Early Life and Education

Rachel Elizabeth Brosnahan was born on December 15, 1990, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is the eldest of three children born to a British mother and an American father, who worked at a children's publishing company. Raised in Highland Park, Illinois, she developed a passion for performing arts from a young age. While attending Northwood Junior High School, she regularly took part in school musicals. Brosnahan went on to participate in Broadway boot camps during her teenage years and later graduated from Highland Park High School. She pursued formal acting training at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 2012.

Acting Career and Breakthrough Roles

Brosnahan made her film debut in 2009 while still in high school, appearing in Michael Bay’s supernatural thriller The Unborn. Over the next several years, she built her résumé with guest appearances on popular television shows including Gossip Girl, CSI: Miami, In Treatment, The Good Wife, and Orange Is the New Black. She gained further attention through recurring roles on series such as The Blacklist and House of Cards, earning praise for her compelling performances.

Her first significant film role came in 2013 with the fantasy drama Beautiful Creatures, in which she starred alongside Emma Thompson, Emmy Rossum, and Jeremy Irons. From 2014 to 2015, she played Abby Isaacs in the drama series Manhattan on WGN America. She also portrayed the character Ellie in Woody Allen’s 2016 Amazon series Crisis in Six Scenes. Brosnahan later expressed regret for working with Allen due to the controversies involving him and stated in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that she would be more selective in choosing future collaborators.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Critical Success

Brosnahan achieved widespread acclaim for her lead role as Miriam "Midge" Maisel in Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which premiered in 2017. The show, inspired by the careers of pioneering female comedians like Joan Rivers and Totie Fields, follows a 1950s Jewish housewife who pursues a career in stand-up comedy after her marriage unravels. Her portrayal of Maisel earned her a Golden Globe Award and a Critics Choice Award, highlighting her comedic timing and dramatic depth.

In 2019, she was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series at the Emmy Awards for her performance in the show, continuing her streak of critical and industry recognition.

Personal Life

In 2015, while working on the television series Manhattan, Brosnahan met actor Jason Ralph, known for his role in the Syfy series The Magicians. The couple have maintained a relatively private relationship, avoiding public attention while continuing to support each other’s careers. They later confirmed that they had married but chose not to announce it publicly until after the fact.