Born on November 8, 1972 in Deep River Connecticut, Gretchen Mol has always had a passion for performing and the arts. This could have been brought about by the influence of her parents, as both of them are artists and teachers. Her brother, meanwhile, is a director and editor in the film industry. Gretchen went to high school with Broadway actor Peter Lockyer, and the two have performed on many school productions together. She later attended The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, soon graduating from the William Esper Studio. She was later noticed by a talent agent in a restaurant, and was cast in her first acting job: a Coca-Cola commercial.
Gretchen Mol’s early career in acting was developed during a summer stock in Vermont. There, she performed in plays like Godspell and 110 In The Shade. In 2001, she acted both in the London and New York productions of Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things. She reprised her role as Jenny in the play’s film version, released in 2003. She was also seen as Roxie in the Broadway production of Chicago. Mol has also experienced a brief stint as a model, when she was photographed by Davis Powell. Images of her landed on the cover of W magazine, but she ended her modeling career afterwards. Deciding to focus on film and television, she has accepted roles in notable movies like Rounders and Woody Allen’s Celebrity. She came to prominence in 1998 when she was featured on Vanity Fair magazine, giving her great attention. Though her acting career suffered because of this, she made a comeback in 2006 by appearing as the title character in The Notorious Bettie Page. She has worked with directors like Spike Lee in his film, Girl 6 and with the filmmaker Abel Ferrara who cast her in The Funeral and New Rose Hotel. She was also seen in Donnie Brasco, Music From Another Room, Sweet and Lowdown and Puccini for Beginners. Her television appearances include those in several episodes of Girls Club, Spin City, and Dead Man’s Walk. She was later cast in the ABC series Life on Mars, where she plays the character Annie Norris. In 2007, Gretchen Mol landed roles in 3:10 to Yuma, Boy of Pigs, The Ten and the comedy drama Trainwreck: My Life as an Idoit.