Biography
Zoe Perry is an American actress known for her roles as Jane in The Family (2016), Lisa in Private Practice(2008), Renie in No Pay, Nudity(2016), Mary Cooper in Young Sheldon,Samantha Ruland in "Scandal", Waitress in "My Boys" among other roles.
Childhood- Family
Zoe Perry was born on 26th September 1983 to actress Laurie Metcalf(Mother) and actor Jeff Perry(Father). Her parents divorced when she was 2 years old, Zoe grew up in Los Angeles, where her mother found work.
[Zoe Perry with her mother Laurie Metcalf]
Zoe's mother Laurie Metcalf is a 3 time Emmy Award winner. She is known for her appearances in "Roseanne", "The Big Bang Theory", "The Conners", "Norm" and others. Zoe has a half brothers in Will Roth (1993) and Donovan Roth(adopted), and a half sister in Mae Roth(2005) through her mother's second marriage to American actor Matt Roth.
[Zoe Perry with father Jeff Perry]
Her father Jeff Perry, is the co-founder of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago. He founded it alogn with his school mates Gary Sinise and Terry Kinney. He is known for his appearances in "Nash Bridges", "Scandal", Wild Things(1998) and others.
Zoe has a half sister in Leah Perry through her father's marriage to casting director Linda Lowy
Acting with parents: Zoe is very close to her parents and it has led to her frequent appearances alongside them. She has appeared on screen with her mother Laurie in "Roseanne", "The Other place", "The Big Bang Theory"; and with her father in "Scandal".
Education
- Boston University:She started her graduation at the Boston University, but transferred to Northwestern University afterwards.
- Northwestern University: she graduated at theNorthwestern University, it is here that she started in acting.
Marriage
Gab Taraboulsy
Zoe married Hollywood producer and director Gab Taraboulsy in 2021 [2]. He is known for directing Funke(2018). He has directed many TV series episodes. He is the co-founder of "Delicious Cinema"
Career
Entry into acting: Zoe's parents did not want her to get into acting as they felt it was a stressful profession, Zoe was a shy kid in school, she only began interest in acting when she started her university at the Northwestern University.
Zoe moved toNew York after graduation to seek career in Television. Soon returned to New York homesick after a while.
Debut: Zoe's debut role was playing the child actress in the TV series Roseanne, she played the younger character (Jackie Harris) of the lead character played by her mother Laurie Metcalf.
Zoe's mother on Zoe's acting career:
"I never knew if she had that thick of a skin (to survive in the industry), But I've enjoyed watching her ride so far"
After her stint as a child actor in Roseanne, she stayed away from acting until she was in her 20s. She worked as a production assistant in the short movie Ugly(2004), later she appeared in another short movie Allegretto '75(2005) as Meredith Burke.
She appeared as Wendy in the episode "Vacancy" (S5E17) of the Crime series "Law and Order: Criminal Intent" in 2006. In the same year, she appeared as Audrey Knowles in the series "Conviction" (S1E12-13)
In 2007, in the series Cold Case, she appeared as Melinda Levy in the episode "Justice"(S5E10)
Her first full movie appearance wasin Hugh Jackman starring Mystery movie Deception(2008), she played the role of a secretary in the movie.
In the romance drama The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond (2008), she played Mathilde. Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Evans played the lead roles. In the TV series Private Practice, she played Lisa in the episode "Equal and Opposite" (S2E2).
In the series Ave 43, she appeared as Janet in the episodes 1& 7 of season. In the comedy romance series starring Jordana Spiro, Kyle Howard, Reid Scott and others, she appears as the waitress in 4 episodes across 3 seasons (1, 2 &4).
In Turkey Bowl(2011), a comedy movie written and directed by Kyle Smith, involving friends, turkey and the annual game of touch football, she played herself, in fact everyone played themselves.
She made an appearance in the medical drama series Grey's Anatomy as Katy Noonan in the episode Beautiful Doom (S9E5)
In the series Second Shot, She appeared in the episode- "If it ain't fixed, don't break it"(S1E2) as Krystal Munson.
The Other Place(2013): After her return to California, Zoe took to broadway, she performed in "The Other Place" which also featured her mother Laurie
Everyday Miracles(2015)
In the 2015 faith and healing movie Everyday Miracles, she played Maxine, the love interest of lead character Cotton Welles (Erik Smith). Cotton Welles is a gifted but reluctant faith healer who runs away from his evangelist mother who wants to use his powers on the revival circuit. He finds love in Maxine, a local girl in the place where he works as a ranch hand.
In the mystery drama series of 2016- The Family, she played Jane, Doug Anderson's pregnant girlfriend. She appears in 9 of the 12 episodes. Joan Allen, Alison Pill, Margot Bingham and others appear in lead roles.
In the detective series NCIS, she appears as Harper's Ferry police officer Kristin Fields in two episodes (S13E22, S14E4)
In the TV Movie Brooke of 2016, she played the role of Amy. The story was about a pregnant woman and her husband who find out they are going to have the baby earlier than they expected.
No Pay, Nudity(2016)
In the comedy drama No Pay, Nudity, the story of an aging actor Lester Rosenthal (played by Gabriel Byrne) who has lost his way with his career, with friends and family, finds out that the way out is through.
Zoe plays Renie, the daughter.
In the family drama series Liv and Maddie, Zoe appeared as Marlowe in the episode "Tiny House-A-Rooney".
Scandal
[Zoe Perry in Scandal]
In the political thriller "Scandal" she appears in 9 episodes in a recurring role as Samanth Ruland. Her father Jeff Perry appears in the series in the main role as Cyrus Beene, the former White House Chief of Staff and later Vice President of U.S.A.
Young Sheldon
[Zoe Perry in Young Sheldon]
Zoe has played the character Mary Cooper, the mother of Sheldon Cooper in "Young Sheldon" the prequel to "The Big Bang Theory", her mother Laurie Metcalf played the mother of adult Sheldon Cooper in "The Big Bang Theory". Zoe however had to go through the auditions to get the role despite her being the biological daughter of Laurie Metcalf, the mother of adult Sheldon.
Facts & Trivia
- International Rescue Committee: She supports refugees into the United States
- findingthemhomes.com: She promotes the online movement that helps the puppies find homes
- Zoe has some resemblances with her mother in voice and mannerism, this makes her a good suit for the young character her mother plays.
- Controversy: Zoe was grilled by the presenter Ranvir Singh about co-star Roseanne Barr's racist tweets. Good morning Britain fans slammed the presenter for picking on Zoe needlessly. Her mom was on the show Roseanne while Zoe had only played it when she was a kid.
Filmography
Movies
| Year | Movie | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | No Pay, Nudity | Renie | |
| 2016 | Brooke | Amy | TV Movie |
| 2015 | Everyday Miracles | Maxine | |
| 2011 | Turkey Bowl | Zoe | |
| 2008 | The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond | Mathilde | |
| 2008 | Deception | Secretary | |
| 2005 | Allegretto '75 | Meredith Burke | Short movie |
| 2004 | Ugly | Short movie; production assistant |
Series
| Year | Series | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–2024 | Young Sheldon | Mary Cooper | 131 episodes |
| 2017 | Scandal | Samantha Ruland | 9 episodes |
| 2017 | Liv and | Maddie Marlowe | 1 episode |
| 2016 | NCIS | Officer Kristin Fields | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | The Family | Jane | 9 episodes |
| 2013 | Second Shot | Krystal Munson | 1 episode |
| 2012 | Grey's Anatomy | Katy Noonan | 1 episode |
| 2006–2010 | My Boys | Waitress | 4 episodes |
| 2009 | Ave 43 | Janet | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | Private Practice | Lisa | 1 episode |
| 2007 | Cold Case | Melinda Levy '82 | 1 episode |
| 2006 | Conviction | Audrey Knowles | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Wendy | 1 episode |
| 1992–1995 | Roseanne | Young Jackie | 2 episodes |
Theatre
| Year | Play | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | I'll Get You Back Again | Steppenwolf Theatre Company | |
| 2015 | Anna Christie | Anna | Odyssey Theatre Ensemble |
| 2014 | The Way West | Manda | Steppenwolf Theatre Company |
| 2013 | Good Television | Brittany | Atlantic Theater Company |
| 2012–2013 | The Other Place | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre | |
| 2011 | Peace in Our Time | Lilly Blake | The Antaeus Company |
| 2011 | End Days | Rachel Stein | Odyssey Theatre Ensemble |
| 2010 | The Autumn Garden | Sophie Tuckerman | The Antaeus Company |
| 2010 | The Lieutenant of Inishmore | Mairead | Mark Taper Forum |
| 2006 | The Late Christopher Bean | Susan Haggett | The Actors Company Theatre Studio |
| 1998 | Pot Mom | Lorraine | Steppenwolf Theatre Company |
| 1992 | My Thing of Love. | Steppenwolf Theatre Company |
Quotes
- [About her contrasting roles in 2017, Scandal and Young Sheldon]This has been such a whirlwind year for me where I've gotten the chance to go from one end of the spectrum to the other.
- We [parents] all try our best and don't always think we're doing our best, but my God we try.
- [On acting as a child]The biggest pleasure of that was I got to skip school. And on a Halloween episode, I got to eat a bunch of candy.
- We are experiencing the greatest humanitarian crisis of our lifetime - more people than ever before are fleeing their homes as a result of conflict and crisis.
- Being an actor, I never think I'm going to get the part. It's always a thrill when things go the way you hope they will.
- I found it incredibly intimidating to audition for anything. As I've gotten older and had more experience and gained more confidence in myself, I'm able to quiet some of those demons a little more successfully.
- I can only do what I do and if people respond to it, great and if they don't that's what that is.
Sources
- Zoe Perry on wikipedia
- Zoe Perry bio on imdb
