Julia Garner Bio
Julia Garner (born February 1, 1994) is an American actress. She gained recognition for playing Ruth Langmore in the Netflix crime drama series Ozark (2017–2022), for which she received critical acclaim and won three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. Garner also had roles in the FX drama series The Americans (2015–2018), the Netflix miniseries Maniac (2018), and the Bravo true crime series Dirty John (2018–2019). In 2022, she portrayed Anna Sorokin in the Netflix miniseries Inventing Anna, for which she received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. In film, Garner has appeared in Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014), and The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025). She also had lead roles in the films Grandma (2015), The Assistant (2019), The Royal Hotel (2023), Wolf Man (2025), and Weapons (2025).
Early Life and Background
Julia Garner was born on February 1, 1994, in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, New York. Her mother, Tamar Gingold, is a therapist who worked as an actress and comedian in Israel. Her father, Thomas Garner, is a painter and an art teacher originally from Shaker Heights, Ohio. Garner’s mother is Jewish, and she has an older sister, Anna Garner, who is an artist. Julia understands Hebrew because her mother speaks it, but she is not fluent herself. Garner attended Eagle Hill School in Greenwich, Connecticut. She began taking acting lessons at age 15 to overcome her shyness. During the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, Garner studied clown under Philippe Gaulier at École Philippe Gaulier in France.
Path to Hollywood
Garner made her film debut at age 17 in Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene, playing the role of Sarah. In 2012, director David Chase invited her to play a small role he had written specifically for her in his film Not Fade Away. Also in the same year, she landed her first leading role in the film Electrick Children. In 2013, she starred alongside Ashley Bell in the horror film The Last Exorcism Part II and played the lead in the American remake of the Mexican horror film We Are What We Are. Garner co-starred in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014) as new character Marcie, a young stripper who crosses paths with another new character, Johnny (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). This marked the first time she acted against a green screen. In 2015, Garner starred in the Paul Weitz-directed comedy film Grandma alongside Lily Tomlin. Garner played a teenaged student eliciting the help of her lesbian poet grandmother (Tomlin) for an abortion. In 2016, she appeared in an episode of Lena Dunham’s HBO comedy series Girls titled “The Panic in Central Park.” Garner continued acting in television and was cast in a recurring role in the third season of the FX period spy-thriller series The Americans. She continued the role through season six. Beginning in 2017, Garner starred as Ruth Langmore in the Netflix crime drama series Ozark, opposite Jason Bateman and Laura Linney. The role gained her critical acclaim and three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Julia Garner Career
Early Career (2011-2018)
In 2019, Garner appeared in the Amazon anthology series, Modern Love. She was featured in two episodes of its first season as a woman who has a crush on a much older man, played by Shea Whigham. In the same year, she starred in the independent drama film The Assistant as a production assistant in a toxic work environment. The film, directed by Kitty Green, addressed the current culture surrounding the MeToo movement. The film premiered at the 2019 Telluride Film Festival to critical acclaim. Garner received acclaim for her performance as well as an Independent Spirit Award nomination. Garner also co-stars in the Netflix miniseries Inventing Anna, playing the title role of fraudster Anna Delvey. The series was created and produced by Shonda Rhimes, based on the New York article “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People” written by Jessica Pressler. It was released on Netflix on February 11, 2022.
Breakthrough (2019-Present)
In 2022, Garner was cast in the thriller film Apartment 7A, which serves as a prequel to 1968’s Rosemary’s Baby, directed by Natalie Erika James. Her company Alma Margo also signed a first look deal with Tomorrow Studios. In June of the same year, Garner was chosen by Madonna to play her in her self-produced biopic Who’s That Girl; the project was put on hold while the singer was touring, and work on it had reportedly restarted in 2024. In 2023, she starred in The Royal Hotel directed by Kitty Green. In April 2024, Garner was cast as Shalla-Bal / Silver Surfer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps. That same year, she was cast in Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man, along with Zach Cregger’s horror film, Weapons. All three films are set to premiere in 2025.
Notable Works and Milestones
Julia Garner is best known for her role as Ruth Langmore in Ozark, which earned her multiple awards, including three Primetime Emmy Awards. Her performance in The Assistant also received critical acclaim, marking her as a significant talent in contemporary cinema.
Julia Garner Award Nominations
Throughout her career, Julia Garner has received numerous nominations, including for the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards, showcasing her talent and versatility as an actress.
Julia Garner Awards Won
Julia Garner has won multiple awards, including three Primetime Emmy Awards for her role in Ozark and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, solidifying her status as a leading actress in Hollywood.
Julia Garner Family
Julia Garner is married to singer Mark Foster, the lead vocalist of Foster the People, since December 2019.
Personal Life
Following the October 7 attacks in 2023, Garner signed an open letter published by Creative Community for Peace praising President Joe Biden for his leadership and support for the Jewish people, as well as calling for the release of all hostages kidnapped during the attacks.
