Molly Gordon

Molly Gordon is an American actress, screenwriter and director. She has appeared in the drama TV series Animal Kingdom (2016–2018), and comedy films Life of the Party (2018), Booksmart (2019), and Good Boys (2019). In 2023, she co-directed, co-wrote and starred in the musical comedy film Theater Camp, and took on a recurring role as Claire on the FX series The Bear (2023–present).

Early life
Gordon was born and raised in Venice, Los Angeles, to Jewish parents. She is the daughter of director Bryan Gordon and writer-director Jessie Nelson. She performed on the LA stage from a young age, and grew up with actor Ben Platt, with whom she starred in productions of Fiddler on the Roof at age four and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at age five. Along with Platt and Beanie Feldstein, another childhood friend, Gordon formed a group called the Theater Geeks of America, which often performed at local retirement homes. She regularly watched the sketch-comedy series Saturday Night Live and attended performances by comedy troupe The Groundlings, leading her to an interest pursuing comedic acting. She portrayed Dot in her high school's performance of Sunday in the Park with George when she was 17. She briefly attended New York University, leaving after two weeks due to dissatisfaction with her program, and instead enrolled in night classes and worked as a hostess at Balthazar.

Career
Gordon's first film appearance was in Nelson's 2001 drama film I Am Sam as Callie, followed by her portrayal of a trick-or-treater in Nora Ephron's 2005 film Bewitched.

Gordon moved to New York City in 2014 to attend New York University and to pursue acting as a profession. After leaving NYU, she performed in various minor roles in off-Broadway, television, and film productions. In August 2015, she was cast as Nicky in the TNT pilot Animal Kingdom, based on the 2010 Australian film of the same name. The pilot was picked up with a 10-episode order in December 2015, and the series debuted on June 14, 2016, with Gordon as a series regular.

She played Maddie, the daughter of Melissa McCarthy's character, in the 2018 comedy film Life of the Party.

Gordon began rehearsals to portray Alice Spencer in the Off-Broadway production of Alice by Heart in December 2018. The musical was directed and co-written by her mother, Jessie Nelson, and Steven Sater, and opened at the MCC Theater on February 26, 2019. The show's run concluded in May 2019. Gordon portrayed Annabelle, or "Triple A," in the 2019 comedy film Booksmart, directed by Olivia Wilde. The film attracted Gordon due to its "kooky" characters that she found to "have such a grounded realism in them." In 2019, she also appeared in three episodes of Ramy Youssef and Chris Storer's Ramy.

In 2021, Gordon appeared in Emma Seligman's debut feature film Shiva Baby, playing Rachel Sennott's ex-girlfriend, Maya.

On June 9, 2022, it was announced that Gordon would produce, star in, and codirect the musical comedy film Theater Camp, inspired by the 2020 short film of the same name cowritten with Noah Galvin, Ben Platt, and Nick Lieberman. In the film, Gordon portrays Rebecca-Diane, the musical director at AdirondACTS, a children's summer camp. The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2023. While editing the film, Gordon was offered the role of Jeremy Allen White's love interest, Claire, in the second season of The Bear, which premiered in June 2023.