# Molly Ephraim
**Molly Ephraim** (born 1986) is an American actress who has worked in film, television, and on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional stages. She is best known for playing Mandy Baxter on the ABC sitcom *[Last Man Standing](https://www.edgepedia.org/last-man-standing-american-tv-series)* from 2011 to 2017 and Ali Rey in the *Paranormal Activity* films, and she began her career as a teenage Broadway performer in the 2002 revival of *Into the Woods*.[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Molly-Ephraim/) • [2](https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/people/molly-ephraim/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1986, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/molly-ephraim-93336) |
| Broadway debut | Little Red Riding Hood in the 2002 revival of *Into the Woods* (April 30 – December 29, 2002); Drama League Award nomination[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/molly-ephraim-93336) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1454378/) |
| Second Broadway show | Bielke in the revival of *Fiddler on the Roof* (February 26, 2004 – January 8, 2006)[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/molly-ephraim-93336) |
| Education | B.A. in Religion, Princeton University, class of 2008; member of the Triangle Club[5](https://paw.princeton.edu/article/rising-star) |
| Signature TV role | Mandy Baxter on *Last Man Standing*, 2011–2017, 130 episodes[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1454378/) |
| Horror franchise role | Ali Rey in *Paranormal Activity 2* (2010) and *Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones* (2014)[6](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/292728) |
| Recent series work | Maybelle Fox in *A League of Their Own* (2022, 8 episodes); Hazel Prystock in *Perry Mason* (2020–2023, 9 episodes); Summer Cooper in *The Paper* (2025)[7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6404/molly-ephraim) • [1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Molly-Ephraim/) |
## Early life and stage career
Ephraim grew up in the Philadelphia area, in [New Hope, Pennsylvania](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-hope-pennsylvania), and in Bucks County.[5](https://paw.princeton.edu/article/rising-star) • [2](https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/people/molly-ephraim/) Her first interest was dance, which she began at age 3 or 4; she started acting at 8 or 9 and made her first professional appearance at 13.[5](https://paw.princeton.edu/article/rising-star) She performed at the Bucks County Playhouse and professionally at Philadelphia's Prince Music Theater, beginning with a production of *The Snow Queen*, and at the Arden Theater Company, where a Barrymore Award nomination for *Into the Woods* followed.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1454378/) • [2](https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/people/molly-ephraim/)
**Broadway as a teenager.** She reprised her [Little Red Riding Hood](https://www.edgepedia.org/little-red-riding-hood) from the Arden production when she joined the Broadway revival of [Stephen Sondheim](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-sondheim)'s *Into the Woods*, which opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 30, 2002 and ran through December 29, 2002; the performance brought a Drama League Award nomination.[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/molly-ephraim-93336) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1454378/) Two years later she appeared as Bielke in the Broadway revival of *Fiddler on the Roof*, which ran from February 26, 2004 to January 8, 2006.[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/molly-ephraim-93336) In a 2008 interview with *Princeton Alumni Weekly*, she said she arrived at Princeton after two Broadway shows certain of what she wanted to do with her life but wanting to keep her options open.[5](https://paw.princeton.edu/article/rising-star)
## Education
Ephraim graduated from Princeton University in 2008 with a B.A. in Religion.[5](https://paw.princeton.edu/article/rising-star) While a student she performed with the Princeton Triangle Club, the university's comedy sketch troupe, and with University Players, and worked on a thesis investigating female figures in Hindu and Buddhist religions.[5](https://paw.princeton.edu/article/rising-star) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/molly_ephraim) Her film debut came the year she graduated, as Wendy Greenhut in the [Walt Disney](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney) comedy *College Road Trip* (2008), opposite [Donny Osmond](https://www.edgepedia.org/donny-osmond) as her father; she also played a murder victim in an episode of *Law & Order* that season.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1454378/) • [5](https://paw.princeton.edu/article/rising-star)
## Television and film
After Princeton she appeared [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) as Rachel in *End Days* at Ensemble Studio Theatre and took television roles including Beth Samuels on *Royal Pains* (2009).[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1454378/) • [7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6404/molly-ephraim) Her screen breakthrough was Ali Rey, the teenage daughter, in the horror sequel *Paranormal Activity 2* (2010), a role she briefly reprised through archive footage in *Paranormal Activity 3* (2011) and played again in the spin-off *[Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones](https://www.edgepedia.org/paranormal-activity-the-marked-ones)* (2014).[6](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/292728) • [9](https://mooveedb.com/actor/molly-ephraim/473255)
**Last Man Standing.** In 2011 she was cast as Amanda Elaine "Mandy" Baxter, one of [Tim Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-allen)'s daughters, on the ABC sitcom *Last Man Standing*, appearing in 130 episodes from 2011 to 2017.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1454378/) When ABC canceled the series after its sixth season, Ephraim moved on to other projects; when Fox revived the show a year later, her role, along with that of Flynn Morrison, was recast, with [Molly McCook](https://www.edgepedia.org/molly-mccook) taking over as Mandy.[10](https://www.thewrap.com/last-man-standing-tim-allen-fox-recast-molly-ephraim-flynn-morrison-roles/) • [11](https://moviecultists.com/what-is-molly-ephraim-doing-now)
Her subsequent television work has been largely in guest and recurring parts: a bartender in five episodes of *Brockmire* (2017), Alexa Vonn in five episodes of *Halt and Catch Fire* (2017), Jess in three episodes of *Casual* (2015–2018), Gypsy Rose Blanchard's lawyer in Hulu's *The Act* (2019), and Libby in a 2019 episode of *Modern Family*.[7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6404/molly-ephraim) She played Hazel Prystock, Della Street's lover, in nine episodes of HBO's *Perry Mason* (2020–2023).[7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6404/molly-ephraim) • [1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Molly-Ephraim/) In 2022 she played Maybelle Fox, an outfielder on the [Rockford Peaches](https://www.edgepedia.org/rockford-peaches), in eight episodes of Prime Video's *A League of Their Own*, and Wendy Wallach in two episodes of Peacock's *Angelyne*; she filmed the former while pregnant.[7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6404/molly-ephraim) • [12](https://www.thewrap.com/a-league-of-their-own-maybelle-molly-ephraim-interview/) In 2025 she joined *The Paper*, the Peacock series from [Greg Daniels](https://www.edgepedia.org/greg-daniels) and [Michael Koman](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-koman) set in the world of *The Office*, as Summer Cooper.[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Molly-Ephraim/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1454378/)
Her film credits beyond the *Paranormal Activity* films include Cricket in *Gravy* (2015) and Irene Kelly in the political drama *The Front Runner* (2018), the latter her second collaboration with *Last Man Standing* co-star [Kaitlyn Dever](https://www.edgepedia.org/kaitlyn-dever).[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1454378/) • [1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Molly-Ephraim/)
## Return to the stage
Ephraim has continued to work in theater alongside her screen career. She played Anne in *The Diary of Anne Frank* at Westport Country Playhouse in 2010, and in June and July 2015 she made her Geffen Playhouse debut as Daphna in the West Coast premiere of Joshua Harmon's *Bad Jews*, directed by [Matt Shakman](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-shakman); a TheaterMania review described her performance as "a showcase of comic neuroses and bile."[2](https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/people/molly-ephraim/) • [13](https://www.theatermania.com/news/bad-jews_73390/) Her regional credits also include *The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee* at Barrington Stage Company and North Shore Music Theatre in 2008.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1454378/)
## References
1. [Molly Ephraim (Actor) – Broadway & Theatre Credits, Bio, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Molly-Ephraim/)
2. [Molly Ephraim, Geffen Playhouse](https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/people/molly-ephraim/)
3. [Molly Ephraim – Broadway Cast & Staff, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/molly-ephraim-93336)
4. [Molly Ephraim, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1454378/)
5. [Rising star, Princeton Alumni Weekly (March 5, 2008)](https://paw.princeton.edu/article/rising-star)
6. [Molly Ephraim, AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/292728)
7. [Molly Ephraim, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6404/molly-ephraim)
8. [Molly Ephraim Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/molly_ephraim)
9. [Molly Ephraim, MooveeDB](https://mooveedb.com/actor/molly-ephraim/473255)
10. [Fox's 'Last Man Standing' to Recast Molly Ephraim's and Flynn Morrison's Roles, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/last-man-standing-tim-allen-fox-recast-molly-ephraim-flynn-morrison-roles/)
11. [What is Molly Ephraim doing now?, MovieCultists](https://moviecultists.com/what-is-molly-ephraim-doing-now)
12. ['A League of Their Own' Star Molly Ephraim on Filming While Pregnant, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/a-league-of-their-own-maybelle-molly-ephraim-interview/)
13. [Bad Jews, TheaterMania (June 29, 2015)](https://www.theatermania.com/news/bad-jews_73390/)
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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 Do to E*
*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