Gillian McLaren Jacobs was born on October 19, 1982, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was raised in the Mount Lebanon suburb of Pittsburgh. Her mother, Martina Magenau Jacobs, worked in alumni relations at Carnegie Mellon University. Her father, William F. Jacobs Jr., was a banker. Jacobs began taking acting classes at the Pittsburgh Playhouse at the age of eight and performed regularly in their plays. She is of French, German, Irish, and Scottish descent.
Jacobs graduated from Mount Lebanon High School in 2000. She then moved to New York City to study acting at the Juilliard School, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2004.
Following her graduation from Juilliard, Jacobs began her acting career primarily on stage. She appeared in several off-Broadway productions, including “Killer Joe,” “A Feminine Ending,” and “The Little Flower of East Orange,” directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Jacobs gained widespread recognition for her role as Britta Perry in the NBC comedy series “Community,” which aired from 2009 to 2015. Her portrayal of the socially conscious but often misguided Britta earned her critical acclaim and a dedicated fan base.
Jacobs has appeared in a variety of film roles. Some of her notable film credits include: