Emily Rebecca Swallow was born in Washington, DC, and spent her formative years in Sterling, VA, and Jacksonville, FL.
Her academic pursuits began with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Virginia, where she also interned at the State Department. However, her true calling was discovered by an acting teacher at UVA, who recognized her exceptional talent and encouraged her to pursue further training. Emily subsequently auditioned for the prestigious NYU Tisch Graduate Acting Program and was accepted into their Master of Fine Arts Program.
On television, Emily has made notable appearances in Supernatural (2005),The Mentalist (2008),How to Get Away with Murder (2014),Monday Mornings (2013),and the highly anticipated Disney+ Series The Mandalorian (2019). Additionally, her voice can be heard as Lisa Tepes, the ill-fated true love of Dracula, in the Netflix series Castlevania (2017).
Emily remains committed to her craft, regularly performing on stage in world premieres of notable plays. Notable productions include The Country House at LA's Geffen Playhouse, opposite Mark Rylance in Louis Jenkins' play Nice Fish at the Guthrie Theatre, John Patrick Shanley's musical Romantic Poetry at Manhattan Theater Club, and High Fidelity on Broadway.
In the summer of 2018, Emily played dual roles as a lady and a charlatan opposite Tom Hanks' Falstaff in the Shakespeare Center Los Angeles production of Henry IV Parts 1&2. Her impressive repertoire also includes the LA Drama Critics' Circle Award-Winning 2016 production of Disgraced at the Mark Taper Forum in LA, for which she won the Falstaff Award for best Female Performer in 2010 for her performance as Kate in The Taming of the Shrew at the Old Globe in San Diego.
As a gifted singer, Emily has had the opportunity to perform in various musicals and rock concerts. In 2012, she collaborated with fellow singer/comedienne Jac Huberman to create a stage show called Jac N Swallow, which they have performed at the Laurie Beechman Theater and Joe's Pub in New York. The duo hopes to revive the show in the future, pending the availability of a babysitter for Jac's children.
