Kat Dennings
Encyclopedia
Katherine Litwack better known by the stage name
Kat Dennings, is an American actress. Emerging with a role in an episode of the HBO dramedy
series Sex and the City
, Dennings has since appeared in the films The 40-Year-Old Virgin
, Big Momma's House 2
, Charlie Bartlett
, Raise Your Voice
, The House Bunny
, Defendor
, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
, and Thor
. She also stars in the CBS
television series, 2 Broke Girls
.
area near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. Her mother, Ellen Judith Litwack, is a poet
and speech therapist, and her father, Gerald J. Litwack, is a molecular pharmacologist and college professor and chairman. Dennings is the youngest of five children, including an older brother, Geoffrey S. Litwack. Her family is Jewish.
Dennings was home schooled
; her only enrollment at a traditional school was for a half-day at Friends' Central School
. She graduated from high school early, at the age of 14. She moved with her family to Los Angeles
, California around 2002 so that she could act
full time. She adopted the name Dennings as her professional name when she was younger. According to Dennings, as stated in Interview
magazine in 2007, her parents initially considered her idea of pursuing an acting career to be "the worst idea ever".
at the age of 10. Her first acting job was an ad for potato chips. Dennings broke into television with an appearance on HBO's Sex and the City
in 2000, in the episode "Hot Child in the City", playing a 13-year-old who hires Samantha to handle publicity
for her bat mitzvah. She then starred on the short-lived series Raising Dad
from 2001–2002, as Sarah, a 15-year-old raised by her widowed father (Bob Saget
), with a pre-teen sister (Brie Larson
). In 2002, Dennings appeared in The Scream Team
, a Disney Channel
movie, as a teenager who stumbles into a group of ghosts. She was cast for a five episode run on The WB
's Everwood
, but the role was recast with Nora Zehetner.
Dennings continued working in television, guest-starring on Without a Trace
, as a teen whose boyfriend goes missing, and on Less Than Perfect
, in 2003. She was cast in a pilot
for CBS
, Sudbury, about a family of modern-day witches, based on the 1998 film Practical Magic
, but the series wasn't picked up. Dennings had a recurring role on ER
from 2005-2006 as Zoe Butler, and guest-starred on CSI: NY
as Sarah Endecott, in the episode "Manhattan Manhunt", in 2005.
Dennings made her feature film
debut in Hilary Duff
's Raise Your Voice
in 2004, as Sloane, a somber piano student. In 2005, she landed supporting roles in The 40-Year-Old Virgin
, as Catherine Keener's
daughter, and in Down in the Valley. She played a rebellious teenager in Big Momma's House 2
, starring Martin Lawrence
, in 2006.
Dennings starred in Charlie Bartlett
in 2008, the story of a wealthy teenager (Anton Yelchin
), who acts as a psychiatrist
for his new public high school. She played Susan Gardner, Bartlett's love interest, and the daughter of the school's principal (Robert Downey, Jr.). Dennings appeared in The House Bunny
that year, as a Mona, a pierced
feminist sorority girl. She also starred in the teen romance
, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
, with Michael Cera
. Dennings played Norah Silverberg, the daughter of a famous record producer
, and was nominated for the International Press Academy
's Satellite Award for Best Actress
for the performance. In September 2008, Dennings hoped to make Don DeLillo
's novel, End Zone
into a film. Actors Sam Rockwell
and Josh Hartnett
were involved, but the project was not greenlit because of its controversial subject matter of nuclear war
.
In 2009, Dennings appeared in The Answer Man, a story about a celebrity author whose manifesto
s become a sort of new Bible
. She also co-starred in the Robert Rodriguez
-directed dark children's film, Shorts
, that year. She played the protagonist Toe (Jimmy Bennett
)'s teenage older sister, Stacey Thompson. Dennings and other rising stars were featured in the August 2009 issue of Vanity Fair
, re-enacting scenes from famous Depression
-era films, hers being Sydney Pollack
's They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969). Dennings was cast in the romantic comedy
Liars (A to E) in 2009. The Richard Linklater
-directed project was cancelled however, due to cut backs at Miramax Films
by the studio's parent company, Disney
.
Dennings appeared in the superhero film Defendor
in 2010, starring Woody Harrelson
and Sandra Oh
, playing a crack-addicted prostitute. She next starred in the independent feature Daydream Nation
as a girl who moves to a strange rural town, and is caught in a love triangle
with her high school teacher (Josh Lucas
) and a teenage drug dealer (Reece Thompson
). The film began shooting in Vancouver
in early 2010, and was written and directed by Michael Golbach. In May 2010, Dennings appeared in a music video for "40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet)", a single by Austin, Texas
-based musician Bob Schneider
. Robert Rodriguez
directed the video, filmed in various locations around Austin.
Dennings was part of the cast of the Marvel Studios
film Thor
, released in May 2011, and directed by Kenneth Branagh
. She played Darcy, a tech-savvy, shy sidekick of Natalie Portman
's character, Jane Foster
. The film went into production in January 2010; Dennings shot in New Mexico
for 6 weeks in early 2010.
Dennings stars in the CBS television series, 2 Broke Girls
, written and produced by Michael Patrick King
and comedian Whitney Cummings
. The comedy follows the lives of two under-employed girls. Beth Behrs
co-stars as a Manhattan
heiress who lost her inheritance, while Dennings plays a tough outspoken girl from Brooklyn
. Dennings liked the idea of reaching a wider audience with her work, so she accepted the role on the network sitcom.
Dennings will star in the drama Lives of the Saints
, alongside Meg Ryan
, 50 Cent
, John Lithgow
and Joe Anderson. Written and directed by Chris Rossi, the film was scheduled to begin shooting in Los Angeles
in November 2010. She will also star in Renee, with Chad Michael Murray
and Rupert Friend
. Dennings plays Renee Yohe, a Florida teenager who struggled with substance abuse and self-injury
, and inspired the founding of the nonprofit organization To Write Love on Her Arms
. The film began production in Orlando, Florida
in February 2011.
ging since January 2001, and later transitioned into video blogging on YouTube
. She is an avid reader and is friends with author Andrea Seigel
. Dennings stated to The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
that Judaism
"is an important part of my history, but, as a whole, religion is not a part of my life." In December 2008, Dennings told BlackBook
magazine, "I don’t drink and I don’t smoke and I don’t like being around people who do."
In an interview with The Times
in January 2009, Dennings stated, “I don’t have a boyfriend. I have friends, girl friends, great friends. We just hang out in other’s places and have one-on-one bonding time.” Later, in an interview with Daydream Nation co-star Josh Lucas
and interviewer David Poland, Dennings admitted to having a boyfriend. As of November 2011, she lives in an apartment in Los Angeles
's San Fernando Valley
.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Kat Dennings, is an American actress. Emerging with a role in an episode of the HBO dramedy
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
series Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
, Dennings has since appeared in the films The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The 40-Year-Old Virgin is a 2005 American buddy comedy film about a middle-aged man's journey to finally have sex. The film was written and directed by Judd Apatow and co-written by its lead star, Steve Carell, though the film itself features a great deal of improvised dialogue...
, Big Momma's House 2
Big Momma's House 2
Big Momma's House 2 is a 2006 American crime comedy film directed by John Whitesell and written by Don Rhymer. The film is a sequel to Big Momma's House and stars Martin Lawrence reprising his role as FBI agent Malcolm Turner. The film was released theatrically on 27 January 2006, and was...
, Charlie Bartlett
Charlie Bartlett
Charlie Bartlett is a 2008 comedy-drama film directed by Jon Poll. The screenplay by Gustin Nash focuses on a teenager who begins to dispense therapeutic advice and prescription drugs to the student body at his new high school in order to become popular....
, Raise Your Voice
Raise Your Voice
Raise Your Voice is a 2004 American teen musical drama film directed by Sean McNamara-Plot:Terri Fletcher , a teenager with a passion for singing, has been accepted into a music program in Los Angeles to compete for a $10,000 scholarship shortly after her brother Paul 's tragic death in a car crash...
, The House Bunny
The House Bunny
The House Bunny is a 2008 romantic comedy film directed by Fred Wolf, written by Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah Lutz, and starring Anna Faris as a former Playboy bunny who signs up to be the "house mother" of an unpopular university sorority after being conned by a rival into believing she's now...
, Defendor
Defendor
Defendor is a 2009 Canadian superhero comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Stebbings, and starring Woody Harrelson, Kat Dennings, Elias Koteas and Sandra Oh. The story tells of a mentally ill man who adopts the persona of a superhero named Defendor on a quest to find his arch enemy,...
, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is a 2008 romantic comedy film directed by Peter Sollett and starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. Written by Lorene Scafaria and based on the novel of the same name by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, the story tells of teenagers Nick and Norah , who meet when...
, and Thor
Thor (film)
Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
. She also stars in the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television series, 2 Broke Girls
2 Broke Girls
2 Broke Girls is an North American television comedy series that debuted on CBS during the 2011–12 television season. The first episode aired at 9:30 pm after Two and a Half Men on September 19, 2011. Later episodes followed How I Met Your Mother on Monday nights at 8:30 pm . The series was...
.
Early life
Dennings was born and raised in the Bryn MawrBryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Bryn Mawr from Welsh for "big hill") is a census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue and the border with Delaware County...
area near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. Her mother, Ellen Judith Litwack, is a poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and speech therapist, and her father, Gerald J. Litwack, is a molecular pharmacologist and college professor and chairman. Dennings is the youngest of five children, including an older brother, Geoffrey S. Litwack. Her family is Jewish.
Dennings was home schooled
Homeschooling
Homeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
; her only enrollment at a traditional school was for a half-day at Friends' Central School
Friends' Central School
Friends' Central School is a college-preparatory, Quaker, coeducational day school for nursery through grade 12 located in Wynnewood, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
. She graduated from high school early, at the age of 14. She moved with her family to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California around 2002 so that she could act
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
full time. She adopted the name Dennings as her professional name when she was younger. According to Dennings, as stated in Interview
Interview (magazine)
Interview is an American magazine which has the nickname The Crystal Ball Of Pop. It was founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol. The magazine features intimate conversations between some of the world's biggest celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thinkers...
magazine in 2007, her parents initially considered her idea of pursuing an acting career to be "the worst idea ever".
Career
Dennings began her career in commercialsTelevision advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
at the age of 10. Her first acting job was an ad for potato chips. Dennings broke into television with an appearance on HBO's Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
in 2000, in the episode "Hot Child in the City", playing a 13-year-old who hires Samantha to handle publicity
Publicity
Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject. The subjects of publicity include people , goods and services, organizations of all kinds, and works of art or entertainment.From a marketing perspective, publicity is one component of promotion which is one...
for her bat mitzvah. She then starred on the short-lived series Raising Dad
Raising Dad
Raising Dad is an American television series that aired on the WB from September 2001 until May 2002. The series starred Bob Saget, Kat Dennings, Brie Larson, Riley Smith, Beau Wirick, and Jerry Adler.-Premise:...
from 2001–2002, as Sarah, a 15-year-old raised by her widowed father (Bob Saget
Bob Saget
Robert Lane "Bob" Saget is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host. Although he is best known for his roles as Danny Tanner in Full House, host of America's Funniest Home Videos and Future Ted Mosby on How I Met Your Mother, Saget is also known outside of television for his blue...
), with a pre-teen sister (Brie Larson
Brie Larson
Brie Larson is an American actress and pop rock singer/songwriter. She is best known for her roles in United States of Tara, Sleepover, Remember The Daze and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World...
). In 2002, Dennings appeared in The Scream Team
The Scream Team
The Scream Team is a Disney Channel Original Movie. The movie was aired October 23 , 2004 in the U.S.- Plot :Two children move into a town where their grandfather has just died. They later discover that a society of ghosts are searching for their grandfather's lost soul. The children decide to find...
, a Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
movie, as a teenager who stumbles into a group of ghosts. She was cast for a five episode run on The WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
's Everwood
Everwood
Everwood is an American drama television series that initially aired in the United States on The WB. The series is set in the fictional small town of Everwood, Colorado, and was filmed in Ogden, South Salt Lake, and Draper, Utah, except the series pilot which was filmed in Canmore, Alberta,...
, but the role was recast with Nora Zehetner.
Dennings continued working in television, guest-starring on Without a Trace
Without a Trace
Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...
, as a teen whose boyfriend goes missing, and on Less Than Perfect
Less Than Perfect
Less Than Perfect is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from October 1, 2002, to June 6, 2006. The show was about a young female office employee and her co-workers...
, in 2003. She was cast in a pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
for CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, Sudbury, about a family of modern-day witches, based on the 1998 film Practical Magic
Practical Magic
Practical Magic is a 1998 American fantasy film directed by Griffin Dunne and starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witches who carry on a family legacy of witchcraft and tragedy. The film is based on a book of the same name by Alice Hoffman...
, but the series wasn't picked up. Dennings had a recurring role on ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
from 2005-2006 as Zoe Butler, and guest-starred on CSI: NY
CSI: NY
CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
as Sarah Endecott, in the episode "Manhattan Manhunt", in 2005.
Dennings made her feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
debut in Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
's Raise Your Voice
Raise Your Voice
Raise Your Voice is a 2004 American teen musical drama film directed by Sean McNamara-Plot:Terri Fletcher , a teenager with a passion for singing, has been accepted into a music program in Los Angeles to compete for a $10,000 scholarship shortly after her brother Paul 's tragic death in a car crash...
in 2004, as Sloane, a somber piano student. In 2005, she landed supporting roles in The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The 40-Year-Old Virgin is a 2005 American buddy comedy film about a middle-aged man's journey to finally have sex. The film was written and directed by Judd Apatow and co-written by its lead star, Steve Carell, though the film itself features a great deal of improvised dialogue...
, as Catherine Keener's
Catherine Keener
Catherine Ann Keener is an American actress. She has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Being John Malkovich and Capote...
daughter, and in Down in the Valley. She played a rebellious teenager in Big Momma's House 2
Big Momma's House 2
Big Momma's House 2 is a 2006 American crime comedy film directed by John Whitesell and written by Don Rhymer. The film is a sequel to Big Momma's House and stars Martin Lawrence reprising his role as FBI agent Malcolm Turner. The film was released theatrically on 27 January 2006, and was...
, starring Martin Lawrence
Martin Lawrence
Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence is an American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and stand up comedian. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably the films Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House...
, in 2006.
Dennings starred in Charlie Bartlett
Charlie Bartlett
Charlie Bartlett is a 2008 comedy-drama film directed by Jon Poll. The screenplay by Gustin Nash focuses on a teenager who begins to dispense therapeutic advice and prescription drugs to the student body at his new high school in order to become popular....
in 2008, the story of a wealthy teenager (Anton Yelchin
Anton Yelchin
Anton Viktorovich Yelchin is an American film and television actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television roles, as well as the Hollywood films Along Came a Spider and Hearts in Atlantis...
), who acts as a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
for his new public high school. She played Susan Gardner, Bartlett's love interest, and the daughter of the school's principal (Robert Downey, Jr.). Dennings appeared in The House Bunny
The House Bunny
The House Bunny is a 2008 romantic comedy film directed by Fred Wolf, written by Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah Lutz, and starring Anna Faris as a former Playboy bunny who signs up to be the "house mother" of an unpopular university sorority after being conned by a rival into believing she's now...
that year, as a Mona, a pierced
Body piercing
Body piercing, a form of body modification, is the practice of puncturing or cutting a part of the human body, creating an opening in which jewelry may be worn. The word piercing can refer to the act or practice of body piercing, or to an opening in the body created by this act or practice...
feminist sorority girl. She also starred in the teen romance
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is a 2008 romantic comedy film directed by Peter Sollett and starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. Written by Lorene Scafaria and based on the novel of the same name by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, the story tells of teenagers Nick and Norah , who meet when...
, with Michael Cera
Michael Cera
Michael Austin Cera is a Canadian actor best known for his roles in Arrested Development, Youth in Revolt, Superbad, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Juno. Cera received the 2008 Canadian Comedy Award for best male performance for his work in Superbad.-Early...
. Dennings played Norah Silverberg, the daughter of a famous record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, and was nominated for the International Press Academy
International Press Academy
The International Press Academy is a large and diverse association of professional entertainment journalists, representing both domestic and foreign markets in print, television, radio, cable and new media outlets. The academy was founded in 1996 by Mirjana Van Blaricom...
's Satellite Award for Best Actress
Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
The Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy is one the Satellite Awards, given annually by the International Press Academy.- 1990s :- 2000s :- 2010–2019 :...
for the performance. In September 2008, Dennings hoped to make Don DeLillo
Don DeLillo
Don DeLillo is an American author, playwright, and occasional essayist whose work paints a detailed portrait of American life in the late 20th and early 21st centuries...
's novel, End Zone
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
into a film. Actors Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell is an American actor known for his leading roles in Lawn Dogs, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Choke and Moon, as well as for his supporting roles in The Green Mile, Iron Man 2, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Frost/Nixon, Galaxy Quest, Matchstick Men, The Assassination of...
and Josh Hartnett
Josh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
were involved, but the project was not greenlit because of its controversial subject matter of nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
.
In 2009, Dennings appeared in The Answer Man, a story about a celebrity author whose manifesto
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
s become a sort of new Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. She also co-starred in the Robert Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodríguez is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician. He shoots and produces many of his films in his native Texas and Mexico. He has directed such films as Desperado, From Dusk till Dawn, The Faculty, Spy Kids, Sin City, Planet...
-directed dark children's film, Shorts
Shorts (film)
Shorts is a 2009 family comedy/adventure film written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. It was released in the United States on August 21, 2009...
, that year. She played the protagonist Toe (Jimmy Bennett
Jimmy Bennett
James Michael "Jimmy" Bennett is an American actor and musician. He is known for his roles as a child actor in Daddy Day Care, Hostage, Poseidon, and more recently in Orphan and as young James T. Kirk in Star Trek...
)'s teenage older sister, Stacey Thompson. Dennings and other rising stars were featured in the August 2009 issue of Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
, re-enacting scenes from famous Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
-era films, hers being Sydney Pollack
Sydney Pollack
Sydney Irwin Pollack was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where he later taught acting...
's They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969). Dennings was cast in the romantic comedy
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
Liars (A to E) in 2009. The Richard Linklater
Richard Linklater
-Early life:Linklater was born in Houston, Texas. He studied at Sam Houston State University and left midway through his stint in college to work on an off-shore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. While working on the rig he read a lot of literature, but on land he developed a love of film through...
-directed project was cancelled however, due to cut backs at Miramax Films
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
by the studio's parent company, Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
.
Dennings appeared in the superhero film Defendor
Defendor
Defendor is a 2009 Canadian superhero comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Stebbings, and starring Woody Harrelson, Kat Dennings, Elias Koteas and Sandra Oh. The story tells of a mentally ill man who adopts the persona of a superhero named Defendor on a quest to find his arch enemy,...
in 2010, starring Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson is an American actor.Harrelson's breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd...
and Sandra Oh
Sandra Oh
Sandra Oh is a Canadian actress. She is best known for the role of Dr. Cristina Yang on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, for which she has won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award. She also played notable roles in the feature films Under the Tuscan Sun and Sideways, and had a supporting role on the...
, playing a crack-addicted prostitute. She next starred in the independent feature Daydream Nation
Daydream Nation (film)
Daydream Nation is a 2010 Canadian drama film written and directed by Michael Goldbach. It stars Kat Dennings, Reece Thompson and Josh Lucas...
as a girl who moves to a strange rural town, and is caught in a love triangle
Love triangle
A love triangle is usually a romantic relationship involving three people. While it can refer to two people independently romantically linked with a third, it usually implies that each of the three people has some kind of relationship to the other two...
with her high school teacher (Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas is an American actor. He has appeared in many films, including Glory Road, A Beautiful Mind, and Poseidon.-Early life:...
) and a teenage drug dealer (Reece Thompson
Reece Thompson
Reece Daniel Thompson is a Canadian actor. Thompson started his acting career by voice acting in several animated television series and minor roles on television shows before transitioning to films. His first major role came in the 2007 film Rocket Science...
). The film began shooting in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
in early 2010, and was written and directed by Michael Golbach. In May 2010, Dennings appeared in a music video for "40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet)", a single by Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
-based musician Bob Schneider
Bob Schneider
Bob Schneider is an Austin, Texas-based musician and artist. He currently resides in Bee Cave, Texas.- Early career :...
. Robert Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodríguez is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician. He shoots and produces many of his films in his native Texas and Mexico. He has directed such films as Desperado, From Dusk till Dawn, The Faculty, Spy Kids, Sin City, Planet...
directed the video, filmed in various locations around Austin.
Dennings was part of the cast of the Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, originally Marvel Films, is an American television and motion picture studio based in Manhattan Beach, California. Marvel Studios is a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, a self-contained part of the The Walt Disney Company conglomerate....
film Thor
Thor (film)
Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
, released in May 2011, and directed by Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He is best known for directing and starring in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V , Much Ado About Nothing , Hamlet Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from...
. She played Darcy, a tech-savvy, shy sidekick of Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
's character, Jane Foster
Jane Foster (comics)
Jane Foster is a Marvel Comics supporting character who for many years was the nurse employed by Dr. Donald Blake, the secret identity of the Norse god superhero Thor.-Publication history:...
. The film went into production in January 2010; Dennings shot in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
for 6 weeks in early 2010.
Dennings stars in the CBS television series, 2 Broke Girls
2 Broke Girls
2 Broke Girls is an North American television comedy series that debuted on CBS during the 2011–12 television season. The first episode aired at 9:30 pm after Two and a Half Men on September 19, 2011. Later episodes followed How I Met Your Mother on Monday nights at 8:30 pm . The series was...
, written and produced by Michael Patrick King
Michael Patrick King
Michael Patrick King is an American director, writer and producer for television shows.-Life and career:King was born to an Irish American family in Scranton, Pennsylvania and was raised as a Roman Catholic...
and comedian Whitney Cummings
Whitney Cummings
Whitney Cummings is an American comedian and actress. She was formerly a cast member of the MTV television show Punk'd and currently stars in the NBC sitcom Whitney.-Early life:...
. The comedy follows the lives of two under-employed girls. Beth Behrs
Beth Behrs
Beth Behrs is an American actress. She starred in the 2009 direct-to-video comedy film, American Pie Presents: The Book of Love, and stars in the CBS sitcom, 2 Broke Girls.-Early life:...
co-stars as a Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
heiress who lost her inheritance, while Dennings plays a tough outspoken girl from Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Dennings liked the idea of reaching a wider audience with her work, so she accepted the role on the network sitcom.
Dennings will star in the drama Lives of the Saints
Lives of the Saints (2012 film)
Lives of the Saints is an upcoming drama film, written and directed by Chris Rossi, and starring Meg Ryan, Kat Dennings, John Lithgow, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, and Joe Anderson. Also among the cast are Kevin Zegers, Anthony Anderson and Esai Morales. The project began filming in Los Angeles on...
, alongside Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan
Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Bethel, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982...
, 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
, John Lithgow
John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
and Joe Anderson. Written and directed by Chris Rossi, the film was scheduled to begin shooting in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in November 2010. She will also star in Renee, with Chad Michael Murray
Chad Michael Murray
Chad Michael Murray is an American actor, former fashion model and spokesperson. Murray is well known for portraying Lucas Scott in The CW young adult drama series One Tree Hill, in addition to the commercially successful films A Cinderella Story, Freaky Friday and House of Wax...
and Rupert Friend
Rupert Friend
Rupert Friend is an English film actor, who is best known for his roles as Mr. Wickham in the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice, Lieutenant Kurt Kotler in the 2008 film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and Prince Albert in the 2009 film The Young Victoria.-Career:He made his debut in the film The...
. Dennings plays Renee Yohe, a Florida teenager who struggled with substance abuse and self-injury
Self-harm
Self-harm or deliberate self-harm includes self-injury and self-poisoning and is defined as the intentional, direct injuring of body tissue most often done without suicidal intentions. These terms are used in the more recent literature in an attempt to reach a more neutral terminology...
, and inspired the founding of the nonprofit organization To Write Love on Her Arms
To Write Love on Her Arms
To Write Love on Her Arms is an interfaith, American non-profit organization which aims to present hope for people struggling with addiction, depression, self injury, and thoughts of suicide while also investing directly into treatment and recovery...
. The film began production in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
in February 2011.
Personal life
Dennings has been blogBlog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ging since January 2001, and later transitioned into video blogging on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. She is an avid reader and is friends with author Andrea Seigel
Andrea Seigel
Andrea Seigel is an American novelist. To date she has published three novels. Andrea Seigel was born in Anaheim, California, to Larry and Eileen Seigel...
. Dennings stated to The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles is an independent, nonprofit community weekly newspaper serving the Jewish community of greater Los Angeles, published by TRIBE Media Corp. The Journal was established in 1985. As of 2010 it had a verified circulation of 60,000 and an estimated readership...
that Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
"is an important part of my history, but, as a whole, religion is not a part of my life." In December 2008, Dennings told BlackBook
BlackBook Magazine
BlackBook is an American arts and culture magazine published 8x a year. Founded in 1996 as a quarterly publication, BlackBook has now expanded to a circulation of roughly 150,000. The magazine covers topics ranging from art, music, and literature to politics, popular culture, and travel guides....
magazine, "I don’t drink and I don’t smoke and I don’t like being around people who do."
In an interview with The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in January 2009, Dennings stated, “I don’t have a boyfriend. I have friends, girl friends, great friends. We just hang out in other’s places and have one-on-one bonding time.” Later, in an interview with Daydream Nation co-star Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas is an American actor. He has appeared in many films, including Glory Road, A Beautiful Mind, and Poseidon.-Early life:...
and interviewer David Poland, Dennings admitted to having a boyfriend. As of November 2011, she lives in an apartment in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
The Los Angeles metropolitan area, also known as Metropolitan Los Angeles or the Southland, is the 13th largest metropolitan area in the world and the second-largest metropolitan area in the United States....
's San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
.
Awards and nominations
- 2008 Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, nomination for Nick and Norah's Infinite PlaylistNick and Norah's Infinite PlaylistNick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is a 2008 romantic comedy film directed by Peter Sollett and starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. Written by Lorene Scafaria and based on the novel of the same name by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, the story tells of teenagers Nick and Norah , who meet when...
. - 2009 MTV Movie Awards2009 MTV Movie AwardsThe 2009 MTV Movie Awards were presented on Sunday, May 31, 2009, at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. Andy Samberg served as host for the 18th annual ceremony.- Performers :* Eminem — "We Made You" and "Crack a Bottle"...
– Breakthrough Performance Female, nomination for Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. - 2009 Teen Choice Award – Choice Movie Actress: Music/Dance, nomination for Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Sex and the City Sex and the City Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes... |
Jenny Brier | TV series, in the episode "Hot Child in the City" |
| 2001–2002 | Raising Dad Raising Dad Raising Dad is an American television series that aired on the WB from September 2001 until May 2002. The series starred Bob Saget, Kat Dennings, Brie Larson, Riley Smith, Beau Wirick, and Jerry Adler.-Premise:... |
Sarah Stewart | TV series |
| 2002 | The Scream Team The Scream Team The Scream Team is a Disney Channel Original Movie. The movie was aired October 23 , 2004 in the U.S.- Plot :Two children move into a town where their grandfather has just died. They later discover that a society of ghosts are searching for their grandfather's lost soul. The children decide to find... |
Claire Carlyle | TV film |
| 2003 | The Snobs | TV movie | |
| 2003 | Without a Trace Without a Trace Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:... |
Jennifer Norton | TV series, in the episode "Our Sons and Daughters" |
| 2003 | Less Than Perfect Less Than Perfect Less Than Perfect is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from October 1, 2002, to June 6, 2006. The show was about a young female office employee and her co-workers... |
Kaitlin | TV series, in the episode "The Girl Next Door" |
| 2004 | Sudbury | Antonia Owens | TV pilot Television pilot A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an... |
| 2004 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer... |
Missy Wilson | TV series, in the episode "Early Rollout" |
| 2004 | Raise Your Voice Raise Your Voice Raise Your Voice is a 2004 American teen musical drama film directed by Sean McNamara-Plot:Terri Fletcher , a teenager with a passion for singing, has been accepted into a music program in Los Angeles to compete for a $10,000 scholarship shortly after her brother Paul 's tragic death in a car crash... |
Sloane | |
| 2005 | Down in the Valley | April | |
| 2005 | The 40-Year-Old Virgin The 40-Year-Old Virgin The 40-Year-Old Virgin is a 2005 American buddy comedy film about a middle-aged man's journey to finally have sex. The film was written and directed by Judd Apatow and co-written by its lead star, Steve Carell, though the film itself features a great deal of improvised dialogue... |
Marla | |
| 2005 | London London (2005 film) London is a 2006 romantic drama film centering on a Manhattan party. The movie is directed and written by Hunter Richards, his first. It stars Jessica Biel, Chris Evans, Jason Statham, Joy Bryant, and Lina Esco.-Plot:... |
Lilly | |
| 2005 | CSI: NY CSI: NY CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes... |
Sarah Endecott | TV series, in the episode "Manhattan Manhunt" |
| 2005 | ER ER (TV series) ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television... |
Zoe Butler | TV series, 5 episodes in season 12 |
| 2006 | Big Momma's House 2 Big Momma's House 2 Big Momma's House 2 is a 2006 American crime comedy film directed by John Whitesell and written by Don Rhymer. The film is a sequel to Big Momma's House and stars Martin Lawrence reprising his role as FBI agent Malcolm Turner. The film was released theatrically on 27 January 2006, and was... |
Molly | |
| 2006 | Wanderlust | Lila | TV movie |
| 2008 | Charlie Bartlett Charlie Bartlett Charlie Bartlett is a 2008 comedy-drama film directed by Jon Poll. The screenplay by Gustin Nash focuses on a teenager who begins to dispense therapeutic advice and prescription drugs to the student body at his new high school in order to become popular.... |
Susan Gardner | |
| 2008 | The House Bunny The House Bunny The House Bunny is a 2008 romantic comedy film directed by Fred Wolf, written by Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah Lutz, and starring Anna Faris as a former Playboy bunny who signs up to be the "house mother" of an unpopular university sorority after being conned by a rival into believing she's now... |
Mona | |
| 2008 | Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is a 2008 romantic comedy film directed by Peter Sollett and starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. Written by Lorene Scafaria and based on the novel of the same name by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, the story tells of teenagers Nick and Norah , who meet when... |
Norah Silverberg | |
| 2009 | The Answer Man | Dahlia | |
| 2009 | Shorts Shorts (film) Shorts is a 2009 family comedy/adventure film written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. It was released in the United States on August 21, 2009... |
Stacey Thompson | |
| 2009 | Defendor Defendor Defendor is a 2009 Canadian superhero comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Stebbings, and starring Woody Harrelson, Kat Dennings, Elias Koteas and Sandra Oh. The story tells of a mentally ill man who adopts the persona of a superhero named Defendor on a quest to find his arch enemy,... |
Kat | |
| 2009 | American Dad! American Dad! American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television... |
Tanqueray | TV series, in the episode "G-String Circus G-String Circus "G-String Circus" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of American Dad!. It aired on November 29, 2009, on Fox. This episode mainly center around Stan, who is saddened by the fact that Hayley refuses to take any advice from him. Stan goes to a strip club with his CIA co-workers, where he meets... " |
| 2010 | Daydream Nation Daydream Nation (film) Daydream Nation is a 2010 Canadian drama film written and directed by Michael Goldbach. It stars Kat Dennings, Reece Thompson and Josh Lucas... |
Caroline Wexler | |
| 2011 | Thor Thor (film) Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe... |
Darcy Lewis | |
| 2011 | 2 Broke Girls 2 Broke Girls 2 Broke Girls is an North American television comedy series that debuted on CBS during the 2011–12 television season. The first episode aired at 9:30 pm after Two and a Half Men on September 19, 2011. Later episodes followed How I Met Your Mother on Monday nights at 8:30 pm . The series was... |
Max Black | TV series |
| 2012 | Renee | Renee Yohe | Filming |