Gayle Rankin

Gayle Rankin is a Scottish actress. She is known for her role as Sheila in the Netflix series GLOW (2017–2019). She also played Emily Dodson in the HBO series Perry Mason. Her films include The Greatest Showman (2017), Her Smell (2018), Blow the Man Down, and The Climb (both 2019).

Rankin joined the cast of the HBO series House of the Dragon for its second season as Alys Rivers. In 2024, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical at the 77th Tony Awards for her role in Cabaret.

Early life Gayle Rankin was born in Paisley and grew up in Eaglesham and Kilmaurs. She has an older sister. She attended Mearns Castle High School and completed sixth form at Knightswood Secondary School's Dance School of Scotland. At 17, Rankin won a scholarship to train at the Juilliard School in New York City and became the institution's first Scottish student. She was also awarded an international fellowship to study in Sydney, Australia.

Career In 2012, Rankin made her acting debut in a season 13 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2017, Rankin began appearing on the series GLOW, as Sheila the She-Wolf. It premiered on 23 June 2017 on Netflix. The show was renewed for a third season which premiered on 9 August 2019.

In 2017, Rankin appeared in the film The Meyerowitz Stories, directed by Noah Baumbach. The film premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, and was released by Netflix on 13 October 2017. That same year, she appeared in The Greatest Showman opposite Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams.

In 2018, Rankin appeared in Irreplaceable You, directed by Stephanie Laing, opposite Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Michiel Huisman. It was released by Netflix on 16 February 2018. That same year, she appeared in In a Relationship directed by Sam Boyd, which had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on 20 April 2018, and in Her Smell, directed by Alex Ross Perry, opposite Elisabeth Moss and Agyness Deyn.

In 2020, she was cast as Emily Dodson, the mother of Charlie Dodson, a 1-year-old child who is mysteriously kidnapped in the series Perry Mason.

In April 2023, it was announced that Rankin had been cast as Alys Rivers in the second season of House of the Dragon.

On Broadway, she has starred in the 2014 revival of Cabaret as Fräulein Kost. She starred as Sally Bowles in the 2024 revival opposite Eddie Redmayne, earning acclaim and a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical at the 77th Tony Awards.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2012 Warfield Molly 2013 Frank the Bastard Mary It Goes Quiet Joanie Short film 2014 The Meeting Sarah Short film 2015 Girl Wakes Up Jane Short film Buzzer Suzy Short film 2016 The Passing Season Tess 2017 The Meyerowitz Stories Pam The Greatest Showman Queen Victoria 2018 Irreplaceable You Mira In a Relationship Rachel Flegelman Her Smell Ali van der Wolff Health to the King Mary Anne Short film 2019 Blow the Man Down Alexis The Climb Marissa Jane Jane Short film 2020 Worth Maya 2022 Men Riley 2023 Bad Things Ruthie2026 Isla Post-production Post-production TBA Ashley Wright Post-production

Television Year Title Role Notes 2012 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Holly Schneider Episode: "Theater Tricks" My America Gayle Episode: "The Tal Pidae Lehstücke" 2013 The Missionary Molly Elbridge Television pilot 2017–19 GLOW Sheila the She-Wolf 27 episodes 2020 Perry Mason Emily Dodson Season 1 2022 Kindred Margaret Weylan Season 1 2024–present House of the Dragon Alys Rivers Main role; 12 episodes 2024 The Listeners Jo 4 episodes

Theatre Year Title Role Details 2012 Tribes Ruth Barrow Street Theatre 2014 Cabaret Fräulein Kost Studio 54 2015 The Mystery of Love and Sex Charlotte Lincoln Center Theater 2016 The Taming of the Shrew Bianca Minola Delacorte Theatre 2017 Hamlet Ophelia/Second Gravedigger The Public Theater 2024 Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club Sally Bowles August Wilson Theatre

Awards and nominations