A gifted actress and veteran of series television, Elisabeth Moss wasted no time getting her career off the ground. Starting as a child actor, Moss graduated high school two years early and stayed out of trouble during her teens by choosing instead to focus solely on her work. As a result of her unusually mature work ethic, Moss was rarely without a job. After working steadily in film and television for years, Moss got her big break in 1999 when she was cast as Martin Sheen’s daughter on “The West Wing” (NBC, 1999-2006). Moving from her supporting berth at the White House, Moss took on a more challenging adult role as 1960s-era secretary Peggy Olson on “Mad Men” (AMC, 2007- ), the critically acclaimed dramedy from “The Sopranos” writer-producer, Matthew Weiner.

Born in Los Angeles, CA on Oct. 15, 1983, Elisabeth Moss gravitated toward acting from an early age. Inspired to pursue an acting career at by her screen idol, Bette Davis, Moss made her acting debut at age six with a small role in “Lucky/Chances” (CBS, 1990), a miniseries based on the novel by Jackie Collins. Starting out as a voice actor in animation, Moss gradually moved to performing in front of the cameras. A small role in the Hulk Hogan family comedy “Suburban Commando” (1991) led the 13-year-old Moss to a recurring stint on David E. Kelley’s quirky suburban drama, “Picket Fences’ (CBS, 1992-96).

Moss’ true big break, however, came three years later, when she was cast as First Daughter Zoey Bartlet in the Emmy Award-winning “The West Wing.” As the youngest daughter of U.S. President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen), Zoey provided the somber political drama with a much-needed shot of adolescent angst. A hopeless romantic by nature, Zoey’s heart often led her into problematic situations, as it did during the first season when she fell for Charlie Young, one of her father’s chief advisors. In fact, Zoey and Charlie’s clandestine relationship would continue off-and-on for the life of the series.

On the big screen, Moss turned in a smart performance as Polly Clark, one of the inmates at an all-female mental institution in “Girl, Interrupted” (1999). After years of being a reliable supporting player in films, Moss got her chance to shine in her first leading role in the indie feature “Virgin” (2003). The story of a young woman who believes she has been subject to an immaculate conception, “Virgin” stirred some mild controversy from within the Roman Catholic Church, but the brouhaha soon faded.

On the big screen, Moss turned in a smart performance as Polly Clark, one of the inmates at an all-female mental institution in “Girl, Interrupted” (1999). After years of being a reliable supporting player in films, Moss got her chance to shine in her first leading role in the indie feature “Virgin” (2003). The story of a young woman who believes she has been subject to an immaculate conception, “Virgin” stirred some mild controversy from within the Roman Catholic Church, but the brouhaha soon faded. Moss returned to television as a regular on the short-lived aliens-among-us drama “Invasion” (ABC, 2005-06).

After that show’s premature demise, Moss returned to series work with a regular role in “Mad Men,” a subtle, but riveting drama set in a 1960s Madison Avenue advertising agency that depicted the era’s chauvinistic social mores and period detail in exquisite fashion. She played Peggy Olson, a young ,but not-so-naïve secretary who works the desk for the agency’s darkly complicated creative director (Jon Hamm) and eventually moves up to copywriter despite confronting roadblocks in the form of routine sexism from her male coworkers. The show was a huge critical success, earning numerous accolades and awards, while Moss received an Emmy Award nod in 2009 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series – the first Academy recognition of her career.