Happy Birthday, Elizabeth Banks! The actress and filmmaker, known for her iconic roles in The Hunger Games and Pitch Perfect, marks a milestone birthday over the weekend.
Elizabeth is one of Hollywood's most versatile performers, having appeared in a wide range of film genres from comedy to adventure and crime, before taking a seat in the director's chair in recent years. As Elizabeth turns 50, we take a look back at her life and career – from her breakout role to her marriage with her college sweetheart.
Childhood and name change
Elizabeth was born and raised in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in an "old-school Irish Catholic family" and is the eldest of four children to parents Ann, a bank worker, and Mark, a Vietnam war veteran and factory worker.
It may surprise you to learn that Elizabeth Banks isn't actually the star's real name. Upon joining the Screen Actors Guild as an aspiring performer, Elizabeth discovered that her real name, Elizabeth Mitchell, was already registered in the union.
On choosing her new moniker, she previously said: "So I made a list and then alphabetized it, and Banks was the first one on the list. And I called SAG and they said it was available, so I said, 'I'll take it!' I just wanted it over with!"
Meeting her childhood sweetheart
Elizabeth has made a career out of starring in rom-coms, but did you know that her real-life love story is like something out of a movie?
The actress met her husband, Max Handelman, on her first day as a student at the University of Pennsylvania in 1993.
"He was wearing a vest with no shirt ... to show off his sexy physique back in the day," Elizabeth recalled during a 2012 interview on Conan. "He looked exactly like Jason Priestly from 90210, c'mon."
The actress: "I dated the same guy all throughout high school, and I basically — and he knows this so ... this is no surprise to him — cheated on him with my now-husband."
The couple were in a relationship for ten years before tying the knot in July 2003. "It's the thing I'm most proud of," Elizabeth said of her marriage during a 2019 interview with Net-A-Porter.
"I do think people grow together or they grow apart. We definitely grew together. We were constantly making decisions that kept us close," she continued, adding: "I think there are people that go into marriage thinking: 'If it doesn't work, I'll get divorced.' That's not me. You're going to have bad moments. You've committed to something. Do you value it, or don't you?"
The couple, who set up their own production company in 2002, celebrated 20 years of marriage last year. Marking the special milestone on Instagram, Elizabeth posted a stunning black-and-white snap from their wedding day, penning in the caption: "Time flies when you're making an amazing life together. 20 years. Proudest achievement. Feels like yesterday. Love to all who celebrated with us. Couldn't do it without you."
Rise to fame and acting beginnings
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Elizabeth began studying at the American Conservatory Theater.
While working towards her Master of Fine Arts degree, she was offered a part in the soap opera Santa Barbara. Accepting the role would mean dropping out of her theatre course, and having already taken out student loans, Elizabeth declined.
It didn't take long before another offer came along, however, and in the same year that she graduated in 1998, Elizabeth made her screen debut in the independent film, Surrender Dorothy.
Her breakout role and comedy work
After several years of appearing in comedy films, including Wet Hot American Summer, and Seabiscuit, Elizabeth landed her big break in the 2005 comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin, starring Steve Carell.
While she continued to appear in comedy films and series, including the TV show Scrubs, and the 2008 rom-com Definitely, Maybe, Elizabeth's breakout role also opened the door to other genres.
In 2006, she played Mark Wahlberg's love interest in the biographical sports drama Invincible, and in the same year landed a starring role in James Gunn's comedy-horror film, Slither.
From there, she appeared in various comedy dramas and rom-coms, often starring alongside Paul Rudd. She's also a frequent co-star of Toby Maguire, having appeared in the Spiderman films, as well as the black comedy, The Details.
The Hunger Games and Pitch Perfect
In 2012, Elizabeth scored one of her most recognizable roles as Capitol escort Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games – a role she won an MTV Award for Best On-Screen Transformation. She went on to reprise the part in three sequels, Catching Fire and Mockingjay – Part 1 and Part 2.
In the same year, Elizabeth produced and starred in the hit comedy, Pitch Perfect, alongside Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, and Adam DeVine. After a successful release, the film was followed by two sequels.
Pregnancy and surrogacy journey
While 2011 was a big year for Elizabeth's career, with the star gearing up for her roles in The Hunger Games and Pitch Perfect, it also marked significant changes in her personal life with the arrival of her first son, Felix, who was followed by a second son, Magnus, in 2012.
Both children were welcomed via surrogate and Elizabeth had been very open about fertility issues, which she previously referred to as her "broken belly".
During her interview with Net-A-Porter, the actress revealed that she felt "judged" for welcoming her children through surrogacy.
"I definitely think I'm still judged for what I've done and that people don't understand my choices, but I don't feel I owe anybody any explanation," she explained, adding: "If my story helps people feel less alone on their journey, then I'm grateful for that."
Transition into directing
Elizabeth made her feature directorial debut with Pitch Perfect 2, in which she also served as co-producer and star.
Since then, she has directed two more films: the action comedy film Charlie's Angels, which she also wrote, as well as the 2023 comedy-horror, Cocaine Bear.
While Elizabeth clearly has a talent for directing, she continues to appear on screen. Her most recent starring role was in the 2022, drama film Call Jane, about a 1960s suburban housewife who joins an underground network of abortion activists after experiencing a life-threatening pregnancy.