Born on July 25, 1971 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Miriam Shor is an actress best known for her films Hedwig and the Angry Inch and the 2006 dramedy Shortbus, where several members of the cast previously worked in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. She spent her childhood moving back and forth between Detroit, Michigan and Turin, Italy, since her mother and father have divorced. She eventually settled down in 1989, and she entered Ferndale High School. She studied at the University of Michigan, where she began appearing in school productions. It was in college when she started acting, and Shor's most notable role as Yitzak was in the Broadway production Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The role is described as a "man to be played by a woman who is Surly, Jewish and Croatian. She is an ex-drag queen billed as Krystall Nacht, the Last Jewess of the Balkans." Shor has appeared in movies such as Flushed, Snow Days, Bedazzled, Pizza, and The Cake Eaters and also made appearances on television shows such as The West Wing , Married to the Kellys, My Name is Earl , Becker and Big Day .
She began acting for the screen in 1999, appearing in the dramatic film Entropy. She spent most of her early career appearing as a guest on television shows such as Becker, Then Came You, Married to the Kellys, The West Wing and My Name is Earl. She also appeared in films such as Bedazzled, Set Set Spike, Pizza and Shortbus.
In 2006, Shor got her first regular television role, appearing in the romantic comedy Big Day. Her character, Becca, tried to get Skobo (Stephen Rannazzisi) banned from wedding. The series was a ratings disappointment, and the network cancelled it after 12 episodes, leaving one more unaired. Unfazed, Shor signed on for another regular television role, this time for the controversial period drama Swingtown. There, she played the role of Janet Thompson.