Turned professional since 1986, Natasha Lyonne, an American actress, director & producer is widely famous for portraying Nicky Nichols in Orange Is the New Black (2013- 2019). The 4-time Primetime Emmy nominee starred, directed & wrote the Netflix comedy-drama Russian Doll (2019-present).
Including TV and films, Lyonne records 107 acting credits so far. From 1999 to 2012, she played Jessica in the American Pie films (3 movies) and has appeared in other commercial success like Scary Movie 2 (2001), Blade: Trinity (2004), and Honey Boy (2019).
Raised In a Jewish Family
Natasha was born on April 4, 1979, in New York City, New York, the USA, to Ivette Buchinger and Aaron Braunstein. Her father was a boxing promoter, race car driver & a radio host. Her parents were Orthodox Jewish. At the age of 8, she moved to Israel with her parents & older brother Adam. But returned after a year & a half as Lyonne's parents divorced.
Reportedly, she was estranged with her father, who died in October 2014 & is also not close to her mother. Lyonne has lived independently since the age of 16.
Natasha attended Ramaz School but was expelled for selling marijuana. Although the American actress went to Miami Country Day School, she didn't graduate but took NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. However, left after she couldn't pay tuition fees.
Lyonne's Age & Height
As of September 2020, Lyonne is 41 years old & has a height of 5 ft. 1.5 inch (156 cm).
Career In Acting: Film and TV Series Appearances
While living briefly in Israel, she worked in children's film April Fool, after which she found passion in acting. Natasha, then after her return to New York, the USA, and signed with Ford Modeling Agency. In 1986, Lyonne appeared in TV series Pee-wee's Playhouse.
At the age of 16, Natasha Lyonne made her film debut with an appearance in the 1996 film Everyone Says I Love You, & appeared in other movies: Slums of Beverly Hills (1998) and Modern Vampires (1998). In 1999, she worked in the comedy American Pie starring Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, and Alyson Hannigan.
Some of her famous film appearances are Scary Movie 2 (2001), American Pie 2 (2001), Blade: Trinity (2004), The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle (2009), American Reunion (2012), alongside actors Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Wesley Snipes, and Jessica Biel.
Throughout the 2010s, Natasha Lyonne appeared in critically acclaimed films G.B.F. (2014), Hello, My Name is Doris (2016), Antibirth (2016), John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch (2019), and Honey Boy (2019).
Worked In 'Orange Is the New Black'
From 2013 to 2019, Natasha Lyonne starred as Nicky Nichols in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black in 81 episodes. There, she shared the screen with Taylor Schilling, Laura Prepon, and Michael Harney, earning a nomination for Primetime Emmy.
CAPTION: Natasha Lyonne as Nicky Nichols in Orange Is the New Black SOURCE: Pinterest On February 1, 2019, Lyonne's Netflix comedy-drama Russian Doll premiered totaling 8 episodes. Alongside being the main cast, she also directed & produced the series. It renewed for 2nd season in June 2019. The series earned her another 3 Primetime nominations.
Her TV career includes brief appearances in Will & Grace (2000), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2011), Girls (2015), and Documentary Now! (2019).
Upcoming Projects
Her upcoming film The United States vs. Billie Holiday is under post-production, set to release in 2021. As per IMDB, she is working on short-film Lip Service (under post-production).
Net Worth In 2020
Throughout her career journey, Natasha Lyonne has worked in 107 TV series and films. According to Celebrity Net Worth, she has a net worth of $5 million as of September 2020. The major source of her income is acting; The Richest reports $500,000 payroll from the film American Reunion.
Alongside acting, the American actress made a considerable sum of money through directing & producing credits. Here is the list of her films box-office collection:
- American Pie (1999)- $235.5 million
- Scary Movie 2 (2001)- $141.2 million
- American Pie 2 (2001)- $287.6 million
- Blade: Trinity (2004)- $132 million
Is Natasha Lyonne Dating or Married?
The Orange Is the New Black actress is currently is in a relationship with Fred Armisen, a veteran personality on Saturday Night Live. They are dating since 2014 but are yet to get married or engaged.
CAPTION: Natasha Lyonne and her boyfriend Fred Armisen SOURCE: Elle On August 26, 2014, the duo relationship topic made highlights after they attended the Variety and Women in Film Emmy Nominee Celebration. Their official duo appearance was in Independent Film Spirit Awards in February 2015.
On September 5, 2016, she shared an Instagram post featuring Armisen on the backstage of The Misfits concert with the caption "Boyfriend of the year award, basically."
From time often, the couple shares adorable posts mentioning each other on social media. Currently, Natasha lives in New York City.
Health Issues
After suffering from hepatitis C, a heart infection, and a collapsed lung, Lyonne was admitted to Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan in 2005. Reportedly, she was undergoing drug and alcohol treatment in 2006; methadone treatment for heroin addiction.
In March 2012, while appearing in The Rosie Show, Natasha opened up about her health problems & stated she underwent open-heart surgery to correct heart valve damage.
