Who Are Lily Rabe's Famous Parents?
When it comes down to it, Lily Rabe is an actor's actor. Not only is she one of "American Horror Story's" top-level talents and one of series creator Ryan Murphy's close confidantes, but the star also has a wide stage presence both on and off-Broadway. With a phenomenal set of acting skills and a wide range, Lily has entranced viewers for the past decade on stage and with her show-stealing performances on the popular FX series, "American Horror Story."
With an ability to reel viewers in with characters either so dastardly (looking at you, Sister Mary Eunice McKee) or ones that make you empathize to no end (Doris Gardner, anyone?), Lily has perfected the art of balancing the good-slash-evil dichotomy. And although Lily has worked endlessly to hone her craft and become the best at what she does, the simple fact is that acting has been in her blood since birth.
The daughter of Jill Clayburgh and David Rabe, Lily comes from an established heritage of artistic greatness. With an upbringing at the veteran hands of Clayburgh and David, it's completely understandable as to how and why Lily has ascended the heights she has in her career. So with that being said, let's take a look at Lily Rabe's famous parents!
Lily Rabe's mom, Jill Clayburgh, was an established actor
Lily Rabe's acting prowess can surely be attributed to her matrilineal heritage. As the daughter of late acting legend Jill Clayburgh, Lily was surrounded by the arts from a young age. In fact, in an interview with The New York Times, she described how her parents tried to discourage her from only pursuing acting and how it ultimately backfired due to her mom's influence. "They were making efforts to have me feel like this was just one of all sorts of options," Lily noted. Their efforts, however, were all to no avail, as "all my mother and I ever did was come into the city and go to plays."
Clayburgh's influence on her daughter stems from her immense acting background. Per IMDb, Clayburgh began her acting career in 1968 with a small role in the television series "N.Y.P.D." Over the course of the next few decades, Clayburgh would continue acting on television shows and made-for-TV flicks. She notably appeared in a handful of episodes of "Ally McBeal" and "The Practice." Interestingly enough, she has also appeared in "Nip/Tuck," a brainchild of "American Horror Story" creator Ryan Murphy — who ultimately gave Lily her big television breakthrough on the anthology series.
Lily also got her Broadway chops from Clayburgh, whose Broadway career lasted from 1968 to 2006. She also acted off-Broadway during the same time period. Clayburgh tragically died in 2010 after being diagnosed with leukemia in private for over 20 years.
Lily Rabe's father, David, is an accomplished playwright
Lily Rabe — who is finally dipping her feet into the production side of Hollywood (per IMDb) — got to witness that line of work through her dad, David Rabe. David, a successful playwright, has been a working writer since the early 1970s. According to Internet Broadway Database, David's first writing credit came in the form of 1972's "Sticks and Bones." Most notably, "Sticks and Bones" won a Tony Award for Best Play.
David also worked on "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel," an award-winning drama surrounding the title character, whose Vietnam War battles and human struggles are documented throughout the play. The drama also achieved popularity in the 1970s when Al Pacino portrayed the title character, earning him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play.
A quick gander at David's IMDb page reveals his most recent works came in the form of 2021's "Those the River Keeps – The Film," along with a 2018 appearance on "Theater Talk." Per The New York Times, David once stated about his work, "My plays are fairly dense, language-wise, so the question is how do you negotiate and parcel out the dialogue?" He added that in regards to his work, particularly 1998's "Hurlyburly," "It's a very delicate process."