# Cristin Milioti

Cristin Milioti (born August 16, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for playing Tracy McConnell in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother from 2013 to 2014, and Sofia Falcone in the HBO crime drama series The Penguin (2024). The latter earned her a Critics' Choice Television Award and a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. She appeared in theater productions such as That Face (2010) and the musical Once (2011–2013), for which she won a Grammy Award and was nominated for a Tony Award.
Milioti also featured in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, the 2020 film Palm Springs, the second season of the FX anthology crime series Fargo (2015), the HBO Max comedy series Made for Love (2021–2022), and the Peacock comedy mystery series The Resort (2022).

## Early life

Milioti was born and raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. She is of Italian descent, and calls her family "Olive Garden Italian". In middle school, she found her love of acting at Long Lake Camp for the Arts in Long Lake, New York. She graduated in 2003 from Cherry Hill High School East, where she began performing in school plays. She took acting classes at New York University, but dropped out during her sophomore year, admitting that her dropping out was a result of her being "wildly unhappy there".

## Career

Milioti's first acting roles were bit parts in national advertising campaign ads, notably one for the Ford Edge. She appeared in television programs such as The Sopranos and films such as Greetings from the Shore. Milioti appeared in stage performances. In 2007, she appeared on Broadway as Alice Ashbrook in Helen Edmundson's award-winning adaptation of Jamila Gavin's novel Coram Boy. In 2010, she starred in That Face, and was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for her work in Stunning.
In 2012, she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Girl in Once, a musical in which she performed from 2011 to 2013. Of her performance, Ben Brantley of the New York Times wrote: "It's not easy playing a winsome life force with a foreign accent. But Ms. Milioti has mastered the assignment brilliantly. She brings a new confidence to her portrayal, and an enhanced mixture of wit and wisdom, which suggests a maturity in youth, a fatalism hard won during an Eastern European childhood. And together she and Mr. Kazee exude a chemistry that is all the more achingly real for being so subdued." Her Once performance, with fellow principal soloist Steve Kazee, earned the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. She also read aloud a short story for the 2011 This American Life episode "Adventure". In 2012, she appeared on several songs of Glen Hansard's debut album Rhythm and Repose.
In 2013, Milioti was cast in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother as the titular Mother, appearing for the first time in the season eight finale titled "Something New", and was promoted to a series regular for the show's ninth and final season. Milioti portrayed Jordan Belfort's first wife, Teresa Petrillo, in the 2013 Martin Scorsese film The Wolf of Wall Street. In February 2014, she was cast as Zelda, the female lead on NBC's comedy A to Z which premiered that October and aired for one season of 13 episodes. In 2015, she co-starred on the second season of FX's Fargo as Betsy Solverson, the cancer-stricken wife of state trooper Lou Solverson and mother of future deputy Molly Solverson. In 2017, Milioti appeared in the fourth season of the sci-fi anthology show Black Mirror in the episode "USS Callister" as Nanette Cole, a newly employed game developer whose digital recreation becomes trapped in a virtual simulator game.
In 2020, Milioti starred in the sci-fi/comedy Palm Springs, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and on Hulu in July. In 2021, she starred in the HBO Max dark comedy series Made for Love as the entrapped wife of a tech billionaire from whom she runs away.
In 2024, Milioti starred as Sofia Falcone in the HBO spin-off miniseries of The Batman titled The Penguin, opposite Colin Farrell. Her performance earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film.

## Personal life

Milioti has an adopted mixed-breed West Highland White Terrier dog named Rupert. In February 2021, Milioti worked with PETA in a video featuring Rupert which advocated for adopting a dog over purchasing one from breeders.

## Acting credits
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | Greetings from the Shore | Didi | |
| 2009 | Year of the Carnivore | Sammy Smalls | |
| 2012 | Sleepwalk with Me | Janet Pandamiglio | |
| 2012 | I Am Ben | The Journalist | |
| 2012 | The Brass Teapot | Brandi | |
| 2013 | Bert and Arnie's Guide to Friendship | Faye | |
| 2013 | The Wolf of Wall Street | Teresa Petrillo | |
| 2014 | The Occupants | Lucy | |
| 2015 | It Had to Be You | Sonia | |
| 2017 | Breakable You | Maud Weller | |
| 2020 | Palm Springs | Sarah Wilder | |
| 2025 | In Your Dreams | Mom (voice) | In production |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2006 | 3 lbs | Megan Rafferty | Episode: "Bad Boys" |
| 2006–2007 | The Sopranos | Catherine Sacrimoni | 3 episodes |
| 2009 | The Unusuals | Sketch Artist | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | The Good Wife | Onya Eggertson | Episode: "Taking Control" |
| 2011 | 30 Rock | Abby Flynn/Abby Grossman | Episode: "TGS Hates Women" |
| 2011 | Nurse Jackie | Monica | Episode: "...Deaf Blind Tumor Pee-Test" |
| 2013–2014 | How I Met Your Mother | Tracy McConnell / The Mother | Guest role (season 8), main role (season 9) |
| 2014–2015 | A to Z | Zelda Vasco | Main role |
| 2015 | Family Guy | Andrea Cricket | Voice role Episode: "Roasted Guy" |
| 2015 | Fargo | Betsy Solverson | Recurring role (season 2), 9 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | The Mindy Project | Whitney | Recurring role, 5 episodes |
| 2016–2018 | The Venture Bros. | Sirena / various voices | Recurring voice role, 8 episodes |
| 2017, 2025 | Black Mirror | Nanette Cole | Episodes: "USS Callister" and series 7 |
| 2018 | No Activity | Frankie | Main role (season 2) |
| 2019 | Modern Love | Maggie Mitchell | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet | Bean | Episode: "A Dark Quiet Death" |
| 2020 | Death to 2020 | Kathy Flowers | Television special |
| 2021 | Ziwe | Friend | Episode: "55%" |
| 2021 | The Simpsons | Barb | Voice role Episode: "A Serious Flanders" |
| 2021 | Death to 2021 | Kathy Flowers | Television special |
| 2021–2022 | Made for Love | Hazel Green | Main role |
| 2022 | The Resort | Emma Reed | Main role |
| 2023 | Bob's Burgers | Alice | Voice role Episode: "Radio No You Didn't" |
| 2023 | Teenage Euthanasia | Juggsaw | Voice role Episode: "Viva La Flappanista" |
| 2024 | Hit-Monkey | Iris McHenry | Voice role Season 2 |
| 2024 | The Penguin | Sofia Falcone / The Hangman | Limited series |

### Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Venue(s) |
| 2006 | The Lieutenant of Inishmore | Mairead (understudy) | Lyceum Theatre New York City, NY |
| 2007 | Coram Boy | Alice Ashbrook | Imperial Theatre New York City, NY |
| 2007 | The Devil's Disciple | Essie | Irish Repertory Theatre New York City, NY |
| 2008 | Crooked | Laney | |
| 2008 | Some Americans Abroad | Katie Taylor | |
| 2009 | The Retributionists | Dinchka Fried | |
| 2009 | The Heart is a Lonely Hunter | Mick Kelly | New York Theatre Workshop New York City, NY |
| 2009 | Stunning | Lily | Lincoln Center Theater New York City, NY |
| 2010 | The Little Foxes | Alexandra | New York Theatre Workshop New York City, NY |
| 2010 | That Face | Mia | Manhattan Theatre Club New York City, NY |
| 2011 | Once | Girl | American Repertory Theatre Cambridge, MA |
| 2011 | Once | Girl | New York Theatre Workshop New York City, NY |
| 2012–2013 | Once | Girl | Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre New York City, NY |
| 2015–2016 | Lazarus | Elly | New York Theatre Workshop New York City, NY |
| 2017 | Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow | Masha | Williamstown Theatre Festival Williamstown, MA |
| 2017 | After The Blast | Anna | Lincoln Center Theater New York City, NY |

## Discography

| Year | Title | Album | Notes |
| 2012 | "If You Want Me" | Once: A New Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) | |
| 2012 | "The Hill" | Once: A New Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) | |
| 2012 | "Falling Slowly (Reprise)" | Once: A New Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) | Duet with Steve Kazee and the Once Ensemble |
| 2014 | "La Vie En Rose" | How I Met Your Mother (Original Television Soundtrack) | |
| 2016 | "Changes" | Lazarus (Original Cast Recording) | |
| 2016 | "Absolute Beginners" | Lazarus (Original Cast Recording) | Duet with Michael C. Hall, Michael Esper, Sophia Anne Caruso and Krystina Alabado |
| 2016 | "Always Crashing in the Same Car" | Lazarus (Original Cast Recording) | |
| 2018 | "Delete Delete" | #DARKDAZE | With Boots and Run the Jewels |
| 2021 | "715 Creeks" | Non-album single | Bon Iver cover |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
| 2011 | Lucille Lortel Award | Outstanding Lead Actress | Stunning | Nominated |
| 2012 | Tony Awards | Best Actress in a Musical | Once | Nominated |
| 2012 | Lucille Lortel Award | Outstanding Lead Actress | Once | Nominated |
| 2013 | Grammy Awards | Best Musical Theater Album | Once | Won |
| 2016 | Critics' Choice Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries | Fargo | Nominated |
| 2018 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Most Frightened Performance | Black Mirror | Nominated |
| 2018 | Lucille Lortel Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play | After the Blast | Nominated |
| 2021 | Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie | Palm Springs | Won |
| 2021 | Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards | Breakthrough Performance - Actress | Palm Springs | Won |
| 2021 | Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Actress in a Streaming Series, Comedy | Made for Love | Nominated |
| 2025 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | The Penguin | Nominated |
| 2025 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Miniseries, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television | The Penguin | Nominated |
| 2025 | Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actress on Television | The Penguin | Won |
| 2025 | Critics' Choice Awards | Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television | The Penguin | Won |
| 2025 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series | The Penguin | Nominated |
| 2025 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | The Penguin | Nominated |