and playwright. He is known for playing Matthew Kimble in '' The New Adventures of Old Christine'' (2006–2010), Andrew Keanelly in '' The Crazy Ones'' (2013–2014), and Clark Debussy i ...
,
Debra Winger
Debra Lynn Winger (born May 16, 1955) is an American actress. She starred in the films '' An Officer and a Gentleman'' (1982), '' Terms of Endearment'' (1983), and '' Shadowlands'' (1993), each of which earned her a nomination for the Academy Awa ...
,
Joel Kinnaman
Charles Joel Nordström Kinnaman (; born 25 November 1979) is a Swedish-American actor. He first gained recognition for his roles in the 2010 Swedish film '' Easy Money'' and the ''Johan Falk'' crime series. Kinnaman is known internationally fo ...
and
Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Ebon Moss-Bachrach () (born March 19, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his role as restaurant manager Richie Jerimovich in the comedy-drama series '' The Bear'' (2022–present), for which he was twice awarded the Primetime Emmy Award ...
. ''
Lola Versus'' premiered at New York's
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...
in April 2012.
Lister-Jones and Daryl Wein co-wrote ''
Consumed'' (2015), their third feature-length collaboration directed by Wein. The political thriller, which focuses on the world of genetically modified organisms, began filming in May 2014 in
Champaign-Urbana, Illinois with Shatterglass Studios. It stars Lister-Jones,
Kunal Nayyar,
Taylor Kinney,
Victor Garber
Victor Garber, (born March 16, 1949) is a Canadian stage and film actor and singer. Known for his work on stage and screen, he has been nominated for three Gemini Awards, four Tony Awards, and six Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2022, he was made an ...
,
Danny Glover
Danny Glover ( ; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, producer, and political activist. Over his career he has received List of awards and nominations received by Danny Glover, numerous accolades including the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian A ...
,
Griffin Dunne
Thomas Griffin Dunne (; born June 8, 1955) is an American actor, director and producer. He is known for portraying Jack Goodman in ''An American Werewolf in London'' (1981) and Paul Hackett in '' After Hours'' (1985), for which he was nominat ...
,
Anthony Edwards, and
Beth Grant
Beth Grant (born September 18, 1949) is an American character actor, character actress. Between 2012 and 2017, she was a series regular on the television comedy ''The Mindy Project'' in the role of Beverly Janoszewski. She is also known for her ...
. ''Consumed'' premiered at the
Los Angeles Film Festival on June 15, 2015.
In 2017, Lister-Jones made her directorial debut with her indie film ''
Band Aid'', starring Lister-Jones,
Adam Pally
Adam Saul Pally (born March 18, 1982) is an American comedian and actor. He first earned recognition for starring as Max Blum in '' Happy Endings'', as Dr. Peter Prentice in ''The Mindy Project'', as Wade Whipple in ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (202 ...
,
Fred Armisen
Fereydun Robert Armisen (born December 4, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and writer. With his comedy partner Carrie Brownstein, he co-created and co-starred in the IFC sketch comedy series '' Portlandia''. He also co-created ...
,
Hannah Simone,
Colin Hanks
Colin Lewes Hanks (born November 24, 1977) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his role as Gus Grimly on the FX crime series '' Fargo'' (2014–2015), which earned him nominations for a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy ...
,
Brooklyn Decker
Brooklyn Danielle Decker (born April 12, 1987) is an American model and actress, perhaps best known for her appearances in the ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue, including the cover of the 2010 issue. In addition to working for Victoria's ...
,
Majandra Delfino
Maria Alejandra Delfino ( ), known professionally as Majandra Delfino, is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Maria DeLuca on ''Roswell (TV series), Roswell'', and as Andi on the CBS sitcom ''Friends with Better Li ...
,
Jesse Williams,
Susie Essman
Susan Essman (born May 31, 1955) is an American comedian, actress, producer and writer. She is best known for her role as Susie Greene on ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (2000–2024), as the voice of Mittens in '' Bolt'' (2008), and as Bobbi Wexler o ...
,
Ravi Patel,
Jamie Chung
Jamie Jilynn Chung (born April 10, 1983) is an American actress and former reality television personality. She began her career in 2004 as a cast member on the MTV reality series '' The Real World: San Diego'' and subsequently through her appea ...
,
Chris D’Elia
Christopher William D'Elia (born March 29, 1980) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and podcast host. He is known for playing Alex Miller on the NBC sitcom '' Whitney'' (2011–2013), Danny Burton on the NBC sitcom ''Undateable'' ...
,
Retta
Marietta Sangai SirleafJung, E. Alex Vulture.com, May 23, 2018. rchived https://web.archive.org/web/20180523214634/https://www.vulture.com/2018/05/retta-has-a-story-to-tell.htmlon 05-23-2018 , and
Jerry O’Connell. The film features lyrics for original songs written by Lister-Jones and composed by
Kyle Forester (''
Breaking Upwards''). In 2020, she wrote and directed
Columbia and
Blumhouse
Blumhouse Productions, LLC, doing business as Blumhouse (; also known as BH Productions or simply BH), is an American independent film and television production company founded in 2000 by Jason Blum and Amy Israel. Blumhouse is known mainly fo ...
's ''
The Craft: Legacy'', the sequel to the 1996 film ''
The Craft''.
In March 2022, it was announced Lister-Jones would write, direct and star in the comedy series ''
Slip
Slip or The Slip may refer to:
* Slip (clothing), an underdress or underskirt
Music
* The Slip (band), a rock band
* ''Slip'' (album), a 1993 album by the band Quicksand
* ''The Slip'' (album) (2008), a.k.a. Halo 27, the seventh studio al ...
'' for
The Roku Channel
The Roku Channel is an over-the-top video streaming service available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the UK. The service was launched in 2017, and is owned and operated by Roku, Inc. It is the most popular free ad-supported streaming televisio ...
, with
Dakota Johnson
Dakota Mayi Johnson (born October 4, 1989) is an American actress. Her accolades include an Independent Spirit Award and a nomination for a British Academy Film Award.
The daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, Johnson made her ...
set to executive produce under her TeaTime Pictures banner. On December 5, 2023, it was announced that ''Slip'' was nominated twice for the
39th Independent Spirit Awards: Best New Scripted Series and Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series.
Lister-Jones co-stars in ''
Pavements
Pavement(s) or paving may refer to:
Surfacing
* Road surface, the durable surfacing of roads and walkways
* Sidewalk, a walkway along the side of a road, called a pavement in British English
* Asphalt concrete, a common form of road surface
* Co ...
'', a 2024 American
experimental
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
biopic
A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...
concert film
A concert film or concert movie is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert, by either a musician or a Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian.
Ea ...
directed by
Alex Ross Perry
Alex Ross Perry is an American filmmaker and actor. Prolific in independent film, he is best known for writing and directing ''Listen Up Philip'' (2014) and ''Her Smell'' (2018).
Early life
Perry is Jewish. He grew up in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania ...
. It is a documentary/fiction hybrid film about the American indie band
Pavement, incorporating scripted scenes with documentary footage of the band and a musical stage play consisting of songs from their discography. It premiered at the
81st Venice International Film Festival
The 81st annual Venice Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival was held from 28 August to 7 September 2024, at Venice Lido in Italy.
French actress Isabelle Huppert served as Jury President for the main competition. Italian actress an ...
on September 4, 2024 and was released on May 2, 2025.
In January, 2025 Lister-Jones along with
Sofia Rosinsky
Sofia Rosinsky (born ) is an American actress, who began her career as a child actress.
Personal life
Rosinsky's mother is actress K. Louise Middleton, studied with acting coach Sanford Meisner. She began acting at age five. She is half-Jewish on ...
,
O-T Fagbenle
Olatunde Olateju Olaolorun "O-T" Fagbenle ( Yoruba: ''Ọlátúndé Ọlátẹ́jú Ọláọlọ́run Fágbénlé''; born 22 January 1981) is an English actor, writer, and director. He has appeared in several films, stage, and television pr ...
,
Sian Clifford and
Ronny Chieng
Ronny Xin Yi Chieng ( zh, s=钱信伊, p=Qián Xìnyī) is a Malaysian-born American comedian and actor. He is a senior correspondent on Comedy Central's '' The Daily Show'', and he created and starred in the sitcom '' Ronny Chieng: Internatio ...
. were cast in Peacock's ''
The Miniature Wife'', which is led by
Matthew Macfadyen
David Matthew Macfadyen (; born 17 October 1974) is an English actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he Breakthrough role, gained prominence for his role as Mr. Darcy in Joe Wright's ''Pride & Prejudice (2005 film), Pride & Prej ...
and
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Irene Banks (; February 10, 1974) is an American actress, director, and producer. She is known for playing chaperone Effie Trinket in ''The Hunger Games'' film series (2012–2015) and an ICCA commentator in the ''Pitch Perfect'' ...
, who are also both executive producers on the series. In March 2025,
Aasif Mandvi
Aasif Hakim Mandviwala, known professionally as Aasif Mandvi (, ), is an English–American actor, comedian and writer. He was a List of The Daily Show correspondents, correspondent on ''The Daily Show'' from 2006 to 2017. Mandvi's other televis ...
, Rong Fu and
Tricia Black
Tricia Black is a Canadian actress, writer and comedian.Glenn Sumi"How two East Coasters are changing Toronto’s queer comedy scene" ''Now'', June 12, 2019. She is most noted for her role in the 2020 web series '' Band Ladies'', for which she won ...
joined the cast.
Personal life
In 2013, Lister-Jones married her acting, writing and production partner
Daryl Wein. In 2021, she announced that they had split after a 17-year-relationship. Lister-Jones described how they had been "in and out of an
open relationship
An open relationship is an intimate relationship that is sexually or romantically non-monogamous. An open relationship generally indicates a relationship where there is a primary emotional and intimate relationship between partners, who agree to ...
."
In 2021, Lister-Jones accused actor
Chris Noth
Christopher David Noth ( ; born November 13, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Mike Logan on ''Law & Order'' (1990–1995), Big on ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), and Peter Florrick on ''The ...
of
sexually harassing her during the filming of a 2005 episode of ''
Law & Order: Criminal Intent''.
In February 2024 at the 39th
Spirit Awards, Lister-Jones revealed that she considers herself
queer
''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
and disclosed she is currently dating filmmaker
Sammi Cohen.
Filmography
Film
Television
Theater
Broadway
Off Broadway
One-woman shows
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lister-Jones, Zoe
1982 births
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American dramatists and playwrights
21st-century American screenwriters
21st-century American singers
21st-century American women singers
21st-century American women writers
Actresses from Brooklyn
American film actresses
American LGBTQ film directors
American stage actresses
American television actresses
American women dramatists and playwrights
American women film directors
Edward R. Murrow High School alumni
Film directors from New York City
Jewish American actresses
LGBTQ people from New York (state)
Living people
American queer actresses
Queer dramatists and playwrights
People from Park Slope
Screenwriters from New York (state)
Tisch School of the Arts alumni
LGBTQ women writers
Jewish LGBTQ women