Deborah Ann Woll (born February 7, 1985) is an American actress and model. Woll played
Jessica Hamby
Jessica Hamby is a fictional character in the ''True Blood'' series, portrayed by Deborah Ann Woll. In the series, which chronicles the life of human waitress Sookie Stackhouse and her friends after vampires make themselves known to humans, Jessic ...
in the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
drama series ''
True Blood
''True Blood'' is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. A reboot is currently in development.
The serie ...
'' (2008–2014), which earned her a nomination for a
Screen Actors Guild Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
. She subsequently starred as
Karen Page
Karen Page is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She serves as the original love interest for Daredevil, under Matt Murdock's employ as his legal secretary. In 1999, Page was killed by Bullseye, a ...
in the
Marvel series ''
Daredevil'' (2015–2018), ''
The Defenders'' (2017), and ''
The Punisher
The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...
'' (2017–2019). Her film roles include ''
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the ...
'' (2010), ''
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You'' (2011), ''
Catch .44'' (2011), ''
Ruby Sparks
''Ruby Sparks'' is a 2012 American romantic fantasy comedy-drama film written by Zoe Kazan and directed by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton. It stars Paul Dano as an anxious novelist whose fictional character, Ruby Sparks, played by Kazan, com ...
'' (2012), ''
Meet Me in Montenegro'' (2014), ''
The Automatic Hate
''The Automatic Hate'' is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed by Justin Lerner. It stars Joseph Cross and Adelaide Clemens as cousins who try to determine why their fathers have kept their respective families apart for decades. The film p ...
'' (2015), and the commercially-successful ''
Escape Room
An escape room, also known as an escape game, puzzle room, exit game, or riddle room is a game in which a team of players discover clues, solve puzzles, and accomplish tasks in one or more rooms in order to accomplish a specific goal in a limite ...
'' (2019) and
its 2021 sequel.
Early life
Deborah Ann Woll was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, on February 7, 1985. Her father is an architect and her mother, Cathy Woll, is a teacher at the
Berkeley Carroll School
The Berkeley Carroll School is a coed independent college prep school in New York City. Located in Park Slope, Brooklyn, it has a Lower School (preK – grade 4), Middle School (grades 5–8) and Upper School (grades 9–12).
History
The ...
. She is of Irish and German descent. She attended the
Packer Collegiate Institute
The Packer Collegiate Institute is an independent college preparatory school for students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. Formerly the Brooklyn Female Academy, Packer has been located at 170 Joralemon Street in the historic district of Br ...
, and received a
BFA from
USC School of Dramatic Arts
The USC School of Dramatic Arts (commonly referred to as SDA)—formerly the USC School of Theatre, is a private drama school at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. It is ranked one of the top 10 dramatic arts schools ...
at the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
. She also trained at the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...
(RADA) in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
Career
Woll began her career with guest starring roles in several television series, including ''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
'' (2007), ''
ER'' (2008), ''
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...
'' (2008), ''
My Name Is Earl
''My Name Is Earl'' is an American television sitcom created by Greg Garcia that aired on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States. It was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and starred Jaso ...
'' (2008), and ''
The Mentalist
''The Mentalist'' is an American drama television series that ran from September 23, 2008, until February 18, 2015, broadcasting 151 episodes over seven seasons, on CBS. Created by Bruno Heller, who was also its executive producer, the show fol ...
'' (2008), and had a supporting role in the action-adventure television film ''
Aces 'N' Eights
''Aces 'N' Eights'' is a 2008 American Western television film from RHI Entertainment, starring Casper Van Dien, Bruce Boxleitner and Ernest Borgnine. It is directed by Craig R. Baxley and written by Ronald M. Cohen and Dennis Shryack. ''Aces ...
'' (2008).
![Deborah Ann Woll at the 2010 SAG Awards](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Deborah_Ann_Woll_at_the_2010_SAG_Awards.jpg)
In 2008, Woll landed her breakout role as
Bill Compton's
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
progeny,
Jessica Hamby
Jessica Hamby is a fictional character in the ''True Blood'' series, portrayed by Deborah Ann Woll. In the series, which chronicles the life of human waitress Sookie Stackhouse and her friends after vampires make themselves known to humans, Jessic ...
, in the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
fantasy drama series ''
True Blood
''True Blood'' is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. A reboot is currently in development.
The serie ...
''. She originally joined as a recurring character in the first season, but was promoted to a regular cast member for the second season onwards.
In 2009, she and her ''True Blood'' co-stars won the
Satellite Award for Best Cast – Television Series The Satellite Award for Best Cast (or Best Ensemble) – Television Series is one of the Satellite Awards given by the International Press Academy
The International Press Academy (IPA) is an American association of professional entertainment jour ...
at the
14th annual ceremony. At the
16th Screen Actors Guild Awards
The 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, honoring the best achievements in film and television performances for the year 2009, were presented on January 23, 2010 at the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles, California for the fourteenth co ...
which took place the year following, she and her co-stars were nominated for
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Woll maintained the role of Jessica until the series' ending in 2014.
In 2009, she made a guest appearance in an episode of ''
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', portraying a young woman who is found alive after being reported missing by her boyfriend.
In 2010, Woll made her feature film debut in the psychological horror ''
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the ...
''.
In 2011, she starred in the supernatural thriller ''
Little Murder
''Little Murder'' is a 2011 supernatural horror thriller film directed by Predrag Antonijević. The film premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on January 8, 2011. The movie was distributed wide in the US on February 17, 2017 ...
'',
the sports drama ''
Seven Days in Utopia
''Seven Days in Utopia'' is a 2011 American Christian sports drama film directed by Matt Russell, starring Robert Duvall, Lucas Black, and Melissa Leo.
The film is based on the book ''Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia'' ...
'',
the action film ''
Catch .44'',
and the comedy-drama ''
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You''.
In 2012, Woll made a brief appearance in the romantic comedy-drama film ''
Ruby Sparks
''Ruby Sparks'' is a 2012 American romantic fantasy comedy-drama film written by Zoe Kazan and directed by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton. It stars Paul Dano as an anxious novelist whose fictional character, Ruby Sparks, played by Kazan, com ...
''. The year following, she performed at the
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a community arts center in Beverly Hills, California, named for philanthropist Wallis Annenberg in recognition for The Annenberg Foundation's major gift to fund the campus. It is colloquially k ...
in the play ''
Parfumerie''.
That same year, she joined the cast of the drama film ''
The Automatic Hate
''The Automatic Hate'' is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed by Justin Lerner. It stars Joseph Cross and Adelaide Clemens as cousins who try to determine why their fathers have kept their respective families apart for decades. The film p ...
''.
In 2015, she starred in the independent romantic drama film ''
Forever
Forever or 4ever may refer to:
Film and television Films
* ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice
* ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama
* ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...
''. She has portrayed
Karen Page
Karen Page is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She serves as the original love interest for Daredevil, under Matt Murdock's employ as his legal secretary. In 1999, Page was killed by Bullseye, a ...
in the Marvel series for
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
,
specifically as the female lead in ''
Daredevil'', and as a recurring actor in ''
The Punisher
The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...
'' and ''
The Defenders''.
''Daredevil'' earned her a nomination for a
Saturn Award
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
. In 2018, Woll starred in the comedy film ''Silver Lake''.
She also appeared in the action thriller film ''
Escape Room
An escape room, also known as an escape game, puzzle room, exit game, or riddle room is a game in which a team of players discover clues, solve puzzles, and accomplish tasks in one or more rooms in order to accomplish a specific goal in a limite ...
'' in 2019, a role she reprised in its sequel ''
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions'' (2021). The former was a major commercial success, surpassing initial expectations and debuting with $18.2 million, and finishing with $155.7 million.
Woll starred in the second season of ''Force Grey: Lost City of Omu'' (2017), a ''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...
''
web series
A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...
which focused on the ''
Tomb of Annihilation'' storyline,
and appeared as a guest player in the 45th episode of ''
Critical Role
''Critical Role'' is an American web series in which a group of professional voice actors play ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The show started streaming partway through the cast's first campaign in March 2015. Campaign one ended in October 2017 after ...
''
second campaign.
In 2019, she was the
Dungeon Master of the
Geek & Sundry
Geek & Sundry is a commercial YouTube and Twitch channel and multimedia production company. It was launched on April 2, 2012 by actress Felicia Day with Kim Evey and Sheri Bryant as part of YouTube's 100 million dollar original channel initiativ ...
show ''Relics and Rarities'', which used a modified version of ''Dungeons & Dragons''.
In May 2019, Woll stated that ''Relics and Rarities'' had not yet been picked up for a second season and said, "I can say I have written a second season, or at least I’ve outlined it. It’s ready to be fleshed out. Whether or not we get picked up,
..the cast] will be coming over to my house and playing it, cameras or not".
Since 2019, she has been a regular guest in seasons 7 through 10 of the web show ''GameNight!'' by
BoardGameGeek
BoardGameGeek (BGG) is an online forum for board gaming hobbyists and a game database that holds reviews, images and videos for over 125,600 different tabletop games, including European-style board games, wargames, and card games. In addition to ...
.
In 2022, it was announced that Woll would be the Dungeon Master for the ongoing ''D&D''
actual play
Actual play, also called live play, is a genre of podcast or web show in which people play tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) for an audience. Actual play often encompasses in-character interactions between players, storytelling from the game ...
show ''Children of Éarte''. It premiered in March 2022 on the
Demiplane
The planes of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game constitute the multiverse in which the game takes place. Each plane is a universe with its own rules with regard to gravity, geography, magic and morality. There have been various offi ...
Twitch channel.
Personal life
Woll began dating E. J. Scott in December 2007. They married in December 2018. Scott has
choroideremia
Choroideremia (; CHM) is a rare, X-linked recessive form of hereditary retinal degeneration that affects roughly 1 in 50,000 males. The disease causes a gradual loss of vision, starting with childhood night blindness, followed by peripheral vision ...
, a condition that ultimately results in blindness, and Woll uses her platform to help raise awareness of the disease. She has said that Scott's attitude towards his disability has inspired courage in her own, admittedly less life-changing, battle with
celiac disease
Coeliac disease (British English) or celiac disease (American English) is a long-term autoimmune disorder, primarily affecting the small intestine, where individuals develop intolerance to gluten, present in foods such as wheat, rye and barl ...
.
She is an enthusiastic ''Dungeons & Dragons'' player and has been interviewed by
D&D Beyond
D&D Beyond (DDB) is the official digital toolset and game companion for ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fifth edition. DDB hosts online versions of the official ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fifth edition books, including rulebooks, adventures, and other supple ...
and ''Dragon Talk''.
She has appeared in several ''Dungeons & Dragons'' charity
specials, as both a player and a Dungeon Master, produced by Lost Odyssey Events.
Filmography
Film
Television
Web series
Video games
Stage
Awards and nominations
See also
*
List of people diagnosed with celiac disease
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woll, Deborah Ann
1985 births
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from New York City
Models from New York City
American film actresses
American models
American people of German descent
American people of Irish descent
American television actresses
American stage actresses
Living people
People from Brooklyn
USC School of Dramatic Arts alumni