Hannah Gross is a Canadian actress. The daughter of Canadian actors Paul Gross and Martha Burns, she is most known for her performances in independent cinema and for playing Debbie Mitford in the Netflix drama series Mindhunter (2017). Gross has appeared in a wide range of films throughout her career, including I Used to Be Darker (2013), Her Smell (2018), Joker (2019), Disappearance at Clifton Hill (2019), Falling (2020), Tesla (2020), The Adults (2023), and Infinite Summer (2024).

Early life

Gross was born and raised in Toronto.[1] She is the daughter of Canadian actors Martha Burns and Paul Gross.[2] She attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre, minoring in Religious Studies.[3]

Career

Gross began her career in the early 2000s with uncredited roles in the films Men with Brooms and Wilby Wonderful. She also worked on stage. In 2010, Gross played Katie in Sharon Pollock's 1984 play Doc and directed Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) for the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. She performed in Williams' 1953 one-act play Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen in 2012.[3][2]

Gross was cast in I Used to Be Darker (2013) after meeting its director, Matthew Porterfield, at the after show party for the New York City screening of his previous film, Putty Hill (2010).[4] Also in 2013, she played the title character in Dustin Guy Defa's short film Lydia Hoffman Lydia Hoffman.[5]

Gross played the lead female character in Charles Poekel's film Christmas, Again, which had its premiere at the 2014 Locarno International Film Festival.[6][7] She also performed in Nathan Silver's 2014 film Uncertain Terms, and reunited with him in his 2015 film, Stinking Heaven.[8][9][10] Also in 2014, Gross played the lead role in David Raboy's short film Beach Week.[11]

In 2017, Gross achieved wider notice when she appeared in the Netflix drama Mindhunter, in which she played the supporting role of Debbie Mitford, a post-graduate student at the University of Virginia.[12] Gross did not return for the second season of Mindhunter.[13]

Following her turn in the first season of Mindhunter, Gross appeared in the films Her Smell (2018), Disappearance at Clifton Hill (2019), Falling (2020), and as Mina Edison in Tesla (2020), the latter of which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.[14] Gross also appeared as the younger version of Young Penny Fleck in the box office hit Joker (2019).[15]

Gross starred opposite Michael Cera and Sophia Lillis in the comedy drama film The Adults,[16] written and directed by Dustin Guy Defa, which competed for the Encounter Award at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on February 18, 2023.[17][18][19]

Filmography

Key
† Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2002 Men with Brooms Girl at Game Uncredited
2004 Wilby Wonderful Girl at Motel Uncredited
2005 Drei Mädchen Daughter Short film
2013 I Used to Be Darker Abby
Lydia Hoffman Lydia Hoffman Lydia Hoffman Short film
The Sixth Year Gabby Fifth segment
2014 Uncertain Terms Cammy
Christmas, Again Lydia
Haze Natalie Short film
2015 Valedictorian Emily
Stinking Heaven Ann Additional writing
Take What You Can Carry Lilly Short film
Beach Week Laure Short film
Little Cabbage Ana Short film
2016 The Zeno Question Kirsten Short film
Dramatic Relationships Short film
Psychic Ills: Baby Girl at Bar Short film
Psychic Ills: Another Change Girl Short film
Unless Norah
Nightshade Rose Waltz Short film
2017 Marjorie Prime Young Marjorie
2018 The Mountain Susan
Her Smell Tiffany
2019 Joker Young Penny Fleck
Disappearance at Clifton Hill Laure
Colewell Ella
2020 Tesla Mina Edison
Falling Gwen Peterson
Flashback Karen
2023 The Adults Rachel
2024 Infinite Summer Sarah

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2017 Mindhunter Debbie Mitford Main cast (season 1)
2018 The Sinner Marin Calhoun Main cast (season 2)
Deadwax Etta Pryce Main cast
2023 Essex County Beth Recurring role, limited series
2025 Zero Day Anna Sindler 1 episode
TBA The Savant † TBA Miniseries[20]

Stage

Year Title Role Notes
2010 Doc Katie Young Centre for the Performing Arts
2012 Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen Collapsable Hole
A Streetcar Named Desire N/a Director

References

  1. ^ Eckardt, Stephanie (October 16, 2017). "Meet Hannah Gross, the Wild, Brainy Partner-in-Crime-Solving of Mindhunter's Jonathan Groff". W Magazine. I grew up in Toronto
  2. ^ a b Zekas, Rita (August 13, 2010). "No, you haven't seen her before". Toronto Star. Star Media Group. Retrieved July 23, 2014. Gross, 20, is playing ages 12 to 17 in Doc
  3. ^ a b "Hannah Gross - I used to be darker". iusedtobedarkermovie.com. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  4. ^ Diester, Michel; Farkas, Christoph (January 10, 2014). "A Talk with Hannah Gross und Deragh Campbell (I Used to Be Darker)". filmtexte.wordpress.com. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  5. ^ Brody, Richard (June 20, 2013). "BAM's Excellent Indie-Film Series". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  6. ^ "Christmas, Again by Charles Poekel". Kickstarter. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  7. ^ Latham, Brandon (July 16, 2014). "Locarno Film Festival Announces Lineup Including Luc Besson's 'Lucy'; Honors Juliette Binoche, Mia Farrow". Indiewire. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  8. ^ "Stinking Heaven | Film Review | Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  9. ^ Salovaara, Sarah (April 14, 2014). "Nathan Silver's Undeniable Pressure Cookers". Filmmaker. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  10. ^ "Project of the Day: 'Stinking Heaven'". Indiewire. April 23, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  11. ^ "Beach Week". david-raboy.com. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  12. ^ Eckardt, Stephanie (October 16, 2017). "Meet Hannah Gross, the Wild, Brainy Partner-in-Crime-Solving of Mindhunter's Jonathan Groff". W Magazine. The 27-year-old Canadian actress Hannah Gross
  13. ^ Watson, Fay (October 24, 2019). "Mindhunter: Why did Debbie Mitford star Hannah Gross leave?". Express.co.uk. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  14. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (December 4, 2019). "Sundance Unveils Female-Powered Lineup Featuring Taylor Swift, Gloria Steinem, Abortion Road Trip Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  15. ^ "Joker". TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  16. ^ "The Adults". Savage Rose Films. December 16, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  17. ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (January 23, 2022). "The Berlinale announces its Competition and Encounters titles, plus Ukraine- and Iran-focused solidarity initiatives". Cineuropa. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  18. ^ O'Connor, Rory (February 20, 2023). "Berlinale Review: Dustin Guy Defa and Michael Cera Reunite in The Adults, a Sibling Drama of Raw Emotion". The Film Stage. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  19. ^ DeVore, Britta (May 30, 2023). "Michael Cera Faces Familial Consequences in First 'The Adults' Trailer [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  20. ^ Petski, Denise (April 3, 2024). "'The Savant' Apple Series Rounds Out Cast With 8, Including Jordana Spiro, Michael Mosley, Dagmara Dominczyk". Deadline. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Gross