Greta Gerwig is an American actress, screenwriter, and film director. Born in Sacramento, California, Gerwig started as an actress when she was admitted to playwriting MFA programs. She began with a variety of minor film roles that led her to connect with Joe Swanberg. The two partnered in and wrote multiple films together, including Hannah Takes the Stairs, Nights and Weekends, and more, leading to Gerwig becoming a notable figure in the mumblecore film movement. Afterward, Gerwig went back to take acting classes and appeared in a number of independent films, including Yeast, The House of the Devil, and more.

Eventually, after a number of acting roles under her belt, Gerwig made her directorial debut in the 2017 comedy film Lady Bird. Premiering at the Telluride Film Festival, the film grossed over $78 million and received critical acclaim from critics and audiences. Gerwig would go on to write and direct the critically acclaimed 2019 adaptation of Little Women released in 2019.

However, the film she is most known for, the 2023 fantasy comedy film Barbie, was a commercial success, helped by its joint release alongside Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Barbie grossed over one billion worldwide and set the record for being the first female solo director to have a movie make over a billion at the global box office.