Eva Amurri’s best-known movies and TV shows are the teen satire Saved! (2004), The Banger Sisters (2002), the Adam Sandler comedy That’s My Boy (2012) and her nine-episode arc as Jackie in Californication (2009). She also has guest credits on New Girl, How I Met Your Mother, House and The Mindy Project, and from 2015 she moved largely into lifestyle writing through her brand Happily Eva After.
The daughter of Susan Sarandon and Italian director Franco Amurri, she began acting as a child, built a steady run of independent films and TV guest roles in her twenties, and now acts only occasionally. This guide lists her film and television work in order, explains which roles matter most, and suggests where a new viewer should start.
Eva Amurri at a Glance
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Eva Maria Olivia Amurri |
| Born | 15 March 1985, New York City |
| Parents | Actress Susan Sarandon and director Franco Amurri |
| Education | Brown University |
| Film debut | Small role in Bob Roberts (1992) |
| Best-known films | Saved!, The Banger Sisters, Middle of Nowhere, That’s My Boy |
| Best-known TV | Californication, New Girl, How I Met Your Mother |
| Other work | Lifestyle blogger and founder of Happily Eva After |
| Spouse | Chef Ian Hock (reported 2024); previously married to Kyle Martino (2011 to 2020) |
| Children | Three with Kyle Martino: Marlowe, Major and Mateo |
Career Timeline in Brief
- 1992 to 2002: child and teen roles, often in projects connected to her family, finishing with The Banger Sisters.
- 2004: breakout in Saved!, her first widely noticed lead-level part.
- 2007 to 2008: a burst of independent films after university, including Middle of Nowhere and The Life Before Her Eyes.
- 2009 to 2014: her busiest television period, from Californication to guest spots on major network comedies and dramas.
- 2015 onwards: launch of Happily Eva After and a shift towards writing, content creation and family life, with selective acting such as Monarch (2022).
Early Career and Child Roles
Amurri grew up around film sets. She was raised by her mother and Sarandon’s longtime partner Tim Robbins, and her first screen appearance came as a child in Robbins’ political satire Bob Roberts (1992). She followed it with a small part in Dead Man Walking (1995), the death-row drama Robbins directed and for which Sarandon won the Academy Award for Best Actress.
As a teenager she appeared in the Natalie Portman and Sarandon drama Anywhere but Here (1999), the TV film Earthly Possessions (1999) and a brief guest spot on Friends in 2001. In The Banger Sisters (2002), opposite Goldie Hawn and Sarandon, she played the daughter of her real-life mother’s character, a piece of casting that attracted plenty of press attention and gave her a first taste of a mainstream studio release.
These early parts were small, but they matter for anyone tracing her filmography. They show a performer learning on professional sets from a very young age rather than arriving through drama school or child modelling, and they explain why so many of her later projects overlap with her mother’s.
Breakthrough: Saved! and the Indie Years
Her breakout came with Saved! (2004), a satirical teen comedy set at a Christian high school, starring Jena Malone, Mandy Moore and Macaulay Culkin. Amurri played Cassandra, the school’s only Jewish student and its resident rebel. The part relied on deadpan delivery and quick reactions, and she stole a good number of scenes from better-known co-stars. The film has since picked up a cult following, and it is still the role most people mention first when her name comes up.
After studying at Brown University she returned to acting with a string of independent films. Highlights include The Education of Charlie Banks (2007), directed by Fred Durst; the drama The Life Before Her Eyes (2007) with Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood; a segment of the anthology New York, I Love You (2008); and Middle of Nowhere (2008), in which she took a lead role opposite Susan Sarandon and Anton Yelchin.
Middle of Nowhere is the best showcase from this period. She plays a young woman who takes a summer job and gets drawn into a side hustle with a co-worker, while dealing with a mother whose money troubles affect her plans for university. It is a small, character-led film, and it gives her more screen time than almost anything else she has made.
Eva Amurri Movies: Full List
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Bob Roberts | Child role; directed by Tim Robbins |
| 1995 | Dead Man Walking | Small part; Sarandon won the Best Actress Oscar |
| 1999 | Anywhere but Here | Teen role alongside Natalie Portman and Sarandon |
| 2002 | Made-Up; The Banger Sisters | Played the daughter of Sarandon’s character in The Banger Sisters |
| 2004 | Saved! | Breakout as Cassandra |
| 2007 | The Education of Charlie Banks; The Life Before Her Eyes | Post-university indie work |
| 2008 | New York, I Love You; Middle of Nowhere; Animals | Lead role in Middle of Nowhere |
| 2011 | Isolation | Independent feature |
| 2012 | That’s My Boy | Younger version of Sarandon’s character |
| 2013 | AmeriQua; Stag | Smaller releases |
| 2016 | Mothers and Daughters | Ensemble drama |
Her most widely seen later film is That’s My Boy (2012), in which she played the younger version of a teacher whose older self was played by Sarandon. It makes a neat bookend to The Banger Sisters, where the two had played mother and daughter ten years earlier.
Eva Amurri TV Shows
Californication (2009)
Her most substantial television role came in Showtime’s Californication, where she appeared in nine episodes in 2009 as Jackie, a student in Hank Moody’s (David Duchovny) creative writing class who is secretly working as a stripper. The part was a deliberate break from her teen roles and showed a bolder, more adult side to her work. For many viewers in the UK, who saw the series on late-night television, it is the role they remember her from.
New Girl (2011 and 2013)
On Fox’s New Girl, Amurri played Beth across two episodes, in 2011 and 2013. The guest role used the comic timing she first showed in Saved! and slotted easily into one of the most popular ensemble sitcoms of the decade.
How I Met Your Mother (2009 and 2014)
She made guest appearances on CBS’s How I Met Your Mother in 2009 and again in 2014, the show’s final season. The appearances were brief, but they are among the credits fans search for most often, largely because the sitcom remains a fixture on streaming services.
Other Television Appearances
| Year | Show | Type of role |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Friends | Brief guest appearance |
| 2010 | Mercy, House, Childrens Hospital | Guest roles |
| 2011 | Fish Hooks | Voice role in the Disney animated series |
| 2013 | The Mindy Project | Guest role |
| 2014 | Undateable | Guest role |
| 2015 | The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe | Lifetime miniseries |
| 2022 | Monarch | Fox drama that also starred Susan Sarandon |
The pattern is clear from the list: rather than headlining a long-running series, Amurri built her TV career from short arcs and single episodes across well-known shows. That makes her easy to spot when rewatching popular comedies, even if her name is not on the poster.
Her Acting Style
Across her career Amurri has gravitated towards characters who are witty, outspoken and slightly rebellious, from Cassandra in Saved! to Jackie in Californication. She is most at home in comedy, where she tends to underplay lines rather than push them, but she has also taken dramatic parts in independent films. Much of her TV work has been guest and recurring roles, which suits a performer who can make an impression quickly inside an established ensemble.
If you watch her films in order, the change is noticeable. Her early roles lean on presence rather than dialogue, Saved! shows her comic instincts, and the indie dramas around 2007 and 2008 give her room for quieter, more grounded scenes.
On Screen With Susan Sarandon
An unusual thread in her career is how often she has worked alongside her mother. The pair shared the screen or the same project in Dead Man Walking, Anywhere but Here, The Banger Sisters, Middle of Nowhere, That’s My Boy and Monarch. In several she played Sarandon’s daughter, and in That’s My Boy she played a younger version of the same character.
Watching these titles together is an easy way to follow her development from child extra to adult lead. It also works as a mini Sarandon retrospective, covering everything from Oscar-winning drama to broad studio comedy.
Where to Start: Five Eva Amurri Roles Worth Watching
- Saved! (2004): her breakout and still her most quoted performance, in a sharp satire with a strong young cast.
- Californication (2009): her longest TV arc and her most daring role.
- Middle of Nowhere (2008): a genuine lead in a small, character-driven indie drama.
- The Banger Sisters (2002): an early mainstream part opposite Goldie Hawn and her mother.
- New Girl (2011 and 2013): short but fun guest spots in a much-loved sitcom.
How to Find Her Work in the UK
- Check a streaming search tool before you start, because availability changes month to month and often differs between the UK and the US.
- Older films such as Saved! and The Banger Sisters are usually easiest to rent or buy digitally rather than find on subscription services.
- For TV guest spots, search by episode: her New Girl and How I Met Your Mother appearances are single episodes inside long series.
- Some smaller indie titles from 2011 to 2016 had limited UK releases, so physical media or US-region services may be the only route.
From Acting to Happily Eva After
In 2015 Amurri launched Happily Eva After, a lifestyle blog covering parenting, home, food, style and family life. It became her main focus, and her acting turned occasional from the mid-2010s. She has spoken openly on her platform and in interviews about balancing work, motherhood and family changes. Fans asking whether she still acts will find that she does so selectively, with Monarch among her more recent screen credits.
The move is common among actors of her generation who built an audience online. It gives her control over her schedule and output, and it has introduced her to readers who may never have seen Saved!.
Personal Life
Amurri married former US footballer and broadcaster Kyle Martino in 2011. The couple have three children: daughter Marlowe and sons Major and Mateo. They separated in 2019 and their divorce was finalised in 2020. She later married chef Ian Hock, with the wedding reported in 2024. She has lived in Connecticut, and while she shares parts of family life through her blog and social channels, she keeps many details private.
If you enjoy career guides like this one, see our look at Ruth Wilson’s movies and TV shows, or read about Geri Halliwell’s career and net worth. More celebrity profiles are in our Entertainment section.
Bottom Line on Eva Amurri’s Career
Eva Amurri’s screen career runs from child roles in the early 1990s to selective work today, with Saved! and Californication as its high points. If you only watch one thing, make it Saved!; if you want to see her range, pair it with Middle of Nowhere and her Californication episodes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Eva Amurri Susan Sarandon’s daughter?
Yes. Eva Amurri was born in New York City on 15 March 1985 to actress Susan Sarandon and Italian film director Franco Amurri. She has appeared in several projects alongside her mother.
What was Eva Amurri’s first role?
Her first screen role was a small part in Bob Roberts (1992), directed by Tim Robbins, her mother’s longtime partner. She followed it with a small part in Dead Man Walking (1995).
Who did Eva Amurri play in Californication?
She played Jackie, a student in Hank Moody’s creative writing class who secretly works as a stripper. She appeared in nine episodes in 2009.
Who did Eva Amurri play in New Girl?
She played Beth in two episodes of New Girl, one in 2011 and one in 2013. It was a guest role rather than a series regular part.
What is Eva Amurri best known for?
She is best known for playing Cassandra in Saved! (2004) and Jackie in Californication. Many people also know her through her lifestyle brand Happily Eva After.
Does Eva Amurri still act?
She acts only occasionally now. Since launching Happily Eva After in 2015 she has focused mainly on lifestyle content, with Monarch (2022) among her more recent TV credits.
