Caitlin FitzGerald (born August 25, 1983) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is best known for her role as Libby Masters in the
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...
television drama ''
Masters of Sex
''Masters of Sex'' is an American period drama television series that premiered on September 29, 2013, on Showtime. It was developed by Michelle Ashford and loosely based on Thomas Maier's biography ''Masters of Sex''. Set in the 1950s through th ...
'' and as the elusive Simone in
Starz
Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz consis ...
series ''
Sweetbitter
''Sweetbitter'' is a 2016 novel by American author Stephanie Danler, published by Alfred A. Knopf. It is Danler's first published book. It was written by the author over a seven-year period, and, despite glowing press before its release, received ...
''.
Early life
FitzGerald was raised in
Camden, Maine
Camden is a resort town in Knox County, Maine. The population was 5,232 at the 2020 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is a summer colony in the Mid-Coast ...
.
Her father, Des FitzGerald, an
Irish American
, image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png
, image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state
, caption = Notable Irish Americans
, population =
36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...
, is the former CEO of the ContiSea unit of the
multinational corporation
A multinational company (MNC), also referred to as a multinational enterprise (MNE), a transnational enterprise (TNE), a transnational corporation (TNC), an international corporation or a stateless corporation with subtle but contrasting senses, i ...
ContiGroup and the founder of Ducktrap River Fish Farm Inc. Her mother, Pam Allen, is the author of ''Knitting for Dummies'' and the founder of the yarn company Quince & Co.
FitzGerald first developed an interest in acting as a child and performed in many community theatre and school productions.
She was a boarding student at
Concord Academy
Concord Academy (also known as CA), established in 1922, is a coeducational, independent college preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9-12. The school is situated in Concord, Massachusetts. In 1971, Concord Academy became ...
in Massachusetts. She later graduated from NYU's
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, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...
, where she studied drama at the
Stella Adler Studio of Acting
The Stella Adler Studio of Acting (formerly Stella Adler Conservatory) is a prestigious acting school that was founded by actress and teacher Stella Adler. .
FitzGerald also spent time studying Shakespeare at the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sena ...
(Rada) in London.
Career
FitzGerald has appeared in ''
Love Simple
''Love Simple'' is a 2009 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Mark von Sternberg and starring Francisco Solorzano, Patrizia Hernandez, John Harlacher, Caitlin FitzGerald and Israel Horovitz.
The film is currently available on D ...
'', ''
It's Complicated'', ''
Gossip Girl
''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six ...
'',
Whit Stillman's ''
Damsels in Distress'', ''
Blue Bloods'', and ''
Newlyweds
Newlyweds are people who have recently entered into a marriage. The time frame during which a married couple is considered newlywed varies, but for social science research purposes it may be considered as up to six months into the marriage.Rebecca ...
''.

In 2010, FitzGerald starred in a production of ''
Hedda Gabler
''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. The play has been ca ...
''. The play was performed in a private house in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
to an audience of just twenty-five people. FitzGerald was excited to play "the greatest part written for a woman that isn’t Shakespeare".
Ben Brantley
Benjamin D. Brantley (born October 26, 1954) is an American theater critic, journalist, editor, publisher and writer. He served as the chief theater critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1996 to 2017, and as co-chief theater critic from 2017 to ...
of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' said of her performance: "All legs, eyes and cheekbones, with a face that seems made for cinematic close-ups, she’s a hypnotic pleasure to look at." However, he felt she had insufficient gravitas, often bringing to mind "a newly transferred, intimidatingly classy high school senior, perhaps, who is so beyond being merely popular".
In 2010 she also played the role of Benita in "
After Hours", the 10th episode of the 1st season of the
CBS crime drama ''
Blue Bloods''.
In 2012, FitzGerald starred in and co-wrote the screenplay for the independent film ''Like the Water'', set in Maine. The film focuses on the death of a childhood friend, inspired by the sudden death of FitzGerald's Riley School classmate Sabrina Seelig. She also co-starred that year in ''
The Fitzgerald Family Christmas'', reuniting with director
Ed Burns. In 2013, she starred as Liv in the independent romantic comedy ensemble
''Mutual Friends'' directed by Matthew Watts.
FitzGerald starred in the
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...
period drama ''
Masters of Sex
''Masters of Sex'' is an American period drama television series that premiered on September 29, 2013, on Showtime. It was developed by Michelle Ashford and loosely based on Thomas Maier's biography ''Masters of Sex''. Set in the 1950s through th ...
''. ''Indiewire'' has described her character as one of the most underrated in television: "Libby Masters is a character who could easily have come across as insipid instead of likable and poignant ... FitzGerald fully conveys Libby's willowy fragility, her fairly sheltered outlook and girlishness – she sometimes calls her husband 'Daddy'—while making it clear she isn't a simple stand-in for conservative values or cluelessness ... FitzGerald makes Libby's perceptiveness and her transparency clear."
In 2015, she appeared in the indie comedy ''
Adult Beginners'' from director
Ross Katz as Kat, the girlfriend of Jake (
Nick Kroll
Nicholas Kroll (born June 5, 1978) is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for creating and starring in the Comedy Central series '' Kroll Show'', '' The Oh, Hello Show'', the FX comedy series ''The L ...
) who dumps him after his tech startup fails and he moves back to his family home.
Rose Byrne
Mary Rose Byrne (born 24 July 1979) is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut in the film ''Dallas Doll'' (1994), and continued to act in Australian film and television throughout the 1990s. She obtained her first leading film role i ...
and
Bobby Cannavale
Roberto Michael Cannavale (; born May 3, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for various television roles, including leading roles in '' Third Watch'', '' Vinyl'', and '' Mr. Robot'', as well as recurring roles in '' Will & Grace'', whic ...
co-star.
In June 2017, FitzGerald joined the cast of Robert Krzykowski's film ''
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot'', co-starring with
Sam Elliott
Samuel Pack Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Board of Review Award, and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Aw ...
and
Aidan Turner.
Personal life
In 2017, FitzGerald met actor
Aidan Turner. They married in August 2020, and she gave birth to their child in January 2022.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
Ross Carey podcast: Caitlin Fitzgerald interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzgerald, Caitlin
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Maine
American film actresses
American television actresses
American people of Irish descent
Living people
People from Camden, Maine
Stella Adler Studio of Acting alumni
Tisch School of the Arts alumni
1983 births
Concord Academy alumni