Gillian MacLaren Jacobs (; born October 19, 1982) is an American actress. She is known for playing Britta Perry in the NBC sitcom Community (2009–2015) and Mickey Dobbs in the Netflix romantic comedy series Love (2016–2018). Her other notable television roles include Mimi-Rose Howard in the fourth season of the HBO comedy-drama series Girls (2015), Atom Eve in the superhero animated series Invincible (2021–present), Mary Jayne Gold in the Netflix miniseries Transatlantic (2023), and Tiffany Jerimovich in the FX on Hulu comedy-drama series The Bear (2022–2026).
She has also appeared in films such as Gardens of the Night (2008), Don't Think Twice (2016), Ibiza (2018), I Used to Go Here (2020), and the Fear Street trilogy (2021).
Early life Gillian MacLaren Jacobs was born in Pittsburgh on October 19, 1982, the only child of college administrator Martina Magenau and investment banker William Francis Jacobs III, son of William Francis Jacobs Jr. and wife Mary Margaret Haskins. (Scroll down to Jacobs entry.) Her parents divorced when she was two years old, and she was raised by her mother in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Her maternal family owned a brewery, Erie Brewing Company in Erie, Pennsylvania, where her grandfather John Martin Magenau Jr., married to her grandmother Carol Marie Spiller, was president and CEO until it closed in 1978.
Jacobs was enrolled in her first acting course at age eight and attended weekend acting classes at the Pittsburgh Playhouse while growing up. She performed with the Pittsburgh Public Theater, where she was a perennial contender in the Public's Shakespeare Monologue Contest, leading her to be cast as Titania in its production of A Midsummer Night's Dream."OnStage". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 1, 2006.
After graduating from Mt. Lebanon High School in 2000, she moved to New York City to attend the Juilliard School, where she graduated with a BFA in 2004.
Career
Jacobs starred in the television series The Book of Daniel. Although she played Kim in the pilot of Traveler, the role was given to Pascale Hutton when ABC acquired the series; the series was canceled after eight episodes. Jacobs subsequently made guest appearances on Fringe and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. In 2006, she starred in an Off-Off-Broadway production of Christopher Denham's cagelove. While overall critical reaction to the play was negative, Jacobs earned praise in several reviews. The New York Times advised readers to "remember the name of Gillian Jacobs, a stunning Juilliard graduate who has the glow of a star in the making".
Jacobs has appeared in theatrical productions, such as The Fabulous Life of a Size Zero (2007), A Feminine Ending (2007), and The Little Flower of East Orange (2008). In March 2009, she joined the cast of the NBC single-camera comedy series Community as Britta Perry, a high school dropout who aspires to become a psychologist. Her film work includes Blackbird (2007), Choke (2008), Gardens of the Night (2008), The Box (2009), Revenge for Jolly! (2012), Bad Milo! (2013), Walk of Shame (2014), The Lookalike (2014), Life Partners (2014), Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2015), Visions (2015), Don't Think Twice (2016), and Brother Nature (2016). She voiced Sta'abi in the Nickelodeon animated series Monsters vs. Aliens and Atom Eve in the Amazon Prime animated series Invincible.
Community was canceled by NBC on May 9, 2014, and later that month, it was reported that Jacobs had landed a recurring role as Mimi-Rose Howard in the fourth season of the HBO series Girls. In June 2014, Yahoo! Screen picked up Community for a sixth season. It was announced on September 16, 2014, that Jacobs was set to star as Mickey in the Netflix original comedy series Love.
Jacobs directed the 2015 documentary short The Queen of Code about computer scientist and United States Navy rear admiral Grace Hopper. In 2017, Jacobs co-starred in Janicza Bravo's first full length feature, Lemon, which debuted at Sundance Film Festival.
In 2018, she directed Curated, a narrative short film, as a part of a series produced by TNT and Refinery29.
In 2020, Jacobs starred in the comedy-drama film I Used to Go Here. She directed the episode "Higher, Further, Faster" for the documentary series Marvel's 616.
In February 2021, she and co-host Diona Reasonover premiered a STEM-focused podcast, Periodic Talks, on Stitcher Radio. In July 2021, she had a supporting role in the Fear Street horror film trilogy on Netflix as Christine "Ziggy" Berman.
Since 2023, she has guest starred in eight episodes of the television series The Bear, playing Tiffany Jerimovich. In May 2026, Hulu released Gary, a standalone special episode of The Bear streaming separately from the rest of the show's catalogue. The episode, written by stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal, is set before the events of the series. Jacobs reprises her role from The Bear for the special.Hailu, Selome 'The Bear' Surprise: New Episode With Jon Bernthal, Ebon Moss-Bachrach Drops on Hulu Variety, May 5, 2026
Personal life Jacobs does not drink alcohol, smoke, or take any recreational drugs, a choice she made when she was younger after watching some family members struggle with addiction. She revealed that her father was an addict and that she was fearful of becoming the same, a feeling reinforced in her youth by reading the book Go Ask Alice, which follows a teenage girl suffering drug addiction.
Jacobs is in a relationship with Christopher Storer.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 2005 Building Girl Katie 2007 Blackbird Froggy 2008 Choke Cherry Daiquiri / Beth Gardens of the Night Leslie Whitehead 2009 The Box Dana Solitary Man Tall Girl 2010 Helena from the Wedding Helena Nonames CJ Coach Zoe 2011 Let Go Darla DeMint 2012 Watching TV with the Red Chinese Suzanne Revenge for Jolly! Tina Adventures in the Sin Bin Lauren Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Katie 2013 The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Miranda It's Not You, It's Me Babe Short film Bad Milo! Sarah The Big Ask Emily Made in Cleveland Martha Crush Shira Short film 2014 Life Partners Paige Kearns Walk of Shame Rose The Lookalike Lacey / Sadie Black or White Fay 2015 The Queen of Code Documentary short film; Director Hot Tub Time Machine 2 Jill No Way Jose Penny Visions Sadie 2016 Don't Think Twice Samantha Dean Nicky Brother Nature Gwen Turley 2017 Lemon Tracy 2018 Life of the Party Helen Ibiza Harper Curated Short film; Director 2020 I Used to Go Here Kate Conklin Magic Camp Kristina Darkwood Come Play Sarah2021 North Hollywood Abigaile Mark, Mary & Some Other People Dr. Jacobs Fear Street Part One: 1994 C. Berman Fear Street Part Two: 1978 Adult Christine "Ziggy" Berman Fear Street Part Three: 1666Injustice Harley Quinn Voice; direct-to-video A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. 2022 More Than Robots Documentary; Director The Contractor Brianne Harper The Seven Faces of Jane Jane Directed segment: "Goodbye / Hello"; also writer Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again Erica Daley Voice 2026 The Musical Abigail
Television Year Title Role Notes 2006 The Book of Daniel Adele Congreve 3 episodes 2007 Traveler Kimberly Episode: "Pilot" Up All Night Marni Television film 2008 Fringe Joanne Ostler Episode: "The Equation" 2009 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Sue Smith Episode: "Rock Star" Royal Pains Tess Frimoli Episode: "There Will Be Food" The Good Wife Sonia Episode: "Pilot" 2009–2015 Community Britta Perry 110 episodes 2010 Aqua Teen Hunger Force Carl's Wife Voice, episode: "Larry Miller Hair System" 2012 Robot Chicken Various Characters Voice, episode: "Punctured Jugular" 2012–2016 Comedy Bang! Bang! Post-Apocalypse Woman / Herself 3 episodes 2013 The Venture Bros. Marsha Backwood Voice, episode: "Venture Libre" 2013–2014 Monsters vs. Aliens Sta'abi, additional voices Voice, 12 episodes 2013 Talking Dead Herself Episode: "Indifference" 2014Rupaul's Drag Race Guest Judge Episode: "Snatch Game" The Greatest Event in Television History Sonny Episode: "Bosom Buddies" American Dad! Christy Voice, episode: "Introducing the Naughty Stewardesses" Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories Young Patient Episode: "Toes" 2015 Girls Mimi-Rose Howard 5 episodes Adventure Time M.A.R.G.L.E.S. Voice, episode: "You Forgot Your Floaties" Long Live the Royals Rosalind Voice, 4 episodes 2016 Great Minds with Dan Harmon Ada Lovelace Episode: "Ada Lovelace" 2016–2018 Love Mickey Dobbs 34 episodes 2017 Dr. Ken Erin Episode: "Ken's New Intern" Regular Show Blu-ray, Dome Computer Voice, 3 episodes Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ Jenny Tanner Episode: "Chelsea Leight-Leigh Lately" Justice League Action Roxy Rocket Voice, episode: "The Fatal Fare" Rick and Morty Supernova Voice, episode: "Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender" HarmonQuest Chip Episode: "The Quest Continues" 2018 Random Acts of Flyness Herself Episode: "They Got Some S**t That'll Blow Out Our Back" Angie Tribeca Becky Bunnker Episode: "Joystick Luck Club" 2019 Weird City Mulia Episode: "Chonathan & Mulia & Barsley & Phephanie" At Home with Amy Sedaris Herself Episode: "Anniversary" Astronomy Club: The Sketch Show Mary Poppins Episode: "Full House But Black" 2020 The Twilight Zone Annie Mitchell Episode: "Meet in the Middle" Star Trek: Lower Decks Lieutenant Barbara Brinson Voice, episode: "Cupid's Errant Arrow" Earth to Ned Herself Episode: "Late Night Ned" Marvel's 616 Episode: "Higher, Further, Faster"; Director 2021–present Invincible Samantha Eve Wilkins / Atom Eve Voice, 22 episodes2021 Cinema Toast Voice, episode: "Warehouse Friends" Aquaman: King of Atlantis Mera Voice, 3 episodes 2021–2023 Ten Year Old Tom Dakota Voice, 20 episodes 2022–2023 Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Chris Riley 7 episodes Minx Maggie 3 episodes 2022–2026 Tiffany Jerimovich 10 episodes 2023 Transatlantic Mary Jayne Gold 7 episodes StoryBots: Answer Time Voice, episode: "Glass" Ada Twist, Scientist Miss Greer Voice, episode: "A Twist in Time" Carol & the End of the World Lisa Voice, episode: "The Distraction" 2023–2025 The Bear Tiffany Jerimovich 7 episodes 2024 Yo Gabba GabbaLand! Herself Episode: "Land" 2024–2025 After Midnight Herself 4 episodes 2025 13-Year-Old Michael Ausiello Presents: Beverly Hills - February Sweeps Russian Circus Storyline Television film Krapopolis Ana Voice, episode: "Ty Big Fat Greek Wedding" American Experience Narrator Episode: "Mr. Polaroid""Mr. Polaroid" – American Experience (PBS). Retrieved 19 May 2025. Long Story Short Caitlyn McClendon Voice, Episode: "Wolves" 2025–2026 Wylde Pak Alice Kelly Voice, 5 episodes
Video games Year Title Role Notes2026Invincible VSSamantha Eve Wilkins / Atom Eve
Web Year Title Role Notes 2011 Don Cheadle Is Captain Planet Linka Funny or Die segment 2012 Penelope 2 episodes 2013 Tiny Commando Mitzi McNeil 8 episodes 2017 STRANGER THINGS: A Bad Lip Reading Nancy Wheeler Voice2022 Vindicators 2: Last Stand Between Earth and Doom Supernova Voice, 10 episodes
Stage Year Title Role Notes 2006 cagelove Katie Rattlestick Playwrights Theater 2007 The Fabulous Life of a Size Zero Girl DR2 Theatre A Feminine Ending Amanda Blue Playwrights Horizons 2008 The Little Flower of East Orange Nadine / Cathleen The Public Theater 2018 Kings Kate The Public Theater
Audio +YearTitleRoleProduction companyNotes 2019–2022 Blood Ties Eleonore Richland Wondery 2021 Christmas Delivery Beth Briny Audible 2022 Batman: The Audio Adventures Harley Quinn/Harleen Quinzel Blue Ribbon Content 2022–present 99% Invisible SiriusXM Producer and contributor (Episodes: "Mini-Stories: Volume 20," "A River Runs Through Los Angeles," "Mr. Yuk," "Walk of Fame," "Sister Aimee and the Birth of the Megachurch," and "The Bone Wars")
Awards and nominations