Elizabeth Banks (born
Elizabeth Irene Mitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress, producer, and director. Banks made her film debut in the low-budget independent film
Surrender Dorothy (1998), and is known for her roles in such films as
Wet Hot American Summer, Sam Raimi's
Spider-Man trilogy (2002–07),
Seabiscuit (2003),
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005),
Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008),
Role Models (2008),
The Next Three Days (2010),
Pitch Perfect (2012),
The Lego Movie (2014), and
The Hunger Games films (2012–15). In 2014, she portrayed
Melinda Ledbetter, the girlfriend and later wife of
the Beach Boys co-founder
Brian Wilson, in
Bill Pohlad's film
Love & Mercy and made her directorial debut with
Pitch Perfect 2, whose May 15–17 $69M opening weekend gross set a record for a first-time director.