Birth : 8 November 1972, Deep River, Connecticut, USA
Height : 5' 6"
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Gretchen Mol was born on November 8, 1972 in Deep River, Connecticut, the daughter of a school principal and his artist wife. Deep River is a small community located on the Chester Bowles Highway (Route 9), nine miles northwest of Old Saybrook (home of the legendary 'Katharine Hepburn' (qv)), within commuting distance of New York City. The young Gretchen was bit by the acting bug and participated in high school theatrics, then moved to the Big Apple as a teenager to study acting and musical theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and at the William Esper Studio. Although only 5'6" tall, too short for a traditional modeling career, her unique beauty brought her modeling jobs as she pursued her dream of becoming a professional actress. Her image began appearing in magazines in 1994. Mol worked at such time-honored Manhattan jobs as restaurant hat-check girl, and while working that gig, she was discovered by a talent agent. The talent agent landed Mol her first acting job, a television commercial for Coca-Cola. She continued to hone her acting skills in summer stock, appearing in such productions as "Bus Stop", "No Exit" and "Godspell". The 23-year-old Gretchen made her film debut in 'Spike Lee' (qv)'s _Girl 6 (1996)_ (qv), a small role that came to her serendipitously, after she had gone for an audition for the soap opera "The Guiding Light." Her career began to quicken, and she appeared in small parts, mostly "girlfriend" roles, in _Rounders (1998)_ (qv) starring Matt Damon, and in Woody Allen's _Celebrity (1998)_ (qv), opposite Kevin Branagh and Leonardo DiCaprio. Gretchen Mol was touted as the "Next Big Thing" after appearing on the cover of the September 1998 of "Vanity Fair". Over a striking picture of a blonde Mol in a sheer white gown, strained by her erect nipples, "Vanity Fair" asked "Is She Hollywood's Next 'It' Girl?" Her most memorable role up to that time was as a mobster's moll in the minor cult classic Donnie Brasco (1997), which was mostly remembered for cinematic turns by Al Pacino, Johnny Depp and Anne Heche, another young, blonde actress just starting to making a name for herself. Nonetheless, her beauty and presence led "Vanity Fair" to hype the blonde beauty, heralding the arrival of a major new star. She seemed poised to move up to featured roles. but the announcement turned out to be premature. Brunette Angelina Jolie proved to be Hollywood's Next 'It' Girl. During the seven years that followed the "Vanity Fair" cover story , Mol continued to appear in films and on the stage, including the part of Jennie in the London and New York productions of 'Neil LaBute' (qv)'s _The Shape of Things (2003)_ (qv) in 2001. (She also appeared in the 2003 film.) Proving herself to be not just a pretty face, Mol won good reviews. In 2004, Mol displayed her singing and dancing chops by playing Roxie Hart in the Broadway production of "Chicago." Though still on the radar, Gretchen Mol had fallen out of the celebrity limelight that had briefly fallen on her in 1998. She worked steadily (she appeared in another small role in Woody Allen's _Sweet and Lowdown (1999)_ (qv), and eventually, Mol won the lead in David E. Kelly TV series _"Girls Club" (2002)_ (qv). The series bombed and was canceled after two episodes. However, the intervening period allowed her to develop as an actress. In 2004, the blonde beauty finally had the role that proved to be her acting breakthrough, playing the brunette bombshell _The Notorious Bettie Page (2005)_ (qv). Many brunettes have gone blonde, but Mol - the blonde who went brunette rocked the screen with her presence. Her embodiment of the legendary Bettie Page garnered excellent reviews and propelled the flick into art house hit status. Mol married film director 'Tod Williams' (qv) on June 1, 2004 and they became parents a little over three years later, when a son, Ptolemy John Williams, was born on October 10, 2007. While not yet having achieved a place on the "A-list" of movie stars, she has established her credibility as an actress and character-lead and should have a long and productive career in the industry.
Biography written by: Jon C. Hopwood
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- 3:10 to Yuma (2007) [Alice Evans] <10>
- An American Affair (2009) [Catherine Caswell] <1>
- Attraction (2000) [Liz] <3>
- Bleach (1998) [Gwen]
- Calm at Sunset (1996) (TV) [Emily] <6>
- Celebrity (1998) [Vicky] <92>
- Cradle Will Rock (1999) [Marion Davies] <49>
- Donnie Brasco (1997) [Sonny's Girlfriend] <16>
- Finding Graceland (1998) [Beatrice Gruman] <4>
- Forever Mine (1999) [Ella Brice] <3>
- Freshening Up (2002) (TV) [Janelle] <2>
- Get Carter (2000) (uncredited) [Audrey]
- Girl 6 (1996) [Girl #12] <15>
- Godzilla (1998) (uncredited) [Reporter]
- Heavy Put-Away (2004) [Mary]
- Just Looking (1999) [Hedy Coletti] <14>
- Life on Mars: Time Warp (2009) (V) [Det Jane]
- Music from Another Room (1998) [Anna] <3>
- New Rose Hotel (1998) [Hiroshi's Wife] <9>
- Picnic (2000) (TV) [Madge Owens] <4>
- Puccini for Beginners (2006) [Grace] <2>
- Rounders (1998) [Jo] <4>
- SUBWAYStories: Tales from the Underground (1997) (TV) [The Wife (segment "Love on the A Train")] <65>
- Sweet and Lowdown (1999) [Ellie] <73>
- Tenure (2009) [Elaine Grasso] <2>
- The Deli (1997) [Mary] <45>
- The Funeral (1996) [Helen] <7>
- The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997) [Mary Greenway] <9>
- The Magnificent Ambersons (2002) (TV) [Lucy Morgan] <4>
- The Memory Keeper's Daughter (2008) (TV) [Nora Henry] <3>
- The Notorious Bettie Page (2005) [Bettie Page] <1>
- The Shape of Things (2003) [Jenny] <1>
- The Ten (2007) [Gloria Jennings] <21>
- The Thirteenth Floor (1999) [Jane Fuller/Natasha Molinaro] <3>
- The Valley of Light (2007) (TV) [Eleanor] <2>
- Too Tired to Die (1998) (uncredited) [Capri]
- Trainwreck: My Life as an Idoit (2007) [Lynn]
- Zoe Loses It (2000) [Amber] <2>
- "Boardwalk Empire" (2009) {Anastasia (#1.4)} [Gillian] <15>
- "Boardwalk Empire" (2009) {Broadway Limited (#1.3)} [Gillian]
- "Boardwalk Empire" (2009) {Pilot (#1.1)} [Gillian] <15>
- "Boardwalk Empire" (2009) {The Ivory Tower (#1.2)} [Gillian] <15>
- "Canada A.M." (1972) {(2006-04-20)} [Herself/Bettie Page]
- "Dead Man's Walk" (1996) [Maggie] <30>
- "Girls Club" (2002) {Book of Virtues (#1.2)} [Lynne Camden] <1>
- "Girls Club" (2002) {Hello, Goodbye (#1.9)} [Lynne Camden] <1>
- "Girls Club" (2002) {Pilot (#1.1)} [Lynne Camden] <1>
- "Girls Club" (2002) {Secrets and Lies (#1.3)} [Lynne Camden] <1>
- "Girls Club" (2002) {Sex, Drugs and Being Madonna (#1.4)} [Lynne Camden] <1>
- "Girls Club" (2002) {The Moment (#1.5)} [Lynne Camden] <1>
- "Girls Club" (2002) {The Young and the Meatless (#1.6)} [Lynne Camden] <1>
- "Girls Club" (2002) {Thighs Wide Open (#1.7)} [Lynne Camden] <1>
- "Girls Club" (2002) {Triple Header (#1.8)} [Lynne Camden] <1>
- "HBO First Look" (1992) {The Notorious Bettie Page (#13.4)} [Herself]
- "Late Show with David Letterman" (1993) {(2006-04-14)} [Herself]
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {All the Young Dudes (#1.15)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {Coffee, Tea, or Annie (#1.14)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {Everyone Knows It's Windy (#1.16)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadows? (#1.4)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {Home Is Where You Hang Your Holster (#1.11)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {Let All the Children Boogie (#1.10)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {Life Is a Rock (#1.17)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {My Maharishi Is Bigger Than Your Maharishi (#1.3)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {Out Here in the Fields (#1.1)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {Revenge of Broken Jaw (#1.13)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {Take a Look at the Lawmen (#1.8)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {The Dark Side of the Mook (#1.9)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {The Man Who Sold the World (#1.7)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {The Real Adventures of the Unreal Sam Tyler (#1.2)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {The Simple Secret of the Note in Us All (#1.12)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {Things to Do in New York When You Think You're Dead (#1.5)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Life on Mars" (2008) {Tuesday's Dead (#1.6)} [Annie Norris] <3>
- "Spin City" (1996) {Pride and Prejudice (#1.4)} [Gwen]
- "The Directors" (1999) {The Films of Paul Schrader (#2.20)} [Herself]
- "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" (1996) {(2001-10-23)} [Herself]
- "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" (1996) {(2002-01-11)} [Herself]
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- 'Tod Williams' (qv) (1 June 2004 - present); 1 child
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- "Movieline" (USA), October 2000, Vol. XII, Iss. 2, pg. 74-79, by: Dennis Hensley, "Turning Up The Heat"
- "Movieline" (USA), September 1998, Vol. 10, Iss. 1, pg. 64-65, by: Martha Frankel, "Rhymes With Doll"
- "Indie" (USA), September 1998, pg. 12-13, by: Gregg Goldstein, "There's something glam about Gretchen"
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- "The Washington Post" (USA), 27 February 2009, Vol. 132, Iss. 84, pg. 31+33 in Weekend section, by: Ellen McCarthy, "Gretchen Mol: Happy to Take 2 Steps Back"
- "Hotdog" (UK), August 2006, Iss. 78, pg. 102-107, by: Tom Hawker, "X Factor: Ten Titillating Tit-bits about the Notoious Bettie Page..."
- "The Los Angeles Times" (USA), 9 April 2006, by: Mary McNamara, "Out From Under It"
- "Premiere" (USA), April 2006, Vol. 19, Iss. 7, pg. 82-84, by: Borgeson, Kelly, ""The Notorious Gretchen Mol""
- "Playboy" (USA), August 2004, Vol. 51, Iss. 8, pg. 151, by: staff, "Big-Screen Bettie"
- "Movieline's Hollywood Life" (USA), May 2003, Vol. 1, Iss. 1, pg. 82-87, by: Dennis Hensley, "Mol or Nothing"
- "Empire" (UK), December 1998, Iss. 114, pg. 78, by: David Eimer
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- "Playboy" (USA), December 2006, Vol. 53, Iss. 12, pg. 96, by: Stephen Rebello, "Sex in Cinema 2006"
- "New York Times Magazine" (USA), 12 March 2006, pg. 55-63, by: Jeff Koons, ""Gretchen Mol""
- "Star" (USA), 3 January 2005, Vol. 32, Iss. 1, pg. 66-67, "'Star Style': Gold & Silver Goddesses"
- "Celebrity Skin" (USA), September 2004, Vol. 28, Iss. 132, pg. 32, by: staff, "Top 100 Sexiest Stars: #74 Gretchen Mol"
- "Movieline" (USA), October 2000, Vol. XII, Iss. 2, pg. 74-79, by: Photos by: Tony Duran, "turning up the heat"
- "Playboy" (USA), January 1999, Vol. 46, Iss. 1, pg. 183, by: staff, "The Year in Sex"
- "Celebrity Sleuth" (USA), 1999, Vol. 12, Iss. 7, pg. 16-17, by: staff, "Sleuth's Top 10: #5"
- "Playboy" (USA), October 1998, Vol. 45, Iss. 10, pg. 180, by: Nelly Jordan, "Grapevine"
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- "Hotdog" (UK), August 2006, Iss. 78
- "Vanity Fair" (USA), September 1998
- "Vanity Fair" (USA), April 1998
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- Stage: Appeared in "The Shape of Things", Promenade Theater, NYC, 2002.
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- I wish I could say I have this kind of big plan, but now, so much of it is what comes along the pike, and then, you just say, there's something about that role that just tickles me or sort of feels right.
- I never really have had, at its core, an issue with nudity in films except that I know when I think it's exploitative and when I think it's beautiful.
- [Of her watching "Bettie Page" pornographic film loops to understand her character in _The Notorious Bettie Page (2005)_ (qv)] I love the loops! I couldn't take my eyes off of them. It was five minutes dedicated to the art of the shoe, and putting the shoe on -- but first the stocking. It was so geisha. There was something so presentational. Bettie was just lost in her own world, dancing around with this fringe bikini on, with this weird lamp on the side table.
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- Graduated from the 'William Esper' (qv) Studio.
- She worked as a hat check girl at a restaurant where her agent-to-be spotted her and got her a coke commercial.
- Her mother is an artist and her father is a special ed teacher at RHAM High School. Her parents divorced when she was young. She has an older brother, 'Jim Mol (I)' (qv).
- Graduated from the prestigious American Musical and Dramatic Academy. That is the same school that actors such as 'Lee Tergesen' (qv) (_"Oz" (1997)_ (qv)), 'Tyne Daly' (qv) (_"Judging Amy" (1999)_ (qv)) and 'Paul Sorvino' (qv) (_Goodfellas (1990)_ (qv)) attended.
- Went to the same high school as Broadway actor 'Peter Lockyer' (qv).
- Grew up in Connecticut. Moved to New York as a teenager to study acting.
- Worked with her husband's ex-wife ('Famke Janssen' (qv)) on three films - two before she married him (_Rounders (1998)_ (qv) and _Celebrity (1998)_ (qv)) and one after she married him (_The Ten (2007)_ (qv)).
- Son Ptolemy John Williams, born 10 October 2007.
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