(1975-)

Who Is Elizabeth Reaser?

After graduating from the Juilliard School, actress Elizabeth Reaser began her career on stage. She became a recurring guest star on the television drama Grey’s Anatomy, which earned Reaser her first Emmy Award nomination. Reaser is best known for her role as Esme Cullen in all five installments of the Twilight film series.

Early Life

Reaser was born on June 15, 1975, in Bloomfield, Michigan. At a young age, Reaser knew that she wanted to be an actress. After working odd jobs as a high school student, she enrolled at Oakland University and went on to study at The Juilliard School in New York City. Convincing her parents to let her move to New York wasn’t as difficult as she had thought it would be, and with their blessing, Reaser was accepted into one of the most prestigious drama programs in the country. She graduated from Juilliard in May 1999, with a Master of Fine Arts degree.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Twilight’ Franchise

Reaser began her career in theater but started to land small roles in film and television soon after her graduation from Juilliard. In 2005, she appeared the film Stay alongside Ewan McGregor, and in The Family Stone with Diane Keaton. The young actress also began finding success on the small screen around this time. In 2006, Reaser earned the role of Alice Alden, M.D. on the TV show Saved, appearing in 13 episodes.

Reaser went on to land her breakout role as Jane Doe (also known as Rebecca Pope) on the hit TV drama Grey’s Anatomy. The storyline her character was involved in became one the show’s most memorable plot twists. Reaser appeared in 18 episodes, and went on to earn both Emmy and Screen Actor’s Guild award nominations for her work.

Reaser’s success continued when she landed the role of vampire Esme Cullen in Twilight (2008), a film based on the first installment of the best-selling book series by Stephenie Meyer. Reaser had never heard of the books before her audition but has since become very acquainted with the saga. Reaser appeared in all five film installments of the Twilight film series, including The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.

While working on the Twilight saga, Reaser continued to take film and TV roles. More notably, she appeared in Diablo Cody’s Young Adult alongside Charlize Theron, and in the recurring role as Tammy Linnata on TV’s The Good Wife.

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QUICK FACTS

• Name: Elizabeth Reaser
• Birth Year: 1975
• Birth date: June 15, 1975
• Birth State: Michigan
• Birth City: Bloomfield
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Female
• Best Known For: Elizabeth Reaser is an American actress best known for her roles on the television show ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and in the ‘Twilight’ film series.
• Industries
• Television
• Film
• Astrological Sign: Gemini
• Schools
• Oakland University
• The Juilliard School

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CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Elizabeth Reaser Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/elizabeth-reaser
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: April 9, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014