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Producer · Actor · Writer

1987-05-07 · Los Angeles, California, USA · Female

14 series in the catalog

Maya Erskine (born May 7, 1987) is an American actress and writer. From 2019 to 2021, she starred in Hulu's original TV comedy series PEN15 alongside Anna Konkle; the duo, who co-created, co-wrote, and co-executive produced the series, played fictional versions of their 13-year-old selves. The series received critical acclaim and was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards. Since 2024, she has starred as Jane Smith in the Prime Video spy series Mr. & Mrs. Smith, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She also had main roles as Mikki in the Amazon Prime Video sitcom Betas (2013–2014), as Maggie in the FXX romantic comedy series Man Seeking Woman (2015), and as Mizu in the Netflix adult animated action series Blue Eye Samurai (2023).

Early life and education

Erskine was born in Los Angeles, California, on May 7, 1987, the daughter of Mutsuko Nigatawa and jazz drummer Peter Erskine. Her mother is Japanese, from Tokyo. Her mother also plays the role of her character's mother on Pen15.

Erskine attended Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences and graduated from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. She is a 2005 YoungArts alumnus. She then attended New York University Tisch School of the Arts. Erskine initially studied musical theater but shifted to the school's Experimental Theater Wing. During her time at NYU, she met Anna Konkle while they were both studying abroad at a theater program in Amsterdam.

Career

Erskine has performed with the Los Angeles–based theater groups the East West Players and the Geffen Playhouse. In 2019, she appeared in Amy Poehler's directorial debut, Wine Country, opposite a slate of comedians including Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, and Rachel Dratch. The same year, she began starring in the Hulu series Pen15, which she created with Anna Konkle. She received two Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series nominations for her work on the series. She is recognized by Gold House as the A100 Honoree.

Personal life

In September 2019, she confirmed her relationship with actor Michael Angarano. On November 2, 2020, the couple revealed they were engaged and expecting a child. Their son was born in 2021. In 2024, Erskine revealed that she and Angarano had married. In April 2024, Erskine announced her second pregnancy. Their daughter was born in 2024.