Linda Cardellini

Linda Edna Cardellini (born June 25, 1975) is an American actress. In television, she is known for her starring roles in the teen drama Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000), the medical drama ER (2003–2009), and the thriller Bloodline (2015–2017), as well as for her guest role as Sylvia Rosen on AMC's Mad Men (2013–2015). Her starring role in the Netflix dark comedy series Dead to Me (2019–2022) earned her a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress.

In film, Cardellini became known for playing Velma Dinkley in Scooby-Doo (2002) and its 2004 sequel. Her other credits include Legally Blonde (2001), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Daddy's Home (2015) and its sequel Daddy's Home 2 (2017), The Founder (2016), Green Book (2018), A Simple Favor (2018), and The Curse of La Llorona (2019). She also played Laura Barton and voiced Lylla in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She received critical acclaim for her leading performance in the miniseries DTF St. Louis (2026), including a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

Early life and education Cardellini was born on June 25, 1975, Her father, Wayne David Cardellini, was a businessman, and her mother, Lorraine a homemaker. She is the youngest of four children and is of Italian, Irish, German, and Scottish descent.

Cardellini made her first public appearance at age ten when she sang in a school play. Subsequently, she acted in several school productions and started taking drama lessons. Cardellini graduated from St. Francis High School in Mountain View in 1993 and then moved to Los Angeles to seek roles in television and film. She was a contestant in a 1994 episode of The Price Is Right, winning a fireplace. Cardellini attended Loyola Marymount University's College of Communication and Fine Arts, where she graduated with a degree in theater arts in 1997. She was recognized as a "Distinguished Alumna" by the university in 2007.

Career

1996–2009: Early roles and breakthrough Cardellini received her first big break role in 1996 as Sarah on ABC's Saturday morning live-action children's series, Bone Chillers. At the time, she was in college and worked at an ice cream shop. Following this, she made guest appearances on prime-time programs including Step by Step, Clueless, and 3rd Rock from the Sun. She would then play Lauren on Boy Meets World, a girl who came between the show's star couple. Cardellini starred in the first season of the AMC series The Lot in 1999,

Her other film work includes roles in Dead Man on Campus, Strangeland, Good Burger, Legally Blonde, Brokeback Mountain (for which she was nominated for the ensemble Gotham and Screen Actors Guild awards), and a starring role in the Happy Madison film Grandma's Boy as Samantha. She was the voice of Ursula in the role-playing video game Gladius, and played the voice of Bliss Goode on the ABC animated series The Goode Family. In 2007, Cardellini played lovelorn Clara in the CBS miniseries Comanche Moon, a prequel to 1989's Lonesome Dove. From 2012 to 2016, she provided the voice of Wendy Corduroy on the Disney Channel animated series Gravity Falls.

Cardellini moved to voice acting roles periodically, appearing on the podcast and live show The Thrilling Adventure Hour, specifically on the Sparks Nevada: Marshal on Mars segments.

In 2013, she was chosen to play Sylvia Rosen, a love interest of Don Draper on Mad Men. For her performance on Mad Men, she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

In 2015, she played Hawkeye's wife Laura Barton in Avengers: Age of Ultron, a role she reprised in the 2019 sequel Avengers: Endgame. Starting in 2015, she joined Kyle Chandler on a new Netflix drama series Bloodline, from the creators of Damages. The show was canceled in 2016, and ended after its third season. That same year, she also had a starring role as Sara Whitaker in the comedy film Daddy's Home. In 2017, she reprised her role in the sequel film Daddy's Home 2.

In August 2018, Cardellini was cast to co-star with Christina Applegate in Netflix's dark comedy series Dead to Me. It premiered on May 3, 2019. For her performance, she received critical acclaim and a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. That same year, she co-starred with Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali in the film Green Book, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

In 2019, she starred in the horror film The Curse of La Llorona.

2020–present: Horror roles and others In 2020, Cardellini appeared in the biographical drama film Capone as Mae Capone, the wife of the title character.

In 2021, she reprised her role of Laura Barton in the Marvel Studios show Hawkeye, which premiered on Disney+ in November 2021. She starred in the Netflix series No Good Deed, which was released on December 12, 2024.

In 2024, Cardellini joined the cast of Way of the Warrior Kid to play Marc's mom and Jake's older sister, Sarah.

On March 24, 2025, it was announced that Cardellini would be appearing as Pamela Voorhees, mother of Jason Voorhees, in the upcoming Peacock series Crystal Lake; which will be a prequel to the Friday the 13th film series.

On April 13, 2026, it was announced that she would be joining the cast of Bill Hader's featured directorial debut They Know.

Personal life Cardellini dated her Freaks and Geeks co-star Jason Segel for several years following the show's cancellation in 2000 until their breakup in 2007. She and her boyfriend Steven Rodriguez announced her pregnancy in October 2011. Cardellini gave birth to their daughter in February 2012. She and Rodriguez became engaged in June 2013.

Cardellini divides her time between the San Francisco Bay area and Los Angeles. She and her family own a country home in Woodside, California, where she enjoys horseback riding. She is Catholic.

Filmography

Awards and nominations Year Association Category Nominated work Result 2005 Gotham Awards Best Ensemble Cast Brokeback Mountain 2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture 2009 TV Land Awards Icon Award ER 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Mad Men Independent Spirit Awards Best Female Lead Return 2019 MTV Movie & TV Awards Best Frightened Performance The Curse of La Llorona 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series Dead to Me Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series 2021 Satellite Awards Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series 2026 Gotham TV Awards Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Limited or Anthology SeriesDTF St. Louis Astra TV Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie Gold Derby TV AwardsLimited/Movie Supporting Actress Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie