Jump to content

Maggie Siff

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maggie Siff
Siff at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con
Born (1974-06-21) June 21, 1974 (age 50)
EducationBryn Mawr College (BA)
New York University (MFA)
OccupationActress
Years active2004–present
Spouse
Paul Ratliff
​
​
(m. 2012; died 2021)​
Children1

Maggie Siff (born June 21, 1974)[1] is an American actress. Her most notable television roles have included department store heiress Rachel Menken Katz on the AMC drama Mad Men, Dr. Tara Knowles on the FX drama Sons of Anarchy for which she was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and psychiatrist Wendy Rhoades on the Showtime series Billions.

She has also had roles in the films Push (2009) as Teresa Stowe, and Leaves of Grass (2010) as Rabbi Renannah Zimmerman. She starred in indie film A Woman, a Part (2016) and had a minor role in the drama film One Percent More Humid (2017). She is the television spokesperson for the robo-advisor service Betterment.

Early life and education

[edit]

Siff is an alumna of The Bronx High School of Science[2] and of Bryn Mawr College,[3] where she majored in English and graduated in 1996. She later completed an M.F.A. in acting at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.[4][5][6] Shortly after graduating, Siff also worked as a temp at a hedge fund, an experience she drew on for her role in Billions.[7]

Siff worked extensively in regional theater before acting in television. She won a Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theater in 1998 for her work in Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts at Lantern Theater Company.[4]

Born to a father of Ashkenazi Jewish descent who was also a stage actor, Siff has stated that she feels “culturally Jewish because of how and where I grew up."[8][9]

Career

[edit]

Siff started appearing in television series in 2004. She appeared as an Alcoholics Anonymous speaker during an episode of Rescue Me in Season 2. She also had roles on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Grey's Anatomy, and Law & Order.

She played Rachel Menken Katz on the series Mad Men from 2007 to 2008, which earned her a nomination, along with the rest of the cast, for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.[citation needed] She also appeared in a small role as a burn victim on Nip/Tuck during that time, before being cast as Dr. Tara Knowles on Sons of Anarchy in 2008.

She has appeared in such films as Then She Found Me (2007) as Lily, Push as a psychic surgeon (called a Stitch) named Teresa Stowe, sent to help Nick (played by Chris Evans), Funny People (2009) as Rachel, Leaves of Grass (2010) as Rabbi Renannah Zimmerman, and Concussion (2013) as Sam Bennet. She appears in the 2016 Showtime series Billions. She starred in an independent indie film called A Woman, A Part (2016) as well as One Percent More Humid (2017).

In 2017, she narrated the audio book Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar.

Starting in 2018, she has been serving as the television spokesperson for Betterment, an online investment service.

In 2020, Siff provided the voice for the titular subject of "Polly Platt: The Invisible Woman", over the course of a season of Karina Longworth’s film history podcast You Must Remember This.

Personal life

[edit]

In October 2013, Siff announced that she was expecting her first child with husband, Paul Ratliff, whom she married in 2012. Siff gave birth to a daughter, Lucy.[10] Siff's husband died in 2021 of brain cancer.[11]

Filmography

[edit]
Siff at the premiere of Push in January 2009

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role
2007 Michael Clayton Attorney #1
2007 Then She Found Me Lily
2009 Push Teresa Stowe
2009 Leaves of Grass Rabbi Renannah Zimmerman
2009 Funny People Rachel
2013 Concussion Sam Bennet
2016 The 5th Wave Lisa Sullivan
2016 A Woman, a Part Anna Baskin
2016 The Sweet Life Ava
2017 One Percent More Humid Lisette
2019 The Short History of the Long Road Cheryl

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2004 Third Watch Cindy Episode: "Obsession"
2005 Rescue Me Young Woman at AA Episode: "Twat"
2006 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Emily McCooper Episode: "Gone"
2006 3 lbs. Lisa Kutchem Episode: "The God Spot"
2007 Grey's Anatomy Ruthie Sales Episode: "The Heart of the Matter"
2007–2008 Mad Men Rachel Menken Katz Main role (season 1), guest role (seasons 2 and 7)
2007–2008 Nip/Tuck Rachel Ben Natan 3 episodes
2008 Law & Order Attorney Mahaffey Episode: "Executioner"
2008–2013 Sons of Anarchy Tara Knowles Main role (seasons 1–6)
2009 Life on Mars Maria Belanger 3 episodes
2011 A Gifted Man Lily Episode: "In Case of Letting Go"
2016–2023 Billions Wendy Rhoades Main role
2019 Explained Narrator Episode: "Billionaires"

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Birthdays". The Modesto Bee. The Associated Press. June 21, 2017. p. 2A. Actress Maggie Siff is 43.
  2. ^ "Maggie Siff / Class Year: 1992 / Brooklyn, New York". Bronx High School of Science Alumni Association. Archived from the original on June 15, 2009.
  3. ^ Witchel, Alex (June 22, 2008). "'Mad Men' Has Its Moment". The New York Times. Retrieved September 11, 2008.
  4. ^ a b "Mad Men, Season 2 Finale, Sunday Oct 26". AMC TV. Archived from the original on November 12, 2008. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
  5. ^ "NYU Graduate Acting Alumni". 2011. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  6. ^ "Alumna Maggie Siff Featured in the New York Times". tisch.nyu.edu. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  7. ^ Mulkerrins, Jane (April 5, 2018). "Maggie Siff interview: the Billions star on S&M scenes, psychology, and the rise of 'toxic masculinity'". Daily Telegraph.
  8. ^ "Jewish stars burn bright on TV this winter". Jewish Journal. February 1, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  9. ^ Bloom, Nate (September 3, 2008). "Interfaith Celebrities: Back to Beverly Hills". 18Doors. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  10. ^ Ornos, Riza (April 16, 2014). "'Sons of Anarchy' Maggie Siff Welcomes Baby Girl, Season 7 Begins Weeks Before Tara's Death". International Business Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  11. ^ Bahr, Sarah (July 12, 2023). "Maggie Siff and Erica Schmidt on a Williams Play 'Shot Through With Desire'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maggie_Siff&oldid=1214771304"