# Keeley Karsten
**Keeley Karsten** (born 2010) is an American actress who first gained recognition for playing Natalie Fabelman in [Steven Spielberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-spielberg)'s semi-autobiographical film *The Fabelmans* (2022), and who stars as Leah, Malcolm's daughter, in the 2026 revival *Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2010, New York, New York, USA[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10652212/) |
| Breakthrough role | Natalie Fabelman in *The Fabelmans* (2022), her first feature film[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10652212/) • [2](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-keeley-karsten) |
| Current lead role | Leah in *Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair* (2026), a four-episode Hulu revival[3](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/malcolm-in-the-middle-lifes-still-unfair-daughter-keeley-karsten-interview/) |
| Other 2026 credit | Reg in *The Savant* (Apple TV+), appearing alongside Jessica Chastain[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10652212/) |
| Early screen work | Convent Girl #1 in *Hunters* (2020); Child Pam Sinclair in *Evil Lives Here* (2019)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10652212/) |
| Writing and festival work | Wrote and starred in the short film *Viceroy* (2020); Best Young Actress at the Snow Leopard International Film Festival for *On Being Twelve*[4](https://www.prettydoesnthurtfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PDH-epk-2024-03.pdf) |
| Advocacy | Ambassador for Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, a mental-health organization[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10652212/) |
## Early career
Karsten was born and raised in New York City, and her interest in performance began on the stage. She starred in the world premiere of the play *Summer Session* with The Bones Brigade, the theater company behind that production[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10652212/).
Her transition to the screen came through television and shorts. In 2019 she played the young Pam Sinclair in one episode of the documentary series *[Evil Lives Here](https://www.edgepedia.org/evil-lives-here)*, and in 2020 she appeared as Convent Girl #1 in one episode of the Amazon original series *Hunters*, which starred [Al Pacino](https://www.edgepedia.org/al-pacino)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10652212/) • [4](https://www.prettydoesnthurtfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PDH-epk-2024-03.pdf). Also in 2020, during the pandemic, she wrote and starred in the short film *Viceroy*, directed by her father, Adam Karsten; the film earned an Award of Recognition at the Best Shorts Competition in [La Jolla](https://www.edgepedia.org/la-jolla) and a Best Child Actress Award at the Oniros Film Festival in Italy[5](https://malcolminthemiddle.fandom.com/wiki/Keeley_Karsten) • [4](https://www.prettydoesnthurtfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PDH-epk-2024-03.pdf).
**Early recognition.** For the short film *On Being Twelve*, in which she played the Cheerleader, Karsten won Best Young Actress at the Snow Leopard International Film Festival[4](https://www.prettydoesnthurtfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PDH-epk-2024-03.pdf). She has said that watching [Charlie Chaplin](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-chaplin)'s *City Lights* helped push her toward working in film[6](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/keeley-karsten.html).
## The Fabelmans
In 2022 Karsten played Natalie Fabelman, sister of the main character Sammy Fabelman ([Gabriel LaBelle](https://www.edgepedia.org/gabriel-labelle)), in Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film *The Fabelmans*, co-written by [Tony Kushner](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-kushner) and featuring Michelle Williams and [Paul Dano](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-dano)[4](https://www.prettydoesnthurtfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PDH-epk-2024-03.pdf) • [5](https://malcolminthemiddle.fandom.com/wiki/Keeley_Karsten). It was her first feature film[2](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-keeley-karsten).
In interviews she described the experience as formative. Spielberg, she said, created a comfortable atmosphere in which the young cast could try things and find their characters, and the role taught her how much commitment building a character requires[2](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-keeley-karsten). She attended the film's premieres at the 2022 American Film Institute Festival and the [Toronto International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-international-film-festival)[7](https://tresamagazine.com/2022/12/15/keeley-karsten/). On Rotten Tomatoes, *The Fabelmans* stands at 92 percent with audiences and 83 percent with critics, the highest-rated entry in her filmography[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/keeley_karsten).
## Later film and television
Between the Spielberg film and the *Malcolm in the Middle* revival, Karsten appeared in the short *Pretty Doesn't Hurt* (2023) as Julia, and in the comedy *[Adult Best Friends](https://www.edgepedia.org/adult-best-friends)* (2024) as Young Delaney[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10652212/). She also took the role of Reg in *The Savant*, an Apple TV+ thriller series alongside [Jessica Chastain](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-chastain)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10652212/). Of working with Chastain, she said that Chastain noticed everything in a scene, was thoroughly prepared, and brought a professional energy to set[2](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-keeley-karsten).
## Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair
In 2026 Karsten took on her largest television role to that point: Leah, the sharp-witted teenage daughter of Malcolm ([Frankie Muniz](https://www.edgepedia.org/frankie-muniz)), in *Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair*, a four-episode revival that premiered on April 10, 2026, on Hulu and Disney+[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10652212/) • [3](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/malcolm-in-the-middle-lifes-still-unfair-daughter-keeley-karsten-interview/) • [9](https://apnews.com/article/0bd130b1143586dda2f533a0ccbe6ec1).
She learned of the casting in a text from [Linwood Boomer](https://www.edgepedia.org/linwood-boomer), the original series' creator, which she initially suspected was a prank[2](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-keeley-karsten). Because the original series ended before she was born, she had never seen it when she was cast; she watched the whole show before filming began[3](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/malcolm-in-the-middle-lifes-still-unfair-daughter-keeley-karsten-interview/). In the revival's setup, Malcolm has kept his daughter and his girlfriend Tristan (Kiana Madeira) away from his parents and siblings for more than a decade, and Leah steps into a parental role with a father who becomes frantic around his own family[2](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-keeley-karsten) • [10](https://elpais.com/television/series/malcolm-in-the-middle-lifes-still-unfair/). IMDb trivia notes her ability to break the fourth wall, a technique she used in the revival, and a Los Angeles Times review quotes Leah narrating directly to the camera[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10652212/) • [11](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2026-04-09/malcolm-in-middle-lifes-still-unfair-review-hulu).
Working with the returning cast, including [Bryan Cranston](https://www.edgepedia.org/bryan-cranston), Jane Kaczmarek, Justin Berfield, and Christopher Masterson, she described as a physical comedy masterclass, saying that in most takes with Muniz she could not keep from laughing[3](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/malcolm-in-the-middle-lifes-still-unfair-daughter-keeley-karsten-interview/).
## Off screen
Karsten is a singer and has named music, reading, and film, including foreign films such as the Belgian drama *Close*, among her interests[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10652212/) • [2](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-keeley-karsten). She serves as an ambassador for [Lady Gaga](https://www.edgepedia.org/lady-gaga)'s Born This Way Foundation, focused on mental health[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10652212/). She grew up around theater and creative parents; her mother is a choreographer and her father an artistic director[6](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/keeley-karsten.html) • [4](https://www.prettydoesnthurtfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PDH-epk-2024-03.pdf).
## References
1. [Keeley Karsten, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10652212/)
2. [In Conversation with Keeley Karsten, Numéro Netherlands](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-keeley-karsten)
3. [Keeley Karsten Calls Revival a Physical Comedy Masterclass, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/malcolm-in-the-middle-lifes-still-unfair-daughter-keeley-karsten-interview/)
4. [Keeley Karsten bio, Pretty Doesn't Hurt press kit](https://www.prettydoesnthurtfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PDH-epk-2024-03.pdf)
5. [Keeley Karsten, Malcolm in the Middle Wiki](https://malcolminthemiddle.fandom.com/wiki/Keeley_Karsten)
6. [Keeley Karsten, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/keeley-karsten.html)
7. [Keeley Karsten, TresA Magazine](https://tresamagazine.com/2022/12/15/keeley-karsten/)
8. [Keeley Karsten, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/keeley_karsten)
9. [Malcolm in the Middle returns after 20 years, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/0bd130b1143586dda2f533a0ccbe6ec1)
10. [Malcolm: De mal en peor, El País](https://elpais.com/television/series/malcolm-in-the-middle-lifes-still-unfair/)
11. [Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair review, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2026-04-09/malcolm-in-middle-lifes-still-unfair-review-hulu)
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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: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 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