Julia Garner Movies and TV Shows: Full Filmography

Julia Garner built one of Hollywood’s most varied resumes before landing the role that changed everything—Ruth Langmore, the foul-mouthed crime queen who earned Garner three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. She’s now set to enter the Marvel universe as Silver Surfer Shalla-Bal in Fantastic Four, and her filmography spans indie darlings to Blumhouse horror.

Breakout Role: Ruth Langmore in Ozark ·
Emmy Wins: Three (Outstanding Supporting Actress, Drama) ·
Upcoming: Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four (July 25, 2025) ·
Highest RT Score: 93% (The Assistant)

Garner’s personal timeline and professional milestones provide a framework for understanding her rapid ascent in the industry.

What made Julia Garner famous?

Julia Garner’s rise didn’t happen overnight. She spent the better part of a decade grinding through independent films before breaking through in a major way. The trajectory from art-house cinema to Emmy-winning television to a Marvel franchise is rare in Hollywood, and Garner’s path offers a textbook case of how a distinctive screen presence builds momentum over time.

Breakout role in Ozark

Garner was cast as Ruth Langmore in Netflix’s Ozark, a dark crime saga about a financial planner forced to launder money for a drug cartel after a boat accident. She appeared opposite Jason Bateman and Laura Linney when the series premiered in 2017, and almost immediately, critics took notice. The character—a young woman from the Ozarks whose ambition and volatility make her both magnetic and unpredictable—became the show’s emotional engine.

The role earned Garner three consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2018, 2019, 2021), as well as a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. She is one of the few actors to win both major awards for a supporting television role in the same period.

Early films like Martha Marcy May Marlene

Before Ozark, Garner built her reputation in independent cinema. She debuted in Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), playing Sarah alongside Elizabeth Olsen. The psychological thriller earned critical acclaim at Sundance and established Garner as a serious talent in character-driven work.

She followed with The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), playing a supporting role in the coming-of-age drama adapted from Stephen Chbosky’s novel. That same year, she landed her first starring role in Electrick Children, an indie drama about a sheltered Mormon girl who runs away to Las Vegas.

Her early filmography also includes Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014), where she played Marcie in Robert Rodriguez’s sequel to his neo-noir anthology. The film gave her exposure beyond indie circuits, though it was her smaller-scale work that continued to attract critical attention.

The pattern reveals a performer who prioritized artistic risk over commercial safety, building toward roles that would eventually define her generation of dramatic actors.

Julia Garner movies and TV shows list

Garner’s filmography spans over a dozen feature films and numerous television appearances. A look at her credits reveals a performer equally comfortable in psychological dramas, horror remakes, and prestige television.

Key films

The Assistant (2019) stands as her highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes at 93%. Written and directed by Kitty Green, the drama follows a day in the life of an unnamed junior assistant at a film production company. Garner played the lead role, earning nominations for an Independent Spirit Award and a Critics’ Choice Award.

Grandma (2015) scored 92% and showcased her ability to anchor a comedy-drama. Paul Weitz’s film cast Garner as a young poet dealing with a breakup, opposite Lily Tomlin.

Her other notable films include:

• Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
• Electrick Children (2012)
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
• The Last Exorcism Part II (2013)
• Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)
• Grandma (2015)
• We Are What We Are (2013)
• The Assistant (2019)
• Apartment 7A (2024)
• The Royal Hotel (2023)
• Weapons (2025) — 93% on Rotten Tomatoes
• Wolf Man (2025)

Major TV roles

Garner’s television work runs the gamut from cable drama to streaming limited series. Ozark remains her signature role, but her other credits show range and versatility.

• The Americans (FX, 2015–2018) — recurring role as Kimberly Breland
• Dirty John (Bravo, 2018–2019) — starring role in true-crime anthology
• Maniac (Netflix, 2018) — miniseries co-starring Emma Stone and Jonah Hill
• Waco (2018) — Paramount+ limited series
• Modern Love (Amazon, 2019) — anthology series
• Inventing Anna (Netflix, 2022) — lead as Anna Sorokin, earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress
• Girls (HBO, 2016) — cameo
• The Get Down (Netflix, 2016) — cameo

Her performance as Anna Sorokin—a German woman who posed as a wealthy heiress and scammed New York’s elite—was considered a turning point in her career. Though the role drew controversy given Sorokin’s real-life conviction, Garner’s work was praised for capturing the character’s charm and duplicity.

What this means is that Garner has positioned herself as a go-to performer for complex female characters who resist easy categorization.

What is the new series of Julia Garner’s on Netflix?

There is no confirmed new series as of late 2024, though reports indicate Garner is being courted for a Netflix limited series about Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange. Details remain scarce, and casting has not been officially announced.

Upcoming Netflix projects

Aside from potential Sam Bankman-Fried involvement, Garner has not announced additional Netflix projects. Her most recent streaming work was Inventing Anna (2022), which was created by Shonda Rhimes and drew significant viewership despite mixed reviews.

Fantastic Four role

In July 2025, Garner was officially cast as Shalla-Bal in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The film is part of the MCU’s Phase 6 lineup and releases July 25, 2025. She joins a cast that includes Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Thing).

Unlike the traditional Silver Surfer origin—where Norrin Radd becomes the herald of Galactus—Garner’s Shalla-Bal is described as a comic-accurate re-imagining. Collider confirmed that her version differs significantly from previous film iterations and draws directly from the source material.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps currently holds an 86% critics score and 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, suggesting strong anticipation for the film and its ensemble.

The implication is straightforward: Marvel sees Garner as an actor capable of bringing the same unpredictable intensity that made Ruth Langmore compelling to a cosmic character.

Julia Garner Ozark role and other TV shows

Ruth Langmore is the character that made Garner a household name, but her television career extends well beyond the Netflix crime saga. A review of her TV credits shows consistent work in prestige dramas and limited series.

Ruth Langmore details

Ruth Langmore is a fictional character in Ozark, created by Bill Dubuque and Martin Zimmerman. She is a young woman from the Missouri Ozarks who becomes involved with the Byrde family as they launder money for the Navarro cartel. Over four seasons, her arc moves from naïve teenager to ruthless operator, with Garner’s performance earning consistent critical praise.

The character’s signature moments include a violent confrontation in Season 2 and a devastating arc in the final season that many critics cite as the emotional climax of the entire series.

Other series like The Americans

Garner appeared in The Americans as Kimberly Breland, a recurring role across Seasons 3 and 4 (2015–2018). The FX drama, set during the Cold War, follows two KGB spies living as American civilians in Washington, D.C. Her character was involved in subplots surrounding the Jennings family’s cover.

She also appeared in The Get Down, Baz Luhrmann’s Netflix series about the birth of hip-hop in 1970s New York, in a cameo capacity.

The takeaway is clear: Garner built her television reputation through recurring roles in acclaimed series before landing the lead that would define her career.

Are Julia Garner and Jennifer Garner sisters?

No. Julia Garner and Jennifer Garner are not related. They share a surname but have no family connection. Jennifer Garner is a decades-long film and television star known for Alias, Dallas Buyers Club, and Peppa Pig (as the voice of Mama Pepper). Julia Garner began her career in the 2010s and has no professional or personal relationship with her namesake.

Common confusion debunked

The confusion likely arises from the surname match and the fact that both have appeared in projects on Netflix. Jennifer Garner has not starred in Ozark, Inventing Anna, or any of Julia’s projects, and vice versa. The similarity in names has led to periodic search traffic between the two actors’ fan pages.

Family background

Julia Garner was born in New York City and raised by parents who were not in the entertainment industry. She studied at Columbia University before pursuing acting full-time. She has been in a relationship with actor Actor since 2019, though she maintains relatively private personal boundaries compared to many public figures.

These details confirm that Garner’s career trajectory stems entirely from her own artistic choices rather than any industry connections.

Quotes

“Anyone who watched Garner as Ruth Langmore on Netflix’s critically acclaimed crime saga Ozark knows she’s capable of playing anyone.”

— Collider

“Her performance was genre-defining, a benchmark for what a supporting character can do.”

— Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus

The pattern is consistent: Garner’s work draws praise for its specificity and emotional range. Whether playing a calculating crime figure in the Ozarks or a con artist in Manhattan, she brings a physicality and vocal range that critics and audiences alike have noted as distinctive.

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Her breakout in a Sundance thriller and Emmy-winning Ozark role shine through in this full filmography list, echoing her versatile career highlights.

Frequently asked questions