Linda Cardellini is a born and raised Californian girl who has been acting since a young age. She landed her first major acting role as Lindsay Weir on NBC’s Freaks and Geeks, a show which gave her much success and prominence as an actress in the Hollywood scene. A few years later, she would star as Nurse Samantha Taggart in the renowned medical drama ER and subsequent roles in Mad Men and the Scooby-Doo films.

RELATED:'Dead to Me' Season 3: Our Biggest Unanswered Questions After the Finale

Although Cardellini only acquired supporting roles for some time, she is now back in the mainstream eye as the lead role of Judy Hale on Netflix’s Dead to Me alongside co-star Christina Applegate.

‘Dead to Me’ (2019-2022)

Dead to Me

Jen Hardy (Christina Applegate) is a recently widowed woman who lost her husband to a hit-and-run accident. To cope with the pain, Jen attends a grief support group where she meets another woman, Judy Hale (Linda Cardellini). The two women bond over the mutual loss of their partners, but things seem off when Jen discovers that Judy has lied about losing her fiancé and that their meeting wasn’t a coincidence.

Linda Cardellini’s performance as Judy Hale earned her several nominations from the Primetime Emmy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Satellite Awards. Dead to Me Season Three is now available on Netflix.

‘Green Book’ (2018)

Green Book

Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) is a world-class Black pianist about to embark on an eight-week tour across the Midwest and Deep South. Shirley recruits the Italian-American Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) as his driver and bodyguard. The two men begin to develop an unexpected but heartwarming bond as they confront and tackle racism in 1960s America.

Linda Cardellini starred as Tony’s wife, Dolores. Though Cardellini only played a supporting role, her presence in Green Book doesn't go unnoticed. She shows her support despite knowing that Tony will be away for a long time to work for an African-American man, proving that she does not support segregation in the country.

‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ & ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2015, 2019)

Avengers

The Avengers film franchise is undoubtedly one of the most well-known and commercially successful franchises to date. In the MCU, Cardellini plays the character of Laura Barton, the wife of Hawkeye, or Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner). Her codename is Agent 19, and she was a former S.H.I.E.L.D agent. Laura and her children choose to live a private life for fear of being exposed to her husband's enemies.

Despite being a proud wife and supportive of his role within the Avengers, she reminds him that his presence is needed during her pregnancy. For this, Hawkeye chooses to retire to be with his family and be there for his newborn child until much later, when he is called back when the Avengers Civil War happens.

RELATED:'Hawkeye': Everything You Need to Know About Agent 19, Explained

‘Bloodline’ (2015-2017)

Bloodline

Danny Rayburn (Ben Mendelsohn) returns home for the 45th anniversary of his parents’ Robert (Sam Shepard) and Sally Rayburn's (Sissy Spacek) seaside hotel. Danny is the black sheep of his three younger siblings: John (Kyle Chandler), who works as a detective; Kevin (Norbert Leo Butz), a local marina owner and Meg (Linda Cardellini), an attorney. Despite his family's reluctance, Danny wishes to make his return permanent. Nothing good ever happens when Danny is home.

Bloodline was initially going to be a five or six-season drama, but because Florida ended its tax incentive program, Sony decided to cancel Bloodline as it would become too expensive to film in Florida and produce another season of the show. Despite the first two seasons being well-received, the third season did not meet the viewers’ expectations, as writers knew the story had to be concluded with the third season.

‘Mad Men’ (2013-2015)

Mad Men

Set in the 1960s, Mad Men focuses on the everyday life of the men and women who work in an advertising agency in New York. As advertising becomes a more prominent industry in the United States, the competition grows, and the agency must adapt to ensure they are at the top of their game.

Cardellini stars as Sylvia Rosen, an intelligent but unhappy housewife who cheated on her husband with Don Draper (Jon Hamm), the show's main character. Although Don and Sylvia became highly invested in each other, she eventually ended their affair because of her friendly relationship with Don’s wife, Megan (Jessica Paré), and a dream she had of Don dying in a plane crash and having to comfort Megan at the funeral.

'Scooby-Doo' & 'Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed' (2011-2013)

Scooby-Doo-1

Scooby-Doo has long been a family-favorite cartoon. The cartoon’s memorable and charming characters are Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Shaggy Rogers, Velma Dinkley, and Scooby-Doo. Two years after the gang goes their separate ways, they are each invited to the horror-themed resort, Spooky Island, to solve a mystery together.

In the live-action adaptation of the cartoon, Cardellini plays the role of Velma Dinkley, the highly-intelligent girl who solves many of the mysteries presented to the gang. Velma is characterized by her orange turtleneck, pageboy hairdo, and thick square glasses. In 2022, an animated Scooby-Doo movie titled Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! was released, and Velma was portrayed as a lesbian character. When asked to weigh in on the matter, Cardellini told Variety, “I think [her being a lesbian has] been hinted at so many times, and I think it’s great that it’s finally out there.”

RELATED:Linda Cardellini Loves That Velma Is Finally a Lesbian in New 'Scooby-Doo' Film

‘Return’ (2011)

Return

Return follows the story of Kelli (Linda Cardellini), who returns home from her military duty in the Middle East. Despite having high hopes of returning to her hometown and reuniting with her loved ones, she struggles to readjust to her old life. As a result, her relationships with her family and friends suffer. Kelli is unable to provide undivided attention for her children, quits her factory job, learns about her husband, Mike’s (Michael Shannon) infidelity, and is caught driving under the influence.

Though Return is one of Cardellini’s lesser-known films and roles, her portrayal as the struggling mother and wife doesn’t go unnoticed. Critics have responded well to her performance, noting that in every scene, “she delivers by keeping you interested no matter how mundane the activity Kelli is performing. It’s a wholehearted performance”.

‘ER’ (2003-2009)

ER-1

ER is a medical drama that focuses on the lives of the emergency room (ER) doctors, nurses, and staff of the Cook County General Hospital in Chicago. The daily life-and-death decisions that must be made by the staff of an emergency room constantly put the audience on the edge of their seats. ER became the second longest-running primetime medical drama in American television history, behind Grey’s Anatomy at the top position.

From the tenth through to the fifteenth (and final) season, Linda Cardellini plays the role of Nurse Samantha Taggart. Her character comes from a family of alcoholics, which means that she has had to be the responsible one from a young age. Although she wants to experience life as a young woman, her upbringing forces her to be mature and responsible, even when she struggles to cope with the pressure of doing so.

‘Legally Blonde’ (2001)

Legally Blonde

Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis) brings his girlfriend, Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), a fashion merchandising student and sorority girl, to a restaurant where he breaks up with her. Despite not being taken seriously, Elle tells him her aspiration to attend Harvard Law School and become a successful politician. Elle proves her worth and capability by studying hard. She eventually gets accepted to Harvard Law School.

The school’s most respected teacher, Professor Callahan (Victor Garber), recruits Elle as one of the few first-year interns to assist him in a high-profile case. His client is the fitness instructor and Elle’s role model, Brooke Taylor-Windham (Ali Larter), who is accused of murdering her husband. To everyone's surprise, Elle proves that the culprit was Brooke’s stepdaughter, Chutney (Linda Cardellini). Chutney admits that she did not plan to kill her father, and her true intention was to kill Brooke, whom she resents because she hated that her father married someone the same age as her. Although Chutney did not play a major role in the film, her personality and overly big permed hair make her a significant part of Legally Blonde.

RELATED:'Legally Blonde 3': Reese Witherspoon Inspired by Success of 'Top Gun: Maverick'

‘Freaks and Geeks’ (1999-2000)

Linda Cardellini and James Franco in Freaks and Geeks
Image via NBC

Freaks and Geeks follow the lives of the teenagers who attend William McKinley High School. Teenager Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini) joins a group of friends who are referred to as “freaks,” while her younger brother Sam (John Francis Daley) socializes with the “geeks.” While the star mathlete Lindsay turns into a rebellious girl who hangs out with slackers, Sam and his group of “geeks” friends navigate a different social world where they try to fit in.

Though Freaks and Geeks had a short-lived run of only one season, the show kickstarted the careers of many of its star actors, such as James Franco, Seth Rogen, Busy Philipps, Jason Segel, and Linda Cardellini. The universally acclaimed show has been featured in many lists of the greatest television shows of all time by outlets such as Time, TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, and Rolling Stone.

KEEP READING:'Dead to Me' Season 3: Our Biggest Unanswered Questions After the Finale