Lola Kirke
American actress and singer (born 1990)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lola Kirke (born September 27, 1990) is an American actress, singer, and author. She was born in London and raised in New York City. Kirke starred in the comedy film Mistress America (2015) and the Amazon Studios television series Mozart in the Jungle (2014–2018). She also appeared in the films Gone Girl (2014), Gemini (2017), Lost Girls (2020) and Sinners (2025), among others. Kirke began her singing career in 2016. Simon & Schuster published her debut book, Wild West Village, in 2025.[1]
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- US
- UK
- Actress
- singer
- author
Lola Kirke | |
|---|---|
Kirke in 2018 | |
| Born | September 27, 1990 London, England |
| Citizenship |
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| Alma mater | Bard College |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2010–present |
| Father | Simon Kirke |
| Relatives |
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Early life and family
Kirke was born on September 27, 1990,[2] at the Portland Hospital on Great Portland Street in the City of Westminster of London, England.[3] Her father, Simon Kirke, is a musician who was drummer for the rock bands Bad Company and Free, while her mother, Lorraine (née Dellal), is a fashion designer. Simon is of English and Scottish descent.[a][4][5] Lorraine's father, Jack Dellal, was a British businessman of Iraqi-Jewish descent, and her mother, Zehava Helmer, was an Israeli flight attendant; Kirke has described herself as Jewish.[6][7] She is the youngest of four children, with two sisters, singer Domino Kirke and actress Jemima Kirke,[8][9][10][11] and a brother,[12][13] Gregory Kirke.[14] Her maternal aunts include filmmakers Jasmine and Gaby Dellal.[15] Kirke is a cousin of curator Alexander Dellal, shoe designer Charlotte Olympia Dellal, and model Alice Dellal.[16] Model and actress Elisa Sednaoui is her cousin-in-law.[17]
Before moving to New York City, United States, when Kirke was five years old, the family lived in Barnes, an area in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. She grew up in the West Village, a neighborhood in the New York borough of Manhattan, where Lorraine founded and owned Geminola, a vintage boutique.[9][12] Kirke graduated from Saint Ann's School in the New York borough of Brooklyn and, in 2012, from Bard College.[10][11][13] She is a naturalized US citizen.[18]
Career
Kirke's breakout role came as the main character Hayley Rutledge in the Amazon series Mozart in the Jungle.[19] It ran for four seasons, from 2014 to 2018.[20] In 2014, she had a supporting role in the David Fincher film Gone Girl,[21] before going on to star in Mistress America alongside Greta Gerwig.[22][23] In 2017, Kirke starred opposite Zoe Kravitz in the Neon film Gemini, a neo-noir mystery film set in Hollywood, which made its world premiere at South By Southwest on March 12, 2017. Additionally in 2017, Kirke appeared in the based-on-a-true-story action comedy film American Made alongside actors Tom Cruise, Jesse Plemons and Domhnall Gleeson. In 2018 she starred in the drama film Untogether, playing sisters with her real-life sister Jemima Kirke. It premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.[24] She appears in the mystery drama Lost Girls, which made its premiere at The Sundance Film Festival in 2020, and was later made available on Netflix. In 2021, Kirke starred in the B. J. Novak anthology series The Premise for FX and Hulu. Kirke appears in the HBO series about the Los Angeles Lakers, Winning Time, and the drama series Three Women,[25] based on Lisa Taddeo’s book of the same name.[26]
Kirke is an activist for women's rights. In 2017 she notably wore a "Fuck Paul Ryan" pin on her gown to the Golden Globes to protest the defunding of Planned Parenthood.[27]
Kirke is also active in music. In 2016 she released an EP.[28] In 2018, she released three singles, including two with accompanying music videos, "Monster" and "Supposed To".[29][30] Her debut album, Heart Head West, was released on August 10, 2018 by Downtown Records.[31][32][33]
On March 12, 2019, Kirke released a cover of Rick Danko's "Sip the Wine" on Downtown Records, produced by Matthew E. White at his Richmond, Virginia studio, Spacebomb Studios.[34] In October 2021, Kirke was signed to Third Man Records.[35]
In April 2022, Third Man released her sophomore LP, Lady for Sale.[36] The album was hailed as "immediately iconic" by AllMusic,[37] and was said to bridge "the gap that once existed between Madonna and the Mandrell Sisters," by Uncut Magazine.[citation needed] "A new era of sparkle-country is upon us," declared No Depression.[38] "Lola Kirke is here to usher it in." "Lyrically, Kirke moves into the top tier of writers," wrote The Line of Best Fit.[39] Pitchfork gave the album a mixed review, finding both "pure pastiche" and "pure delight" in its "genre-first approach".[40]
In August 2022, it was announced that Kirke would be supporting Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit on their UK Tour in November and December 2022.[41]
In 2024, Kirke released “Country Curious,” an EP produced by Elle King and featuring artists like First Aid Kit and Rosanne Cash, who invited her to make her Grand Ole Opry debut in June Carter’s dress.
In 2025, she released her third full length LP Trailblazer, produced by GRAMMY winner Daniel Tashian (Kacey Musgraves, Sarah Jarosz) to critical acclaim). Hailed by the Tennessean as “the most honest and best release of her career," and included in Rolling Stone's Best Albums of 2025 So Far, Trailblazer, Holler Country said "is a revelation... an essential country album." The deluxe release of the album also features a collaboration on a cover of the viral Yeah Yeah Yeahs song "Maps" with Willow Avalon.
Kirke is also featured on the GRAMMY nominated soundtrack to Sinners.
Kirke's first book Wild West Village: Not a Memoir—Unless I Win an Oscar, Die Tragically, or Score a Country #1 was published in 2025 by Simon & Schuster landing on most anticipated lists from Harper's Bazaar,[42] Town & Country,[43] LitHub,[44] and Bustle.[45] Kirkus called the debut "a funny, raw, and painful book about a woman’s chaotic, thoroughly individual path to coming into her own," while Booklist praised Kirke's insights as "a delicious peek behind the veil, like an Andy Warhol Diaries for rich New York City art kids of the new millennium."[citation needed]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Another Happy Day | Charlie | |
| 2013 | Reaching for the Moon | Margaret | |
| 2014 | Free the Nipple | Liv | |
| Song One | Rema | ||
| Gone Girl | Greta | ||
| 2015 | Mistress America | Tracy | |
| 2016 | Fallen | Penn | |
| AWOL | Joey | ||
| 2017 | Gemini | Jill LeBeau | |
| Active Adults | Lily | ||
| American Made | Judy Downing | ||
| 2018 | Viper Club | Amy | |
| Untogether | Tara Moore | ||
| 2019 | Dreamland | Phoebe Evans | Voice[46] |
| American Woman | Yvonne | ||
| 2020 | Lost Girls | Kim | |
| 2021 | Broken Diamonds | Cindy | |
| 2025 | Atropia | Candy | |
| Sinners | Joan | ||
| TBA | Eleven Days | TBA | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Gabby Shaw | Episode: "Traumatic Wound" |
| 2014 | The Leftovers | Hailey | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2014–2018 | Mozart in the Jungle | Hailey Rutledge | Main cast |
| 2018 | OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes | Holo-Jane (voice) | Episode: "Your World is an Illusion" |
| 2021 | The Premise | Allegra | Episode: "The Commentator" |
| 2022 | Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty | Karen Bua West | 2 episodes |
| 2024 | Three Women | Lily | 4 episodes |
Discography
- EP (2016)
- Heart Head West (2018)
- Lady for Sale (2022)
- Country Curious (2024)[47]
- Trailblazer (2025)
Notes
- The Kirkes are a junior branch of a family of Nottinghamshire landed gentry. They are also descended from the Gibson-Craig baronets.