Elizabeth Banks (born February 10, 1974) is an American actress, producer and director. She is known for playing Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games film series (2012–2015) and Gail Abernathy-McKadden in the Pitch Perfect film series (2012–2017). She made her directorial film debut with Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), whose $69 million opening-weekend gross set a record for a first-time director. She went on to direct, write, produce, and star in the action comedy film Charlie's Angels (2019). She also directed and produced the horror comedy film Cocaine Bear (2023). Banks founded the film and television production company Brownstone Productions in October 2002, with her husband Max Handelman.
Banks made her film debut in the low-budget independent film Surrender Dorothy (1998). She has appeared in the films Wet Hot American Summer (2001), Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Invincible (2006), Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008), Role Models (2008), The Next Three Days (2010), Man on a Ledge (2012), Movie 43 (2013), The Lego Movie (2014) and its 2019 sequel, Love & Mercy (2014), Walk of Shame (2014), Magic Mike XXL (2015), Power Rangers (2017), and The Beanie Bubble (2023).
The Miniature Wife
The Better Sister
The 40 Year Old Virgin
The Next Three Days
Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp
Invincible
The Beanie Bubble
Migration
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part
Role Models
Definitely, Maybe
Meet Bill
Brightburn
The Uninvited
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Slither
People Like Us
Swept Away
Walk of Shame
Man on a Ledge