Get to know 1996 College graduate Elizabeth Banks, the actress and film director who will deliver Penn’s 269th Commencement speech on May 19.
1. She was the first in her family to graduate from college
At Penn, Banks — who was known as Elizabeth Mitchell before changing her name when she joined the Screen Actors Guild — majored in communication, minored in theatre arts, and was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority. She held a work-study job at the Faculty Club, participated in extracurricular theater groups, and was a member of the Friars Senior Society. She graduated magna cum laude in 1996.
She also met her husband, 1995 College graduate Max Handelman, while at Penn.
After graduating from Penn, Banks attended the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco for her master’s degree, before becoming an award-winning actress, director, and producer.
Penn will award Banks an honorary doctor of arts degree during this year’s Commencement ceremony.
2. She produced, starred in, and directed the “Pitch Perfect” franchise
Banks produced and starred in “Pitch Perfect,” a 2012 film that follows an all-female a cappella group competing in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. Although not explicitly based on Penn’s robust a cappella community, Handelman told The Pennsylvania Gazette in 2010 that the comedy was based on “the type of people … he and Banks knew at Penn.”
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Following the success of “Pitch Perfect,” Banks made her feature directorial debut with “Pitch Perfect 2.” She also co-produced and starred in the film and its follow-up, “Pitch Perfect 3.”
Banks arranged for Penn Masala to make a cameo in “Pitch Perfect 2,” which was released in 2015.
Banks initially made her film debut in “Surrendering Dorothy,” a 1998 independent film. She went on to appear in Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” trilogy, “The Lego Movie” franchise, and “The Hunger Games” film franchise — in which she starred as the character Effie Trinket. On television, Banks is best known for her roles on “30 Rock,“ which earned her two Emmy Award nominations, and “Modern Family.”
3. She and her husband co-founded a production company
In 2002, Banks and Handelman co-founded the film and television production company Brownstone Productions, Inc. The corporation is best known for producing the “Pitch Perfect” franchise, the 2019 film “Charlie’s Angels,” and the 2023 films “Cocaine Bear” and “Bottoms.”
Banks attributes her interest in storytelling to her time at Penn, where she took classes on William Shakespeare that allowed her to develop theatrical skills, including being able to “tell the difference between a comedy and a drama.”
Handelman told the Gazette that his and Banks’ “complementary skills” allow them to collaborate and search for the perfect story to tell through the company’s films. Banks described storytelling as “a tradition that goes back to when we were living in caves and acting out the history of our people … or when we’re teaching our children by telling them stories, or just as a way of trying to make sense of the world around us.”
4. She founded an online platform for female comedians
In 2016, Banks partnered with Digital Media Management to found WhoHaha, a creative space for digital content that “celebrates and elevates women and gender-expansive creators in the comedy space,” according to its website. The organization aims to “center women+ in front of the camera, behind the scenes, and in the audience” and has partnered with companies including the American Heart Association, Universal Studios, and Amazon Prime.
The platform includes video content that highlights the behind-the-scenes processes of franchises like “Pitch Perfect” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” along with a comedic series catered towards non-male audiences.
“I was tired of hearing the quote that women were not funny,” Banks told CBS News in 2017. “I wanted women to hear and understand a different message like, ‘I think you’re really hilarious and if you have something to say, you should be allowed to say it.’”
5. She is an advocate for reproductive rights and veteran support
In 2022, Banks appeared at the Center for Reproductive Rights’ 30th anniversary gala in New York — just months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Her appearance came before the release of her film “Call Jane,” which tells the story of a woman who is unable to get a legal abortion. Banks also serves as the chair of the Center’s Creative Council.
She has also supported the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, and her father is a Vietnam War veteran.
