Elizabeth Rice

Elizabeth Rice (born November 5, 1985) is an American actress recognized for her work in television and film, particularly her recurring role as Margaret Sterling in the AMC series Mad Men and her lead performance in the horror film From Within.^[1][2] Born and raised in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Rice entered the entertainment industry at a young age, debuting with a role as Liz in the 1997 short film Sour Milk.^[3] Her early career included appearances in films such as My Dog Skip (2000), where she played a supporting character, and the Lifetime television movie Odd Girl Out (2005), in which she portrayed Nikki Rodriguez, one of the high school bullies.^[1][4] Rice gained critical attention for her portrayal of Lindsay in From Within (2008), a supernatural thriller, earning her the Grand Jury Award for Best Actress at the Solstice Film Festival.^[5] In Mad Men (2007–2014), she appeared in 11 episodes as Margaret Sterling Hargrove, the daughter of the advertising executive Roger Sterling, contributing to the show's depiction of 1960s family dynamics. Her subsequent film roles include Buttwhistle (2014), a dark comedy, and The Offering (2016), a mystery thriller in which she stars as a reporter investigating her sister's death.^[1]

Early life and education

Early life

Elizabeth Ellen Rice was born on November 5, 1985, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.^[1] She was raised in Pine Bluff, a small city in southeastern Arkansas known for its agricultural and industrial heritage.^[6] Rice's family hails from the Pine Bluff area, embedding her early years in a Southern environment that later influenced her perspective on acting.^[3]

Education

After completing high school, Elizabeth Rice pursued specialized acting training at the New York Film Academy, where she developed foundational skills through intensive workshops and performance-based classes focused on film and theater techniques.^[7] She subsequently enrolled at North Carolina State University, graduating with a degree that supported her interest in the arts.^[7] These educational experiences provided her with practical tools and a structured environment that bridged her academic background to early professional opportunities in acting.^[7]

Acting career

Early roles

Elizabeth Rice began her professional acting career in 1997, debuting as Liz in the short film Sour Milk^[8]. Subsequent roles in the 1990s were sparse and primarily minor.^[2] In 2000, Rice secured her first feature film role in My Dog Skip, a heartfelt coming-of-age drama directed by Jay Russell, where she portrayed Rivers' Friend, a brief but supportive character in the story of a boy's bond with his dog during the 1940s.^[9] Her performance contributed to the ensemble of young actors bringing authenticity to the film's nostalgic Mississippi setting. That same year, she lent her voice to multiple minor characters, including Boy 1, Sora's Mom, Operator, and Kid 2, in the animated adventure Digimon: The Movie.^[6] Rice's early television work followed soon after, with guest spots that showcased her versatility in procedural dramas. In 2001, she appeared as Sarah Browning in the episode "Sight Unseen" of Crossing Jordan, playing a young witness in a medical mystery.^[10] The next year, in 2002, she guest-starred as Sara Pasbalas in an episode of ER, depicting a patient in the high-stakes emergency room environment.^[10] These roles provided foundational experience as she navigated opportunities in both film and episodic television during her pre-teen years.

Breakthrough and mid-career work

Rice's breakthrough came with her prominent role as Nikki Rodriguez in the 2005 Lifetime television movie Odd Girl Out, a drama centered on the psychological toll of teen bullying among girls.^[11] In the film, directed by Tom McLoughlin and adapted from Rachel Simmons's book, Rice portrayed one of the primary antagonists in a clique that targets protagonist Vanessa Snyder (Alexa PenaVega) through social exclusion and harassment, highlighting the subtle cruelties of relational aggression.^[12] The movie received positive critical reception for its realistic depiction of adolescent peer pressure, earning an audience approval rating of 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviewers noting its effectiveness in exposing the emotional brutality of girl-on-girl bullying without resorting to physical violence.^[13] Rice's performance as the manipulative Nikki contributed to the film's impact, marking her transition from supporting parts to more central dramatic roles.^[14] From 2007 to 2014, Rice gained significant visibility through her recurring portrayal of Margaret Sterling on the AMC series Mad Men, appearing in 11 episodes across seven seasons.^[15] As the estranged daughter of advertising executive Roger Sterling (John Slattery), Margaret's character arc evolved from a rebellious teenager navigating family tensions—such as her resentment toward her father's infidelities and remarriage—to an adult grappling with marital dissatisfaction, culminating in her abandonment of her husband and child to join a commune in season seven.^[16] This role showcased Rice's ability to embody complex familial dysfunction within the show's ensemble, enhancing her profile amid Mad Men's critical acclaim and cultural influence during its run. In 2008, Rice took a lead role as Lindsay in the supernatural horror film From Within, directed by Phedon Papamichael, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.^[17] The story follows Lindsay, a young woman in a devout Christian town plagued by a curse that compels residents to suicide, as she uncovers its origins tied to a local family's dark secret, blending psychological tension with supernatural elements.^[18] This performance marked Rice's entry into the horror genre, where she navigated themes of faith, isolation, and inevitable doom, earning praise for her portrayal of a protagonist torn between religious upbringing and personal investigation.^[19] The film holds a 40% Rotten Tomatoes score, reflecting mixed reviews on its execution but recognition of its atmospheric dread.^[18] During the early 2010s, Rice continued building her filmography with indie and thriller projects, including Forgetting the Girl (2012), where she played Beth Dalewell, a compassionate aspiring actress entangled in a photographer's obsessive pursuit amid themes of trauma and misogyny.^[20] Directed by Nate Taylor, the film explores psychological unraveling through a male protagonist's distorted relationships with women, with Rice's character providing a poignant contrast as one of the few genuine connections.^[21] She followed this with Buttwhistle (2014), an indie crime comedy-drama that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, in which she portrayed Beth, a suicidal college student rescued by the quirky protagonist Ogden Confer (Trevor Morgan), delving into motifs of existential confusion, romance, and redemption in a surreal suburban setting.^[22] These roles exemplified Rice's versatility in ensemble-driven narratives, shifting toward introspective thrillers and offbeat indies that emphasized character depth over mainstream spectacle.^[23] Throughout this period, Rice's career gained momentum through heightened festival exposure, particularly at Tribeca, where From Within and Buttwhistle debuted, alongside a progression toward more dramatic and genre-blending parts in independent cinema.^[24] This phase solidified her reputation for nuanced performances in ensemble contexts, bridging television prestige with emerging film opportunities.^[1]

Later projects

Following her established reputation from the television series Mad Men, Elizabeth Rice transitioned to a series of independent films and television movies in the mid-to-late 2010s, often taking on lead or supporting roles in genre-driven projects.^[15] In 2015, she starred as Catherine in Paradise Club, a drama set during the 1969 social revolution in San Francisco, where her character navigates the world of nude dancing and personal liberation amid cultural upheaval.^[25] The following year, Rice led the international horror film The Faith of Anna Waters (also released as The Offering), portraying journalist Jamie Waters, who investigates her sister's mysterious death in Singapore, blending supernatural elements with themes of faith and family trauma.^[26] Rice continued this pattern with lighter fare in 2018's television movie Groomzilla, playing Allysa Rydell in a comedy about an overzealous fiancé derailing wedding plans, highlighting her versatility in romantic ensemble dynamics and humorous domestic scenarios.^[27] Her final credited role to date came in 2018's thriller High Voltage, where she appeared as Carrie, a character entangled in a heist gone wrong involving electrocution and betrayal, further emphasizing her draw toward low-budget action-horror hybrids.^[28] Post-Mad Men, Rice's career shifted toward independent cinema, with roles in smaller productions that allowed for more intimate character explorations but often limited mainstream visibility. This move aligned with broader industry trends favoring streaming and niche genre films, though her output notably decreased after 2018, with no major releases or announced projects as of 2025, suggesting a possible hiatus or selective focus on unpublicized opportunities.^[1] Her later roles evolved from ensemble television supporting parts to more central figures in indie thrillers and comedies, reflecting a preference for diverse, self-contained narratives over high-profile series work.^[29]

Awards and recognition

Film festival awards

Elizabeth Rice received the Grand Jury Award for Best Actress at the 2008 Solstice Film Festival for her portrayal of Lindsay in the indie horror film From Within.^[5] The Solstice Film Festival, in its third year at the time, was a midsummer event held June 19–21, 2008, in St. Paul, Minnesota, showcasing independent films with a focus on emerging filmmakers and actors.^[30][31] In From Within, Rice played a young woman grappling with a supernatural curse in a small town, delivering a performance noted for its emotional depth, capturing the character's confusion, anger, frustration, and pain amid escalating horror elements.^[19] Critics praised her as an appealing and graceful lead, effectively anchoring the ensemble cast in a genre often reliant on heightened tension.^[32] Her co-star Thomas Dekker also won Best Actor for his role in the same film, underscoring the ensemble's strong reception at the festival.^[30] This accolade held particular significance for Rice's career, marking an early validation of her talent in the competitive indie horror space, where lead roles for up-and-coming actresses can propel visibility in low-budget productions.^[5] The win highlighted her ability to convey vulnerability and resilience in a supernatural thriller, contributing to the film's overall recognition at the event.^[19]

Other honors

Rice contributed to the acclaimed ensemble cast of Mad Men, which was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2016 for the show's seventh and final season, in which she portrayed Margaret Hargrove.^[33] Despite this collective recognition, Rice has not received individual nominations for major television or film awards, such as the Primetime Emmys or Golden Globes, as of 2025. This absence underscores the persistent challenges for indie and supporting actors, whose work in lower-budget projects and guest roles often receives limited visibility in mainstream award circuits dominated by studio-backed leads.^[34]

Filmography

Feature films

Elizabeth Rice's feature film career spans a variety of genres, including horror, thriller, drama, and comedy, with roles ranging from supporting parts in early family-oriented films to leads in independent horror and indie productions.^[1]

Television roles

Elizabeth Rice's television career features a mix of guest appearances in procedural dramas and a notable recurring role in a prestige series, alongside a few television films, primarily in dramatic genres. She made her television debut in 2001 with a guest role as Sarah Browning in the episode "Sight Unseen" of NBC's Crossing Jordan. The following year, in 2002, she appeared as Sara Pasbalas in the episode "Start All Over" of NBC's long-running medical drama ER. In 2003, Rice took on a recurring role as Amy Owen across three episodes—"29 Seconds," "No Excuse," and "Legend of the Gun"—of the USA Network's Western-tinged crime series Peacemakers. That same year, she guest-starred as Natasha Tzetcovich in the episode "Prodigy" of CBS's Without a Trace. In 2004, she portrayed Teenage Natalie Wood in the ABC TV miniseries The Mystery of Natalie Wood.^[39] In 2005, Rice starred as the protagonist Nikki in Odd Girl Out, a Lifetime television movie addressing teen bullying and social pressures. From 2007 to 2014, she portrayed Margaret Sterling (later Hargrove), the sharp-tongued daughter of executive Roger Sterling, in a recurring capacity spanning 10 episodes of AMC's critically acclaimed period drama Mad Men, appearing across seasons 1 through 7. Rice continued with additional guest spots in established series. In 2009, she played Jess Smith in the episode "Death and the Maiden" of CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The next year, 2010, she appeared as Caroline Krueger in the episode "How to Kill a Good Guy" of NBC's supernatural procedural Medium. In 2013, she guest-starred as Laura Spottswood in the episode "Being Billy" of The CW's short-lived thriller Cult. Her most recent television credit is the 2018 television movie Groomzilla, where she led as Allysa Rydell, a bride navigating her fiancé's obsessive wedding planning; the film aired on UP TV. As of November 2025, Rice's television work has emphasized dramatic roles in both episodic series and made-for-TV features, with no uncredited appearances reported.