“Lisa Datz is a dynamic force in the entertainment industry, seamlessly moving between roles as a critically acclaimed actor, director, writer, producer, and voice-over artist.”
— American Film Market, Just Cinema International Magazine
At a glance:
Broadway (Original Cast of Titanic and The Full Monty) • Off-Broadway (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) • For the Record (SXSW) • Jeff Award–nominated actor • FBI: Most Wanted • Red Dead Redemption 2 • Award-winning creator of Life of Riley
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Originally from Highland Park, Illinois, and a proud alum of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, Lisa made her Broadway debut in the Tony Award–winning original cast of Titanic and starred opposite Patrick Wilson in the original cast of The Full Monty.
She went on to earn acclaim Off-Broadway as Yitzhak—the Croatian, cross-dressing rock-and-roll roadie—in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, performing opposite John Cameron Mitchell and later Michael Cerveris.
Two roles closest to her heart include the title role in Violet, for which she received a Jeff Award nomination (Chicago, with Nate Stampley Jr.), and Three Days of Rain at Portland Center Stage, opposite Silas Weir Mitchell and Sasha Roiz.
She has also showcased her classical training as Julia in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and her affinity for richly drawn Southern women in Crimes of the Heart and Steel Magnolias, as well as in the tender contemporary drama The Pavilion by acclaimed playwright Craig Wright.
Lisa was a member of the original cast of the For the Record live cinema series, originating roles in For the Record: Tarantino and For the Record: Paul Thomas Anderson, performing in Los Angeles and at the SXSW Film Festival. Her work included portraying the iconic roles originated by Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, as well as the Julianne Moore roles from Boogie Nights and Magnolia—work that reflects her emotional range and cinematic specificity.
On screen, Lisa has appeared in FBI: Most Wanted (opposite Dylan McDermott), Elementary (opposite Lucy Liu), Castle, Bones, and The Perfect Holiday (with Gabrielle Union). Her film work includes The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water and Time Out of Mind (with Richard Gere).
In the gaming world, she is internationally recognized for her motion-capture and voice performance as Jessica LeClerk in Rockstar Games’ global phenomenon Red Dead Redemption 2.
Her directorial debut, Life of Riley—which she also wrote and stars in—earned major festival recognition, including the Jury Prize at the Los Angeles International Film Festival and Best International Short at the London Independent Film Festival. She also received Best Actress nominations for her performance as Riley. The film has been praised for its emotional depth, cinematic storytelling, and cultural relevance, and is currently being developed as a television series.
She was named one of the American Film Market’s Rising Female Directors to Discover and recognized as a Filmmaker to Watch by the Los Angeles International Film Festival. She later returned to FBI: Most Wanted to shadow acclaimed director Ken Girotti as a Director-in-Training.
Lisa has also appeared in major concert and theatrical events, including An Evening with Frank Wildhorn with the composer at the piano at the historic Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, and the concert version of Up Against It alongside rock legends Todd Rundgren and Joe Jackson at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater in New York.
A former competitive figure skater of over ten years, Lisa brings elite athleticism, musicality, and physical storytelling to her work. She is a trained singer, an accomplished hip-hop and jazz dancer, and a competitive equestrian.
She divides her time between New York and Los Angeles.
Lisa Datz is best known to NY audiences for her work on Broadway and Off in the original companies of TITANIC and THE FULL MONTY; HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, IN THE WINGS at the Promenade, WEIRD ROMANCE at the York Theatre Company, and Sondheim’s SATURDAY NIGHT at Second Stage. Lisa has been seen on screen in the feature films, The Perfect Holiday (produced by Queen Latifah), Ghost Town (dir. David Koepp), and Spectropia which appeared at the Lincoln Center Film Festival, as well as the featured role of sexy Russian spy “Olga” in a reading of the upcoming feature film, Wanda and Sheneneh, written by and starring Jamie Foxx. Lisa has also been seen on television in Law & Order, Hope & Faith, Law & Order: Trial By Jury, The West Wing, Guiding Light, As The World Turns, All My Children, One Life To Live, Blues Clues, as well as live announcing the VH-1 Do Something Awards in Los Angeles. She performed with rock legends Joe Jackson and Todd Rundgren in the anniversary concert of UP AGAINST IT at Joe’s Pub, wrote and produced DATZ LIFE with her older brother, musician Mike Datz at Ars Nova in NYC, as well as numerous projects with legendary composer Maury Yeston, composer of the feature film, NINE. She has performed in many regional theater plays including the roles of Meg in CRIMES OF THE HEART (dir. Michael Unger), Julia in TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA (dir. Irene Lewis), Kari in THE PAVILION (dir. Stewart Schulman), Elizabeth in Ace at the Old Globe (dir. Stafford Arima), Empire (dir. Clayton Phillips), Heartland (dir. Susan H. Schulman) and Violet for which she received a Jeff Award nomination for the title role. She currently divides her time between New York and Los Angeles working as an actress in film, television, and theatre, as well as her work as a Hip Hop/Jazz dancer in concerts and videos, voice overs and screenwriting.