Actor, producer, and director Elizabeth Banks grew up in Pittsfield, MA, as the eldest of four siblings—falling into acting (quite literally) after suffering a softball injury, and then leaning into theater due to the encouragement of high school teachers. Then came the University of Pennsylvania, where she met her husband and now producing partner, followed by the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. This launched Elizabeth’s career in entertainment, acting in various memorable comedies and dramas throughout the 2000s and 2010s, before stepping behind the camera to produce and direct films ranging from the Pitch Perfect series to last year’s Cocaine Bear. Elizabeth references educators Ralph Hammond and Janet Rajotte of Pittsfield High School, actress Annette Bening, and filmmakers Judd Apatow and Steven Spielberg as profound life influences.
Up Next in Season 5
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Episode 61: Rich Eisen
On April 25, the NFL Network’s Rich Eisen will host his 21st NFL Draft, anchoring what will amount to a 20-hour broadcast held over multiple days—framing compelling narratives and moderating impassioned debates about the NFL’s next generation of stars. In this episode, Rich tells his story–from g...
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Episode 62: Kara Nortman
Kara Nortman ’93 is co-founder of Los Angeles’s professional women’s soccer team Angel City. In this episode, Kara recounts her evolution from leading LA’s largest venture capital firm, Upfront Ventures, to co-founding Angel City alongside partners Natalie Portman and Julie Uhrman in 2020. Since ...
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Episode 63: Tiffany Alexander Aldridge
Tiffany Alexander Aldridge ’87 is Director of Annual Giving at Harvard-Westlake, overseeing a program that leads all American day schools in overall dollars (raising more than $10M in 2022-2023). However, what draws Tiffany to the role is not the program’s size, but its impact—which Tiffany and h...
