Katie Folger is an actress, writer, and comedienne based in Austin, Texas.
Her work is geared toward more nuanced representation of women in media, inspired by longtime mentor Robert Redford. She is this year's winner of Best Actor from The Austin Chronicle in 2024. An acclaimed actress on both stage and screen, her bold and memorable performances have garnered her praise from festivals like Sundance, SXSW, and Locarno, among others.
Folger, a staple in the Austin indie film scene, recently returned to her roots onstage with a dynamo comedic performance in her one-woman show Getting In Bed with the Pizza Man, a racy, dagger-tongued comedy exploring sexual, gender, and self liberation. Directed by Matrex Kilgore, the show was named one of the Austin Chronicle's Top 10 Theatrical Moments of 2023 and enjoyed a buzzy, ravely reviewed sold out run in Austin and Los Angeles and a five star run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2024.
Most recently, she can be seen in a starring role in feature film FAMILY PORTRAIT, an award-winning sprawling Texas drama which premiered in competition at the 2023 Locarno Film Festival directed by Lucy Kerr. Up next, she stars in three absurdist dark comedies slated for a 2025 release: TOOTH SHOP FIASCO, produced by George Rush & Michael Tully; THE BATTLE OF MOLE HILL, directed by Joey Brooks and produced by Echobend Pictures and Katie White; and ONE WITH THE LIGHTNING, directed and written by Sean Fallon and produced by Charlie Barrett-Fallon, Megan Pickrell, & Taylor Washington. She is the lead in the feature version of Atomic Productions's Cannes-winning short THUNDER & ASH, currently in production.
An indie film darling, she has standout roles in SXSW Audience Award winner ZERO CHARISMA, Streamy Award-winning sci-fi series DAY 5, (AMAZON, EL REY, SKY TV) Robert Rodriguez’s series FROM DUSK TILL DAWN (AMAZON, EL REY), Andrew Bujalski's RESULTS which debuted at Sundance, Karen Skloss’s THE HONOR FARM and Emily Hagins’s GROW UP, TONY PHILLIPS which both premiered at SXSW, and Johan Carlsen's DEATH ON THE STREETS which premiered at Rotterdam. She has collaborated with notable Texas film figures Richard Linklater, Andrew Bujalski, Bryan Poyser, Bob Byington, Karen Skloss, David Hartstein, Yen Tan, Vicky Boone, Rooster Teeth, and the Austin Film Society.
Alongside her work as an artist, Folger is currently working towards a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with special interest in working with victims of intimate partner violence and in crisis and trauma intervention.
Folger is represented by Caroline Soss and Katie Zipkin-Leed at Artists First.