Who is Lilly McDowell?
An actress who rose to prominence after portraying Krista in the series “Over There”, Lilly Amanda McDowell, was born under the zodiac sign of Aquarius on 22 January 1981, in Los Angeles, California USA; she holds American nationality, and her ethnicity is of mixed English, Scottish, Dutch, Welsh and Irish descent. She has over ten acting credits to her name, and to the younger audience is perhaps known better as Mrs Payton in the horror movie “Mischief Night”, also starring Nikki Limo and Brooke Anne Smith.
Early life, family, and education
Lilly was raised in Los Angeles by her celebrity parents – her father is famous English actor Malcolm McDowell, and her mother is the Academy Award-winning actress Mary Steenburgen. The two were married from 1980 until 1990, and besides Lilly, they have a son, Charlie McDowell, who is a renowned writer, director and producer.
When her parents divorced, Lilly continued to live with her mother, who subsequently married famous actor and director Ted Danson, thus from 1995, Lilly spent most of her childhood alongside her step-siblings Kate Danson who is also an actress, and Alexis who prefers to keep her life away from the media’s attention.
Lily remembers growing up with Kate, saying: ‘It was amazing. We had the same music, the same sneakers, even the same underwear. It felt like the Parent Trap.’
Lilly had an interest in acting and performing from an early age, and being raised by successful people make her dream about a career in Hollywood.
She attended a local high school, and upon matriculating in 1999, she enrolled at the Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, from which she graduated with a BA degree in 2003. Lilly then moved to New York City, where she studied acting with William Esper, who was also an acting teacher to her mother.
To provide for herself, Lilly worked in a restaurant – once when visiting her mother and Ted, he told her to come back home, she listened to him, and back in Los Angeles she kept auditioning.
Roles in movies
Lily made her acting debut in 1997, playing the minor role as Servant in the movie “2103: The Deadly Wake”, starring her father Malcolm McDowell, Heidi von Palleske and Michael Pare. It took her a few years of auditioning until she was cast to play Shaw’s Aide in “The Manchurian Candidate”, in 2004, starring Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington and Liev Schreiber; this science-fiction mystery drama was nominated for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award – Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Meryl Streep).
In 2008, Lilly was seen as Boardroom Presenter in the TV movie “Squeegees”, before her role as Lingerie Salesgirl in the romantic comedy drama “Made of Honor”, and then she appeared as Dana in the 2009 short movie “Just in Case” also starring Boris Kievsky and Konstantin Lavysh.
In the following year, Lilly portrayed Evelyn Scott in “Pound of Flesh” alongside her father, followed by her role as Jane Douglas in “Suing the Devil” also starring her father, and her last movie appearance was her portrayal of Mrs Payton in “Mischief Night”, in 2014.
Roles in series
Lilly made her first television appearance in 2005, when she was cast to play Krista in the series “Over There”, an action war drama created by Chris Gerolmo and Steven Bochco, which was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award – Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music.
In 2007, she was cast to play Dean’s Assistant Kelley in an episode of the series “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, followed by her role as Katey Petrie in “Sons of Anarchy”, a crime thriller drama that had 56 award nominations, including five for Primetime Emmy, and won 11.
Lilly’s most recent television appearance was her guest role in an episode “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” in 2012, in which she portrayed Sargent Weiss alongside her step-father, Ted Danson.
Love life and relationships
Lilly hasn’t been the subject of any rumors concerning her love life, and it’s widely known that since 2010 she’s a married woman. Lilly met her future husband, Charles Abram Walton in Los Angeles, where he studied to become a therapist; not much is known about Charles except that he’s from Concord, Massachusetts, and that he was a paramedic.
They haven’t spoken about how this love story started, however, they spoke about their travels around Europe, and that Charles proposed to her while they were in Paris, France.
The two exchanged their wedding vows on 25 September 2010, at the Ojai Vineyard near Los Angeles, in the presence of their families and friends and numerous celebrity guests, one of whom was the former American President, Bill Clinton.
After the wedding the two lived in Venice, Los Angeles, and in January 2012 welcomed their first daughter Clementine Mae Walton, and subsequently two more daughters named Goldie and Vera but their birthdates aren’t revealed.
Lilly spent most of her childhood in her mother’s house in Ojai, and she and Charlie bought a house there – Lilly recalls how she decided to move from Venice, saying: ‘ The stress level was so high. Charlie was studying at Pacifica, so we’d stay at Mom’s house in Ojai, and I’d feel so much better. I kept thinking, ‘why don’t we live in our happy place?’
As of March 2022, Lilly is still in marriage with Charles, they have three daughters, and live in Ojai.
What is Lilly McDowell doing now?
Lilly paused her acting career and devoted her time to raising her children, however, she is also a businesswoman.
Her mother, Mary, had a home store in Los Angeles, called Rooms and Gardens, and eventually, while working there, Lilly discovered an interest and talent for interior design.
Lilly started her own business, Lilly Walton Design, and you can see her work on her website lillywalton.com; she also has an Instagram account which is private.
Age, height, and net worth
Lilly’s age is 41, and has blonde hair and blue eyes; she weighs around 132lbs (60kgs) and is 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall, with vital statistics of 32-26-32.
As of March 2022, her net worth has been estimated at over $500,000.
