Alexandra Daddario – Is Her Family The Reason She’s Famous?
Alexandra Daddario is a widely-praised Hollywood talent and comes from a politically-connected and influential New York City family.
Alexandra Daddario might be a household name as an American actor with a healthy resume of acting roles, but it has taken her a long time to get to where she is now. A working performer for much of her career, the New York native has entertained the masses in hit television shows like The White Lotus and comedic films such as 2017’s Baywatch.
Daddario has worked with major movie stars, from Dwayne Johnson to Pierce Brosnan. Her television work has brought her the most attention, however, with appearances alongside Matt Bomer, Matthew McConaughey, and Jennifer Coolidge, to name a few.
Yet, it’s Alexandra Daddario’s life story that makes her an exciting celebrity, seeing as how her family life practically eclipses most of her roles as an actor.
ALEXANDRA DADDARIO COMES FROM A HIGHLY INFLUENTIAL AMERICAN FAMILY
Far away from the glitz and glamor of Hollywood, Alexandra Daddario was born into an American dynasty in New York City. The 36-year-old was raised on the Upper East Side of Manhattan by her parents, Richard and Christina. Christina is a New York lawyer, while Richard has made a name for himself as the former head of the counterterrorism unit within the New York City Police Department.
Richard Daddario was once the United States Department of Justice attache in Moscow, Russia. He came under public scrutiny in 2013 when scandals arose from his unit’s program in the NYPD around racial profiling in New York. He resigned from his position at the same time NYPD commissioner Raymond Kelly and intelligence division lead David Cohen also left office due to the scandals.
Alexandra Daddario’s grandfather, and Richard’s dad, was Emilio Q. Daddario. Most Connecticut residents would remember Emilio as a member of the United States House of Representatives, a position the lifelong Democrat held for 12 years until 1971.
A public servant for most of his life, Emilio Q. Daddario served as the American Association for the Advancement of Science president, co-led efforts for the advancement of science within the American Bar Association, and was awarded the Public Welfare Medal from the National Academy of Sciences.
Alexandra Daddario chose not to go into politics, as she was destined toward the path of the arts. She attended the Professional Children’s School in New York City, which focuses on education for working and aspiring young actors and dancers.
She later went to Marymount Manhattan College but dropped out to join the entertainment industry and study the Meisner acting technique independently.
ALEXANDRA DADDARIO APPEARED ON MAJOR TELEVISION SHOWS
Alexandra Daddario is a prime example of a working actor, as she has inserted herself into some of the most-watched television shows of the last decade or so. A staple of the soap opera All My Children for several years as the recurring part of Laurie Lewis, Daddario moved into primetime drama with appearances on Law & Order and The Sopranos.
American audiences caught wind of Alexandra Daddario’s talent when she first came on the screen as Kate Moreau in USA Network’s crime series White Collar. Playing opposite Matt Bomer as his onscreen doomed love interest, Daddario was integral to the first two seasons of the show’s premise about a con artist working as a consultant for the FBI.
This recurring role coincided with multiple appearances on Parenthood, Damages, and Nurse Jackie around the same time in the late 2000s to early 2010s.
Since then, Alexandra Daddario has also found herself taking on roles in established comedies on television. She has appeared in episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, New Girl, The Last Man on Earth, Robot Chicken, and Workaholics.
To combat some of the comedic series she has been a part of, Alexandra Daddario has continued to act in anthology dramas like True Detective, American Horror Story: Hotel, and most recently, The White Lotus.
ALEXANDRA DADDARIO GOT A MAJOR BREAK IN THE PERCY JACKSON FRANCHISE
Adding to her full plate of performances on television, Alexandra Daddario has fared well, costarring in huge blockbusters on the big screen. Her career has taken her to the battlefield between greek gods as part of the Percy Jackson franchise. She ran from Leatherface in 2013’s Texas Chainsaw 3D and staved off the advances of Owen Wilson in Hall Pass.
Alexandra Daddario has fought through a massive earthquake alongside Dwayne Johnson in San Andreas. She replaced Nicole Eggert as Summer Quinn in the action comedy Baywatch and starred again with Dwayne Johnson in the monster epic Rampage. Daddario even lent her behind-the-scenes talents to the set of 2019’s Can You Keep a Secret? with Tyler Hoechlin as one of the film’s executive producers.
ALEXANDRA DADDARIO HAS A MASSIVE INSTAGRAM FOLLOWING
Like many celebrities of the digital age, Alexandra Daddario has taken to social media to voice her opinions and promote her upcoming projects. Daddario’s Instagram account contains a tremendous amount of fans, with close to 23 million followers.
Within her Instagram account, Alexandra Daddario asks her followers to call her by the nickname “Alex” and keeps a link to the mental health resource On Our Sleeves in her official bio. She has posted several times about On Our Sleeves’ work to combat childhood mental health disorders.
She has been a spokesperson for the organization along with fellow entertainers David Arquette, David Archuleta, and the former Governor of Ohio, John Kasich.
Alexandra Daddario has a substantial presence on Twitter besides the pictures and videos she posts on Instagram. She can often be seen tweeting to her one million followers about her ongoing projects and television roles and retweeting some posts from entertainment journalists who discuss her work.
She has used the platform in the past for promotional purposes but also to defend others’ honor, like Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.
Really sad to see so many nasty things thrown around about Meghan Markle. Sometimes people don’t like who their family member marries. Or vice versa. Life. The vicious insults, lies and disgusting displays of nasty jealousy say more about the people saying them than about Meghan.
— Alexandra Daddario (@AADaddario) December 18, 2022
HER BROTHER AND SISTER ARE ALSO IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
As the oldest of three siblings in her family, Alexandra Daddario has set the tone for a career in the arts and entertainment. However, she is hardly the only one in her family to approach acting as a resume builder.
Alexandra Daddario’s younger brother Matthew is also an actor and has amassed an impressive fandom all his own. Matthew Daddario made his mainstream film debut starring alongside Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones in 2013’s Breathe In. From there, he has appeared in a number of movies like the Vince Vaughn comedy Delivery Man and Eli Roth’s 2016 remake of Cabin Fever.
Like his big sister, Matthew has taken on roles in television shows, most notably the out-gay part of Alec Lightwood in the supernatural drama Shadowhunters. He also appeared in the second season of Why Women Kill, which his sister Alexandra Daddario costarred in during the show’s first season.
Catharine Daddario is Alexandra and Matthew Daddario’s youngest sibling. Like the rest of her family, she was born in New York and started acting in her teenage years. She has been featured in episodes of Primetime and The Good Fight.
Striving for a more extensive career like her older brother and sister, Catharine will be costarring in the upcoming movie The Midway Point opposite Thora Birch and Dexter alum Julie Benz.
SHE IS MARRIED TO PRODUCER ANDREW FORM
But the familial industry connections don’t stop there. Alexandra Daddario started dating producer Andrew Form in 2020. According to E! News, the two eventually got married later in 2022.
Andrew Form is well-known in the entertainment industry as the producer on hit films like The Purge, the 2014 remake of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and 2009’s Friday the 13th. His first wife is Jordana Brewster of the Fast & Furious franchise fame, who he met while working on 2006’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.
A frequent collaborator of director Michael Bay, Andrew Form has recently started working with actor and director John Krasinski. The two have joined forces on A Quiet Place and its 2020 sequel. 2024 will be a big year for Andrew Form, as he will be producing alongside Ryan Reynolds the movie IF, which will be directed and written by John Krasinski and starring Reynolds, Krasinski, Fiona Shaw, Steve Carell, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
ALEXANDRA DADDARIO HAS BEEN IN MUSIC VIDEOS
Before she became a famous actor and a household name, Alexandra Daddario decided to take her career in the direction of starring in music videos. Leaning on her good looks and charming personality, Daddario’s first part in a major music video was as the girlfriend for the song “Love Is on Its Way” by the Jonas Brothers in 2009.
She followed this up with an appearance in the same role for Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, a concert film starring Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas.
While Alexandra Daddario navigated life as a working actor on television, she progressed with her music video acting talents. She costarred as a drifter in the video for the Imagine Dragons song “Radioactive” and appeared in a minor role in the single “Judy French” for the band White Reaper.
Alexandra Daddario followed up her stints in music videos after starring in major blockbusters by appearing as an ex-girlfriend in Maroon 5’s video for the song “Wait.” The video features a shirtless Adam Levine as he pleads with Daddario’s character to take him back.
The actor got to play around with many different music video tropes throughout the filming of the song, including sexy costumes, visual effects explosions, and pushing the lead singer around in various segments.
While the Maroon 5 video has been seen over 180 million times on YouTube, Alexandra Daddario has also provided her acting skills to lesser-known bands that might need a bit of star power in their music videos.
She costarred as a young woman in the Bootstraps song “When You’re Around” in 2019, the most recent music video that Daddario has appeared in. Showing off her signature blue eyes and bright smile, Daddario is a force of nature in the solemn video that also stars actor Erika Christensen.
SHE WAS WIDELY PRAISED FOR HER ROLE IN HBO’S WHITE LOTUS
After many years in front of a global audience in film and on television, Alexandra Daddario finally landed a dream role on the first season of HBO’s The White Lotus. Created by Mike White, the anthology series depicts the dysfunctional relationships of wealthy individuals mixed with toxic masculinity and psychological issues.
The show takes place at fictional White Lotus resort properties, and Daddario got the chance to costar in the debut season set in Hawaii.
Portraying Rachel Patton, a newlywed journalist who struggles to balance her career and a new marriage, Alexandra Daddario cemented her legacy on a well-regarded new show. Mostly playing opposite Jake Lacy, Molly Shannon, and Connie Britton on the series, Daddario garnered attention and accolades for her performance in the wildly popular show.
For the first time in her acting career, Alexandra Daddario came under the radar of television audiences and critics alike during the 2021 television season. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, an award she lost to fellow The White Lotus costar, Jennifer Coolidge.
Rotten Tomatoes currently ranks the series with an Average Tomatometer score of 91 percent from critics and an Average Audience Score of 72 percent.
Alexandra Daddario’s Primetime Emmy Award nomination capped off a career full of other accolades. To date, the actor has received three nominations for the Teen Choice Award, one nomination for the MTV Movie Award, and a Hollywood Critics Association TV Award nomination. A win is sure to come soon.
ALEXANDRA DADDARIO IS CURRENTLY STARRING IN MAYFAIR WITCHES
After the success of the first season of The White Lotus, Alexandra Daddario seemed to strike while the iron was hot. Often regarded in supporting roles that saw Daddario featured among established actors in television and film, she chose to find projects that would see her front and center. Taking a lead role would be a promotion of sorts for Daddario, and she dove headfirst into the intriguing waters of Mayfair Witches.
Premiering on AMC earlier this month, Mayfair Witches stars Alexandra Daddario as Dr. Rowan Fielding, a neurosurgeon who uncovers her lineage to a robust witch heritage known as the Mayfair dynasty. Based on the novels Lives of the Mayfair Witches by writer Anne Rice, Dr. Fielding is constantly haunted by a shape-shifting spirit named Lasher. The supernatural drama also stars Harry Hamlin, Tongayi Chirisa, Annabeth Gish, and Jack Huston.
As of this week, Mayfair Witches has yet to be renewed or canceled by AMC. However, the network seems poised to continue the television show, as it premiered the first season of Interview with the Vampire in 2022, another adaptation of an Anne Rice novel.
According to Deadline, AMC plans to have a crossover event between Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches, a move that might help bring more attention to Alexandra Daddario and her series.
2023 has been a good year for Alexandra Daddario so far, with the actor continuing to impress across various mediums within the entertainment industry. She has provided the voice of the character McKayla in the new Hulu animated series Koala Man which premiered on the streamer earlier this month. Koala Man costars Michael Cusack, Succession actor Sarah Snook, Hugh Jackman, and Jemaine Clement.
SHE HAS NUMEROUS PROJECTS CURRENTLY IN THE WORKS
After two decades of striving to get noticed in an industry known for the next best thing, Alexandra Daddario has stayed devoted to her craft and turned out great performances along the way. Hinging on the bet that Mayfair Witches might be renewed for a second season, Daddario is hard at work promoting the television show while filming other projects.
Alexandra Daddario has two movies under her belt that are currently awaiting distribution via a theatrical release or streaming. One of those films, Wildflower, debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022 and focuses on a coming-of-age story from a girl’s perspective as she navigates family drama with an intellectually disabled parent.
Wildflower has yet to be seen by the general public, and critics were mixed in their reception of the film when it debuted at the film festival. Only five critics have reviewed the movie on Rotten Tomatoes, which currently ranks Wildflower with 60 percent on its Tomatometer. The flick stars Alexandra Daddario, Kiernan Shipka, Charlie Plummer, Jean Smart, and Brad Garrett.
The other movie that has finished filming and is currently in post-production for Alexandra Daddario is I Wish You All the Best. The feature film directorial debut of actor Tommy Dorfman, I Wish You All the Best costars Amy Landecker and Cole Sprouse. Based on the novel by Mason Deaver, the film centers around a teenager booted from his parent’s house who must go on a journey of self-discovery.
