Alison Brie was born in Hollywood, California, to a mother who worked at a non-profit child care agency and a father who was a musician and entertainment reporter. Her mother was Jewish, while her father had Scottish, Dutch, English, German, and Norwegian ancestry. Growing up in the Los Angeles suburb of South Pasadena, Brie developed an early interest in acting and began her career performing in community theater shows at the Jewish Community Center in Los Feliz.
Her first role was "Toto" in the Wizard of Oz. After graduating from South Pasadena High School in 2001, Brie attended the California Institute of the Arts, where she received her BFA in Acting. During her time at the institute, she was part of the original cast in the world premiere of The Peach Blossom Fan, performed at Disney's REDCAT Theater in Downtown LA. Brie also studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland.
Following her graduation, Brie continued to work in various forms of media, including film, television, and theater. She has performed in the Blank Theater Company's Young Playwright's festival and in shows at the Odyssey, Write-Act, and Rubicon Theaters, earning an Indy Award for her performance as "Ophelia" in the Rubicon's production of Hamlet. Brie has also appeared in guest spots for Comedy Central and Disney's Hannah Montana, as well as leading roles in independent films, before landing her role on Mad Men in 2007.
Since then, she has continued to work in film and television.
