| Intro | American actress |
| A.K.A. | Allison Cara Tolman |
| Is |
Actor Television actor |
| From | United States of America |
| Type | Film, TV, Stage & Radio |
| Gender | female |
| Birth | 18 November 1981, Houston, Harris County, Texas, U.S.A. |
| Age: | 38 years |
| Star sign | Scorpio |
| Residence | Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, U.S.A. |
Allison Cara Tolman (born November 18, 1981) is an American actress. She played police officer Molly Solverson in the first and second season of the FX television series Fargo, earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.
Early life
Tolman was born in Harris County, Texas, the daughter of Valerie (Clohecy) and Davis Nichols Tolman. Her family moved to England when she was a few months old and stayed until she was four years old. She spent the next five years in Oklahoma and West Texas, before moving to Sugar Land, Texas. She started taking acting classes when she was 10 years old at the Fort Bend Community Theatre. She attended Clements High School, graduating in 2000.
She graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatrical performance. After college, she moved to Dallas, where she was one of the founding members of Second Thought Theatre.
Career
In 2014, Tolman starred in the first season of the FX black comedy crime series Fargo. Inspired by the classic 1996 Coen brothers film of the same name, Fargo starred veteran actors Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman and Bob Odenkirk. Tolman received accolades for her performance as Minnesota police officer Molly Solverson, with Vanity Fair writing that she “calmly and assuredly stole the entire show”. For her role, she won the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries and received Best Actress nominations at the Emmy Awards and for the Golden Globes.
The same year, it was also announced Tolman would have a two-episode guest role on The Mindy Project as Abby Berman, a romance novelist. In 2015, she had a supporting role in Michael Dougherty’s comedy horror film Krampus, in which she co-starred with Adam Scott, David Koechner, Emjay Anthony, and Stefania Owen.
Following her breakout role on Fargo, Tolman declined several supporting parts as mothers, wives and best friends, looking for a more unusual role. In 2017, Tolman starred in ABC’s Downward Dog. In the series based on the Animal Inc. web series, Tolman’s character has a dog, Martin, who communicates with the TV audience. The series was filmed in Pittsburgh. It was canceled on June 23, 2017.
Personal life
Tolman has two older brothers and a younger sister. In 2009, she moved to Chicago, Illinois to study performance at The Second City Training Center.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | A Thousand Cocktails Later | Mandy | Short film |
| 2015 | Addicted to Fresno | Ruby | |
| 2015 | The Gift | Lucy | |
| 2015 | Krampus | Linda | |
| 2017 | Barracuda | Merle | |
| 2017 | The House | Dawn Mayweather | |
| 2017 | Killing Gunther | Mia | |
| 2018 | Family | ||
| 2018 | The Sisters Brothers | Girl Mayfield Saloon |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Prison Break | Nurse | Episode: “Scan” |
| 2008 | Sordid Lives: The Series | Tink | 4 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | Fargo | Deputy Molly Solverson | 11 episodes |
| 2014 | The Mindy Project | Abby Berman | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | Hello Ladies | Kate | Television film |
| 2015 | Archer | Edie Poovey (voice) | Episode: “Edie’s Wedding” |
| 2015 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Ellen | Episode: “Joseph Gordon-Levitt Wears a Heart T-Shirt and Blue Jeans” |
| 2015 | Review | Marissa | Episode: “Brawl; Blackmail; Glory Hole” |
| 2016 | Mad Dogs | Rochelle | 3 episodes |
| 2016–2018 | Drunk History | Various | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Downward Dog | Nan | Lead role (8 episodes) |
| 2017 | I’m Sorry | Jennifer | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Mosaic | Amy Lambson | 3 episodes |
| 2017–2018 | Me, Myself & I | Sarah | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Captain Olivia Crawford | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Good Girls | Mary Pat | 4 episodes |
| 2018 | Castle Rock | Bridget Strand | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | The Twilight Zone | TBA | Episode: “The Wunderkind” |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Nominated work | Association | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Fargo | Critics’ Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated |