Molly Ephraim (born May 22, 1986) is an American actress who has appeared in films, television, and Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theater productions. She is best known for her role as Mandy Baxter on the ABC/Fox sitcom Last Man Standing during its original run (2011–2017) before its move to Fox after its sixth season. Ephraim has also appeared on a number of other TV series, including Brockmire (2017), Halt and Catch Fire (2017), and Casual (2018). Ephraim portrayed Irene Kelly in the Hugh Jackman movie The Front Runner (2018), her second collaboration with her Last Man Standing co-star Kaitlyn Dever. She also appeared on HBO's Perry Mason as Della Street’s lover Hazel Prystock. She played Maybelle Fox on the Amazon series A League of Their Own.
Early life Ephraim was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is Jewish.Steinberg, Lisa. "Molly Ephraim – Bad Jews" starrymag, June 9, 2015 She grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Ephraim performed in shows at the Bucks County Playhouse, and in professional productions at the Prince Music Theater and at the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia.
In 2008, Ephraim graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in Religious Studies, after going to Central Bucks East High School. At Princeton she was a member of the Triangle Club and performed in and choreographed various shows for Princeton University Players and Theatre Intime."Rising star, Questions and answers with actress Molly Ephraim ’08" princeton.edu, March 5, 2008
Career
Theater Ephraim made her Broadway debut as Little Red Riding Hood in the Broadway revival of Into the Woods in 2002, receiving a Drama League Award nomination. She later played Bielke in a Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof (2004). Off-Broadway, Ephraim played Rachel Stein in End Days at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in 2009. She played Olive in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Barrington Stage Company in 2008, in a remounting of the production with new direction by Jeremy Dobrish, and at the North Shore Music Theatre. In 2010, she played Anne Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank at the Westport Country Playhouse.Gates, Anita. "Review. In the Attic With Anne Frank" The New York Times, October 8, 2010
In 2015, Ephraim appeared as "Daphna Feygenbaum" in Joshua Harmon's Bad Jews at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.
Film and television
Ephraim appeared as a series regular in the role of Mandy Baxter, daughter of series' lead Mike Baxter (portrayed by Tim Allen), on the ABC sitcom Last Man Standing, which premiered on October 11, 2011 and originally ended in March 2017, canceled after six seasons. The series was revived by Fox in May 2018, but Ephraim opted not to return for the show's seventh season, with Molly McCook recast in the role.
Ephraim has appeared on several other television series, including Royal Pains (2009), Law & Order (2008), the Michael J. Fox-produced pilot Hench at Home (2003), the HBO pilot The Wonderful Maladys (2009), and has had recurring roles on Brockmire (2017), Halt and Catch Fire (2017), Casual (2018) and Perry Mason (2020).
Ephraim portrayed Wendy Greenhut in the film College Road Trip (2008)College Road Trip tcm.com, retrieved August 24, 2018 and Ali Rey in the film Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)Paranormal Activity 2 tcm.com, retrieved August 24, 2018 and the spin-off film Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014).Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones tcm.com, retrieved August 24, 2018"Ephraim Biography" tcm.com, retrieved August 24, 2018 Ephraim appeared in a supporting role in the 2018 biographical political drama The Front Runner, portraying Irene Kelly. She also played Gypsy Rose Blanchard's attorney in The Act on Hulu.
Ephraim played Maybelle Fox on the Amazon series A League of Their Own.
Personal life
Ephraim married in September 2021. Her husband, Evan, works at a software company. On December 1, 2021, Ephraim gave birth to the couple's first child, daughter Zia.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 2008 College Road Trip Wendy Greenhut 2010 Paranormal Activity 2 Ali Rey 2014 Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones Ali Rey 2015 Gravy Cricket 2018 The Front Runner Irene Kelly 2021 Unknown Dimension: The Story of Paranormal ActivityHerselfDocumentary film
Television Year Title Role Note(s) 2003 Hench at Home Ally Hench Unsold ABC pilot 2008 Law & Order Anne-Marie Liscomb Episode: "Tango" 2009 Royal Pains Beth Samuels Episode: "It's Like Jamais Vu All Over Again" 2010 The Wonderful Maladys Emo Girl Unsold HBO pilot 2011–2017 Last Man Standing Mandy Baxter Main role, 130 episodes 2017 Brockmire Bartender Recurring role, 5 episodes Halt and Catch Fire Alexa Vonn Recurring role (season 4), 5 episodes 2018 Casual Jess 3 episodes 2019 The Act Kate Episode: "Free" Modern Family Libby Episode: "Snapped" 2020 Perry Mason Hazel Prystock Episode: "Chapters 4-8" 2021 Pretty Smart Margot Wainwright Episode: "Did you hear?! Chelsea ran into Margot!" 2022 Angelyne Wendy Wallach 2 episodes A League of Their Own Maybelle Fox 8 episodes 2025 The Paper Summer Cooper
References
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