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{{short description|American writer and actress (born 1986)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox person {{Infobox person
|name=Lena Dunham | name = Lena Dunham
|image = Lena Dunham 2012 Shankbone.JPG | image = Lena Dunham at Berlinale 2024.jpg
| alt =
|caption = Dunham at the 2012 ] premiere of '']''
| caption = Dunham in 2024
|birth_name=
| birth_name =
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1986|5|13}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1986|5|13}}
|birth_place=], ], ]
| birth_place = New York City, U.S.
|parents=]<br>Carroll Dunham
| education = ]<br>] (BA)
|occupation=], ], ], ]
| occupation = {{flatlist|
| education = ] (])
* Writer
* director
* actress
* producer
}}
| years_active = 2006–present
| spouse = {{marriage|]|2021}}
| father = ]
| mother = ]
| relatives = ] (sibling)
}} }}
'''Lena Dunham''' ({{IPAc-en|icon|'|l|i|n|ə|_|'|d|ʌ|n|m̩|}} {{Respell|LEE|nə}} {{Respell|dun|um}}; born May 13, 1986) is an American filmmaker and actress.<ref>. National Public Radio. December 6, 2010.</ref> She wrote and directed the independent film '']'' (2010), and is the creator and star of the HBO series '']''. In 2012, she was nominated for 4 ] for ''Girls''.


'''Lena Dunham''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|iː|n|ə|_|ˈ|d|ʌ|n|ə|m}}; born May 13, 1986)<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.etonline.com/lena-dunham-celebrates-her-33rd-birthday-with-brad-pitt-it-was-the-best-day-ever-125207|title = Lena Dunham Celebrates Her 33rd Birthday With Brad Pitt: 'It Was the Best Day Ever'|last = Willis|first = Jackie|work = ]|date = May 14, 2019|accessdate = January 18, 2022}}</ref> is an American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is the creator, writer, and star of the ] television series '']'' (2012–2017), for which she received several ] nominations and two ]s.<ref name="ATAS-Emmys-Bio2">{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/bios/lena-dunham|title=Lena Dunham – Bio|website=] / ]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060338/http://www.emmys.com/bios/lena-dunham|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=live|access-date=March 5, 2016}}</ref><ref name="HFPA-GoldenGlobes-Bio2">{{cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/person/lena-dunham|title=Winners & Nominees: Lena Dunham|website=] / ]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119190648/http://www.goldenglobes.com/person/lena-dunham|archive-date=January 19, 2016|url-status=live|access-date=March 5, 2016}}</ref> Dunham also directed several episodes of ''Girls'' and became the first woman to win the ].<ref name="DGA-ItGirl-20132">{{cite news|url=https://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/1304-Fall-2013/Indie-Voice-Lena-Dunham.aspx|title=The It Girl|last1=Gates|first1=Anita|date=Fall 2013|work=]|access-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308021923/https://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/1304-Fall-2013/Indie-Voice-Lena-Dunham.aspx|archive-date=March 8, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> She started her career writing, directing, and starring in her semi-autobiographical ] '']'' (2010), for which she won an ] for Best First Screenplay. She has since written and directed the 2022 films '']'' and '']''.
==Early life==
Dunham was born in New York City.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.argotistonline.co.uk/Lena%20Dunham.htm |title=Lena Dunham |publisher=Argotistonline.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2012-10-14}}</ref> Her father, Carroll Dunham, is a painter of "overtly sexualised pop art", and her mother, ], is a photographer and designer who creates "disquieting domestic tableaux" with dolls.<ref>{{cite web|author=Walker, Tim |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/lena-dunham-could-she-be-the-voice-of-a-generation-8200071.html |title=Lena Dunham: Could she be the voice of a generation? - Profiles - People |publisher=The Independent |date=October 6, 2012 |accessdate=2012-10-14}}</ref><ref name=NYer2010>{{Cite journal |last=Mead |first=Rebecca |date=November 15, 2010 |title=Downtown's Daughter |journal=The New Yorker |publisher=Condé Nast |pages=38–45 |url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/11/15/101115fa_fact_mead |accessdate=April 7, 2012 }}</ref> Dunham's father is Protestant, and according to Dunham, a ] descendant;<ref>{{cite web|last=Storey |first=Kate |url=http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/dunham_talks_race_3QShS5Gd5oGnJyBL6eqwNI |title="Dunham talks race" article on the NY Post Website |publisher=Nypost.com |date=May 7, 2012 |accessdate=2012-10-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://heebmagazine.com/lena-dunham-and-judd-apatow/34561 |title=The Most Boobs Ever: Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow in Conversation &#124; Heeb |publisher=Heebmagazine.com |date= |accessdate=2012-10-14}}</ref> Dunham's mother is Jewish.<ref>{{cite web|author=Melissa Silverstein |url=http://womenandhollywood.com/2010/11/12/interview-with-lena-dunham-writerdirector-of-tiny-furniture/ |title=Interview with Lena Dunham – Writer/Director of Tiny Furniture &#124; Women & Hollywood |publisher=Womenandhollywood.com |date=November 12, 2010 |accessdate=2012-10-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/the_ticket/item/girls_writer_lays_bare_womens_insecurities_20120425/ |title=‘Girls’ writer lays bare women’s insecurities |publisher=Jewish Journal |date=April 25, 2012 |accessdate=2012-10-14}}</ref> She has a younger sister, ], who is a model and student at ] and who starred in Dunham's first film '']''.<ref>Howard, Caroline (November 12, 2010). , ''Forbes''</ref> As children, both Lena and Grace were babysat by photographers Sherri Zuckerman and Catherine McGann.


In 2013, Dunham was included in the annual ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/lena-dunham/|title=The 2013 TIME 100|last=Danes|first=Claire|newspaper=Time|access-date=June 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709141743/http://time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/lena-dunham/|archive-date=July 9, 2016|url-status=live|issn=0040-781X}}</ref> In 2014, Dunham released her first book, '']''.<ref name="NPR-FreshAir-NTKOG-20142">{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2014/09/29/352276798/lena-dunham-on-sex-oversharing-and-writing-about-lost-girls|title=Lena Dunham On Sex, Oversharing And Writing About Lost 'Girls'|last1=Gross|first1=Terry|date=September 29, 2014|work=]|access-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306183231/http://www.npr.org/2014/09/29/352276798/lena-dunham-on-sex-oversharing-and-writing-about-lost-girls|archive-date=March 6, 2016|url-status=live|publisher=]}}</ref> In 2015, along with ''Girls'' ] ], Dunham created the ] '']'', a ] online newsletter.<ref name="NYDailyNews-LennyLetter-20152">{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/10-facts-lena-dunham-jenni-konner-lenny-letter-article-1.2378131|title=10 fast facts about Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner's first Lenny Letter|last1=Jagannathan|first1=Meera|date=September 29, 2015|work=]|access-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307041145/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/10-facts-lena-dunham-jenni-konner-lenny-letter-article-1.2378131|archive-date=March 7, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NiemanLab-LennyLetters-20163">{{cite news|url=http://www.niemanlab.org/2016/03/lena-dunhams-lenny-letter-has-grown-to-400000-subscribers-with-a-65-percent-open-rate/|title=Lena Dunham's Lenny Letter has grown to 400,000 subscribers with a 65 percent open rate|last1=Owen|first1=Laura Hazard|date=March 4, 2016|work=]|access-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303201730/http://www.niemanlab.org/2016/03/lena-dunhams-lenny-letter-has-grown-to-400000-subscribers-with-a-65-percent-open-rate/|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The publication ran for three years before its discontinuation in late 2018.<ref name=":222">{{cite web|last=Lewis|first=Hilary|date=October 18, 2018|title=Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner's Lenny Letter Website to Shut Down (Reports)|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lena-dunham-jenni-konner-lenny-letter-website-shut-down-1153430|access-date=October 18, 2018|website=]}}</ref>
Dunham attended ] in ], ], where she met ''Tiny Furniture'' actress and '']'' co-star ]. She graduated from ] in 2008, where she studied creative writing.<ref>. TinyFurniture.com.</ref>

Dunham briefly appeared in films such as '']'' and '']'' (both 2012), and ] (2014). She voiced Mary in the 2016 film '']'', which premiered at the ]. On television, aside from ''Girls'', she has played guest roles in '']'' and '']'' (both 2015). In 2017, she portrayed ] in ''].''<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/american-horror-story-cult-story-beheind-lena-dunhams-episode-1050134|title=How Lena Dunham and 'American Horror Story' Delivered a Timely Look at Feminism|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=November 26, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

Dunham's work, as well as her outspoken presence on ] and in interviews, have attracted significant controversy, praise, criticism, and media scrutiny throughout her career.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thecut.com/2018/11/lena-dunham-comes-to-terms-with-herself.html|title=Lena Dunham Comes to Terms With Herself|last=Davis|first=Allison P.|work=The Cut|access-date=November 26, 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite news|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/12/can-lena-dunham-recover-from-her-mistakes|title=Can Lena Dunham Recover from Her High-Profile Mistakes?|last=Wolcott|first=James|work=HWD|access-date=November 26, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Dunham was born in New York City.<ref name=CapitalNY-Stringer-2013>{{cite news |last1=Paybarah |first1=Azi |title=Lena Dunham on not considering Spitzer and not losing the next Patti Smith to Tampa |url=http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2013/08/8532620/lena-dunham-not-considering-spitzer-and-not-losing-next-patti-smith |access-date=March 5, 2016 |work=] f/k/a ] |date=August 7, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309183425/http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2013/08/8532620/lena-dunham-not-considering-spitzer-and-not-losing-next-patti-smith |archive-date=March 9, 2016 }}</ref><ref name=Argotist-2012>{{cite web|url=http://www.argotistonline.co.uk/Lena%20Dunham.htm |title=Lena Dunham. Editor, Dead Horse Review |work=The Argotist Online |access-date=October 14, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126162209/http://www.argotistonline.co.uk/Lena%20Dunham.htm |archive-date=January 26, 2013 }}</ref> Her father, ], is a painter, and her mother, ], is an artist and photographer, and a member of ], known for her use of dolls and dollhouse furniture in her photographs of setup interior scenes.<ref>{{cite news|author=Walker, Tim |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/lena-dunham-could-she-be-the-voice-of-a-generation-8200071.html |title=Lena Dunham: Could she be the voice of a generation? |work=The Independent |date=October 6, 2012 |access-date=October 14, 2012 |location=London, UK |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010180215/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/lena-dunham-could-she-be-the-voice-of-a-generation-8200071.html |archive-date=October 10, 2012 }}</ref><ref name=NewYorker-TinyFurniture-2010>{{Cite magazine|last=Mead |first=Rebecca |date=November 15, 2010 |title=Downtown's Daughter |magazine=] |pages=38–45 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/11/15/101115fa_fact_mead |access-date=April 7, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329193311/http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/11/15/101115fa_fact_mead |archive-date=March 29, 2012 }}</ref> Her father is ] of mostly ] ancestry;<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dunham Mahony|first=Gratia|title=From Deacon John to Lena Dunham – Selected Dunhams in one line of Descent|url=http://www.dunham-singletary.org/mw/images/8/89/Newsletter-Vol_XIII-2.pdf|website=dunham-singletary.org}}</ref> whereas her mother is ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://nylon.com/articles/lena-dunham-nylon-february-cover|title=Lena Dunham Is Our February Cover Star|last=Wappler|first=Margaret|date=January 11, 2017|work=]|access-date=July 2, 2018|quote=Lena Dunham: "I learned it from my Jewish mother."}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/laurie-simmons-eye-opening-art/|title=Laurie Simmons' Eye Opening Art|last=Goldberg|first=David|date=March 31, 2015|work=]|access-date=July 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://heebmagazine.com/lena-dunham-and-judd-apatow/34561|title=The Most Boobs Ever: Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow in Conversation|access-date=July 2, 2018|date=March 29, 2012|last=Poritsky|first=Jonathan|work=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/esmagazine/meet-lena-dunhams-mother-laurie-simmons-10008631.html|title=Meet Lena Dunham's mother: Laurie Simmons|last=Crisell|first=Luke|date=January 28, 2015|work=]|quote=both first-generation Jewish Americans.|access-date=July 2, 2018}}</ref> Dunham has described herself as feeling "very culturally Jewish, although that's the biggest cliché for a Jewish woman to say." The ] of ] helped her to connect with her ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jewishjournal.com/mobile_20111212/103436/|title='Girls' writer lays bare women's insecurities|date=April 25, 2012|work=Jewish Journal|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009055321/http://www.jewishjournal.com/the_ticket/item/girls_writer_lays_bare_womens_insecurities_20120425|archive-date=October 9, 2012|url-status=live|access-date=October 14, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/2017/10/01/news-opinion/united-states/lena-dunham-says-she-connected-to-judaism-through-israeli-poet-yehuda-amichai|title=Lena Dunham says she connected to Judaism through Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai|access-date=July 2, 2018|date=October 1, 2017|work=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Melissa |last=Silverstein |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-silverstein/interview-with-lena-dunha_b_782760.html|title=Interview with Lena Dunham – Writer/Director of Tiny Furniture |work=Women & Hollywood |publisher=Womenandhollywood.com |date=November 12, 2010 |access-date=October 14, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403092632/http://womenandhollywood.com/2010/11/12/interview-with-lena-dunham-writerdirector-of-tiny-furniture/ |archive-date=April 3, 2013 }}</ref>

Dunham attended ] before transferring in seventh grade to ] in ], where she met ''Tiny Furniture'' actress and future '']'' co-star ].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Mead |first1=Rebecca |title=Downtown's Daughter |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/11/15/downtowns-daughter |magazine=The New Yorker |date=November 7, 2010 |access-date=June 11, 2020 |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name=Vogue-JemimaKirke-2014>{{cite web |url=http://www.vogue.com/vogue-daily/article/childs-play-lena-dunham-and-jemima-kirkes-first-appearance-in-vogue/#1 |title=Child's Play: Lena Dunham and Jemima Kirke's First Appearance in Vogue |work=] |author=Sykes, Plum |date=January 15, 2014 |access-date=March 22, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322131809/http://www.vogue.com/vogue-daily/article/childs-play-lena-dunham-and-jemima-kirkes-first-appearance-in-vogue/#1 |archive-date=March 22, 2014 |author-link=Plum Sykes }}</ref> As a teen, Dunham also won a ].<ref>{{Cite press release|title=America's Most Creative Teens Named As National 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Recipients |publisher=] |date=March 14, 2016 |url=http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-release/america-s-most-creative-teens-named-national-2016-scholastic-art-writing-awards-recipi |access-date=May 20, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215014410/http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-release/america-s-most-creative-teens-named-national-2016-scholastic-art-writing-awards-recipi |archive-date=February 15, 2017 }}</ref> She attended ] for a year before transferring to ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://oberlin.edu/alummag/spring2014/lenadunham.html |title=Lena Dunham is Entitled... / Oberlin Alumni Magazine / Spring 2014 |work=oberlin.edu |access-date=December 17, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028202411/http://oberlin.edu/alummag/spring2014/lenadunham.html |archive-date=October 28, 2016 }}</ref><ref name="NewYorker-TinyFurniture-2010" /> where she graduated in 2008 with a degree in creative writing.<ref name=NewYorker-TinyFurniture-2010 />

She has a younger sibling, ], a 2014 graduate of ], who appeared in Dunham's first film, ''Creative Nonfiction'', and starred in her second film, '']''.<ref name= NewYorker-TinyFurniture-2010 /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2010/11/12/names-you-need-to-know-in-2011-lena-dunham |title=Names You Need to Know in 2011: Lena Dunham |last=Howard |first=Caroline |date=November 12, 2010 |work=] |access-date=May 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427043019/https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2010/11/12/names-you-need-to-know-in-2011-lena-dunham/ |archive-date=April 27, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> The siblings were raised in Brooklyn and spent summers in ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/04/living-large/ |title=Living Large |last=Browne |first=Alix |date=November 4, 2011 |work=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205063838/http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/04/living-large/ |archive-date=December 5, 2013 |url-status=live |access-date=October 7, 2013 }}</ref>


==Career== ==Career==
===2000s: Oberlin College and early works===
Dunham's 2010 feature film, '']'', won Best Narrative Feature at ].<ref>Maura, Sophie. . ''Marie Clare''. Retrieved February 8, 2011</ref> Dunham herself plays the lead role of Aura.<ref name=NYer2010/>
While a student at ], Dunham produced several independent ]s and uploaded them to ]. Many of her early films dealt with themes of sexual enlightenment and were produced in a ] filmmaking style, a dialog-heavy style in which young people talk about their personal relationships. In 2006, she produced ''Pressure'', in which a girl and two friends talk about experiencing an orgasm for the first time, which makes Dunham's character feel pressured to do so as well.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRZhZiA5q9o |title=Pressure – An Early Short by Lena Dunham |author=criterioncollection |date=April 14, 2012 |access-date=December 17, 2016 |via=YouTube |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130104222/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRZhZiA5q9o |archive-date=November 30, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://theabsolutemag.com/17462/videos/pressure-an-early-short-film-by-lena-dunham/ |title="Pressure," an Early Short Film by Lena Dunham |work=The Absolute Mag |access-date=March 27, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402121216/http://theabsolutemag.com/17462/videos/pressure-an-early-short-film-by-lena-dunham/ |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }}</ref> "I didn't go to film school", Dunham explains. "Instead I went to liberal arts school and self-imposed a curriculum of creating tiny flawed video sketches, brief meditations on comic conundrums, and slapping them on the Internet."<ref name="everyonesacritic">{{cite news |title=Everyone |work=Guggenheim |publisher=The Take (blog) |date=July 27, 2010 |url=http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/interact/participate/youtube-play/the-take/moving-images/3589-everyones-a-critic |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100802142537/http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/interact/participate/youtube-play/the-take/moving-images/3589-everyones-a-critic |archive-date=August 2, 2010|access-date=March 28, 2015 }}</ref>

]

Another early film, entitled ''The Fountain'', which depicted her in a bikini brushing her teeth in the public fountain at Oberlin College, went viral on YouTube.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wikimapia.org/32694288/Lena-Dunham-s-Fountain |title=Lena Dunham's Fountain – Wikimapia |work=wikimapia.org |access-date=December 17, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214214215/http://wikimapia.org/32694288/Lena-Dunham-s-Fountain |archive-date=February 14, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chroniclet.com/news/2014/02/09/Girls-creator-Lena-Dunham-returns-to-Oberlin.html |title='Girls' creator Lena Dunham returns to Oberlin |date=February 9, 2014 |work=chroniclet.com |access-date=December 17, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220161724/http://www.chroniclet.com/news/2014/02/09/Girls-creator-Lena-Dunham-returns-to-Oberlin.html |archive-date=December 20, 2016 }}</ref> "Her blithe willingness to disrobe without shame caused an outburst of censure from viewers," observed '']''{{'s}} Rebecca Mead.<ref name="NewYorker-TinyFurniture-2010" /> Dunham was shocked by the backlash and decided to take the video down:

{{blockquote|There were just pages of ] comments about how fat I was, or how not fat I was," Dunham said. "I didn't want you to Google me and the first thing you see is a debate about whether my breasts are misshapen."<ref name="NewYorker-TinyFurniture-2010" />}}

''Pressures'' (2006), ''Open the Door'' (2007), ''Hooker on Campus'' (2007), and ''The Fountain'' (2007) were released as ] extras with ''Tiny Furniture''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/blu-ray_reviews56/tiny_furniture_blu-ray.htm |title=Tiny Furniture Blu-ray – Lena Dunham |work=dvdbeaver.com |access-date=December 17, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905195717/http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/blu-ray_reviews56/tiny_furniture_blu-ray.htm |archive-date=September 5, 2015 }}</ref>

In 2007, Dunham starred in a ten-episode web series for ] entitled ''Tight Shots'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nerve.com/tight-shots |title=Tight Shots Archives – Nerve |work=nerve.com |access-date=December 18, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220142925/http://www.nerve.com/tight-shots |archive-date=December 20, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Anderson |first=LV |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/04/02/lena_dunham_s_the_fountain_tight_shots_and_other_early_work_everything_the_filmmaker_directed_before_girls_and_tiny_furniture.html |title=The Mini-Completist: Lena Dunham |work=] |date=April 2, 2012 |access-date=March 27, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402120317/http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/04/02/lena_dunham_s_the_fountain_tight_shots_and_other_early_work_everything_the_filmmaker_directed_before_girls_and_tiny_furniture.html |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }}</ref> described by '']''{{'s}} ] as "a daffy serial about kids trying to make a movie and be artsy and have tons of sex."<ref>{{cite news|last=Heffernan |first=Virginia |url=http://themedium.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/10/tight-spots/ |title=Tight Spots |work=] |date=April 2, 2012 |access-date=March 27, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402222903/http://themedium.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/10/tight-spots/ |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }}</ref>

In 2009, Dunham created the '']'' web series, '']'', which satirized the New York City art scene. The production was unpaid, so Dunham and her friends "pooled their money from babysitting and art-assistant gigs and borrowed some camera gear."<ref>{{cite news|last=Yuan |first=Jada |url=https://nymag.com/arts/art/features/58305/ |title=Almost Famous |work=New York |date=August 16, 2009 |access-date=March 28, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402131636/http://nymag.com/arts/art/features/58305/ |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }}</ref>

Also in 2009, Dunham premiered ''Creative Nonfiction''—a comedy where she plays Ella, a college student struggling to complete a screenplay<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2014/03/10/lena-dunham-girls-sxsw/6261067/ |title='Girls' creator Lena Dunham recounts her start at SXSW |work=] |date=March 10, 2014 |access-date=March 28, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141130000820/http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2014/03/10/lena-dunham-girls-sxsw/6261067/ |archive-date=November 30, 2014 }}</ref>—at the ] Festival in Austin, Texas. She was initially rejected by the festival the year before; she re-edited and successfully resubmitted the film.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/girls-lena-dunham-2012-4 |title=It's Different for 'Girls' |work=] |date=March 25, 2012 |access-date=March 28, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150313024734/http://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/girls-lena-dunham-2012-4/ |archive-date=March 13, 2015 }}</ref>

=== 2010–11: Breakthrough with ''Tiny Furniture'' ===
{{Main|Tiny Furniture}}
] in 2010|268x268px|alt=]]Dunham had a career breakthrough with her semiautobiographic 2010 feature film '']''; the film won Best Narrative Feature at ], and subsequently screened at such festivals as ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.marieclaire.com/career-money/advice/tips/lena-dunham |title=Lena Dunham Profile – Filmmaker |last=Maura |first=Sophie |website=Marieclaire.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100917110644/http://www.marieclaire.com/career-money/advice/tips/lena-dunham |archive-date=September 17, 2010 |url-status=dead |access-date=February 8, 2011 }}</ref> Dunham plays the lead role of Aura.<ref name="NewYorker-TinyFurniture-2010" /> ] (Dunham's real-life mother) plays Aura's mother, and Dunham's real-life sibling Cyrus plays Aura's on-screen sibling. For her work on ''Tiny Furniture'', Dunham also won an ] for Best First Screenplay.<ref name=":1">{{cite news |title=26th Independent Spirit Awards Winners – 'Black Swan' Gets Four! |url=http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/26th-independent-spirit-awards-winners-black-swan-gets-four/ |website=Firstshowing.net |access-date=June 29, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201183945/http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/26th-independent-spirit-awards-winners-black-swan-gets-four/ |archive-date=December 1, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="NPR-TinyFurniture-20102">{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2010/12/06/131761926/lena-dunham-s-big-dreams-rest-on-tiny-furniture|title=Lena Dunham's Big Dreams Rest On 'Tiny Furniture'|last1=Gross|first1=Terry|date=December 7, 2010|work=]|access-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304002142/http://www.npr.org/2010/12/06/131761926/lena-dunham-s-big-dreams-rest-on-tiny-furniture|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=live|publisher=]}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{cite news|url=http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/26th-independent-spirit-awards-winners-black-swan-gets-four/|title=26th Independent Spirit Awards Winners – 'Black Swan' Gets Four!|access-date=June 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201183945/http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/26th-independent-spirit-awards-winners-black-swan-gets-four/|archive-date=December 1, 2011|url-status=live|website=FirstShowing.net}}</ref>

The success of ''Tiny Furniture'' earned Dunham a blind script deal at ].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/girls-star-lena-dunham-her-410179/ |title=The Rise of Lena Dunham: From the NYC Art Scene to Hollywood Lightning Rod |date=January 9, 2013 |work=] |access-date=March 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412123148/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/girls-star-lena-dunham-her-410179/ |archive-date=April 12, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> The network set Dunham up with veteran showrunner ]. Konner told ]'s ] that she got involved with Dunham because she was an obsessive ''Tiny Furniture'' fan:

{{blockquote|I got a copy of ''Tiny Furniture'' from ]. Actually, ]'' creator] ] told me about it and said, 'Oh, there's this great movie. This girl, she's 23, she wrote, directed, and starred in it; she's in her underwear the whole time.' And I was like, 'I really don't want to see that.' And then she was like, 'Oh, trust me, it's great.' So Sue gave it to me just because she had it ... I used to, like, give out copies of the movie. But I'd just broken up with my writing partner and couldn't be less interested in the idea of supervising anybody. I really was like, 'I'm going to find my voice, and be on my own.' And then they called me and they were like, 'Oh, the ''Tiny Furniture'' girl is doing a show, do you want to supervise her?' And I was like, 'Yes! One million percent. Sign me up. Totally on board.'<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/05/girls-jenni-konner-interview.html |title=Girls Producer Jenni Konner on the Critics, Judd Apatow, and Loving Lena Dunham |date=May 14, 2012 |work=] |access-date=March 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402163410/http://www.vulture.com/2012/05/girls-jenni-konner-interview.html |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>}}

Dunham's star was also raised considerably when she was profiled by ] in '']''; he was later credited with introducing her to ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://oberlinreview.org/4788/arts/lena-dunham-dispenses-life-advice-in-finney-convocation/ |title=The Oberlin Review: Lena Dunham Dispenses Life Advice in Finney Convocation |last=Pride-Wilt |first=Anne |work=oberlinreview.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223074608/http://oberlinreview.org/4788/arts/lena-dunham-dispenses-life-advice-in-finney-convocation/ |archive-date=December 23, 2016 |url-status=live |access-date=December 17, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://gawker.com/5991066/how-david-carr-became-the-daddy-of-girls |title=How David Carr Became the Daddy of Girls |date=March 18, 2013 |work=] |access-date=March 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215095534/http://gawker.com/5991066/how-david-carr-became-the-daddy-of-girls |archive-date=February 15, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Apatow watched ''Tiny Furniture'', and was surprised Dunham had also written and directed the film. "I emailed her and told her I thought it was great", Apatow told '']''. "It turned out she was in the middle of negotiating a deal to develop a show for HBO and that her partner was Jenni Konner, whom I had worked with on '']'' and a bunch of other projects. They asked me if I wanted to be a part of it, and I was thrilled to jump in."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/girls-star-lena-dunham-her-410179/ |title=Judd Apatow on 'Girls' Awkward Sex Scenes: 'People Are Way Too Prudish' (Q&A) |date=August 10, 2012 |work=] |access-date=March 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412123148/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/girls-star-lena-dunham-her-410179/ |archive-date=April 12, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2012–17: Mainstream success with ''Girls'' and first book ===
{{main|Girls (TV series)|Not That Kind of Girl}}]'' at the ]]]
Dunham's television series, '']'', was greenlit by ] in early 2011.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111101944/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/07/lena-dunhams-show-girls-p_n_806034.html |date=January 11, 2011 }}. ''The Huffington Post''. January 7, 2011.</ref> Three episodes were screened to positive response at the 2012 South by Southwest Festival.<ref>Nussbaum, Emily. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150313024734/http://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/girls-lena-dunham-2012-4/ |date=March 13, 2015 }}, ''New York'', April 1, 2012.</ref>

The series follows Hannah Horvath (portrayed by Dunham), a 20-something writer struggling to get by in New York City. Some of the struggles facing Dunham's character Hannah—including being cut off financially from her parents, becoming a writer and making unfortunate decisions—are inspired by Dunham's real-life experiences.<ref name="tca">{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tca-hbo-girls-lena-dunham-judd-apatow-281483|title=TCA: Lena Dunham Says HBO's 'Girls' Isn't 'Sex and the City'|last=Goldberg|first=Lesley|date=January 13, 2012|work=]|access-date=January 14, 2012}}</ref>

Dunham said ''Girls'' reflects a part of the population not portrayed in the 1998 HBO series '']''. "'']'' was teens duking it out on the ] and ''Sex and the City'' was women who figured out work and friends and now want to nail romance and family life. There was this 'hole-in-between' space that hadn't really been addressed," she said.<ref name="tca" /> The pilot intentionally references ''Sex and the City'' as producers wanted to make it clear that the driving force behind ''Girls'' is that the characters were inspired by the former HBO series and moved to New York to pursue their dreams.<ref name="tca" /> Dunham herself says she "revere that show just as much as any girl of my generation".<ref name="tca" />

The first season premiered on HBO on April 15, 2012, and received critical acclaim. '']'' applauded the series, writing that "''Girls'' may be the ]'s rebuttal to '']'', but the first season was at times as cruelly insightful and bleakly funny as '']'' on FX or '']'' on HBO."<ref>. '']''. January 10, 2013.</ref> James Poniewozik from '']'' reserved high praise for the series, calling it "raw, audacious, nuanced and richly, often excruciatingly funny".<ref name="Time">{{cite magazine|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2012/04/05/dead-tree-alert-brave-new-girls/|title=Dead Tree Alert: Brave New Girls|last=Poniewozik|first=James|date=April 5, 2012|magazine=]|access-date=May 5, 2012}}</ref>

Despite the acclaim, the series also generated significant criticism over its lack of racial representation and Dunham's frequent on-screen nudity.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/girls-did-lena-dunham-go-427452|title='Girls': Did Lena Dunham Go Too Far?|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=July 14, 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/01/im-a-white-girl-why-girls-wont-ever-overcome-its-racial-problem/267345/|title='I'm a White Girl': Why 'Girls' Won't Ever Overcome Its Racial Problem|last=Berman|first=Judy|work=The Atlantic|access-date=July 14, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>

The first season garnered Dunham four ] nominations for her roles in acting, writing, and directing the series, as well as two ]s for ] and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABc0cg5YuHE |title=Lena Dunham is "Not That Kind of Girl" |last=q on cbc |date=October 1, 2014 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |via=YouTube |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214043156/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABc0cg5YuHE |archive-date=February 14, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqNPqCaxLE8 |title=Nora Ephron and Lena Dunham in Conversation |author=criterioncollection |date=June 27, 2012 |access-date=December 17, 2016 |via=YouTube |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629032001/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqNPqCaxLE8 |archive-date=June 29, 2016 }}</ref> In February 2013, Dunham became the first woman to win a ] for her work on ''Girls''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goldderby.com/news/3961/lena-dunham-%28%27girls%27%29-makes-dga-history-as-first-female-to-win-best-tv-comedy-director.html|title=Lena Dunham ('Girls') makes DGA history as first female to win Best TV Comedy Director|publisher=Goldderby.com|date=February 3, 2013|access-date=May 13, 2013}}</ref>

''Girls'' was renewed for a second season in April 2012, before the first season had finished airing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/30/girls-renewed-veep-renewed-season-2_n_1465540.html|title='Girls' Renewed And 'Veep' Renewed For Season 2 By HBO|date=April 30, 2012|work=]|access-date=March 15, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> The first season finale drew over one million viewers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/sdsdskdh279882992z1/sunday-cable-ratings-true-blood-break-falling-skies-real-housewives-of-nj-keeping-up-with-the-kardashians-nascar-more/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316024018/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/sdsdskdh279882992z1/sunday-cable-ratings-true-blood-break-falling-skies-real-housewives-of-nj-keeping-up-with-the-kardashians-nascar-more/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 16, 2018|title=Sunday Cable Ratings: 'True Blood', 'Falling Skies', 'Real Housewives of NJ', 'Keeping up with the Kardashians' + NASCAR & More|date=June 19, 2012|website=TV By The Numbers|language=en|access-date=March 15, 2018}}</ref>

The second season of ''Girls'' continued to receive critical acclaim. David Wiegland of the '']'' said that "The entire constellation of impetuous, ambitious, determined and insecure young urbanites in ''Girls'' is realigning in the new season, but at no point in the four episodes sent to critics for review do you feel that any of it is artificial".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/tv/article/Girls-and-Enlightened-reviews-Daring-doubt-4183655.php|title='Girls' and 'Enlightened' reviews: Daring, doubt|author=Wiegland, David|date=January 10, 2013|work=]|access-date=April 4, 2013}}</ref> Verne Gay of '']'' said it is "Sharper, smarter, more richly layered, detailed and acted".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/girls-review-returning-more-maturely-1.4426583|title='Girls' review: Returning, more maturely|author=Verne, Gay|date=January 9, 2013|work=Newsday|access-date=April 4, 2013}}</ref> Ken Tucker of '']'' felt that "As bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as it was in its first season, ''Girls'' may now be even spunkier, funnier, and riskier".<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Tucker, Ken|date=January 11, 2013|title=Girls|url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/girls/season-2/critic-reviews|page=80|access-date=April 4, 2013|magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> The second season ran on HBO from January 2013 to March 2013, with third and fourth seasons subsequently being renewed. The third season of ''Girls'' premiered in January 2014 with over one million viewers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/sdsdskdh279882992z1/sunday-cable-ratings-real-housewives-of-atlanta-wins-night-true-detective-ax-men-shameless-more/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219020545/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/sdsdskdh279882992z1/sunday-cable-ratings-real-housewives-of-atlanta-wins-night-true-detective-ax-men-shameless-more/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 19, 2017|title=Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' Wins Night, 'True Detective', 'Ax Men', 'Shameless' & More|date=2014|website=TV By The Numbers|language=en|access-date=November 26, 2018}}</ref> The following month, Dunham hosted an episode of '']'' with musical guest ].<ref>Ng, Philiana (February 25, 2014). {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228125554/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/snl-girls-star-lena-dunham-683251|date=February 28, 2014}}, ''The Hollywood Reporter''. Retrieved February 9, 2015.</ref>

In late 2012, Dunham signed a $3.5 million deal with ] to publish her first book.<ref>Bosman, Julie. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008211532/http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/08/lena-dunham-sings-book-deal-for-more-than-3-5-million/|date=October 8, 2012}}, '']'', October 8, 2012.</ref> The book, an essay collection called '']'', was published in September 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/magazine/lena-dunham.html|title=Lena Dunham Is Not Done Confessing|last1=Daum|first1=Meghan|date=September 10, 2014|work=]|access-date=November 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141117055652/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/magazine/lena-dunham.html|archive-date=November 17, 2014|url-status=live|author-link1=Meghan Daum}}</ref> It reached number two on '']'' in October 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2014-10-19/combined-print-and-e-book-nonfiction/list.html|title=COMBINED PRINT & E-BOOK NONFICTION|date=October 19, 2014|work=]|access-date=November 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108054727/http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2014-10-19/combined-print-and-e-book-nonfiction/list.html|archive-date=November 8, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

On January 5, 2015, days before the premiere of the fourth season, ''Girls'' was renewed for a fifth season,<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209063519/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/hbo-girls-renewed-season-5-1201393224/|date=February 9, 2015}}, ''Variety''. Retrieved February 9, 2015.</ref> despite dwindling viewership.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-sunday-cable-originals-network-finals-2-21-2016.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223214120/http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-sunday-cable-originals-network-finals-2-21-2016.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 23, 2016|title=UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.21.2016 {{!}} Showbuzz Daily|website=www.showbuzzdaily.com|language=en-US|access-date=November 26, 2018}}</ref> That year, Dunham launched A Casual Romance Productions, a production company to develop television and film projects.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/lena-dunham-girls-hbo-production-company-girls-a-casual-romance-1201476138/|title=How Lena Dunham is Launching an Empire for Comedic Women|last=Seetoodeh|first=Ramin|date=April 21, 2015|website=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160710121328/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/lena-dunham-girls-hbo-production-company-girls-a-casual-romance-1201476138/|archive-date=July 10, 2016|url-status=live|access-date=July 4, 2016}}</ref> The company produced ''It's Me Hilary: The Man Who Drew Eloise''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/04/lena-dunham-and-rose-byrne-launch-all-female-production-companies-203899/|title=Lena Dunham and Rose Byrne Launch All-Female Production Companies|last=Kang|first=Inkoo|date=March 23, 2016|website=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711051505/http://www.indiewire.com/2015/04/lena-dunham-and-rose-byrne-launch-all-female-production-companies-203899/|archive-date=July 11, 2016|url-status=live|access-date=July 4, 2016}}</ref> On February 20, 2015, it was reported that Dunham had been cast in a guest role in an episode of the ] drama series '']'', which aired March 19, 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/lena-dunham-scandal-guest-star-girls-1201438055|title=Lena Dunham To Guest Star on 'Scandal'|last1=Weinstein|first1=Shelli|work=Variety|date=February 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221034502/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/lena-dunham-scandal-guest-star-girls-1201438055/|archive-date=February 21, 2015|url-status=live|access-date=February 21, 2015}}</ref>
] at the ]]]
In September 2015, Dunham stated that the sixth season of ''Girls'' was likely to be the last.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/29/lena-dunham-girls-season-6|title=Lena Dunham on Girls season 6|date=September 29, 2015|work=Entertainment Weekly's EW.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006210938/http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/29/lena-dunham-girls-season-6|archive-date=October 6, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> This was later confirmed by HBO.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hbo.com/girls/news/girls-final-season-to-air-in-2017.html|title=HBO: Girls: News|website=HBO|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113223247/http://www.hbo.com/girls/news/girls-final-season-to-air-in-2017.html|archive-date=January 13, 2016|url-status=live|access-date=January 14, 2016}}</ref>

In 2016, Dunham appeared in her mother's film, ''My Art'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/laurie-simmons-casts-daughter-lena-dunham-in-new-film-23194|title=Laurie Simmons Casts Daughter Lena Dunham in New Film|last=Cascone|first=Sarah|date=May 20, 2014|website=Artnet.com|access-date=May 8, 2016}}</ref> which had its world premiere at the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/73rd-festival/line-up/off-sel/cinema-nel-giardino/my-art.html|title=My Art|website=Venice Film Festival|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224031205/http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/73rd-festival/line-up/off-sel/cinema-nel-giardino/my-art.html|archive-date=December 24, 2016|url-status=dead|access-date=December 23, 2016}}</ref> She also voiced Mary in '']'', a 2016 American ] ] ] directed by ].<ref name="RS">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/lists/25-movies-we-cant-wait-to-see-at-toronto-film-festival-2016-w431501/into-the-inferno-w436283|title=25 Movies We Can't Wait to See at Toronto Film Festival 2016|date=September 8, 2016|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=September 8, 2016|archive-date=September 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160905214106/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/lists/25-movies-we-cant-wait-to-see-at-toronto-film-festival-2016-w431501/into-the-inferno-w436283|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was selected to be screened in the Vanguard section at the ].<ref name="TIFF">{{cite web|url=http://www.tiff.net/films/my-entire-high-school-sinking-into-the-sea/|title=My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea|date=September 8, 2016|work=TIFF|access-date=September 8, 2016}}</ref> Dunham also filmed scenes for the film '']'', but they were cut from the final film.

In 2017, Dunham portrayed ], the real-life radical feminist and ''SCUM Manifesto'' author who attempted to murder ] in the late 1960s, in ''].''<ref name=":5" />

''Girls''{{'}} sixth and final season concluded on April 16, 2017, leaving a total of 62 episodes in the series.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2016/01/06/girls-to-end-after-season-6-hbo-says/78366442/|title=Lena Dunham's 'Girls' renewed for sixth and final season|last=Puente|first=Marie|date=January 6, 2016|work=]|access-date=January 7, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/11/hbo-premiere-dates-girls-last-week-tonight-john-oliver-crashing-1201856417/|title=HBO Sets Premiere Dates For 'Girls,' 'Last Week Tonight' & New Comedy 'Crashing|last=Pederson|first=Erik|date=November 17, 2016|website=]|access-date=November 17, 2016}}</ref>

=== 2018–present: Second book, ''Camping'', and other work ===
Since 2016, Dunham has been working on a second book that will be published by Random House.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://entertainment.inquirer.net/196773/lena-dunham-on-wrapping-up-girls-kevin-spacey-sex-dream-tweets|title=Lena Dunham on wrapping up 'Girls,' Kevin Spacey sex dream tweets|last=V. Nepales|first=Ruben|date=June 30, 2016|website=Inquirer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630191820/http://entertainment.inquirer.net/196773/lena-dunham-on-wrapping-up-girls-kevin-spacey-sex-dream-tweets|archive-date=June 30, 2016|url-status=live|access-date=July 4, 2016}}</ref>

In February 2018, A Casual Romance Productions announced that it would be producing '']'', a remake of the British comedy series ] for HBO, with ] in the lead and Dunham and Konner as showrunners and writers.<ref name="garnerstar">{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jennifer-garner-star-hbo-comedy-girls-duo-lena-dunham-jenni-konner-1083111|title=Jennifer Garner to Star in HBO Comedy From 'Girls' Duo Lena Dunham, Jenni Konner|last=Goldberg|first=Lesley|date=February 8, 2018|work=]}}</ref><ref name="garnerdunham">{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/tv/2018/02/08/jennifer-garner-lena-dunham-hbo-comedy/|title=Jennifer Garner to star in a new Lena Dunham HBO comedy|last=Hibberd|first=James|date=February 8, 2018|magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> On July 25, 2018, the series held a panel at the ]'s annual summer press tour featuring executive producer ] and cast member Jennifer Garner.<ref name="TCAPremiere">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/jennifer-garner-camping-hbo-jenni-konner-lena-dunham-david-tennant-1202884250/|title=Jennifer Garner Tackles the Great Outdoors With Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner in HBO's 'Camping'|last1=Littleton|first1=Cynthia|date=July 25, 2018|website=Variety|access-date=August 5, 2018}}</ref> The following day, a teaser trailer for the series was released.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/07/camping-trailer-first-look-jennifer-garner-hbo-comedy-series-lena-dunham-jenni-konner-1202434504/|title='Camping' Trailer: First Look At Jennifer Garner In HBO Comedy Series|last1=Petski|first1=Denise|date=July 26, 2018|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=July 26, 2018}}</ref>

''Camping'' was met with a mixed to negative response from critics upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website ], the first season holds a 28% approval rating, with an average rating of 5.1 out of 10 based on 32 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "The first season of ''Camping'' makes it difficult to determine who the least happy campers are: those on the screen or those watching it."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/camping/s01/|title=Camping: Season 1|website=]|publisher=]|access-date=October 16, 2018}}</ref> ], which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 49 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/camping|title=Camping: Season 1|website=]|publisher=]|access-date=October 16, 2018}}</ref>

In August 2018, it was announced Dunham would appear in the film '']'', directed by ], which released on July 26, 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/08/lena-dunham-austin-butler-maya-hawke-lorenza-izzo-quentin-tarantino-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-1202450671/|title=Lena Dunham, Austin Butler, Maya Hawke, Lorenza Izzo Board Quentin Tarantino's 'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood'|website=]|first=Amanda|last=N'Duka|date=August 22, 2018|access-date=August 22, 2018}}</ref> Dunham portrayed the role of ].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/movies/2018/08/22/lena-dunham-quentin-tarantino-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood/|title=Lena Dunham to play Manson disciple in Tarantino's Once Upon A Time in Hollywood|magazine=]|first=Piya|last=Sinha-Roy|date=August 22, 2018|access-date=August 22, 2018|archive-date=August 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823031438/https://ew.com/movies/2018/08/22/lena-dunham-quentin-tarantino-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In October 2018, coinciding with the expiration of their joint HBO contract, Dunham and Konner split as producing partners and dissolved their production company.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/lena-dunham-jenni-konner-split-as-producing-partners-1129410|title=Lena Dunham, Jenni Konner Split as Producing Partners (Exclusive)|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=November 26, 2018|language=en}}</ref> In August 2019, Dunham launched a new production company named ] which had a first look deal with HBO.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/08/lena-dunham-launches-new-production-company-good-thing-going-hbo-deal-1202674318/|title=Lena Dunham Launches Production Company Under HBO Deal|website=Deadline Hollywood|first1=Denise|last1=Petski|first2=Nellie|last2=Andreeva|date=August 21, 2019|access-date=July 14, 2020}}</ref>

In 2019, Dunham and Alissa Bennett started a podcast called ''The C-Word Podcast'' produced by ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Orr |first=Alice Florence |date=2019-08-13 |title=The C Word Explores the History of "Crazy" Women |url=https://podcastreview.org/review/the-c-word/ |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=Podcast Review |language=en-US}}</ref>

In response to the ], in March 2020 Dunham announced she would write a serialized novel, ''Verified Strangers'', as a response to social isolation. She added that the act was a response to help herself and the readers in a time of anxiety.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/lena-dunham-publishes-new-novel-verified-strangers|title=Lena Dunham Is Publishing a New Novel, One Chapter at a Time, on Vogue.com|last=Emmrich|first=Stuart|website=Vogue|language=en|access-date=March 24, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/books/lena-dunham-is-publishing-a-romance-novel-one-chapter-at-a-time/ar-BB11Arpj|title=Lena Dunham Is Publishing a Romance Novel One Chapter at a Time|website=www.msn.com|access-date=March 24, 2020}}</ref> The serialization started later that month on the '']'' website.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/lena-dunham-novel-verified-strangers|title=Lena Dunham's "Verified Strangers": Chapter One|last=Dunham|first=Lena|website=Vogue|date=March 23, 2020|language=en|access-date=April 13, 2020}}</ref> Dunham directed and served as an executive producer on the first episode of HBO's '']''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/06/hbo-industry-lena-dunham-1202632571/|title=Lena Dunham To Direct & Exec Produce HBO Banking Drama 'Industry' From 'His Dark Materials' Producer Bad Wolf|website=]|first=Peter|last=White|date=June 14, 2019|access-date=August 15, 2019}}</ref> That same year, she appeared in '']'' directed by ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/the-stand-in-film-review|title='The Stand In': Film Review|website=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Leslie|last=Felperin|date=December 18, 2020|access-date=February 13, 2021}}</ref>

In 2021, Dunham had a small role in '']'', directed by ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://decider.com/2021/02/12/new-on-vod-music-barb-and-star-go-to-vista-del-mar-the-croods-2/|title=New Movies On Demand: 'Music,' 'Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar' + More|website=Decider|first=Liz|last=Kocan|date=February 13, 2021|access-date=February 13, 2021}}</ref> She also served as an executive producer on '']'', a dramedy for ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/12/hbo-max-orders-lena-dunham-produced-generation-to-series-1202801586/|title=HBO Max Orders Lena Dunham-Produced 'Generation' To Series|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Denise|last=Petski|date=December 5, 2019|access-date=July 14, 2020}}</ref>

In 2022, Dunham's second feature film, '']'', starring ], Dunham, and ], was released to mixed reviews. She also directed, wrote, and produced her third film, '']'', an adaption of the ] of the same name by ] for ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/lena-dunham-adapting-ya-novel-catherine-called-birdy-into-movie-1201327594/|title=Lena Dunham Adapting YA Novel 'Catherine, Called Birdy' Into Movie|website=Variety|first=Maane|last=Khatchatourian|date=October 11, 2014|access-date=July 14, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/lena-dunham-launches-new-production-company-1233470|title=Lena Dunham Launches New Production Company|website=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Lesley|last=Goldberg|date=August 21, 2019|access-date=July 14, 2020}}</ref> The film had its world premiere at the ] on September 12, 2022. It was released in a ] on September 23, 2022, by ], prior to streaming on ] on October 7, 2022.

In December 2023, ] announced that '']'', a new series co-created, written, executive produced, and directed by Dunham, would enter production the following year in the ].<ref name="tm">{{cite web |last1=Berry |first1=Elliot |title=Netflix Announces New Romantic Comedy Series 'Too Much' From Award-Winning Writer, Director, Producer and Actor Lena Dunham |url=https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-announces-new-romantic-comedy-series-too-much-from-award-winning |website=Netflix |access-date=21 May 2024}}</ref>

== In the media ==
Dunham has appeared on several magazine covers, including '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', and '']''. After Dunham posed with bare legs for '']''{{'s}} February 2017 cover, she praised the magazine for featuring an unedited photo and leaving the ] on her thighs visible.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.etonline.com/news/206304_lena_dunham_thanks_glamour_for_featuring_her_cellulite_on_the_cover/ |title=Lena Dunham Thanks 'Glamour' for Featuring Her Cellulite on Its Cover |last=Bueno |first=Antoinette |date=January 3, 2017 |work=Entertainment Tonight |access-date=May 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204102205/http://www.etonline.com/news/206304_lena_dunham_thanks_glamour_for_featuring_her_cellulite_on_the_cover/ |archive-date=February 4, 2017 |url-status=live |language=en }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/01/04/lena-dunham-glamour-cellulite_n_13952302.html |title=Lena Dunham Thanks Glamour Mag For Putting Her Cellulite On Cover |last=Markovinovic |first=Monika |date=January 4, 2017 |website=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222053727/http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/01/04/lena-dunham-glamour-cellulite_n_13952302.html |archive-date=February 22, 2017 |url-status=live |access-date=May 20, 2017 }}</ref>

===''Lenny Letter''===
{{Main|Lenny Letter}}
In 2015, Dunham, with ], co-founded '']'', a ] online newsletter.<ref name="NYDailyNews-LennyLetter-20152"/><ref name="NiemanLab-LennyLetters-20163"/> ''Lenny Letter'' was initially supported by ] advertising,<ref name="NiemanLab-LennyLetters-20162">{{cite news|url=http://www.niemanlab.org/2016/03/lena-dunhams-lenny-letter-has-grown-to-400000-subscribers-with-a-65-percent-open-rate/|title=Lena Dunham's Lenny Letter has grown to 400,000 subscribers with a 65 percent open rate|last1=Owen|first1=Laura Hazard|date=March 4, 2016|work=]}}</ref> and subsequently by ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/style-notes-lenny-letter-moves-hearst-conde-nast-stance-socks-expands-intimates-1049357|title=Style Notes: Lenny Letter Moves From Hearst to Conde Nast; Stance Socks Expands to Intimates|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=March 16, 2018|language=en}}</ref> In addition to the regular newsletter, ''Lenny Letter'' published a Fiction Issue and a Poetry Issue during fall 2015.<ref name="Nylon-DunhamGirlsEnding-2017">{{cite news|url=http://www.nylon.com/articles/lena-dunham-nylon-february-cover|title=Lena Dunham Is Our February Cover Star: Dunham talks the end of 'Girls,' our new president, and being a workaholic|last1=Wappler|first1=Margaret|date=January 11, 2017|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128022929/http://www.nylon.com/articles/lena-dunham-nylon-february-cover|archive-date=January 28, 2017|url-status=live|language=en}}</ref>

Notable articles include an essay written by actress ] about the ] in Hollywood,<ref name="Lenny-JenniferLawrence-2016">{{cite news|url=http://www.lennyletter.com/work/a147/jennifer-lawrence-why-do-i-make-less-than-my-male-costars/|title=Jennifer Lawrence: "Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co‑Stars?"|last1=Lawrence|first1=Jennifer|date=October 14, 2015|work=Lenny Letter|access-date=March 16, 2018|archive-date=December 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171218030340/http://www.lennyletter.com/work/a147/jennifer-lawrence-why-do-i-make-less-than-my-male-costars/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and one written by singer ] about her decision to start wearing little to no ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lennyletter.com/style/a410/alicia-keys-time-to-uncover/|title=Alicia Keys: Time to Uncover|last1=Keys|first1=Alicia|date=May 31, 2016|work=Lenny Letter|access-date=March 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020043246/http://www.lennyletter.com/style/a410/alicia-keys-time-to-uncover/|archive-date=October 20, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In November 2017, following Dunham and Konner's controversial letter denouncing ]'s accusation of sexual assault by ], ] announced that she would no longer contribute to the newsletter, saying Dunham's racism was "well-known" and called for all women of color to "divest" from Dunham.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://jezebel.com/zinzi-clemmons-its-time-for-women-of-color-to-divest-1820587768|title=Zinzi Clemmons: 'It's Time For Women of Color ... to Divest From Lena Dunham'|date=November 19, 2017|work=Jezebel|access-date=November 19, 2017}}</ref>

In October 2018, Dunham and Konner announced that ''Lenny Letter'' would be shutting down,<ref name=":222" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/lenny-letter-shuts-down-lena-dunham-jenni-konner-1202984837/|title=Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner's Lenny Letter Is Shutting Down (Reports)|last=Spangler|first=Todd|date=October 18, 2018|website=]|access-date=October 18, 2018}}</ref> reportedly due to a decline in subscribers and failure to build momentum upon other platforms.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://digiday.com/media/lenny-letter-tells-contributors-shutting-friday/|title=Lenny Letters tells contributors it's shutting down on Friday|last=Willens|first=Max|date=October 18, 2018|website=]|access-date=October 18, 2018}}</ref>

==Reception==
Dunham claimed in her book ''Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned"'' that she had been sexually assaulted by a person she called "Barry." Other details in the book indicated that "Barry" was a former ] classmate.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Volokh |first1=Eugene |title=Could 'Barry' sue Lena Dunham over her memoirs? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/12/04/could-barry-sue-lena-dunham-over-her-memoirs/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330103257/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/12/04/could-barry-sue-lena-dunham-over-her-memoirs/ |archive-date=March 30, 2015 |access-date=April 1, 2015 |newspaper=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Heller |first1=Karen |title=Lena Dunham and the challenges of memoir |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/lena-dunham-and-the-challenges-of-memoir/2014/12/10/10db2002-806d-11e4-81fd-8c4814dfa9d7_story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402104451/http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/lena-dunham-and-the-challenges-of-memoir/2014/12/10/10db2002-806d-11e4-81fd-8c4814dfa9d7_story.html |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |access-date=April 1, 2015 |newspaper=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bond |first1=Paul |date=December 8, 2014 |title=Publisher to Alter Lena Dunham Book After Rape Story Questioned, Attorney Says |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/publisher-alter-lena-dunham-book-755193 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331194532/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/publisher-alter-lena-dunham-book-755193 |archive-date=March 31, 2015 |access-date=April 1, 2015 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> In the book, Dunham describes "Barry" as a man who wore cowboy boots, sported a mustache, hosted a radio show, worked at a campus library, and graduated from Oberlin in 2005; this description was characterized by the attorney of Dunham's former classmate as detailed enough to point towards his client. Dunham later apologized for the confusion and Random House reprinted the book with a disclaimer, releasing a statement saying: "Random House, on our own behalf and on behalf of our author, regrets the confusion."<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 8, 2014 |title=Publisher to Alter Lena Dunham Book After Rape Story Questioned, Attorney Says |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/publisher-alter-lena-dunham-book-755193 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507102010/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/publisher-alter-lena-dunham-book-755193 |archive-date=May 7, 2016 |access-date=April 23, 2016 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> Other passages in the book recounting interactions of a sexual nature, starting when she was seven years old – with her then one-year-old sibling Grace (now ]) – also attracted significant controversy,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/nov/05/lena-dunham-statement-abuse-claims|title=Lena Dunham apologises after critics accuse her of sexually molesting sister|author=Alison Flood|work=]|date=November 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227200800/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/nov/05/lena-dunham-statement-abuse-claims|archive-date=December 27, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> and prompted numerous ]s about ] and personal boundaries.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/11/03/lena-dunham-responds-to-sites-accusing-her-of-sexually-abusing-her-sister/|title=Lena Dunham responds to sites accusing her of sexually abusing her sister|last1=McDonald|first1=Soraya Nadia|date=November 3, 2014|newspaper=]|access-date=November 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111125431/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/11/03/lena-dunham-responds-to-sites-accusing-her-of-sexually-abusing-her-sister/|archive-date=November 11, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.salon.com/2014/11/04/child_therapists_stop_freaking_out_about_lena_dunham/|title=Child therapists: Stop freaking out about Lena Dunham|last1=Clark-Flory|first1=Tracy|work=Salon|access-date=November 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107191019/http://www.salon.com/2014/11/04/child_therapists_stop_freaking_out_about_lena_dunham/|archive-date=November 7, 2014|url-status=live|issue=November 4, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2014/11/06/lena-dunam-sexual-abuse-sister-grace-exploration-lawsuit/18524915|title=Lena Dunham: Sexual abuse or sexual exploration?|last1=Oldenburg|first1=Ann|date=November 6, 2014|work=]|access-date=February 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211223612/http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2014/11/06/lena-dunam-sexual-abuse-sister-grace-exploration-lawsuit/18524915/|archive-date=February 11, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Dunham's work and her outspoken presence on social media and in interviews have attracted significant controversy, criticism, and media scrutiny throughout her career.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> On several occasions, Dunham has been accused of making racially insensitive remarks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/girls-star-lena-dunham-faces-backlash-after-old-racist-tweet-resurfaces/news-story/08fc4ee1ce2f65de10da40dd6e9f9100 |title=Girls star Lena Dunham faces backlash after old 'racist' tweet resurfaces|last1=Coy|first1=Bronte|date=September 5, 2016 |website=News | place = AU |access-date=November 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/06/lena-dunham-cara-delevingne-alicia-keys-feminist-eating-pizza-equality|title=If Lena Dunham and Alicia Keys are feminist superheroes, we all are|last1=Boyd|first1=Phoebe-Jane|date= September 6, 2016|website=]|access-date=November 26, 2018}}</ref> Upon release, ''Girls'' was met with criticism regarding the all-white main cast in the otherwise ].<ref name="Fox">{{cite news|url= https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/criticism-of-hbos-girls-for-being-about-white-girls-money-whining-justified/|title=Criticism of HBO's 'Girls' for being about 'white girls, money, whining' justified?|last=McKay|first=Hollie|date=April 18, 2012|access-date= April 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419142927/http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/04/18/criticism-hbo-girls-for-being-about-white-girls-money-whining-justified/|archive-date=April 19, 2012|url-status=live|publisher=]}}</ref><ref name ="HP">{{cite news|url= https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/16/girls-reviews-backlash-hbo-show_n_1429328.html|title='Girls' Reviews: New HBO Show and Lena Dunham Face Backlash on Racism and More|last=Makarechi|first = Kia |date= April 16, 2012|work=]|access-date=April 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419010428/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/16/girls-reviews-backlash-hbo-show_n_1429328.html|archive-date=April 19, 2012|url-status= live}}</ref> Though some pointed out that many Americans are friends with other people of the same race, and adding a "token" African-American or Asian-American friend would be "immature" to reality.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/criticism-of-hbos-girls-for-being-about-white-girls-money-whining-justified/|title=Criticism of HBO's 'Girls' for being about 'white girls, money, whining' justified?|last=McKay|first=Hollie|date=April 18, 2012|access-date= April 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419142927/http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/04/18/criticism-hbo-girls-for-being-about-white-girls-money-whining-justified/|archive-date=April 19, 2012|url-status=live|publisher=]|quote=Most wealthy white girls in America are surrounded by other wealthy white girls, so that’s who they choose to be friends with. So what? Are we so immature that we need to throw in a token African-American or Asian to make us better about the fact that some white people have zero exposure to diversity?}}</ref> ] guest starred as Sandy, a black Republican and Hannah's love interest, in the first two episodes of season two, which was criticized as ] in response to the initial backlash from the first season.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/01/im-a-white-girl-why-girls-wont-ever-overcome-its-racial-problem/267345/ |title= 'I'm a White Girl': Why 'Girls' Won't Ever Overcome Its Racial Problem|last=Berman|first=Judy|website=The Atlantic|date= January 22, 2013|language=en-US|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160423180223/http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/01/im-a-white-girl-why-girls-wont-ever-overcome-its-racial-problem/267345/|archive-date=April 23, 2016|url-status=live|access-date=April 23, 2016}}</ref>

Dunham spoke publicly about the criticism on several occasions; in an interview with ], she said:
{{blockquote|I am a half-Jew, half-], and I wrote two Jews and two WASPs. Something I wanted to avoid was tokenism in casting. If I had one of the four girls, if, for example, she was African-American, I feel like—not that the experience of an African-American girl and a white girl are drastically different, but there has to be specificity to that experience I wasn't able to speak to. I really wrote the show from a gut-level place, and each character was a piece of me or based on someone close to me. And only later did I realize that it was four white girls. As much as I can say it was an accident, it was only later as the criticism came out, I thought, 'I hear this and I want to respond to it.' And this is a hard issue to speak to because all I want to do is sound sensitive and not say anything that will horrify anyone or make them feel more isolated, but I did write something that was super-specific to my experience, and I always want to avoid rendering an experience I can't speak to accurately.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/2c060de0-993b-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 |title=Lena Dunham Addresses "Girls" Diversity Criticism & Why I Just Don't Care ... &#124; Shadow and Act |publisher=Blogs.indiewire.com |access-date=January 23, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013205833/http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/2c060de0-993b-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 |archive-date=October 13, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>}}

In September 2016, Dunham criticized ] player ] for his interactions with her at the ]. Dunham said, "I was sitting next to Odell Beckham Jr., and it was so amazing because it was like he looked at me and he determined I was not the shape of a woman by his standards. He was like, 'That's a marshmallow. That's a child. That's a dog.' It wasn't mean — he just seemed confused. The vibe was very much like, 'Do I want to f--- it? Is it wearing a ... yep, it's wearing a tuxedo. I'm going to go back to my cell phone." She added, "It was like we were forced to be together, and he literally was scrolling ] rather than have to look at a woman in a bow tie. I was like, 'This should be called the Metropolitan Museum of Getting Rejected by Athletes'."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Alex |title=Odell Beckham Jr. Responds to the Lena Dunham Dust-Up: 'I Have to Learn More About the Situation' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/08/fashion/odell-beckham-jr-lena-dunham-met-gala-response.html |work=] |date=September 7, 2016 |access-date=June 20, 2018}}</ref> Dunham was criticized for her comments, which some considered to be an example of "white entitlement".<ref></ref><ref></ref> She later apologized for her characterization of his interactions and thoughts.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kelly |first1=Seth |title=Lena Dunham Pens Apology to Odell Beckham Jr. After Met Gala Comments Backlash |url=https://variety.com/2016/digital/news/lena-dunham-apology-odell-beckham-jr-amy-schumer-lenny-letter-1201851866/ |website=Variety |date=September 3, 2016 |access-date=June 20, 2018}}</ref>

In December 2016, Dunham declared on a podcast that she wished she had had an ], explaining that she wanted to better understand women who have. The comment was widely condemned as insensitive.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222151840/http://motto.time.com/4608364/lena-dunham-wish-abortion-comments/?xid=time_socialflow_facebook |date=December 22, 2016 }}, ''Us Weekly'', December 20, 2016.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/biz/news/lena-dunham-abortion-controversy-1201946387/ |title=Lena Dunham Faces Backlash for Saying She Wishes She'd Had an Abortion |website=] |first=Arya |last=Roshanian |date=December 20, 2016 |access-date=December 23, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223171503/http://variety.com/2016/biz/news/lena-dunham-abortion-controversy-1201946387/ |archive-date=December 23, 2016 }}</ref> Dunham later issued a lengthy apology on her Instagram.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gibson |first1=Caitlin |title=Lena Dunham gave a very Lena Dunham apology for her controversial comment on abortion |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/12/21/lena-dunham-gave-a-very-lena-dunham-apology-for-her-controversial-comment-on-abortion/ |newspaper=] |date=December 21, 2016 |access-date=December 22, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223140501/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/12/21/lena-dunham-gave-a-very-lena-dunham-apology-for-her-controversial-comment-on-abortion/ |archive-date=December 23, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lena-dunham-apologizes-distasteful-joke-abortion-958213 |title=Lena Dunham Apologizes for "Distasteful Joke" About Abortion |website=] |first=Meena |last=Jang |date=December 20, 2016 |access-date=December 23, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222213910/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lena-dunham-apologizes-distasteful-joke-abortion-958213 |archive-date=December 22, 2016 }}</ref>

In November 2017, Dunham defended ''Girls'' writer ], whom actress ] had accused of sexually assaulting her in 2012 when she was seventeen. Dunham responded to the accusations by saying, "While our first instinct is to listen to every woman's story, our insider knowledge of Murray's situation makes us confident that sadly this accusation is one of the 3% of assault cases that are misreported every year."<ref name="BBC">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42042852 |title=Lena Dunham sorry for comment on writer accused of sexual assault |date=November 19, 2017 |work=BBC News}}</ref> After an immediate backlash, Dunham apologized for that statement, saying that it was "absolutely the wrong time to come forward with such a statement" and that "every woman who comes forward deserves to be heard, fully and completely, and our relationship to the accused should not be part of the calculation anyone makes when examining her case."<ref name="BBC" /> Dunham was described as a "]" for her defense of Miller, as Perrineau is of mixed race.<ref>{{cite news | last=D'Zurilla | first=Christie | date=November 20, 2017 | title=Lena Dunham accused of 'hipster racism' after she initially defended 'Girls' writer | work=] | url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news-updates-lena-dunham-accused-of-hipster-racism-1511203068-htmlstory.html | access-date=November 25, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Mahdawi | first=Arwa | date=November 25, 2017 | title=Is Lena Dunham's 'hipster racism' just old-fashioned prejudice? | work=] | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/25/hipster-racism-lena-dunham-prejudice | access-date= November 25, 2017 }}</ref> In December 2018, Dunham stated that, contrary to her previous statement, she had no "insider information" that exonerated Murray.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Stevens |first= Heidi|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/stevens/ct-life-stevens-thursday-how-not-to-apologize-lena-dunham-1206-story.html|title=Lena Dunham lied to discredit an alleged rape victim and then wrote her worst apology yet|date=December 6, 2018 |work=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Respers France |first=Lisa|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/06/entertainment/lena-dunham-apology/ |title=Lena Dunham is sorry, again|date= December 6, 2018|work=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Desta|first=Yohana |url= https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/12/lena-dunham-aurora-perrineau-apology-letter|title=Lena Dunham Writes Apology to Aurora Perrineau: "I Believe You"|date=December 5, 2018 |magazine= Vanity Fair}}</ref>

In October 2018, Dunham was hired to write the screenplay for an untitled film based upon the memoir '']'', by ], which follows the true story of ], who fled Egypt for Europe and became one of few survivors of a ], surviving days in open water and supporting herself and two orphaned children with only an inflatable water ring.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/lena-dunham-steven-spielberg-abrams-hope-more-powerful-than-the-sea-1202992793/|title = Lena Dunham to Adapt Refugee Survival Story for Steven Spielberg, J. J. Abrams (EXCLUSIVE)|website=Variety|first= Matt|last=Donnelly |date= October 29, 2018|access-date=July 14, 2020}}</ref> ] and ] are set to produce the film.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.indiewire.com/2018/10/a-hope-more-powerful-than-the-sea-lena-dunham-steven-spielberg-jj-abrams-1202016273/|title=Lena Dunham to Adapt Refugee Drama 'A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea' for Steven Spielberg and J. J. Abrams |website= IndieWire|first=Michael|last=Nordine|date=October 29, 2018 |access-date=July 14, 2020}}</ref> Dunham's hiring received backlash from those who felt that, instead of Dunham, a Syrian woman should have been hired.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/oct/30/lena-dunham-syrian-refugee-film-backlash|title = Backlash over Lena Dunham script for Syrian refugee film|website=]|first=Andrew|last=Pulver|date=October 30, 2018|access-date= July 14, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2018/10/30/let-actual-syrian-tell-outrage-lena-dunham-signs-write-spielberg/ |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2018/10/30/let-actual-syrian-tell-outrage-lena-dunham-signs-write-spielberg/ |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title='Let an actual Syrian tell it': outrage after Lena Dunham signs up to write Spielberg refugee film|website=The Telegraph|first=Alice |last= Vincent |date=October 30, 2018|access-date=July 14, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://shadowandact.com/lena-dunham-syrian-refugee-drama-twitter-response|title=People Are Perplexed Why Lena Dunham Has Been Tapped To Adapt A Syrian Refugee Drama From Steven Spielberg|website=Shadow and Act|first=Monique |last= Jones|date= October 29, 2018|access-date=July 14, 2020}}</ref> Daniel Medina, a journalist, wrote: "Lena Dunham constantly talks about representation as crucial to enrich storytelling. Yet, in practice, she has shown a disregard for actually elevating those voices. Now, she's been signed on to write a Syrian refugee's story?".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyedge.ie/why-on-earth-did-spielberg-choose-lena-dunham-to-write-a-screenplay-for-a-film-about-syrian-refugees-4312504-Oct2018/|title=Why on earth did Spielberg choose Lena Dunham to write a screenplay for a film about Syrian refugees?|website=]|first=Kelly|last= Earley|date=October 30, 2018|access-date=July 14, 2020}}</ref> Author ] stated: "The idea that Lena Dunham is better situated to tell the story of a Syrian than somebody else implicit in that is a kind of hierarchy."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rosebuchanan/lena-dunham-is-adapting-a-story-about-a-syrian-refugee-and|title=Lena Dunham Is Adapting A Story About A Syrian Refugee And This Is Why People Are Upset|website=] |first=Rose|last=Troup Buchanan|date= October 30, 2018|access-date=July 14, 2020}}</ref>

In January 2022, ahead of the film's ] premiere, ] ] and ] Amy Gravino posted a Twitter thread alleging that she was approached to be a consultant on Dunham's film ''Sharp Stick'', but was subsequently "]" before she had a chance to meet with Dunham in person.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Wagmeister |first=Elizabeth |date=2022-01-28 |title=Producers of Lena Dunham's 'Sharp Stick' Deny Lead Character Is Autistic After Criticism from Activist (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/lena-dunham-sharp-stick-autism-consultant-controversy-1235163375/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bergeson |first=Samantha |date=2022-01-28 |title=Lena Dunham's 'Sharp Stick' Criticized by Autism Activist Over Allegedly Neurodivergent Portrayal |url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/lena-dunham-sharp-stick-criticized-neurodivergent-autism-1234694864/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=] |language=en-US}}</ref> In a '']'' article covering the subject, Gravino claimed that the film's star, Kristine Froseth, had approached her business manager while doing research for her character Sarah Jo, whom she concluded displayed characteristics that suggested she was autistic. Gravino also claimed that Dunham had personally done research on her work and was excited to meet with her. However, according to the film's producers, Dunham rejected Froseth's suggestion to approach Gravino, and clarified to Froseth that she had never intended to depict Sarah Jo as autistic.

An unnamed spokesperson also released a statement to ''Variety'' that read, "Sarah Jo was never written nor imagined as a ] woman. Nothing about Sarah Jo was ] to suggest or convey neurodivergence." Gravino responded to this defense by saying, "You can’t just say the character isn’t going to be neurodiverse; the coding is still there and it comes across that way in the writing and acting choices, even though it’s not explicitly stated." She also criticized the film for its "infantilization" of Sarah Jo, though the producers countered this assessment by stating that the character's childlike qualities were included to reflect the trauma she experienced, rather than to suggest that she was autistic.<ref name=":0" />

==Personal life==
In 2012, Dunham began dating ], the lead guitarist of the band ] and the founder of ].<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219165829/http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/girls-lena-dunham-is-dating-funs-jack-antonoff-201259 |date=February 19, 2014 }}, ''Us Weekly'', September 5, 2012.</ref><ref></ref> Dunham and Antonoff remained together until December 2017; they subsequently separated announcing that the separation was "amicable".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/904908/lena-dunham-and-jack-antonoff-break-up-after-five-years |title=Lena Dunham and Jack Antonoff Break Up After Five Years |date=January 8, 2018 |first=McKenna |last=Aiello|publisher=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Jensen |first1=Erin |title=Lena Dunham, Jack Antonoff break up after spending more than five years together |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2018/01/09/lena-dunham-jack-antonoff-break-up-after-being-together-more-than-spenmoreding-than-five-yea/1015954001/ |access-date=January 9, 2018 |work=] |date=January 9, 2018}}</ref>

Dunham was diagnosed with ] (OCD) as a child, and continued to take a low dose of an ] (]) to relieve her ] until 2018.<ref>{{cite web |last=Suval |first=Lauren |url=http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/04/28/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-in-the-media |title=Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in the Media |publisher=Psychcentral.com |access-date=May 13, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511222605/http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/04/28/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-in-the-media/ |archive-date=May 11, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/magazine/lena-dunham.html |title=Lena Dunham Is Not Done Confessing |work=] |date=September 10, 2014 |first=Meghan |last=Daum |access-date=September 10, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911013405/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/magazine/lena-dunham.html |archive-date=September 11, 2014 }}</ref> In 2018 Dunham entered rehab for an addiction to ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Starkey |first=Adam |date=2022-01-20 |title=Lena Dunham on recovering from drug addiction: "Getting off Klonopin was the hardest" |url=https://www.nme.com/news/tv/lena-dunham-recovering-drug-addiction-getting-off-klonopin-was-the-hardest-3142672 |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref> In April 2020, she celebrated two years of sobriety.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/lena-dunham-celebrates-being-2-years-clean-and-sober-its-a-miracle-i-cant-take-for-granted/ar-BB12sk8z |title=Lena Dunham Celebrates Being '2 Years Clean and Sober': 'It's a Miracle I Can't Take for Granted' |website=www.msn.com |access-date=April 11, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://people.com/health/lena-dunham-celebrates-being-2-years-sober/ |title=Lena Dunham Celebrates Being '2 Years Clean and Sober': 'It's a Miracle I Can't Take for Granted' |website=PEOPLE.com |language=EN |access-date=April 11, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.news-herald.com/entertainment/lena-dunham-celebrates-two-years-sobriety/article_676c3169-4055-55a7-9db2-67a55348bd18.html |title=Lena Dunham celebrates two years sobriety |author=Celebretainment |website=The News-Herald |language=en |access-date=April 11, 2020 |archive-date=April 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414132313/https://www.news-herald.com/entertainment/lena-dunham-celebrates-two-years-sobriety/article_676c3169-4055-55a7-9db2-67a55348bd18.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In February 2018, Dunham wrote an essay for '']'' about her decision to have a ] due to ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/lena-dunham-hysterectomy-vogue-march-2018-issue |title=In Her Own Words: Lena Dunham on Her Decision to Have a Hysterectomy at 31 |publisher=Vogue |first=Lena |last=Dunham |date=February 14, 2018 |access-date=April 2, 2018}}</ref>

In 2019, Dunham revealed that she has ] (EDS).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lena Dunham goes on Instagram to reveal she has a chronic illness |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/03/entertainment/lena-dunham-ehlers-danlos-trnd/index.html |first=Ralph |last=Ellis |website=CNN |date=November 3, 2019 |access-date=May 20, 2020}}</ref>

In July 2020, Dunham reported on ] her experience with ] because she observed people were not taking ] seriously. Though she was not hospitalized, she did have "severe symptoms for three weeks".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/lena-dunham-body-revolted-covid-19-72112339 |title=Lena Dunham says her body 'revolted' under COVID-19 |work=]|via=] |date=July 31, 2020 |access-date=August 2, 2020}}</ref>

After a mutual friend set them up on a blind date, Dunham began dating English-Peruvian musician ] in January 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lena Dunham marries Luis Felber with bridesmaids Taylor Swift, Tommy Dorfman by her side|url=https://ca.movies.yahoo.com/lena-dunham-marries-luis-felber-200611026.html|access-date=October 1, 2021|website=ca.movies.yahoo.com|date=September 29, 2021 |language=en-CA}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Picton-James|first=Rhiannon|date=September 27, 2021|title=Luis Felber Has Never Seen 'Girls'|language=en-US|work=]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/27/style/luis-felber-lena-dunham.html|access-date=October 1, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web|date=September 29, 2021|title=Inside Lena Dunham's Whimsical, Whirlwind London Wedding|url=https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/lena-dunham-luis-felber-wedding|access-date=October 1, 2021|website=Vogue|language=en-US}}</ref> In September 2021, Dunham and Felber married in a Jewish ceremony at the Union Club in ].<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":2" />

A 2024 episode of '']'' revealed that Dunham is a descendant of ] (1643–1700), the first native-born mayor of New York City.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pbs.org/weta/finding-your-roots/watch/episodes/in-the-blood | title=In the Blood | website=] }}</ref>

==Political activities==
Dunham supports ],<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2016-07-13 |title=Lena Dunham Is in Favor of Removing All Guns from Jason Bourne Movie Posters |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2016/07/lena-dunham-remove-guns-jason-bourne-movies |access-date=2023-02-05 |magazine=Vanity Fair |language=en-US}}</ref> ],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-03-08 |title=Lena Dunham Pens Powerful Pro-Immigration Essay For International Women's Day |url=https://www.thewrap.com/lena-dunham-immigration-international-womens-day-essay/ |access-date=2023-02-05 |language=en-US}}</ref> and ].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Pinsker |first=Joe |date=2012-10-16 |title=Lena Dunham Applauds Obama on Gay Rights, Health Care |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/lena-dunham-applauds-obama-on-gay-rights-health-care-196853/ |access-date=2023-02-05 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>


In fall of 2012, Dunham appeared in a video advertisement promoting President ]'s re-election, delivering a monologue, which, according to a blog quoted in '']'', tried to "get the youth vote by comparing voting for the first time to having sex for the first time".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Franke-Ruta |first1=Garance |title=Lena Dunham's New Obama Ad—As Controversial As Everything She Does? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/10/lena-dunhams-new-obama-ad-as-controversial-as-everything-she-does/264139 |work=The Atlantic |access-date=February 15, 2015 |date=October 25, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209035250/http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/10/lena-dunhams-new-obama-ad-as-controversial-as-everything-she-does/264139/ |archive-date=February 9, 2015 }}</ref> ] reported criticism from conservatives such as ]'s Lauren Thompson, public relations professional ], and media trainer Louise Pennell, who labeled the advertisement as tasteless, inappropriate, and a ploy to lure the younger female vote.<ref>{{cite news|title=Critics blast Obama campaign for new ad that likens voting for Barack Obama to a young woman losing her virginity |date=October 25, 2012 |publisher=Fox News Channel |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/critics-blast-obama-campaign-for-new-ad-that-likens-voting-for-barack-obama-to-a-young-woman-losing-her-virginity/ |access-date=October 28, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027200054/http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/10/26/girls-creator-lena-dunham-compares-voting-to-barack-obama-to-losing-virginity/ |archive-date=October 27, 2012}}</ref> It included a comment from Steve Hall of Ad Rants saying that "not everyone was so offended." A friend of Dunham said the actress was not paid for her performance on the spot, and Dunham defended the ad by tweeting "The video may be light but the message is serious: vote for women's rights." In ''The Nation,'' ] wrote "the ad's style is vintage Lena: edgy and informed, controversial but achingly self-aware, sexually proud and affirmatively feminist."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thenation.com/blog/170843/obama-campaign-launches-sexy-lena-dunham-ad-your-first-time|title=Obama Campaign Launches Sexy Lena Dunham Ad: 'Your First Time'|work=The Nation|first=Ari|last=Melber|access-date=February 26, 2015}}</ref>
Dunham's television series, '']'', was greenlit by HBO in early 2012.<ref>. Huffington Post. January 7, 2011.</ref> The show is executive produced by ].<ref>Alexis, Nadeska. . ''Black Book''. January 7, 2011, Retrieved February 8, 2011.</ref> Three episodes were screened to positive response at the 2011 South by Southwest Festival.<ref>Nussbaum, Emily. ''New York'' Magazine, April 1, 2012.</ref> The first season premiered April 15, 2012, and has garnered Dunham four Emmy nominations for her roles in acting, writing, and directing the series.


In 2014, Dunham was named the Recipient of Horizon Award 2014 by ] for her support of the gay community.<ref>{{cite web|title=Actress Lena Dunham named Winner of Horizon Award 2014 |url=http://news.biharprabha.com/2014/02/actress-lena-dunham-named-winner-of-horizon-award-2014 |agency=Indo-Asian News Service |publisher=news.biharprabha.com |access-date=February 22, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217231437/http://news.biharprabha.com/2014/02/actress-lena-dunham-named-winner-of-horizon-award-2014/ |archive-date=December 17, 2014}}</ref>
Dunham had a ] in the movie '']'', along with her ''Tiny Furniture'' co-star ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/supporting-characters/6241 |title=Supporting Characters &#124; Film Review |work=Slant Magazine |date=April 26, 2012 |accessdate=2012-10-14}}</ref>


In April 2016, she wrote in support of ], pledging to move to ], British Columbia, Canada, if ] won the election.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=] |url=https://time.com/4306966/lena-dunham-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/ |title=Why I Chose Hillary Clinton |first=Lena |last=Dunham |date=April 25, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109220831/http://time.com/4306966/lena-dunham-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/ |archive-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Hill |website=] |date=November 8, 2016 |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/441937/celebrities-leaving-united-states-if-trump-elected |access-date=November 9, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109043036/http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/441937/celebrities-leaving-united-states-if-trump-elected |archive-date=November 9, 2016 }}</ref> Dunham rebuked Trump for the ].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Lena Dunham Says Trump Tape Was 'Crude' and 'Violent' |url=https://people.com/health/lena-dunham-donald-trump-tape-abusive/ |access-date=2023-02-05 |newspaper=People |language=en}}</ref> After Trump's win, Dunham wrote she will not be moving to Canada, saying, "I can survive staying in this country, MY country, to fight and love and use my embarrassment of blessings to do what's right."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Vultaggio |first1=Maria |title=Lena Dunham Instagram Update: Why She Isn't Moving To Canada After Trump Win |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/lena-dunham-instagram-update-why-she-isnt-moving-canada-after-trump-win-2450983 |website=International Business Times |date=November 24, 2016 |publisher=IBT Media, Inc. |access-date=November 24, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125045212/http://www.ibtimes.com/lena-dunham-instagram-update-why-she-isnt-moving-canada-after-trump-win-2450983 |archive-date=November 25, 2016 }}</ref>
On October 8, 2012, Dunham signed a $3.5 million deal with ] to publish her first book, an essay collection called ''Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's Learned''.<ref>Bosman, Julie. , ''The New York Times'', October 8, 2012</ref>


In June 2017, Dunham endorsed ], a Democratic New Jersey gubernatorial candidate.<ref name=NBCJohnson>. ], June 1, 2017</ref> Later that month, Dunham endorsed ], leader of the ], in the ].<ref name=TelegraphCorbyn>. '']'', June 6, 2017</ref>
Dunham appeared in a video advertisement promoting President Barack Obama's reelection, delivering a monologue to camera, which, quoted in '']'', tried "...to get the youth vote by comparing voting for the first time to having sex for the first time".<ref>Franke-Ruta, Garance (October 25, 2012). . ''The Atlantic''.</ref>


==Filmography== ==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable" {| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Films credits
! Year ! Year
! Title ! Title
Line 39: Line 185:
|''Dealing'' |''Dealing''
|Georgia |Georgia
|Film short<br>Also written, director |Short film<br />Also writer and director
|- |-
|2007 |2007
Line 48: Line 194:
|2009 |2009
|'']'' |'']''
| 911 Operator | 911 Operator
|Voice |Voice
|- |-
Line 54: Line 200:
|''Creative Nonfiction'' |''Creative Nonfiction''
| Ella | Ella
| Also written, director, editor | Also writer, director and editor
|- |-
|2009 |2009
|''The Viewer'' |''The Viewer''
| Voice | Voice
|Short film
|Film short
|- |-
|2009 |2009
|''Family Tree'' |''Family Tree''
| Lena | Lena
|Short film
|Film short
|- |-
|2010 |2010
|''Gabi on the Roof in July'' |'']''
| Colby | Colby
| |
Line 74: Line 220:
|'']'' |'']''
| Aura | Aura
| Also director, written | Also director and writer
|- |-
|2011 |2011
|'']'' |'']''
| Barista | Barista
| |
|- |-
|2012 |2012
|'']'' |'']''
| | {{N/A}}
| Co-writer | Co-writer
|- |-
Line 89: Line 235:
|'']'' |'']''
| Alexa | Alexa
| |
|- |-
|2012 |2012
|'']'' |'']''
| Cat
|
|-
|2014
|'']''
|Carson
|
|-
|2015
|'']''
|Billie
|
|-
| 2016
| '']''
| ]
| Scenes cut<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2016/04/04/neighbors-2-lena-dunham-joan-arc-scene-cut |title=Lena Dunham's Joan of Arc cameo cut from Neighbors 2 |publisher=] |first=Oliver |last=Gettell |date=April 4, 2016 |access-date=April 8, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408122823/http://www.ew.com/article/2016/04/04/neighbors-2-lena-dunham-joan-arc-scene-cut |archive-date=April 8, 2016 }}</ref>
|-
| 2016
| ''My Art''
| Meryl
| |
|-
| 2016
| '']''
| Mary
| Voice
|-
| 2019
| '']''
|]
|
|-
| 2020
| '']''
| Lisa
| |
|-
| 2020
| '']''
| Delilah
| Cameo
|-
| 2021
|'']''
| Administrator on Phone with Zu
|
|-
| 2022
| '']''
| Heather
| Also writer, producer and director
|-
| 2022
| '']''
| {{N/A}}
| Writer, producer and director
|-
| 2023
| '']''
| Herself
| Documentary
|-
| 2024
| '']''
| Ruth
| Also producer
|-
|} |}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable" {| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Television credits
! Year ! Year
! Title ! Title
Line 105: Line 318:
| 2007 | 2007
|''Tight Shots'' |''Tight Shots''
| |
|Main Role<br>Also written, director, editor |Main role<br />Also writer, director, editor
|- |-
| 2009 | 2009
|'']'' |'']''
| Oona | Oona
|Main Role<br>Also written, director, producer |Main role<br />Also writer, director, producer
|- |-
| 2011 |2011
|'']'' |'']''
| Nurse 1 |Nurse
|2 episodes
|"Part One" (Season 1, Episode 1)<br>"Part Two" (Season 1, Episode 2)
|- |-
| 2012–2017
| 2012–present
|'']'' |'']''
| Hannah Horvath | Hannah Horvath
|Main Role<br>Also creator, director, written, co-executive producer/executive producer |Main role<br />Also creator, director, writer, executive producer
|-
| 2014–2016
|'']''
| Betty Grof
|Voice, 3 episodes
|-
| 2014
|'']''
| Host
|Episode: "Lena Dunham/]"
|-
| 2015
|'']''
| Susanne Thomas
|Episode: "It's Good to Be Kink"
|-
| 2015
| '']''
| Lanny Denver
| Television film
|-
| 2015
|'']''
| Candace, Hannah Horvath
|Voice, episode: "]"
|-
| 2017
|'']''
| Herself
|Episode: "48 Hours in Tenerife"
|-
| 2017
|'']''
| ]
|Episode: "]"
|-
| 2018
| '']''
| {{N/A}}
| Creator, executive producer and writer
|-
|2020
|'']''
|{{N/A}}
|Director, Episode: "Induction"
|-
| 2021
| '']''
| {{N/A}}
| Executive producer
|-
| TBA
| '']''
| {{N/A}}
| Executive producer, co-creator, writer, director<ref name="tm" />
|} |}


==Awards and nominations== == Awards and nominations ==
{| class="wikitable" {| class="wikitable sortable"
|- |-
! Year ! class=unsortable|Year
! Association
! Award
! Category ! Category
! Nominated work
! Work
! Result ! Result
! class=unsortable|{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}}
|- |-
|rowspan=4|] || rowspan=8|] || ] || rowspan=13|'']'' || {{nom}} || rowspan=4|<ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/2012/tv/news/64th-emmy-award-nominations-the-complete-list-1118056789/|title= 64th Emmy Award Nominations: The Complete List|website= Variety|date= July 19, 2012|accessdate= May 9, 2024}}</ref>
| 2010
| ]
| Best Ensemble Performance
| '']''
| {{nominated}}
|- |-
|] <small> (Episode: "She Did") </small> || {{nom}}
| 2010
| ]
| Best Breakthrough Director
| '']''
| {{nominated}}
|- |-
|] <small> (Episode: "Pilot") </small> || {{nom}}
| 2010
| ]
| Best First Screenplay
| '']''
| {{won}}
|- |-
|] <small> (Episode: "She Did") </small> || {{nom}}
| 2010
| ]
| New Generation Award
| '']''
| {{won}}
|- |-
|rowspan=3|] || Outstanding Comedy Series || {{nom}} || rowspan=3|<ref>{{cite web|url= https://deadline.com/2013/07/emmy-awards-nominations-2013-full-list-nominees-543455/|title= 2013 Primetime Emmy Nominations|website= ]|date= July 18, 2013|accessdate= May 9, 2024}}</ref>
| 2010
| ]
| Independent Visions Award
| '']''
| {{won}}
|- |-
|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series <small> (Episode: "Bad Friend") </small> || {{nom}}
| 2012
| ]
| Best Actress in a Comedy Series
| '']''
| {{nominated}}
|- |-
|Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series <small> (Episode: "On All Fours") </small> || {{nom}}
| 2012
| ]
| Best Comedy Series
| '']''
| {{nominated}}
|- |-
|] || Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series <small> (Episode: "Beach House") </small> || {{nom}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/emmy-awards-2014-complete-winners-725969/|title= Emmy Awards: Complete Winners List|website= ]|date= August 25, 2014|accessdate= May 9, 2024}}</ref>
| 2012
| ]
| Individual Achievement in Comedy
| '']''
| {{nom}}
|- |-
|] || ] || ] || {{won}} || <ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/may/12/baftas-2013-all-the-winners|title= TV Baftas 2013: all the winners|website= The Guardian|date= May 12, 2013|accessdate= May 9, 2024}}</ref>
| 2012
| ]
| ]
| '']''
| {{nominated}}
|- |-
|] || ] || ] || {{won}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/dga-awards-ben-affleck-named-417646/|title= DGA Awards: Ben Affleck Named Best Director for 'Argo'|website= ]|date= February 2, 2013|accessdate= May 8, 2024}}</ref>
| 2012
| ]
| ]
| '']''
| {{nominated}}
|- |-
|] || rowspan=3|] || rowspan=3|] || {{won}} || <ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jan/14/golden-globes-2013-winners-list|title= Golden Globes 2013: full list of winners|website= ]|date= January 14, 2013|accessdate= May 9, 2024}}</ref>
| 2012
| ]
| ]
| '']''
| {{nominated}}
|- |-
|] || {{nom}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/golden-globes-2014-winners-list-2-670159/|title= Golden Globes: Complete Winners List|website= ]|date= January 12, 2014|accessdate= May 9, 2024}}</ref>
| 2012
| ]
| ]
| '']''
| {{nominated}}
|- |-
|] || {{nom}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.cnn.com/2015/01/11/showbiz/feat-2015-golden-globes-winners-list/index.html|title= 2015 Golden Globe Awards: Winners List|website= ]|date= January 12, 2015|accessdate= May 9, 2024}}</ref>
| 2012
|-
| Women's Image Network Awards
|rowspan=2|] || rowspan=3|] || ] || rowspan=2|'']'' || {{nom}} || rowspan=2|<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/winners-announced-for-2011-film-independent-spirit-awards/|title= Winners Announced For 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards|website= ]|date= February 26, 2011|accessdate= May 9, 2024}}</ref>
| Outstanding Film / Show Written by A Woman
|-
| '']''
|] || {{won}}
| {{pending}}
|-
|] || ] || '']'' || {{nom}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/2023/film/awards/2023-independent-spirit-awards-winners-list-1235542069/|title= 'Everything Everywhere' Dominates Spirit Awards With 7 Prizes, Including Best Feature (Full Winners List)|website= Variety|date= March 4, 2023|accessdate= May 9, 2024}}</ref>
|- |-
| 2012
| Women's Image Network Awards
| Outstanding Film / Show Directed By A Woman
| '']''
| {{pending}}
|} |}

==Bibliography==
{{Incomplete list|date=October 2017}}

''' Books '''
* {{cite book <!--|last1=Dunham|first1=Lena -->|title=Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned"|date=2014|publisher=]|location=New York, NY|ISBN=978-0-812-99499-5|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/931726295}}
* {{cite book <!--|last1=Dunham|first1=Lena -->|title=Is it Evil Not to be Sure?|date= 2017|publisher= ]|location=New York, NY|ISBN= 978-1-524-77668-8|url=https://www.amazon.com/evil-not-be-sure-ebook/dp/B01FMWFG9A}}
* {{cite book <!--|last1=Dunham|first1=Lena -->|title=Best And Always|date= 2019|publisher= ]|location=New York, NY|ISBN= 978-1-460-75682-9|url=https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781460756829/best-and-always/}}
* {{cite book <!--|last1=Dunham|first1=Lena -->|title=Famesick|date= 2024|publisher= ]|location=New York, NY|ISBN= 978-0-008-38422-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a8vUDwAAQBAJ}}

'''Essays and reporting'''
* {{cite journal <!--|last1=Dunham|first1=Lena -->|title=Funny Girl: Sarah Silverman|journal=]|date=April 28, 2010|url=http://www.papermag.com/funny-girl-1425688679.html}}
* {{cite journal <!--|last1=Dunham|first1=Lena -->|title=Seeing Nora Everywhere|journal=The New Yorker|date=June 28, 2012|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/seeing-nora-everywhere}}
* {{cite journal <!--|last1=Dunham|first1=Lena -->|title=First Love|journal=The New Yorker|date=August 13, 2012|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/08/13/first-love-3}}
* {{cite journal <!--|last1=Dunham|first1=Lena -->|title=A Box of Puppies|journal=The New Yorker|date=March 25, 2013|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/03/25/a-box-of-puppies}}
* {{cite journal <!--|author=Dunham, Lena |author-mask=1 -->|date=November 4, 2013 |title=Deliverance |department=Take Out |journal=The New Yorker |volume=89 |issue=35 |pages=78 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/11/04/deliverance-3 <!--|access-date=October 13, 2017-->}}
* {{cite journal <!--|author=Dunham, Lena |author-mask=1 -->|date=September 1, 2014 |title=Difficult girl : growing up with help |department=Personal History |journal=The New Yorker |volume=90 |issue=25 |pages=24–28 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/01/difficult-girl <!--|access-date=July 25, 2019-->}}<ref>Online version is titled "Growing up in therapy".</ref>
* {{cite journal <!--|last1=Dunham|first1=Lena -->|title=Dog or Jewish Boyfriend? A Quiz|journal=The New Yorker|date=March 30, 2015|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/03/30/dog-or-jewish-boyfriend-a-quiz}}
* {{cite journal <!--|last1=Dunham|first1=Lena -->|title=The Bride in Her Head|journal=The New Yorker|date=July 10, 2015|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-bride-in-her-head}}
* {{cite journal <!--|last1=Dunham|first1=Lena -->|title=The Enduring Spell of 'The Outsiders'|journal=The New York Times Style Magazine|date=September 5, 2018|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/05/t-magazine/outsiders-book-hinton-lena-dunham.html}}

== See also ==
* ]


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist}} {{Reflist|30em}}


== Further reading ==
==External links==
* {{cite journal|last1=Heti|first1=Sheila|last2=Simonini|first2=Ross|title=Judy Blume and Lena Dunham in Conversation|journal=]|date=2013|url=http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/judy-blume-in-conversation-with-lena-dunham|publisher=Believer Books, a Division of ]|location=San Francisco, Calif|oclc=879574140|ref=none}}
*{{IMDb name|2501633}}
* {{cite journal|last1=San Filippo|first1=Maria|title="Art Porn Provocauteurs": Queer Feminist Performances of Embodiment in the Work of Catherine Breillat and Lena Dunham|journal=]|date=Spring 2016|volume=77|issue=1|pages=28–49|access-date=March 5, 2016|publisher=University of Wisconsin at Madison and The University of Texas at Austin|location=Madison, WI and Austin, TX|issn=0149-1830|oclc=5985111614|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/the_velvet_light_trap/v077/77.filippo.html|doi=10.7560/VLT7703|s2cid=191929973 |ref=none}}
* on ] in 2012
* on ] in 2010
*
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== External links ==
{{Persondata <!--Metadata: see ].-->
* {{IMDb name|2501633}}
| NAME = Dunham, Lena
* {{rotten-tomatoes-person|lena_dunham}}
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809124742/https://www.makers.com/lena-dunham |date=August 9, 2017 }} at '']''
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Actress, writer, film director

| DATE OF BIRTH = May 2, 1991
{{Lena Dunham}}
| PLACE OF BIRTH = Birthoud, Colorado
{{Navboxes
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH = | title = Awards for Lena Dunham
| list =
{{DirectorsGuildofAmericaOutstandingDirectingComedySeries 2010–2029}}
{{GoldenGlobeBestActressTVComedy 2010–2029}}
{{Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay}}
}} }}

{{Subject bar|portal1=Biography|portal2=Feminism|portal3=Film |portal4=Television |portal5=United States|commons=yes|commons-search=Category:Lena Dunham|d=yes|d-search=Q288359}}

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Latest revision as of 17:46, 22 December 2024

American writer and actress (born 1986)

Lena Dunham
Dunham in 2024
Born (1986-05-13) May 13, 1986 (age 38)
New York City, U.S.
EducationThe New School
Oberlin College (BA)
Occupations
  • Writer
  • director
  • actress
  • producer
Years active2006–present
Spouse Luis Felber ​(m. 2021)
Parents
RelativesCyrus Grace Dunham (sibling)

Lena Dunham (/ˈliːnə ˈdʌnəm/; born May 13, 1986) is an American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is the creator, writer, and star of the HBO television series Girls (2012–2017), for which she received several Emmy Award nominations and two Golden Globe Awards. Dunham also directed several episodes of Girls and became the first woman to win the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series. She started her career writing, directing, and starring in her semi-autobiographical independent film Tiny Furniture (2010), for which she won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. She has since written and directed the 2022 films Sharp Stick and Catherine Called Birdy.

In 2013, Dunham was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. In 2014, Dunham released her first book, Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned". In 2015, along with Girls showrunner Jenni Konner, Dunham created the publication Lenny Letter, a feminist online newsletter. The publication ran for three years before its discontinuation in late 2018.

Dunham briefly appeared in films such as Supporting Characters and This Is 40 (both 2012), and Happy Christmas (2014). She voiced Mary in the 2016 film My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. On television, aside from Girls, she has played guest roles in Scandal and The Simpsons (both 2015). In 2017, she portrayed Valerie Solanas in American Horror Story: Cult.

Dunham's work, as well as her outspoken presence on social media and in interviews, have attracted significant controversy, praise, criticism, and media scrutiny throughout her career.

Early life and education

Dunham was born in New York City. Her father, Carroll Dunham, is a painter, and her mother, Laurie Simmons, is an artist and photographer, and a member of The Pictures Generation, known for her use of dolls and dollhouse furniture in her photographs of setup interior scenes. Her father is Protestant of mostly English ancestry; whereas her mother is Jewish. Dunham has described herself as feeling "very culturally Jewish, although that's the biggest cliché for a Jewish woman to say." The Modern Hebrew poetry of Yehuda Amichai helped her to connect with her Judaism.

Dunham attended Friends Seminary before transferring in seventh grade to Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn, where she met Tiny Furniture actress and future Girls co-star Jemima Kirke. As a teen, Dunham also won a Scholastic Art and Writing Award. She attended The New School for a year before transferring to Oberlin College, where she graduated in 2008 with a degree in creative writing.

She has a younger sibling, Cyrus, a 2014 graduate of Brown University, who appeared in Dunham's first film, Creative Nonfiction, and starred in her second film, Tiny Furniture. The siblings were raised in Brooklyn and spent summers in Salisbury, Connecticut.

Career

2000s: Oberlin College and early works

While a student at Oberlin College, Dunham produced several independent short films and uploaded them to YouTube. Many of her early films dealt with themes of sexual enlightenment and were produced in a mumblecore filmmaking style, a dialog-heavy style in which young people talk about their personal relationships. In 2006, she produced Pressure, in which a girl and two friends talk about experiencing an orgasm for the first time, which makes Dunham's character feel pressured to do so as well. "I didn't go to film school", Dunham explains. "Instead I went to liberal arts school and self-imposed a curriculum of creating tiny flawed video sketches, brief meditations on comic conundrums, and slapping them on the Internet."

Dunham on the set of her web series Delusional Downtown Divas (2009)

Another early film, entitled The Fountain, which depicted her in a bikini brushing her teeth in the public fountain at Oberlin College, went viral on YouTube. "Her blithe willingness to disrobe without shame caused an outburst of censure from viewers," observed The New Yorker's Rebecca Mead. Dunham was shocked by the backlash and decided to take the video down:

There were just pages of YouTube comments about how fat I was, or how not fat I was," Dunham said. "I didn't want you to Google me and the first thing you see is a debate about whether my breasts are misshapen."

Pressures (2006), Open the Door (2007), Hooker on Campus (2007), and The Fountain (2007) were released as DVD extras with Tiny Furniture.

In 2007, Dunham starred in a ten-episode web series for Nerve.com entitled Tight Shots, described by The New York Times Magazine's Virginia Heffernan as "a daffy serial about kids trying to make a movie and be artsy and have tons of sex."

In 2009, Dunham created the Index Magazine web series, Delusional Downtown Divas, which satirized the New York City art scene. The production was unpaid, so Dunham and her friends "pooled their money from babysitting and art-assistant gigs and borrowed some camera gear."

Also in 2009, Dunham premiered Creative Nonfiction—a comedy where she plays Ella, a college student struggling to complete a screenplay—at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. She was initially rejected by the festival the year before; she re-edited and successfully resubmitted the film.

2010–11: Breakthrough with Tiny Furniture

Main article: Tiny Furniture
Dunham speaking at the Maryland Film Festival in 2010

Dunham had a career breakthrough with her semiautobiographic 2010 feature film Tiny Furniture; the film won Best Narrative Feature at South by Southwest Music and Media Conference, and subsequently screened at such festivals as Maryland Film Festival. Dunham plays the lead role of Aura. Laurie Simmons (Dunham's real-life mother) plays Aura's mother, and Dunham's real-life sibling Cyrus plays Aura's on-screen sibling. For her work on Tiny Furniture, Dunham also won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.

The success of Tiny Furniture earned Dunham a blind script deal at HBO. The network set Dunham up with veteran showrunner Jennifer Konner. Konner told Vulture's Jada Yuan that she got involved with Dunham because she was an obsessive Tiny Furniture fan:

I got a copy of Tiny Furniture from Sue Naegle. Actually, Liz Meriwether told me about it and said, 'Oh, there's this great movie. This girl, she's 23, she wrote, directed, and starred in it; she's in her underwear the whole time.' And I was like, 'I really don't want to see that.' And then she was like, 'Oh, trust me, it's great.' So Sue gave it to me just because she had it ... I used to, like, give out copies of the movie. But I'd just broken up with my writing partner and couldn't be less interested in the idea of supervising anybody. I really was like, 'I'm going to find my voice, and be on my own.' And then they called me and they were like, 'Oh, the Tiny Furniture girl is doing a show, do you want to supervise her?' And I was like, 'Yes! One million percent. Sign me up. Totally on board.'

Dunham's star was also raised considerably when she was profiled by David Carr in The New York Times; he was later credited with introducing her to Judd Apatow. Apatow watched Tiny Furniture, and was surprised Dunham had also written and directed the film. "I emailed her and told her I thought it was great", Apatow told The Hollywood Reporter. "It turned out she was in the middle of negotiating a deal to develop a show for HBO and that her partner was Jenni Konner, whom I had worked with on Undeclared and a bunch of other projects. They asked me if I wanted to be a part of it, and I was thrilled to jump in."

2012–17: Mainstream success with Girls and first book

Main articles: Girls (TV series) and Not That Kind of Girl
Dunham at the premiere of Supporting Characters at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival

Dunham's television series, Girls, was greenlit by HBO in early 2011. Three episodes were screened to positive response at the 2012 South by Southwest Festival.

The series follows Hannah Horvath (portrayed by Dunham), a 20-something writer struggling to get by in New York City. Some of the struggles facing Dunham's character Hannah—including being cut off financially from her parents, becoming a writer and making unfortunate decisions—are inspired by Dunham's real-life experiences.

Dunham said Girls reflects a part of the population not portrayed in the 1998 HBO series Sex and the City. "Gossip Girl was teens duking it out on the Upper East Side and Sex and the City was women who figured out work and friends and now want to nail romance and family life. There was this 'hole-in-between' space that hadn't really been addressed," she said. The pilot intentionally references Sex and the City as producers wanted to make it clear that the driving force behind Girls is that the characters were inspired by the former HBO series and moved to New York to pursue their dreams. Dunham herself says she "revere that show just as much as any girl of my generation".

The first season premiered on HBO on April 15, 2012, and received critical acclaim. The New York Times applauded the series, writing that "Girls may be the millennial generation's rebuttal to Sex and the City, but the first season was at times as cruelly insightful and bleakly funny as Louie on FX or Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO." James Poniewozik from Time reserved high praise for the series, calling it "raw, audacious, nuanced and richly, often excruciatingly funny".

Despite the acclaim, the series also generated significant criticism over its lack of racial representation and Dunham's frequent on-screen nudity.

The first season garnered Dunham four Emmy Award nominations for her roles in acting, writing, and directing the series, as well as two Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. In February 2013, Dunham became the first woman to win a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series for her work on Girls.

Girls was renewed for a second season in April 2012, before the first season had finished airing. The first season finale drew over one million viewers.

The second season of Girls continued to receive critical acclaim. David Wiegland of the San Francisco Chronicle said that "The entire constellation of impetuous, ambitious, determined and insecure young urbanites in Girls is realigning in the new season, but at no point in the four episodes sent to critics for review do you feel that any of it is artificial". Verne Gay of Newsday said it is "Sharper, smarter, more richly layered, detailed and acted". Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly felt that "As bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as it was in its first season, Girls may now be even spunkier, funnier, and riskier". The second season ran on HBO from January 2013 to March 2013, with third and fourth seasons subsequently being renewed. The third season of Girls premiered in January 2014 with over one million viewers. The following month, Dunham hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live with musical guest The National.

In late 2012, Dunham signed a $3.5 million deal with Random House to publish her first book. The book, an essay collection called Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned", was published in September 2014. It reached number two on The New York Times Best Seller list in October 2014.

On January 5, 2015, days before the premiere of the fourth season, Girls was renewed for a fifth season, despite dwindling viewership. That year, Dunham launched A Casual Romance Productions, a production company to develop television and film projects. The company produced It's Me Hilary: The Man Who Drew Eloise. On February 20, 2015, it was reported that Dunham had been cast in a guest role in an episode of the ABC drama series Scandal, which aired March 19, 2015.

Dunham with Avy Kaufman at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival

In September 2015, Dunham stated that the sixth season of Girls was likely to be the last. This was later confirmed by HBO.

In 2016, Dunham appeared in her mother's film, My Art, which had its world premiere at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. She also voiced Mary in My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea, a 2016 American animated teen comedy drama film directed by Dash Shaw. It was selected to be screened in the Vanguard section at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. Dunham also filmed scenes for the film Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, but they were cut from the final film.

In 2017, Dunham portrayed Valerie Solanas, the real-life radical feminist and SCUM Manifesto author who attempted to murder Andy Warhol in the late 1960s, in American Horror Story: Cult.

Girls' sixth and final season concluded on April 16, 2017, leaving a total of 62 episodes in the series.

2018–present: Second book, Camping, and other work

Since 2016, Dunham has been working on a second book that will be published by Random House.

In February 2018, A Casual Romance Productions announced that it would be producing Camping, a remake of the British comedy series of the same name for HBO, with Jennifer Garner in the lead and Dunham and Konner as showrunners and writers. On July 25, 2018, the series held a panel at the Television Critics Association's annual summer press tour featuring executive producer Jenni Konner and cast member Jennifer Garner. The following day, a teaser trailer for the series was released.

Camping was met with a mixed to negative response from critics upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 28% approval rating, with an average rating of 5.1 out of 10 based on 32 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "The first season of Camping makes it difficult to determine who the least happy campers are: those on the screen or those watching it." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 49 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

In August 2018, it was announced Dunham would appear in the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, directed by Quentin Tarantino, which released on July 26, 2019. Dunham portrayed the role of Catherine "Gypsy" Share. In October 2018, coinciding with the expiration of their joint HBO contract, Dunham and Konner split as producing partners and dissolved their production company. In August 2019, Dunham launched a new production company named Good Thing Going which had a first look deal with HBO.

In 2019, Dunham and Alissa Bennett started a podcast called The C-Word Podcast produced by Luminary.

In response to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, in March 2020 Dunham announced she would write a serialized novel, Verified Strangers, as a response to social isolation. She added that the act was a response to help herself and the readers in a time of anxiety. The serialization started later that month on the Vogue website. Dunham directed and served as an executive producer on the first episode of HBO's Industry. That same year, she appeared in The Stand In directed by Jamie Babbit.

In 2021, Dunham had a small role in Music, directed by Sia. She also served as an executive producer on Genera+ion, a dramedy for HBO Max.

In 2022, Dunham's second feature film, Sharp Stick, starring Kristine Froseth, Dunham, and Jon Bernthal, was released to mixed reviews. She also directed, wrote, and produced her third film, Catherine Called Birdy, an adaption of the children's novel of the same name by Karen Cushman for Working Title Films. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2022. It was released in a limited release on September 23, 2022, by Amazon Studios, prior to streaming on Prime Video on October 7, 2022.

In December 2023, Netflix announced that Too Much, a new series co-created, written, executive produced, and directed by Dunham, would enter production the following year in the United Kingdom.

In the media

Dunham has appeared on several magazine covers, including Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Popular Mechanics, and Rolling Stone. After Dunham posed with bare legs for Glamour's February 2017 cover, she praised the magazine for featuring an unedited photo and leaving the cellulite on her thighs visible.

Lenny Letter

Main article: Lenny Letter

In 2015, Dunham, with Jenni Konner, co-founded Lenny Letter, a feminist online newsletter. Lenny Letter was initially supported by Hearst Corporation advertising, and subsequently by Condé Nast. In addition to the regular newsletter, Lenny Letter published a Fiction Issue and a Poetry Issue during fall 2015.

Notable articles include an essay written by actress Jennifer Lawrence about the gender wage gap in Hollywood, and one written by singer Alicia Keys about her decision to start wearing little to no make-up.

In November 2017, following Dunham and Konner's controversial letter denouncing Aurora Perrineau's accusation of sexual assault by Murray Miller, Zinzi Clemmons announced that she would no longer contribute to the newsletter, saying Dunham's racism was "well-known" and called for all women of color to "divest" from Dunham.

In October 2018, Dunham and Konner announced that Lenny Letter would be shutting down, reportedly due to a decline in subscribers and failure to build momentum upon other platforms.

Reception

Dunham claimed in her book Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned" that she had been sexually assaulted by a person she called "Barry." Other details in the book indicated that "Barry" was a former Oberlin College classmate. In the book, Dunham describes "Barry" as a man who wore cowboy boots, sported a mustache, hosted a radio show, worked at a campus library, and graduated from Oberlin in 2005; this description was characterized by the attorney of Dunham's former classmate as detailed enough to point towards his client. Dunham later apologized for the confusion and Random House reprinted the book with a disclaimer, releasing a statement saying: "Random House, on our own behalf and on behalf of our author, regrets the confusion." Other passages in the book recounting interactions of a sexual nature, starting when she was seven years old – with her then one-year-old sibling Grace (now Cyrus) – also attracted significant controversy, and prompted numerous editorials about children's sexuality and personal boundaries.

Dunham's work and her outspoken presence on social media and in interviews have attracted significant controversy, criticism, and media scrutiny throughout her career. On several occasions, Dunham has been accused of making racially insensitive remarks. Upon release, Girls was met with criticism regarding the all-white main cast in the otherwise culturally diverse setting of New York City. Though some pointed out that many Americans are friends with other people of the same race, and adding a "token" African-American or Asian-American friend would be "immature" to reality. Donald Glover guest starred as Sandy, a black Republican and Hannah's love interest, in the first two episodes of season two, which was criticized as tokenism in response to the initial backlash from the first season.

Dunham spoke publicly about the criticism on several occasions; in an interview with IndieWire, she said:

I am a half-Jew, half-WASP, and I wrote two Jews and two WASPs. Something I wanted to avoid was tokenism in casting. If I had one of the four girls, if, for example, she was African-American, I feel like—not that the experience of an African-American girl and a white girl are drastically different, but there has to be specificity to that experience I wasn't able to speak to. I really wrote the show from a gut-level place, and each character was a piece of me or based on someone close to me. And only later did I realize that it was four white girls. As much as I can say it was an accident, it was only later as the criticism came out, I thought, 'I hear this and I want to respond to it.' And this is a hard issue to speak to because all I want to do is sound sensitive and not say anything that will horrify anyone or make them feel more isolated, but I did write something that was super-specific to my experience, and I always want to avoid rendering an experience I can't speak to accurately.

In September 2016, Dunham criticized NFL player Odell Beckham Jr. for his interactions with her at the Met Gala. Dunham said, "I was sitting next to Odell Beckham Jr., and it was so amazing because it was like he looked at me and he determined I was not the shape of a woman by his standards. He was like, 'That's a marshmallow. That's a child. That's a dog.' It wasn't mean — he just seemed confused. The vibe was very much like, 'Do I want to f--- it? Is it wearing a ... yep, it's wearing a tuxedo. I'm going to go back to my cell phone." She added, "It was like we were forced to be together, and he literally was scrolling Instagram rather than have to look at a woman in a bow tie. I was like, 'This should be called the Metropolitan Museum of Getting Rejected by Athletes'." Dunham was criticized for her comments, which some considered to be an example of "white entitlement". She later apologized for her characterization of his interactions and thoughts.

In December 2016, Dunham declared on a podcast that she wished she had had an abortion, explaining that she wanted to better understand women who have. The comment was widely condemned as insensitive. Dunham later issued a lengthy apology on her Instagram.

In November 2017, Dunham defended Girls writer Murray Miller, whom actress Aurora Perrineau had accused of sexually assaulting her in 2012 when she was seventeen. Dunham responded to the accusations by saying, "While our first instinct is to listen to every woman's story, our insider knowledge of Murray's situation makes us confident that sadly this accusation is one of the 3% of assault cases that are misreported every year." After an immediate backlash, Dunham apologized for that statement, saying that it was "absolutely the wrong time to come forward with such a statement" and that "every woman who comes forward deserves to be heard, fully and completely, and our relationship to the accused should not be part of the calculation anyone makes when examining her case." Dunham was described as a "hipster racist" for her defense of Miller, as Perrineau is of mixed race. In December 2018, Dunham stated that, contrary to her previous statement, she had no "insider information" that exonerated Murray.

In October 2018, Dunham was hired to write the screenplay for an untitled film based upon the memoir A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea: One Refugee's Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival, by Melissa Fleming, which follows the true story of Doaa Al Zamel, who fled Egypt for Europe and became one of few survivors of a shipwrecked refugee boat, surviving days in open water and supporting herself and two orphaned children with only an inflatable water ring. Steven Spielberg and J. J. Abrams are set to produce the film. Dunham's hiring received backlash from those who felt that, instead of Dunham, a Syrian woman should have been hired. Daniel Medina, a journalist, wrote: "Lena Dunham constantly talks about representation as crucial to enrich storytelling. Yet, in practice, she has shown a disregard for actually elevating those voices. Now, she's been signed on to write a Syrian refugee's story?". Author Alia Malek stated: "The idea that Lena Dunham is better situated to tell the story of a Syrian than somebody else implicit in that is a kind of hierarchy."

In January 2022, ahead of the film's Sundance premiere, autistic self-advocate and sex educator Amy Gravino posted a Twitter thread alleging that she was approached to be a consultant on Dunham's film Sharp Stick, but was subsequently "ghosted" before she had a chance to meet with Dunham in person. In a Variety article covering the subject, Gravino claimed that the film's star, Kristine Froseth, had approached her business manager while doing research for her character Sarah Jo, whom she concluded displayed characteristics that suggested she was autistic. Gravino also claimed that Dunham had personally done research on her work and was excited to meet with her. However, according to the film's producers, Dunham rejected Froseth's suggestion to approach Gravino, and clarified to Froseth that she had never intended to depict Sarah Jo as autistic.

An unnamed spokesperson also released a statement to Variety that read, "Sarah Jo was never written nor imagined as a neurodivergent woman. Nothing about Sarah Jo was coded to suggest or convey neurodivergence." Gravino responded to this defense by saying, "You can’t just say the character isn’t going to be neurodiverse; the coding is still there and it comes across that way in the writing and acting choices, even though it’s not explicitly stated." She also criticized the film for its "infantilization" of Sarah Jo, though the producers countered this assessment by stating that the character's childlike qualities were included to reflect the trauma she experienced, rather than to suggest that she was autistic.

Personal life

In 2012, Dunham began dating Jack Antonoff, the lead guitarist of the band fun. and the founder of Bleachers. Dunham and Antonoff remained together until December 2017; they subsequently separated announcing that the separation was "amicable".

Dunham was diagnosed with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) as a child, and continued to take a low dose of an anxiolytic (Klonopin) to relieve her anxiety until 2018. In 2018 Dunham entered rehab for an addiction to benzodiazepines. In April 2020, she celebrated two years of sobriety.

In February 2018, Dunham wrote an essay for Vogue about her decision to have a hysterectomy due to endometriosis.

In 2019, Dunham revealed that she has Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS).

In July 2020, Dunham reported on Instagram her experience with COVID-19 because she observed people were not taking social distancing seriously. Though she was not hospitalized, she did have "severe symptoms for three weeks".

After a mutual friend set them up on a blind date, Dunham began dating English-Peruvian musician Luis Felber in January 2021. In September 2021, Dunham and Felber married in a Jewish ceremony at the Union Club in Soho.

A 2024 episode of Finding Your Roots revealed that Dunham is a descendant of Stephanus van Cortlandt (1643–1700), the first native-born mayor of New York City.

Political activities

Dunham supports gun control, immigrant rights, and LGBT rights.

In fall of 2012, Dunham appeared in a video advertisement promoting President Barack Obama's re-election, delivering a monologue, which, according to a blog quoted in The Atlantic, tried to "get the youth vote by comparing voting for the first time to having sex for the first time". Fox News reported criticism from conservatives such as Media Research Center's Lauren Thompson, public relations professional Ronn Torossian, and media trainer Louise Pennell, who labeled the advertisement as tasteless, inappropriate, and a ploy to lure the younger female vote. It included a comment from Steve Hall of Ad Rants saying that "not everyone was so offended." A friend of Dunham said the actress was not paid for her performance on the spot, and Dunham defended the ad by tweeting "The video may be light but the message is serious: vote for women's rights." In The Nation, Ari Melber wrote "the ad's style is vintage Lena: edgy and informed, controversial but achingly self-aware, sexually proud and affirmatively feminist."

In 2014, Dunham was named the Recipient of Horizon Award 2014 by Point Foundation for her support of the gay community.

In April 2016, she wrote in support of Hillary Clinton, pledging to move to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, if Donald Trump won the election. Dunham rebuked Trump for the Access Hollywood tape. After Trump's win, Dunham wrote she will not be moving to Canada, saying, "I can survive staying in this country, MY country, to fight and love and use my embarrassment of blessings to do what's right."

In June 2017, Dunham endorsed Jim Johnson, a Democratic New Jersey gubernatorial candidate. Later that month, Dunham endorsed Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, in the United Kingdom general election.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2006 Dealing Georgia Short film
Also writer and director
2007 Una & Jacques Video short
2009 The House of the Devil 911 Operator Voice
2009 Creative Nonfiction Ella Also writer, director and editor
2009 The Viewer Voice Short film
2009 Family Tree Lena Short film
2010 Gabi on the Roof in July Colby
2010 Tiny Furniture Aura Also director and writer
2011 The Innkeepers Barista
2012 Nobody Walks Co-writer
2012 Supporting Characters Alexa
2012 This Is 40 Cat
2014 Happy Christmas Carson
2015 Sky Billie
2016 Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising Joan of Arc Scenes cut
2016 My Art Meryl
2016 My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea Mary Voice
2019 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood "Gypsy"
2020 The Stand In Lisa
2020 Honeydew Delilah Cameo
2021 Music Administrator on Phone with Zu
2022 Sharp Stick Heather Also writer, producer and director
2022 Catherine Called Birdy Writer, producer and director
2023 Judy Blume Forever Herself Documentary
2024 Treasure Ruth Also producer

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2007 Tight Shots Main role
Also writer, director, editor
2009 Delusional Downtown Divas Oona Main role
Also writer, director, producer
2011 Mildred Pierce Nurse 2 episodes
2012–2017 Girls Hannah Horvath Main role
Also creator, director, writer, executive producer
2014–2016 Adventure Time Betty Grof Voice, 3 episodes
2014 Saturday Night Live Host Episode: "Lena Dunham/The National"
2015 Scandal Susanne Thomas Episode: "It's Good to Be Kink"
2015 7 Days in Hell Lanny Denver Television film
2015 The Simpsons Candace, Hannah Horvath Voice, episode: "Every Man's Dream"
2017 Travel Man Herself Episode: "48 Hours in Tenerife"
2017 American Horror Story: Cult Valerie Solanas Episode: "Valerie Solanas Died for Your Sins: Scumbag"
2018 Camping Creator, executive producer and writer
2020 Industry Director, Episode: "Induction"
2021 Genera+ion Executive producer
TBA Too Much Executive producer, co-creator, writer, director

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2012 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Comedy Series Girls Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Episode: "She Did") Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Episode: "Pilot") Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Episode: "She Did") Nominated
2013 Outstanding Comedy Series Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Episode: "Bad Friend") Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Episode: "On All Fours") Nominated
2014 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Episode: "Beach House") Nominated
2013 BAFTA Awards Best International Programme Won
2012 Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial – Comedy Series Won
2012 Golden Globe Awards Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy Won
2013 Nominated
2014 Nominated
2010 Independent Spirit Award Best First Feature Tiny Furniture Nominated
Best First Screenplay Won
2022 Best Screenplay Catherine Called Birdy Nominated

Bibliography

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (October 2017)

Books

Essays and reporting

See also

References

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Further reading

External links

Films directed by Lena Dunham
Awards for Lena Dunham
Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series
1971–2000
2001–present
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
1962–1979
1980–1999
2000–2019
2020–present
Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Portals:Lena Dunham at Misplaced Pages's sister projects: Categories: