Molly Ranson is an American actress and singer. She was born in New York City.
Stage career Ranson made her Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning production of August: Osage County in 2007. She joined the cast of Jerusalem on Broadway in 2011, as Pea. The show started in 2009 at the Royal Court Theatre in London and moved to the Apollo Theatre in the West End in 2010, and starred Mark Rylance both in the UK and on Broadway.
She originated the role of Melody in the play Bad Jews in 2013.
Ranson took part as Carrie White in the 2009 reading of the revival of the musical Carrie, alongside Sutton Foster and Marin Mazzie. The hope was to make the show ready for Broadway, after its flop in 1988, when it closed after only 5 performances. After the new reading the show finally opened Off Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in 2010.
In 2015 Ranson was cast as Natalie Drexel in the comedy Fish in the Dark, with Larry David playing Norman Drexel. When the show was extended, the role was taken over for six weeks by Jason Alexander.
In 2022 Ranson starred as the character Molly in Prayer for the French Republic, while rehearsing for Plaza Suite, which opened right after the first closed. She was asked to take part in Prayer back when in grad school by playwright Joshua Harmon, who had just started writing the play at the time. The show is a family drama, presenting various aspects of the life of the Jewish Benhamous in contemporary Paris (2016-2017) as well as the earlier generation of the Salomons, using the same apartment space during WWII. Ranson reprised this role when MTC mounted the play again in 2024 on Broadway.
Theatre +YearTitleRoleTheatre2007August: Osage CountyJean Fordham (understudy and replacement)Imperial Theater2010The Burnt Part BoysFrances BoggsPlaywrights Horizons2011JerusalemPeaMusic Box Theatre2009–2012CarrieCarrie WhiteLucille Lortel Theatre2012–2013Bad JewsMelodyRoundabout Theatre2015Fish in the DarkNatalie DrexelCort Theatre2017LindaBridgetManhattan Theater Club2020Plaza SuiteJean McCormick and Mimsey HubleyColonial Theatre2022Prayer for the French RepublicMollyManhattan Theater Club2022Plaza SuiteJean McCormick and Mimsey HubleyHudson Theatre2023-2024Prayer for the French RepublicMollySamuel J. Friedman Theatre2025The Honey TrapEmilyIrish Repertory Theatre
Television +YearTitleRole2012Submissions OnlyDawn Iris1 episode2016Horace & PeteBrenda1 episode2020New AmsterdamMelissa Singer1 episode
Awards and nominations +YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult2012Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Actress in a MusicalCarrieNominated2012Lucille Lortel AwardOutstanding Lead ActressCarrieNominated2012Drama League AwardDistinguished PerformanceCarrieNominated2014Lucille Lortel AwardOutstanding Lead ActressBad JewsNominated
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