Ari's mother hails from an Ashkenazi Jewish family. |
Her father, of Polish descent, was born into a Roman Catholic family before converting to Judaism. |
The original surname of her paternal grandfather was 'Gryzna', which was later changed to 'Graynor'. |
Her mother was active in community theater with the Wellesley Players. |
At the young age of 4, she experienced her first play, 'Hello Dolly!', where her mother performed in the chorus. |
She first displayed her passion for acting in first grade, bursting into tears of joy after landing a role in a school play. |
Her professional acting journey began when she was just 7 years old. |
At the age of 9, she worked on the ill-fated pilot episode for 'Willoughby’s Wonders', which was not aired due to funding issues. |
Starting at age 12, she traveled to New York for auditions with her parents. |
At 13, she acted in 'King Lear' at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Institute. |
She toured South Korea with a musical production of 'Annie' and has a rich background in musical theater. |
During her college years, she often commuted to New York for auditions, which became exhausting. |
She left college in 2005 to pursue her role in 'Brooklyn Boy' on Broadway. |
After her debut in 'The Sopranos', she faced a hiatus of over a year and a half. |
On June 29, 2017, she shared on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' that she attended prom with politician Joseph Kennedy III. |
For her preparation for 'I’m Dying Up Here', she performed in an open mic show, successfully engaging a live audience with her jokes. |
Her filmography includes notable works such as 'Law & Order: SVU', 'Date Night', 'What’s Your Number?', 'Bad Teacher', 'The Disaster Artist', and 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story'. |
A devoted animal lover, she has a pet dog named Tootsie. |