Morgan Saylor
Morgan Frances Saylor (born October 26, 1994)[1][2][3] is an American actress. She is known for portraying Dana Brody in the Showtime series Homeland.[4] Along with the rest of the cast of Homeland, Saylor was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2013 and 2014.
Morgan Saylor | |
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![]() Saylor at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival | |
Born | |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2006–present |
Early life
Saylor was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her mother is a retailer at REI and her father does renovations for Starbucks; they are divorced. Saylor moved to Villa Rica, Georgia at age two, and Decatur, Georgia at age ten.[2]
Career
Saylor attended acting camps at the Department of Recreation and played the title role in Alana at OnStage Atlanta. She starred as Susan Walker in Miracle on 34th Street. In fourth grade, she moved to Los Angeles for the summer. She did a voice-over of young Meadow in The Sopranos in 2006. When Saylor was 11 years old, she was signed by talent agent Joy Pervis. Saylor played Annie in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant in 2009 and young Claire in Father of Invention in 2010. She played Dana Brody in Homeland from season one to season three.[2]
In June 2014, Saylor made her stage debut at the Manhattan Theatre Club as Penny in When We Were Young and Unafraid, written by Sarah Treem and directed by Pam MacKinnon.[5] Also in 2014, she played Gracie Highsmith in Jamie Marks Is Dead, an adaptation of Christopher Barzak's 2007 novel One for Sorrow, directed by Carter Smith.[6][7]
Saylor played Kevin Costner's character's daughter Julie in the sports drama McFarland, USA, which was released on February 20, 2015.[8][9] She played the role of Leah in White Girl, which was written and directed by Elizabeth Wood and premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.[10] Saylor acted alongside Nick Robinson and Common in director Rob Reiner's film Being Charlie.[11] The film premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival in September of that year.[12]
Personal life
Saylor graduated from high school in May 2013.[13][14] In August, she moved to the Bedford–Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, New York with her brother and her boyfriend, with whom she has been in a relationship since 2012.[15] She has a small anchor tattooed behind her left ear; her older brother has a similar, larger anchor tattooed on his forearm. In her free time, Saylor enjoys rock climbing.[2] She studied Mathematics at the University of Chicago in the fall of 2015.[16][17]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant | Annie | |
2010 | Father of Invention | Young Claire | |
2011 | The Greening of Whitney Brown | Annie | |
2014 | Jamie Marks Is Dead | Gracie Highsmith | |
2015 | McFarland, USA | Julie White | |
2015 | Being Charlie | Eva | |
2016 | White Girl | Leah | |
2017 | Novitiate | Sister Evelyn | |
2018 | We the Coyotes | Amanda | |
2019 | Blow the Man Down | Mary Beth Connolly | |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | The Sopranos | Young Meadow | 2 episodes ("Join the Club" and "Mayham"), uncredited |
2007 | K-Ville | Lana Roberts | 1 episode ("AKA") |
2011–2013 | Homeland | Dana Brody | 36 episodes |
Theatre
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | When We Were Young and Unafraid | Penny | Manhattan Theatre Club |
Awards and nominations
Year | Ceremony | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (shared with cast) | Homeland | Nominated | [18] |
2014 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (shared with cast) | Homeland | Nominated | [19] |
References
- Amodio, Joseph V. (July 15, 2014). "'Homeland' actress Morgan Saylor corners the moody teen market, next with 'When We Were Young and Unafraid'". Newsday. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- Van Dusen, Christine (March 2013). "This Story May Contain Spoilers". Atlanta. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
- "Teenagers on telly". New Statesman. November 23, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- "The best nonfiction TV of 2011". Salon.com. December 22, 2011. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
- Miller, Stuart (June 18, 2014). "Morgan Saylor on Her Theater Debut and Leaving Homeland Behind". Vulture. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- Sandberg, Patrik (2014). "Morgan Saylor". V. Visionaire. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- O'Falt, Chris (September 3, 2014). "Stream 'Starred Up' and Meet Angelina Jolie's New Leading Man". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- Yamato, Jen (October 14, 2013). "'Homeland's Morgan Saylor Joins Disney Sports Drama 'McFarland'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- McNary, Dave (August 22, 2014). "Kevin Costner's Sports Drama 'McFarland USA' Pushed to 2015". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- Lacava, Stephanie (February 4, 2015). "Could The Film 'White Girl' Be This Generation's 'Kids'?". Opening Ceremony. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- Ford, Rebecca (April 22, 2015). "Nick Robinson, Common Join Rob Reiner's 'Being Charlie' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- Barker, Andrew (September 17, 2015). "Toronto Film Review: 'Being Charlie'". Variety. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
- Mathews, Dana (January 2013). "'Homeland' Star Morgan Saylor Talks About Her Winning Night at the Golden Globes". Teen Vogue. Condé Nast. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- Martin, Denise (October 7, 2013). "Homeland's Morgan Saylor on Dana's Selfies, Sex, and Life Without Brody". Vulture. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- Madison, Lucy. "Morgan Saylor". Interview. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- Grimmer, Katie (January 7, 2014). "The Double Life of Morgan Saylor". The Wild Magazine. Archived from the original on September 15, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- Denicolo, David (August 21, 2014). "Homeland's Morgan Saylor Talks Movies, Music—and Pies". Allure. Condé Nast. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- Rosen, Christopher (January 27, 2013). "SAG Awards Winners 2013: Screen Actors Guild Honors Best In Film & Television". The Huffington Post. AOL. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- "SAG Awards 2014: The complete list of winners and nominees". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. December 11, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2014.