Tommy Dorfman

Dorfman was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, to a Jewish family.^[3][4] Her cousin is Andi Dorfman, a former contestant on The Bachelorette. Dorfman graduated from Fordham University's drama program in 2015 with a B.A. in theatre arts.^[5][3]

After graduating from university, Dorfman was cast in the role of Ryan Shaver on the Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why, which premiered in 2017.^[6] Also that year, she helped design a fashion collection with ASOS,^[7] and in October was honored with the Rising Star Award by GLAAD.^[5]

In the spring of 2019, Dorfman made her New York theatrical debut in The New Group's production of Jeremy O. Harris's play Daddy, directed by Danya Taymor.^[8]

In 2024 she directed and co-wrote the film I Wish You All the Best, about a teen's coming out as non-binary, which received positive reviews. Dorfman's direction was praised by Variety as making "an attractive look and smooth pace."^[9]

In 2025, she starred in the Off-Broadway production of Becoming Eve by Emil Weinstein based on the memoir by Abby Chava Stein, playing the role of Chava.^[10][11] For her performance, Dorfman was nominated for the 2025 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance^[12] and the 2026 Dorian Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in an Off-Broadway Production.^[13]

Dorfman is queer.^[3] Dorfman and Peter Zurkuhlen became engaged in April 2015 and married in Portland, Maine, on November 12, 2016.^[14] In July 2021, Dorfman revealed she and Zurkuhlen had divorced but remain friends.^[15]

In November 2017, Dorfman came out as non-binary and began using they pronouns.^[16] On July 22, 2021, Dorfman came out as a transgender woman and began using she pronouns.^[15] She revealed in an interview that she had already been "privately identifying and living as a woman" for almost a year.^[15][17] She chose to retain her birth name of Tommy, to which she feels "very connected" and which honors her mother's brother who died when Dorfman was a month old.^[15] In April 2022, Dorfman identified as a lesbian.^[18]

In May 2024, Dorfman revealed that she had secretly eloped with her girlfriend, Elise Williams, in Malibu, California, around late 2023.^[19][20]