Making her acting debut in the 1998 independent film "Surrender Dorothy", Elizabeth Banks appeared in various films over the next years, naming some were "Spider-Man" and its sequel "Spider-Man 2", "Catch Me If You Can", and "Seabiscuit", which earned her a nomination for Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. She began rising to prominence after starring as Beth in the 2005 romantic comedy film "The 40-Year-Old Virgin".

With her high rising profile, Banks explored wider genres through films, like "Invincible", "Slither", "Definitely, Maybe", "Zack and Miri Make a Porno", "W.", "Surrogates", and "The Next Three Days". In 2012, she was signed to star in "The Hunger Games" as Effie Trinket, for which she won an MTV Movie Award for Best Transformation. She next reprised her role in its follow ups; "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" (2013), "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay � Part 1" (2014), and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay � Part 2" (2015). In between times making the last three movies, the February 10, 1974 born actress also acted in "What to Expect When You're Expecting", "Pitch Perfect", "Pitch Perfect 2", also "Magic Mike XXL".

As for her career on TV, it was begun with a guest spot in an episode of "All My Children" (1999). Several other guest starring roles followed, like those on "Sex and the City", "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit", "Without a Trace", "Stella", "Modern Family", "Family Guy", as well as "Robot Chicken". The Pittsfield, Massachusetts native, additionally, also starred on "Scrubs" as Dr. Kim Briggs and on "30 Rock" as Avery Jessup, which earned her nominations for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for two consecutive years (2011-2012).

Banks, who was born as Elizabeth Irene Mitchell, was married to sportswriter and producer Max Handelman in 2003. The couple has had two children; Felix (b. 2011) and Magnus Mitchell (b. 2012), both of whom were born via surrogate.