Maya Erskine

Maya Erskine is an American actress and writer whose career has blended comedy, drama, and experimental theater. Born on May 7, 1987 in Los Angeles, California, she grew up in a multicultural household; her father, jazz drummer Peter Erskine, and her mother, Mutsuko Nigatawa, a Japanese immigrant from Tokyo, gave her a blend of artistic and cultural influences that would later inform her work. She attended the Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences and graduated from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where she honed her performance skills before enrolling at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Originally studying musical theatre, Erskine switched to the Experimental Theater Wing, and it was during a study‑abroad program in Amsterdam that she met future collaborator Anna Konkle, a partnership that would become the cornerstone of her most celebrated project. After graduating, Erskine performed with Los Angeles‑based theater groups such as East West Players and the Geffen Playhouse, gaining valuable stage experience. Her on‑screen breakthrough arrived with the Amazon Prime Video sitcom Betas (2013‑2014) and a recurring role on FXX’s Man Seeking Woman (2015). The turning point came in 2019 when she co‑created, co‑wrote, co‑executive‑produced, and starred in Hulu’s PEN15, playing a fictionalized version of herself alongside Konkle. The series earned critical acclaim, four Primetime Emmy nominations, and two Emmy nods for writing. In 2023 she voiced Mizu in Netflix’s Blue Eye Samurai and joined the Prime Video spy thriller Mr. & Mrs. Smith as Jane Smith, a performance that garnered a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Beyond acting, Erskine is recognized by Gold House as an A100 Honoree. Her personal life mirrors her collaborative spirit: she married actor Michael Angarano in 2023, and the couple has two children, a son born in 2021 and a daughter in 2024. Erskine continues to push boundaries, blending her multicultural heritage, theatrical training, and sharp comedic timing to create work that resonates with a broad audience.