26 Facts About Ann Dowd

Ann Dowd was born on January 30,1956 and is an American actress.

Ann Dowd plays Aunt Lydia Clements on the Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

Ann Dowd was born on January 30,1956, in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Ann Dowd attended the Williston Northampton School, where she performed in school plays.

Ann Dowd became interested in acting at a young age but was dissuaded by her family at first because they did not approve of her pursuing an acting career.

Ann Dowd graduated in 1978 from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, where much of Dowd's family attended.

Ann Dowd traveled to New York City to audition for the Goodman School of Drama at DePaul University in Chicago, where she received an MFA in Acting.

Ann Dowd was classmates with Elizabeth Perkins and worked as a waitress during this time.

Ann Dowd spent several years performing in regional theatre in the Chicago area, performing often at the Court Theatre, later deciding in 1988 to move to New York City to pursue a bigger stage.

Ann Dowd pounded the pavement and her first acting gig there was with the Hartford Stage Company.

Ann Dowd starred in Shiloh and its sequels, Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season and Saving Shiloh as Louise Preston.

Ann Dowd appears in the 1997 cult film All Over Me and in the 1998 film Apt Pupil, in which she played the mother of Brad Renfro's character.

Ann Dowd has acted in two films directed by Jonathan Demme, as Jill Beckett, sister of Tom Hanks's character, Andrew Beckett, in Philadelphia, and in The Manchurian Candidate, starring Meryl Streep.

Also in 2004, Dowd played the mother of Natalie Portman's character in Garden State and appeared in The Forgotten starring Julianne Moore.

Ann Dowd played the role of Mrs Strank in the 2006 Clint Eastwood film Flags of Our Fathers.

Ann Dowd received rave reviews for her work in the 2012 movie Compliance, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Ann Dowd played the supporting role of Joan in the 2018 horror film Hereditary.

Ann Dowd has appeared in many popular television shows including House and Louie, on both of which she played a nun.

Ann Dowd was a series regular on Nothing Sacred, which was filmed in Los Angeles and aired for one season, in which she played a nun.

Ann Dowd co-starred on The Leftovers as Patti Levin, leader of the group The Guilty Remnant.

In 2017, Ann Dowd began starring as Aunt Lydia Clements on the Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award.

Ann Dowd next appeared in Taking Sides with Elizabeth Marvel, and Vera Farmiga, who was Dowd's understudy.

Ann Dowd has won three Jeff Awards for her work in Chicago theatre, including a 1987 Best Supporting Actress award for her role as Emma Brookner in The Normal Heart.

In 2007, Ann Dowd played the role of Sister Aloysius in Doubt at the George Street Playhouse.

In 2015, Ann Dowd starred in Naomi Wallace's play, Night is a Room at Signature Theater.

Ann Dowd has worked with Lady Gaga as her acting coach.