Elisabeth Moss biography, net worth, husband, children, age, awards 2025

Elisabeth Moss's biography

Elisabeth Moss is an American actress who started her career from early childhood. Most of her roles are strong women who had to face harassment, either verbal or physical. Elisabeth became famous thanks to her role in the series Mad Men and she cemented that fame in the dystopian The Handmaid's Tale, where she got the leading role. Net worth: $30 million.

Many people wonder whether Elisabeth Moss and Kate Moss are relatives… but the answer is no – they simply have the same last name.

Early life

Elisabeth Singleton Moss was born on June 24th, 1982 into a family of musicians in Los Angeles. Her British father Ron was a manager for jazz musicians and her mother Linda played blues. They also had another child – their youngest son. The entire family were followers of Scientology.

Art was a priority at home, which is why Elisabeth's drive to dedicate herself to art instead of studies was fully supported. Moss started doing ballet when she was six. She wanted to be a professional dancer, which is why she moved to New York as a teenager to enroll at a ballet school. However, when she got the opportunity to focus on her acting career, she chose acting instead. She had to graduate two years earlier than planned, so there would be no distractions from acting.

Acting career

She made her acting debut in the series Lucky/Chances (1990). During that period, she appeared in various TV shows and feature films, but remained largely unnoticed.

In 1999, the drama Girl, Interrupted with Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder was released. Moss landed the role of a psychiatric ward patient. Her character was constantly grieving and crying, making the shoot psychologically challenging for her – which is why Elisabeth was thrilled to land her role in The West Wing (1999), where she played a positive young character, the president's daughter Zoey Bartlet.

Mad Men (2007) brought Moss her breakthrough fame. She brought to life Peggy Olson – a character who transformed before viewers' eyes as the story unfolded. This inspiring character became a symbol of women fighting for workplace equality in 1960s America.

In 2010, Moss appeared in the comedy Get Him to the Greek, playing Aaron Green's (Jonah Hill) girlfriend, a record company executive.

Mad Men scene

The series Top of the Lake (2013), where she played the lead, was well-received by viewers, but critics couldn't stop raving about the show – especially Elisabeth's performance. This earned her her first Golden Globe.

In 2015, Moss made her debut on Broadway in the play The Heidi Chronicles. She earned a Tony nomination, but Helen Mirren took home the prize for The Audience.

Another powerful role brought another wave of acclaim – the series The Handmaid's Tale (2017). This dystopian drama exploring women's strength and vulnerability, resistance and submission, earned Moss several awards, including a Golden Globe. She beat previous winner Claire Foy for the prize.

Elisabeth Moss in The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale is the adaptation of Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel. Set in a dystopian future where 99% of women have become infertile, only a few women, including Moss's character Offred (handmaid to Commander Fred), can still bear children. These women serve as handmaids to the soldiers who rule the country, moving from one master to another after giving birth.

While continuing her theater and TV work, Elisabeth began focusing more on feature films. She gravitates toward provocative, unconventional projects like The Square (2017) with Claes Bang and The Old Man & the Gun (2018) with Robert Redford.

Interests and hobbies

Moss is a passionate theater enthusiast who makes it a point to catch all the major productions each season. She made multiple trips to see Ann, featuring Holland Taylor as Texas governor Ann Richards. Elisabeth finds theater districts in major cities more appealing for walks and exploration than traditional parks and squares.

Moss is a workaholic. Her colleagues, including Joseph Fiennes, say she's always the first to arrive on set. Between takes, you'll find her diving into directing tasks or attending business meetings. But these additional responsibilities don't faze her in the least.

According to the actress, any day becomes a good day when she's behind the camera slipping into another role.

Her favorite outfits are pink chiffon dresses. She often shows up on the red carpet and other events wearing them. Occasionally, designers suggest cocktail or classic dresses, and while Elisabeth takes their advice, she still gravitates toward her signature pink chiffon.

Moss says she's never had conflicts with colleagues or co-stars – everyone's always been professional and level-headed. In the future, Elisabeth would love to work with Marion Cotillard and with directors Martin Scorsese and Baz Luhrmann.

Elisabeth Moss's personal life

Elisabeth is a Scientologist. In 2008, she met her colleague – comedian Fred Armisen. They married a year later in New York. The couple separated in 2010 and finalized their divorce in 2011.

Elisabeth Moss's ex-husband – Fred Armisen

From 2012 to 2015 she dated the Australian cameraman Adam Arkapaw.

In the photo: Elisabeth Moss and Adam Arkapaw

In a 2018 interview, Elisabeth admitted that dating was challenging but revealed she'd be open to marriage and motherhood.

– I don't mind marriage, but it doesn't define a relationship. Almost 8 years have passed since my divorce, and I've become more mature, wiser and more romantic, but marriage has nothing to do with the quality of a couple's life. I want to become a mother. I want to pass down to my child the things my mother passed down to me.

Elisabeth Moss now

One of her recent projects was a short film featuring Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight" as its main soundtrack.

Elisabeth Moss on the set of The Seagull

In 2020, thriller "The Invisible Man" premiered, with Elisabeth co-starring alongside Oliver Jackson-Cohen. She also starred in the film Shirley, taking on the lead role.

The Handmaid's Tale, Season 4 Trailer

The next season of "The Handmaid's Tale" and mystical horror "Run, Rabbit, Run" were both slated for 2021

Ellen King

It seems to me that Moss has so much inner strength! Who could play a psychiatric patient at a young age, and even in a film with Jolie herself.

2021-05-13 23:49:54
David Morgan

Another family of Scientologists! What`s in their heads. Oh, Elizabeth!? You would have thought about where else to act...

2021-05-03 16:53:35
Ana Love

So what, where was she filmed besides the famous «The Handmaid`s Tale»? And even then this series is very depressing after it you only want to be hanged yourself!

2021-04-27 19:51:39
David Dunn

The incredible actress Elisabeth Moss. Many may say not so beautiful, but what kind of talent, what kind of charisma!

2021-04-11 17:45:23
Tara Wright

Honestly, I love Moss in The Handmaid`s Tale, what a tough, strong woman she is, who bends her line and resists all the time.

2021-04-02 23:19:48

Photos: Elisabeth Moss