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Actor

1985-08-02 · Heyworth, Illinois, U.S. · Female

13 series in the catalog

Brittney Leigh Lower (; born August 2, 1985) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the crime drama series Unforgettable (2011–2014), the romantic comedy series Man Seeking Woman (2015–2017), and the sci-fi series Severance (2022–present), the last of which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2025.

Early life and education

Brittney Leigh Lower was born in Bloomington, Illinois, the daughter of Mickey and Steve Lower. Lower lived in Heyworth, Illinois and graduated from Heyworth High School. Her mother was a home economics teacher at Clinton Junior High School in Clinton, Illinois. As of 2012 she was running a face painting business, known throughout Central Illinois as "the Zoo Lady", which Britt occasionally joined, and Britt later cited it as where she "first encountered circus performers and artists who live on the road and work on the road as a living [and] just became totally enamored by the tightrope walkers and jugglers". She has an older brother named Brugh.

After graduating as the valedictorian from Heyworth High School in 2004, she earned a BSc in Communication from Northwestern University in 2008. She also worked with the Upright Citizens Brigade and ImprovOlympic.

Career

Lower had a recurring role as technology expert Tanya Sitkowsky in the 2011 series Unforgettable. In 2015, she had her breakout role as Liz Greenberg in the FXX comedy series Man Seeking Woman. In 2016, she had a recurring role as Sarah Finn in the second season of the Hulu series Casual. She later appeared in the second season of American Horror Stories and portrayed the main character in the music video for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs song "Wolf". She also starred in commercials for Verizon and was a guest on The George Lucas Talk Show.

Lower has starred as Helly R. in the Apple TV+ sci-fi psychological thriller series Severance since 2022. With an interest in the circus world stemming from her mother's face painting career, and her own research for the 2020 short film Circus Person, which she wrote and directed, Lower spent a month playing a character in Circus Flora's Quest for the Innkeeper's Cask show in St. Louis during the three-year hiatus between the first and second seasons of Severance.

Personal life

Lower married British hairstylist Kenna Kennor in 2024. They met when he styled her hair for the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony. The two live in Brooklyn, with his two children from a previous marriage.