# Hannah Marks
**Hannah Marks** (full name Hannah Gayle Marks; born 1993) is an American actress, screenwriter, director, and producer who moved from a childhood acting career into feature directing, with credits including *After Everything* (2018), *Mark, Mary & Some Other People* (2021), *Don't Make Me Go* (2022), and the film adaptation of [John Green](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-green)'s novel *Turtles All the Way Down* (2024).[1](https://www.papodecinema.com.br/artistas/hannah-marks/) • [2](https://www.productionlist.com/production-role/hannah-marks) She was named one of Rolling Stone's 25 under 25 Artists Changing the World in 2017.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2000954)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1993, Santa Monica, California, United States[1](https://www.papodecinema.com.br/artistas/hannah-marks/) |
| Early acting | Began acting at age six in school plays; film debut at age 12 in the horror film *Danika* (2005) with Marisa Tomei[1](https://www.papodecinema.com.br/artistas/hannah-marks/) |
| Breakthrough TV role | Female lead Amanda Brotzman in *Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency* (BBC America, 2016–2017, 18 episodes), opposite Elijah Wood[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2000954/) |
| Directorial debut | *After Everything* (2018), co-written with Joey Power; premiered at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival, where she was nominated for the Game Changer award[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2000954) |
| Awards | Best Screenplay Award at the Tribeca Film Festival for *Mark, Mary & Some Other People* (2021)[2](https://www.productionlist.com/production-role/hannah-marks) |
| Recognition | Rolling Stone's 25 under 25 Artists Changing the World (2017); Forbes Magazine's 30 Under 30[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2000954) • [2](https://www.productionlist.com/production-role/hannah-marks) |
| Writing projects | Screenplay for Netflix's upcoming reimagining of *13 Going on 30*; adaptation of the children's book *Eloise* for Netflix/MRC[2](https://www.productionlist.com/production-role/hannah-marks) |
## Early life and acting career
Marks was born in Santa Monica, in [Los Angeles County](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-county), and began performing at the age of six in school plays; as a preteen she also worked as a model, and at 12 she made her film debut in the horror film *Danika* (2005) opposite [Marisa Tomei](https://www.edgepedia.org/marisa-tomei).[1](https://www.papodecinema.com.br/artistas/hannah-marks/) Her mother, Nova Ball, appeared in commercials and on television, and her mother's work inspired Marks to follow her into the business; she spent much of her childhood acting and was mostly home schooled.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jun/04/hannah-marks-banana-split-womance)
Through her teens she appeared in supporting parts, including the series *Criminal Minds* (2006), the rock biopic *The Runaways* (2010), and the blockbuster *The Amazing Spider-Man* (2012), along with the comedies *Accepted* and, on television, *Ugly Betty*, *Weeds*, and *Necessary Roughness*.[1](https://www.papodecinema.com.br/artistas/hannah-marks/) • [5](https://beverlyhillsexaminer.com/film/dont-make-me-go-director-hannah-marks-interview-the-hollywood-reporter/) Her most prominent acting role came as the female lead, Amanda Brotzman, in *Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency* (2016–2017) for [BBC America](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-america), playing opposite [Elijah Wood](https://www.edgepedia.org/elijah-wood).[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2000954/)
In interviews, Marks has described the difficulty of the transition out of child acting: even as a teenager, she said, the business told her she was too old, which left her feeling "bitter and jaded" at a young age.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jun/04/hannah-marks-banana-split-womance) She turned to writing partly to gain some autonomy, though she noted that screenwriting and directing are "just as competitive as acting."[4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jun/04/hannah-marks-banana-split-womance)
## Move into writing and directing
**After Everything (2018).** Marks made her feature directorial debut with the independent drama *After Everything* (originally titled *Shotgun*), which she co-wrote with Joey Power. The two met on a film shoot in [Gettysburg, Pennsylvania](https://www.edgepedia.org/gettysburg-pennsylvania), where Marks was acting and Power was doing rewrites; they talked about movies, found they liked similar material, and began collaborating.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2000954) • [6](https://moveablefest.com/hannah-marks-joey-power-after-everything/) The film, starring [Maika Monroe](https://www.edgepedia.org/maika-monroe) and [Jeremy Allen White](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeremy-allen-white), premiered to positive reviews at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival, where Marks was nominated for the Game Changer award.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2000954) The pair later wrote a joint account of shooting the low-budget debut feature in New York City for the Talkhouse.[7](https://talkhouse.com/author/hannah-marks)
**Banana Split (2018).** Marks starred in, co-wrote, and produced the romantic comedy *Banana Split*, which drew on her own experience: after a first breakup in her late teens, she met her ex's new girlfriend at a party and liked her, an idea she turned into a story about a friendship between the two women rather than the rivalry she saw in most movies.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jun/04/hannah-marks-banana-split-womance) Critics compared the film's celebration of female friendship to *Booksmart*, a comparison Marks said she did not mind, noting she had been shopping the script around before that film existed.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jun/04/hannah-marks-banana-split-womance)
## Later directing career
*Mark, Mary & Some Other People* (2021), Marks's second feature, which she wrote, directed, and produced, premiered in the U.S. Narrative [Competition](https://www.edgepedia.org/competition) at the Tribeca Festival; the festival's catalog called her, as an actress turned writer-director with only her second feature, "an assured directorial voice."[8](https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/mark-mary-some-other-people-2021) The film won her the Best Screenplay Award at the festival.[2](https://www.productionlist.com/production-role/hannah-marks)
She then directed *Don't Make Me Go*, from the Black List script by Michael Golamco, released on Amazon Prime Video in 2022. It was her first film that she did not write; she said she enjoyed having an outside perspective on the material and improvised with the cast, and she filmed in New Zealand with a local crew working to make locations look American.[5](https://beverlyhillsexaminer.com/film/dont-make-me-go-director-hannah-marks-interview-the-hollywood-reporter/) Next she directed the film adaptation of John Green's best-selling novel *Turtles All the Way Down*, released on Max in 2024.[5](https://beverlyhillsexaminer.com/film/dont-make-me-go-director-hannah-marks-interview-the-hollywood-reporter/) • [2](https://www.productionlist.com/production-role/hannah-marks) After two films she had not written, Marks said in 2022 that she was eager to return to writing her own material.[5](https://beverlyhillsexaminer.com/film/dont-make-me-go-director-hannah-marks-interview-the-hollywood-reporter/)
On the writing side, she has written the screenplay for Netflix's reimagining of *13 Going on 30* and adapted the children's book *Eloise* for Netflix/MRC.[2](https://www.productionlist.com/production-role/hannah-marks) She has also acted in *[Dinner in America](https://www.edgepedia.org/dinner-in-america)*, *I Used to Go Here*, and *Daniel Isn't Real*, and has developed television, including a comedic drama at the CW produced by [Ben Stiller](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-stiller)'s Red Hour.[7](https://talkhouse.com/author/hannah-marks)
## References
1. [Hannah Marks – Biografia, Papo de Cinema](https://www.papodecinema.com.br/artistas/hannah-marks/)
2. [Hannah Marks – Production List, Film & TV Industry Alliance](https://www.productionlist.com/production-role/hannah-marks)
3. [Hannah Marks – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2000954)
4. [Hannah Marks: 'Usually, in movies, these two women would hate each other' – The Guardian, 4 June 2020](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jun/04/hannah-marks-banana-split-womance)
5. [Don't Make Me Go Director Hannah Marks Interview – The Hollywood Reporter via Beverly Hills Examiner, July 2022](https://beverlyhillsexaminer.com/film/dont-make-me-go-director-hannah-marks-interview-the-hollywood-reporter/)
6. [Interview: Hannah Marks & Joey Power on Making a Commitment to "After Everything" – The Moveable Fest, October 2018](https://moveablefest.com/hannah-marks-joey-power-after-everything/)
7. [Hannah Marks – Talkhouse author page](https://talkhouse.com/author/hannah-marks)
8. [Mark, Mary & Some Other People – 2021 Tribeca Festival archive](https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/mark-mary-some-other-people-2021)
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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 M to Ma*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license