# Elise Kibler

**Elise Kibler** is an American actor, director, and writer based in New York City, known for stage work on and off-Broadway and for screen roles including Sloane Killory on Netflix's *The Night Agent* and Nadia Romanova on MGM+'s *[American Classic](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-classic-tv-series)*.<sup>[1](https://www.elisekibler.com/bio)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/58008/elise-kibler)</sup> She should not be confused with the [San Antonio](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-antonio) pediatrician of the same name or with a 2019 San Antonio city council candidate who shares the name.<sup>[3](https://doctor.webmd.com/doctor/elise-kibler-6327d6f4-5860-4fbd-bb32-7e37560f9fe3-overview)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.sanantonio.gov/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=wCiel9UXsPg%3D&portalid=0)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Profession | Actor, director, and writer based in New York City<sup>[1](https://www.elisekibler.com/bio)</sup> |
| Training | Graduate of NYU Tisch's filmmaking program; began her theater career on and off-Broadway while a student<sup>[1](https://www.elisekibler.com/bio)</sup> |
| Broadway | *The Heidi Chronicles* revival (2015), playing Becky, Clara, and Denise; understudy in *This Is Our Youth* (2014–2015)<sup>[5](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/elise-kibler-497838)</sup> |
| Signature stage role | The Natalie Portman doppelganger in MCC Theater's *All the Natalie Portmans* (2020)<sup>[6](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/03/16/all-the-natalie-portmans-and-the-limits-of-hollywood-fantasy)</sup> |
| Television | Tracy Farnum in *Marvel's Daredevil* (2015); Sierra in *Younger* (2016); Sloane Killory in *The Night Agent* (2025, 4 episodes); Ariel Kincaid in *The Equalizer* (2025); Nadia Romanova in *American Classic* (2026)<sup>[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/58008/elise-kibler)</sup> |
| Filmmaking | *Do It To Me If You Want* (co-directed with James Udom), world premiere at Tribeca Festival 2023; the pilot *Cold Call* premiered at SXSW 2026<sup>[1](https://www.elisekibler.com/bio)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://schedule.sxsw.com/2026/films/)</sup> |

## Background and training

Kibler grew up in [Oak Park, Illinois](https://www.edgepedia.org/oak-park-illinois), where she performed in school and community productions, including Open Door Repertory's musical version of Kipling's *Just So Stories*.<sup>[8](https://www.oakpark.com/2015/04/28/oak-parker-makes-debut-on-broadway-stage/)</sup> She studied at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in the filmmaking program, and made her professional New York stage debut in an off-Broadway production of *London Wall* with the Mint Theater Company during her senior year, in 2014.<sup>[1](https://www.elisekibler.com/bio)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://www.oakpark.com/2015/04/28/oak-parker-makes-debut-on-broadway-stage/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Elise-Kibler/)</sup>

## Stage career

**Broadway.** Kibler made her Broadway debut in March 2015 in the revival of Wendy Wasserstein's *The Heidi Chronicles*, playing the three roles of Becky, Clara, and Denise; the production ran from March 19 to May 3, 2015.<sup>[5](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/elise-kibler-497838)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://www.oakpark.com/2015/04/28/oak-parker-makes-debut-on-broadway-stage/)</sup> She had previously served as an understudy on Broadway in the original production of *This Is Our Youth* (2014–2015).<sup>[5](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/elise-kibler-497838)</sup>

**Off-Broadway.** Her off-Broadway credits include *London Wall* (Mint Theater Company, 2014), *Indian Summer* (Playwrights Horizons, 2016, as Izzy), *Napoli, Brooklyn* ([Roundabout](https://www.edgepedia.org/roundabout), 2017, as Vita Muscolino), *Mies Julie* (Classic Stage Company, 2019, as Julie), and *All the Natalie Portmans* (MCC Theater, 2020).<sup>[9](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Elise-Kibler/)</sup>

In *All the Natalie Portmans*, C. A. Johnson's play about a Black teenager in Washington, D.C. who escapes into fantasies of movie stars, Kibler played the imagined [Natalie Portman](https://www.edgepedia.org/natalie-portman) who materializes on stage in costumes from films such as *[Black Swan](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-swan-film)*, *Garden State*, and *The Professional*.<sup>[6](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/03/16/all-the-natalie-portmans-and-the-limits-of-hollywood-fantasy)</sup> Reviewers singled out the device: *The New Yorker* described Portman "showing up in the flesh (played by Elise Kibler)" at the protagonist's lowest moments, and CurtainUp noted that Kibler's Natalie "fades in and out of the action like a will-o-the-wisp".<sup>[6](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/03/16/all-the-natalie-portmans-and-the-limits-of-hollywood-fantasy)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[10](https://www.curtainup.com/allnatalieportmans.html)</sup>

## Screen work

Kibler's early television appearances were single-episode guest roles: Tracy Farnum in the pilot of *Marvel's Daredevil* (April 10, 2015) and Sierra in *Younger* (2016).<sup>[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/58008/elise-kibler)</sup> In film she played Gaby, the younger sister of [Jenny Slate](https://www.edgepedia.org/jenny-slate)'s character, in *The Sunlit Night* (2019), and Ophelia and Osric in *Hamlet in the Golden Vale* (2018).<sup>[11](https://time.com/5867895/the-sunlit-night-review/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[12](https://www.filmnoir.app/links/tmdb/person/2699214)</sup>

**Television recurring roles.** In 2025 she appeared as Sloane Killory in four episodes of the second season of Netflix's *The Night Agent*, playing the British socialite girlfriend of Tomás Bala, and as Ariel Kincaid in *The Equalizer* episode "Trust No One" (March 16, 2025).<sup>[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/58008/elise-kibler)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[13](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/the-night-agent-cast-season-2?inapp=trueOs)</sup> In 2026 she began a recurring role as Nadia Romanova, the Russian girlfriend of [Kevin Kline](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-kline)'s character, on MGM+'s theater-world comedy *American Classic*, appearing in seven episodes.<sup>[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/58008/elise-kibler)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[14](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2026-03-01/american-classic-review-kevin-kline-laura-linney)</sup>

**2026 festival films.** Kibler appears in three debut features that premiered at major 2026 festivals. In Adam Meeks' *Union County*, a Sundance 2026 world premiere about a court-mandated drug rehabilitation program in rural Ohio, she plays Anna, a friendly local whom Cody ([Will Poulter](https://www.edgepedia.org/will-poulter)) meets early in his recovery.<sup>[15](https://festivalplayer.sundance.org/sundance-film-festival-2026/play/693dbe475924eaec3132d74c)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[16](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/union-county-review-will-poulter-has-breakthrough-performance-of-the-year/)</sup> In *Sinner Supper Club*, an improvised feature shot on an iPhone in six days by directors Nora Kaye and Daisy Rosato, she plays Alice; the film premiered in the Visions section at SXSW 2026.<sup>[17](https://schedule.sxsw.com/2026/films/2254957)</sup> In Jess Zeidman's *Human Theories*, a Tribeca Festival 2026 premiere of intertwined New York vignettes, she plays Amy.<sup>[18](https://d13jj08vfqimqg.cloudfront.net/films/human-theories-2026)</sup>

## Writing and directing

Kibler's screenwriting and co-directing debut, *Do It To Me If You Want*, made with co-director James Udom, premiered at the Tribeca Festival in 2023; her work has since been developed at the Tribeca Creators Market 2024, Glance Productions, Brooklyn City College, Flint Repertory, and BRIC.<sup>[1](https://www.elisekibler.com/bio)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Elise-Kibler/)</sup> In 2026 she moved into television directing as showrunner and director of *Cold Call*, a pilot created and written by Emma Lenderman that premiered in competition at SXSW 2026; the project was shot on 35mm by cinematographer Cory Fraiman-Lott.<sup>[7](https://schedule.sxsw.com/2026/films/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Elise-Kibler/)</sup>

## References

1. [Bio, elisekibler.com](https://www.elisekibler.com/bio)
2. [Elise Kibler, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/58008/elise-kibler)
3. [Elise Kibler, MD, WebMD Care](https://doctor.webmd.com/doctor/elise-kibler-6327d6f4-5860-4fbd-bb32-7e37560f9fe3-overview)
4. [Canvassing Report, City of San Antonio General Election, May 4, 2019](https://www.sanantonio.gov/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=wCiel9UXsPg%3D&portalid=0)
5. [Elise Kibler, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/elise-kibler-497838)
6. [Vinson Cunningham, "'All the Natalie Portmans' and the Limits of Hollywood Fantasy," The New Yorker, March 16, 2020](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/03/16/all-the-natalie-portmans-and-the-limits-of-hollywood-fantasy)
7. [SXSW 2026 Film & TV Schedule](https://schedule.sxsw.com/2026/films/)
8. ["Oak Parker makes debut on Broadway stage," Wednesday Journal, April 28, 2015](https://www.oakpark.com/2015/04/28/oak-parker-makes-debut-on-broadway-stage/)
9. [Elise Kibler, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Elise-Kibler/)
10. ["All the Natalie Portmans," CurtainUp review](https://www.curtainup.com/allnatalieportmans.html)
11. ["The Sun Shines Bright-as Does Jenny Slate-in The Sunlit Night," TIME, 2020](https://time.com/5867895/the-sunlit-night-review/)
12. [Elise Kibler, FilmNoir App (TMDB)](https://www.filmnoir.app/links/tmdb/person/2699214)
13. [The Night Agent Cast Guide, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/the-night-agent-cast-season-2?inapp=trueOs)
14. ["'American Classic' review," Los Angeles Times, March 1, 2026](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2026-03-01/american-classic-review-kevin-kline-laura-linney)
15. [Union County, 2026 Sundance Film Festival](https://festivalplayer.sundance.org/sundance-film-festival-2026/play/693dbe475924eaec3132d74c)
16. ["The Breakthrough Movie Performance of the Year Has Arrived," The Daily Beast, January 25, 2026](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/union-county-review-will-poulter-has-breakthrough-performance-of-the-year/)
17. [Sinner Supper Club, SXSW 2026 Schedule](https://schedule.sxsw.com/2026/films/2254957)
18. [Human Theories, 2026 Tribeca Festival](https://d13jj08vfqimqg.cloudfront.net/films/human-theories-2026)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Jo to Kl*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

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