Brittney Leigh Lower (/laʊər/; born August 2, 1985) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the crime drama series Unforgettable (2011–2014), the romantic comedy series Man Seeking Woman (2015–2017), and the sci-fi series Severance (2022–present).
Early life
Brittney Leigh Lower was born in Bloomington, Illinois, on August 2, 1985,[1] the daughter of Mickey and Steve Lower.[1] Lower lived in Heyworth, Illinois and graduated from Heyworth High School. Her mother was a home economics teacher at Clinton Junior High School in Clinton, Illinois. She now runs a face painting business, known throughout Central Illinois as "the Zoo Lady,"[2][3][4] which she occasionally joined, and Britt later cited it as where she "first encountered circus performers and artists who live on the road and work on the road as a living [and] just became totally enamored by the tightrope walkers and jugglers".[5] She has an older brother named Brugh, who is a lawyer.[1] After graduating as the valedictorian from Heyworth High School in 2004,[6] she earned a BSc in Communication from Northwestern University in 2008.[7] She also worked with the Upright Citizens Brigade and ImprovOlympic.[8]
Career
Lower had a recurring role as technology expert Tanya Sitkowsky in the 2011 series Unforgettable.[9] In 2015, she had her breakout role as Liz Greenberg in the FXX comedy series Man Seeking Woman.[10] In 2016, she had a recurring role as Sarah Finn in the second season of the Hulu series Casual.[11] She later appeared in the second season of American Horror Stories and portrayed the main character in the music video for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs song "Wolf".[12] She also starred in commercials for Verizon[13] and was a guest on The George Lucas Talk Show.
Lower has starred as Helly R. in the Apple TV+ sci-fi psychological thriller series Severance since 2022.[14] With an interest in the circus world stemming from her mother's face painting career and her own research for the 2020 short film Circus Person, which she wrote and directed, Lower spent a month playing a character in Circus Flora's Quest for the Innkeeper's Cask show in St. Louis during the three-year hiatus between the first and second seasons of Severance.[5]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Imogen | Natalie | Short film |
| 2010 | Benny to Benny | May | Short film |
| Spark | Suze | Short film | |
| 2012 | Revenge for Jolly! | Mary Ann | |
| The Letter | Kathleen | ||
| The Worst | Ryan | Short film | |
| Roomie | Sarah | Short film | |
| 2013 | Beside Still Waters | Olivia | |
| Mutual Friends | Trish | ||
| One Trick Dieter | Ellen | Short film | |
| 2014 | Re: Jess | Jess | Short film |
| 2015 | The Shells | Alex | |
| Those People | Ursula | ||
| Sisters | Mrs. Geernt | ||
| Don't Worry Baby | Anna | ||
| 2016 | How To Lose Weight in 4 Easy Steps | Rachael | Short film |
| Swell | Ana | Short film | |
| Domain | Phoenix / Kimberley Miller | ||
| The Shadow Hours | Dorothy | Short film | |
| 2017 | Mr. Roosevelt | Celeste Jones | |
| 2018 | Faith | Padma | Short film |
| Staycation | Jill | Short film | |
| A Civilized Life | Jack | Short film | |
| 2020 | Circus Person | Ava | Also writer and director |
| Holly Slept Over | Audra | ||
| 2022 | Show Pony | Kate | Short film |
| 2023 | Until the Wedding | Naomi | |
| 2024 | Psycho Therapy | Suzie | Also executive producer |
| Darkest Miriam | Miriam |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Big Lake | Meg | 7 episodes |
| 2011–2014 | Unforgettable | Tanya Sitkowsky | 13 episodes |
| 2012 | A Gifted Man | Nina | Episode: "In Case of (Re)Birth" |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Jess Hardwick | Episode: "Strange Beauty" | |
| 2015–2017 | Man Seeking Woman | Liz Greenberg | Series regular |
| 2016 | Bad Internet | Rayne | Episode: "The Seven Billionth Wheel" |
| Casual | Sarah Finn | Recurring role | |
| 2017 | Wrecked | Margot Wallace | Episode: "Ransom" |
| Pillow Talk | Emma | 4 episodes | |
| 2017–2018 | Ghosted | Claire Jennifer | Recurring role |
| 2017–2019 | Future Man | Jeri Elizabeth Lang | 5 episodes |
| 2018 | WASP | Desiree | Series regular |
| 2019 | High Maintenance | Lee | 4 episodes |
| It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Lisa | Episode: "The Gang Gets Romantic" | |
| 2020–2024 | The George Lucas Talk Show | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | American Horror Stories | Fay Mallow | Episode: "Facelift"[15] |
| The Late Show with Stephen Colbert | No-One's Mother | Episode: "Kerry Washington / Joe Walsh" | |
| 2022–present | Severance | Helena Eagan / Helly R. | Main role |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2022
|
Hollywood Critics Association Television Awards | Best Actress in a Streaming Series, Drama | Severance | Won |
| Saturn Awards | Best Actress in a Streaming Series | Nominated | ||
2023
|
Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Nominated |
References
- ^ a b c "New Names". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. August 13, 1985. p. 16. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
A Heyworth couple, Steve and Mickey Lower, are parents of Brittney Leigh Lower, born Aug. 2. The 7-pound, 5-ounce baby is a sister of Brugh[;] Mabel and H.C. Knight of Moweaqua and Duane and Nell Lower of rural Paxton are grandparents.
- ^ Flick, Bill (February 26, 2012). "Heyworth to network TV … in only 8 years". pantagraph.com. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
- ^ https://www.facepaintingzoolady.com/
- ^ "Meet Mickey Lower: The Zoo Lady!". December 29, 2010. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016.
- ^ a b Heuer, Alex (June 9, 2022). "Why 'Severance' star Britt Lower is joining the circus in St. Louis". Circus Flora. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
- ^ "Graduation 1996, Heyworth High School". The Pantagraph. May 28, 2004. p. A8. Retrieved January 19, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Man Seeking Woman's Britt Lower makes the most of her improv training". Chicago Tribune. January 7, 2016.
- ^ "Britt Lower - Magnet Theater People". Magnet Theater. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- ^ "Meet Unforgettable's awesomely quirky Britt Lower – Interview". March 20, 2012.
- ^ "Eric André, Britt Lower & Maya Erskine Cast In FX Comedy Pilot 'Man Seeking Woman'". March 20, 2014. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ "Britt Lower Joins Hulu Comedy 'Casual' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. March 2, 2016.
- ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Wolf" Video Stars Britt Lower From 'Severance': Watch". Stereogum. October 29, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ^ "Britt Lower TV Commercials". Ispot. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (January 20, 2020). "'Severance': Britt Lower To Star In Apple Drama Series".
- ^ Etzel, Gabby (May 29, 2022). "American Horror Stories: 10 Actors That Will Appear In Season 2". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
External links
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| National | |
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