# Natasha Lyonne
**Natasha Lyonne** (born 1979, full name Natasha Bianca Lyonne Braunstein) is an American actress, writer, producer, and director who began performing as a child, became an indie film fixture in the late 1990s, and reached her widest audience as the co-creator and star of the Netflix series *Russian Doll* (2019) and as detective Charlie Cale in *Poker Face* (2023).[1](https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/lyonne.html) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/) She is an Emmy and Golden Globe nominee, described by her representation as a five-time Emmy nominee.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/) • [3](https://www.thedirectorsbureau.com/directors/natasha-lyonne)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979, New York City; full name Natasha Bianca Lyonne Braunstein[1](https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/lyonne.html) |
| First roles | Opal on *Pee-wee's Playhouse* (1986), beginning at age 6; film debut in *Heartburn* (1986)[4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Natasha-Lyonne/) • [5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/natasha-lyonne) |
| Breakout films | *Slums of Beverly Hills* (1998), *American Pie* (1999), *But I'm a Cheerleader* (1999)[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/natasha_lyonne) |
| Career interruption | Heroin addiction in the mid-2000s, arrests, and open-heart surgery after an overdose[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/natasha-lyonne-interview-poker-face-b2361934.html) |
| *Orange Is the New Black* | Nicky Nichols, 2013–2019; 2014 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/) |
| *Russian Doll* | Co-created, showrunner, writer, director, and star; three Emmy awards and 13 nominations total[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/) |
| *Poker Face* | Charlie Cale on the Peacock case-of-the-week mystery created by Rian Johnson, 2023–2025[8](https://apnews.com/article/06612e719e691e3cbbc484cb0c45e38e) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Producing | Co-founder of the company Animal with Maya Rudolph; executive producer of *Loot* and *Poker Face*[10](https://time.com/6248852/natasha-lyonne-poker-face-interview/) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/?showAllCredits=true) |
## Early life and child acting
Lyonne was born in New York City to Ivette and Aaron Braunstein; her father was a boxing promoter, race car driver, and radio host, and both parents came from Orthodox Jewish families. Her mother was born in Paris to Hungarian Jewish parents who were [Holocaust survivors](https://www.edgepedia.org/holocaust-survivors); her grandmother Ella was among the few members of a large family to survive.[1](https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/lyonne.html) The family lived in Israel from 1986 to 1988, where Lyonne was selected for an Israeli children's film called *April Fool*, an experience she credits with driving her toward acting.[11](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/natasha-lyonne-seven-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-poker-face-star)
She began working almost as soon as she could walk through a set. At five she appeared asleep on [Meryl Streep](https://www.edgepedia.org/meryl-streep)'s lap in the adaptation of [Nora Ephron](https://www.edgepedia.org/nora-ephron)'s *Heartburn* (1986), and at six she was a regular as Opal on *Pee-wee's Playhouse*.[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/natasha-lyonne-interview-poker-face-b2361934.html) • [5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/natasha-lyonne) Her upbringing, by her own account, was a cycle of auditions, troublemaking, and family upheaval, including the two-year stay in Israel while her father was pursued by tax collectors. Back in New York as a teenager, she described herself as her high school's pot dealer, and said she was expelled after landing the [Woody Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/woody-allen) film.[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/natasha-lyonne-interview-poker-face-b2361934.html)
## 1990s breakthrough
**Indie stardom.** As a teen, Lyonne appeared in *Dennis the Menace* (1993), played Woody Allen's daughter in *Everyone Says I Love You* (1996), and was [Richard Dreyfuss](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-dreyfuss)'s daughter in *Krippendorf's Tribe* (1998).[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/natasha_lyonne) • [12](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/natasha-lyonne-went-child-actor-173747936.html) Her first starring role came in Tamara Jenkins's 1970s-set coming-of-age film *The Slums of Beverly Hills* (1998), co-starring [Alan Arkin](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-arkin), which Rotten Tomatoes' career summary calls the turn that made her a star.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/natasha_lyonne) • [12](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/natasha-lyonne-went-child-actor-173747936.html)
A cluster of 1999 releases fixed her screen persona: the gravelly-voiced, rapid-fire outsider. She took a small role in *American Pie* (1999) and its sequels, delivered the KISS-centric *Detroit Rock City*, and played a popular girl resisting conversion therapy in Jamie Babbit's *But I'm a Cheerleader*, opposite [Clea DuVall](https://www.edgepedia.org/clea-duvall) and RuPaul.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/natasha_lyonne) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/) [Universal Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-pictures), eager to cast her in *American Pie*, ended up paying her more than anyone else in the cast after she turned the film down several times; she also declined *Dawson's Creek*.[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/natasha-lyonne-interview-poker-face-b2361934.html) Mainstream work followed in *Scary Movie 2* (2001) and [James Mangold](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-mangold)'s *Kate & Leopold* (2001), alongside darker fare such as *The Grey Zone* (2001) and *Party Monster* (2003).[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/natasha_lyonne) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/)
An on-set tutor on *Everyone Says I Love You* introduced her to Fellini, Cassavetes, and Altman; she enrolled in a film course at New York University at 16, found herself overqualified among classmates who had barely seen *Apocalypse Now*, and dropped out when the dean insisted she also take astrology. She then educated herself at repertory screenings and in filmmaking books.[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/natasha-lyonne-interview-poker-face-b2361934.html) • [10](https://time.com/6248852/natasha-lyonne-poker-face-interview/)
## Setback and recovery
Lyonne's drug use spiraled around 2001. By the mid-2000s she had nearly succumbed to heroin addiction, following arrests and tabloid coverage of her troubles; she underwent open-heart surgery after an overdose and still carries the chest scar.[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/natasha-lyonne-interview-poker-face-b2361934.html) She entered rehabilitation in 2006 for heroin and other substances.[13](https://elpais.com/gente/2026-01-26/la-recuperacion-es-un-proceso-que-dura-toda-la-vida-la-actriz-natasha-lyonne-se-sincera-sobre-su-recaida-en-las-drogas.html) She got clean by the end of the decade and then had to fight for employment and respect, a transition made harder because, like many former child and teen actors, moving into adult roles did not come easily.[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/natasha-lyonne-interview-poker-face-b2361934.html) • [14](https://su.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A2009321/FULLTEXT01.pdf) Her parents died in 2013 and 2014.[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/natasha-lyonne-interview-poker-face-b2361934.html)
## Comeback: Orange Is the New Black
The turning point came through *Weeds*. After a guest appearance on the Showtime series, its creator [Jenji Kohan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jenji-kohan) offered Lyonne a role in the series she was developing, *Orange Is the New Black*.[14](https://su.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A2009321/FULLTEXT01.pdf) From 2013 Lyonne played [Nicky Nichols](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicky-nichols), a sardonic imprisoned heroin user, a part that blurred the line between fact and fiction and earned her a 2014 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/natasha-lyonne-interview-poker-face-b2361934.html) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/) She returned for the seventh and final season in 2019 and directed an episode of the show.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/) During this period she also appeared in films including *Sleeping with Other People* (2015), *Hello, My Name Is Doris* (2015), and *A Futile and Stupid Gesture* (2018).[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/natasha_lyonne)
## Russian Doll and behind the camera
**Russian Doll.** In 2019 Lyonne co-created the Netflix series *Russian Doll* with [Amy Poehler](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-poehler) and others, after Poehler had made an NBC comedy pilot for her in 2014 that did not become a series.[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/natasha-lyonne-interview-poker-face-b2361934.html) Lyonne stars as Nadia, who dies repeatedly as her doomed 36th birthday loops, and serves as showrunner, writer, and director, acting alongside [Greta Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/greta-lee), Charlie Barnett, and [Chloë Sevigny](https://www.edgepedia.org/chloe-sevigny).[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/natasha-lyonne-interview-poker-face-b2361934.html) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/) The series received three Emmy awards among 13 nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series and Lead Actress for Lyonne, plus a Golden Globe acting nomination.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/) Its second season explored inherited trauma, mental illness, and the Holocaust.[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/natasha-lyonne-interview-poker-face-b2361934.html)
Her directing career began earlier, with the 2017 Kenzo short film *Cabiria, Charity, Chastity*, which she wrote and which stars [Maya Rudolph](https://www.edgepedia.org/maya-rudolph), Fred Armisen, and Leslie Odom Jr. She has since directed episodes of *Shrill*, *High Fidelity*, *Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens*, and *Orange Is the New Black*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/) With Maya Rudolph she co-founded the production company Animal, which works with emerging directors such as Sammi Cohen, who helmed the Hulu queer teen rom-com *Crush*; Animal's executive-producer credits include *Loot* (2022–2025).[10](https://time.com/6248852/natasha-lyonne-poker-face-interview/) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/?showAllCredits=true)
## Poker Face and recent work
*Poker Face*, the Peacock case-of-the-week mystery created by Rian Johnson, premiered in January 2023 with Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a human lie detector who stumbles into a new murder each episode. Johnson created the show for her personally after the two, introduced through his wife, the film critic Karina Longworth, riffed at a book signing about their shared love of mysteries.[8](https://apnews.com/article/06612e719e691e3cbbc484cb0c45e38e) • [10](https://time.com/6248852/natasha-lyonne-poker-face-interview/) • [7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/natasha-lyonne-interview-poker-face-b2361934.html) Lyonne said the sunny, optimistic Charlie was a personality trait she had never played before, partly inspired by Jeff Bridges's The Dude in *The Big Lebowski*, and she directed an episode of the first season featuring Nick Nolte.[8](https://apnews.com/article/06612e719e691e3cbbc484cb0c45e38e) The series ran through a second season in 2025, with Lyonne credited on 22 episodes as Charlie Cale, and she wrote and directed episodes of both seasons.[9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/?showAllCredits=true) • [15](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-26942/filmographie/)
In 2024 she took a subdued dramatic turn in the family drama *His Three Daughters*, as one of three sisters preparing for their father's death; the ensemble won the Robert Altman Award at the 2025 Independent Spirit Awards.[12](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/natasha-lyonne-went-child-actor-173747936.html) • [16](https://www.iam.com/actors/celebrity-actors/natasha-lyonne/) Her recent screen work spans studio films and voice roles: Rachel Rozman in *The Fantastic Four: First Steps* (2025), Mama Poot in *Smurfs* (2025), and Doom, alias Susan, in *The Bad Guys 2* (2025), with upcoming credits including *Klara and the Sun* and *Roommates* (both 2026).[9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/?showAllCredits=true) • [17](https://www.fandango.com/people/natasha-lyonne-416967/film-credits) She also appeared in a 2026 episode of *Euphoria* season three as a wisecracking prostitute in a flashback with Colman Domingo's Ali.[18](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/celebrity/natasha-lyonne-euphoria-coleman-domingo)
## Screen persona and public standing
Lyonne's delivery, described in one profile as the love child of Joe Pesci and a New York City steam grate, and her red hair have made her one of the most recognizable performers of her generation, and her roles in *But I'm a Cheerleader* and *Orange Is the New Black* have made her a particular favorite of queer audiences, though she has said she does not fully identify with the "straight" experience either, describing her sexuality and gender as "merry prankster."[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/natasha-lyonne-interview-poker-face-b2361934.html) In January 2026 she publicly disclosed a relapse in her addictions, writing on X that recovery is a lifelong process and that she had made the relapse public and there would be more.[13](https://elpais.com/gente/2026-01-26/la-recuperacion-es-un-proceso-que-dura-toda-la-vida-la-actriz-natasha-lyonne-se-sincera-sobre-su-recaida-en-las-drogas.html)
## References
1. [Natasha Lyonne, Jewish Virtual Library](https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/lyonne.html)
2. [Natasha Lyonne, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/)
3. [Natasha Lyonne, The Directors Bureau](https://www.thedirectorsbureau.com/directors/natasha-lyonne)
4. [Natasha Lyonne theatre credits, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Natasha-Lyonne/)
5. [Natasha Lyonne, Television Academy bio](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/natasha-lyonne)
6. [Natasha Lyonne Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/natasha_lyonne)
7. [Natasha Lyonne: 'I was my high school's pot dealer, and then I got a Woody Allen movie', The Independent (2023)](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/natasha-lyonne-interview-poker-face-b2361934.html)
8. [Natasha Lyonne stars in 'Poker Face,' a Peacock howdunit, AP News (2023)](https://apnews.com/article/06612e719e691e3cbbc484cb0c45e38e)
9. [Natasha Lyonne full credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005169/?showAllCredits=true)
10. [Natasha Lyonne Is Happier Than Ever, TIME (2023)](https://time.com/6248852/natasha-lyonne-poker-face-interview/)
11. [Natasha Lyonne: seven things you didn't know about the Poker Face star, WhatToWatch](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/natasha-lyonne-seven-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-poker-face-star)
12. [How Natasha Lyonne Went From Child Actor to Indie Darling to Star of 'Russian Doll' and 'Poker Face', Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/natasha-lyonne-went-child-actor-173747936.html)
13. ["La recuperación es un proceso que dura toda la vida": la actriz Natasha Lyonne se sincera sobre su recaída en las drogas, El País (2026)](https://elpais.com/gente/2026-01-26/la-recuperacion-es-un-proceso-que-dura-toda-la-vida-la-actriz-natasha-lyonne-se-sincera-sobre-su-recaida-en-las-drogas.html)
14. [Former child and teen actors and the transition to adult careers (thesis, Stockholm University)](https://su.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A2009321/FULLTEXT01.pdf)
15. [Natasha Lyonne : Filmographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-26942/filmographie/)
16. [Natasha Lyonne, IAM.com](https://www.iam.com/actors/celebrity-actors/natasha-lyonne/)
17. [Natasha Lyonne Filmography, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/natasha-lyonne-416967/film-credits)
18. [Natasha Lyonne on How Her Euphoria Cameo Came to Be, Who What Wear](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/celebrity/natasha-lyonne-euphoria-coleman-domingo)
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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 Le to L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: 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