Kaitlyn Rochelle Dever is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first gained recognition for her roles in the FXcrime drama series Justified, the ABC/Fox sitcom Last Man Standing, and the Netflix docudrama miniseries Unbelievable, the latter of which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Miniseries. Dever took on supporting parts in various films, such as Bad Teacher, The Spectacular Now, Short Term 12, Detroit, and Beautiful Boy. She also had leading roles in the 2019 films Them That Follow and Booksmart. Dever is part of a musical duoBeulahbelle, along with her sister, Mady.
Early life
Dever was born in Phoenix, Arizona, to Tim and Kathy Dever. She has two younger sisters, Mady and Jane Dever. At the age of five, she developed an interest in the performing arts with her parents sending her to an acting school. She also participated in gymnastics, ballet and skating, until she focused on acting. Her family then moved to Dallas, Texas, when her father was given the role of the voice of Barney the Purple Dinosaur, and where she enrolled at the Dallas Young Actors Studio in a month-long acting program. Honing her acting skills at the studio, she booked a number of commercials, before moving to Los Angeles.
Acting career
Dever's first notable acting role was as Gwen Thompson in the 2009 American Girlfilm, '. In 2011, she got an early breakout role as Loretta McCready in the FX series Justified. That same year, she was cast as a series regular in the ABC sitcom Last Man Standing, starring with Tim Allen. Starting with the seventh season of the series, Dever began appearing in a recurring role to focus on other film and television projects. Dever's other television credits include Make It or Break It, Modern Family, Private Practice, Party Down, The Mentalist, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Her 2011 film credits include Cinema Verite, Bad Teacher, and the Clint Eastwood–directed film J. Edgar. In 2012, Dever was nominated three times at the 33rd Young Artist Awards: for her supporting roles in Bad Teacher and Last Man Standing, and for her recurring role in Justified. In 2013, she appeared in supporting roles in the critically acclaimed films The Spectacular Now and Short Term 12. Her role in the latter garnered widespread acclaim from critics. Dever appeared in the 2014 dark comedy filmLaggies, alongside Chloë Grace Moretz and Keira Knightley. The same year, she co-starred in the film Men, Women & Children, directed by Jason Reitman. In 2019, Dever starred in the drama-thriller film Them That Follow directed by Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2019, and was released on August 2, 2019, by 1091 Media. That same year, Dever starred in the critically acclaimed teen comedyBooksmart directed by Olivia Wilde, opposite Beanie Feldstein. The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 11, 2019, and was released on May 24, 2019, by Annapurna Pictures. She also starred in Unbelievable a Netflix miniseries which premiered in September 2019. Dever's performance was praised by critics, receiving a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film. She also received nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries, the BAFTA Rising Star Award, and the TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama. In 2020, Dever appeared in the Quibicomedy series', directed by Jason Reitman, to raise money for World Central Kitchen. She will also star in the television special Coastal Elites, directed by Jay Roach for HBO. Dever will appear in episodes of two anthology series: Platform for FX and Monsterland for Hulu.
Music career
Dever and her sister Mady make up the musical duo group Beulahbelle. In February 2020, they released their first single, "Raleigh"..
