Naomi Grossman


Naomi Grossman is an American actress, writer, and producer best known for her role as Pepper in the second and fourth season of the FX horror television series American Horror Story.
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Early life

Grossman was born in Denver, Colorado. In her early life, she performed in community theatre shows. She received a lot of attention at Ponderosa High School, in Parker, Colorado, at their theatre program. After attending high school, she was a Rotary Youth Exchange Student in Argentina, she attended and graduated from Northwestern University with a theater major, as the only university she applied to. She was a member of improvisational and sketch comedy troupe The Groundlings in Los Angeles, California, and wanted to ultimately perform on Saturday Night Live. When the group cut ties with her, she began teaching the Spanish language and separating herself from her acting career. Grossman writes and produces and has cited Lily Tomlin, Tracey Ullman, Gilda Radner and Carol Burnett as inspirations.

Career

Grossman began her career in 1990 with minor television roles, along with commercial and theatre appearances.
Not knowing what role she was auditioning for, Grossman sent in an audition for American Horror Story: Asylum in mid-2012 and was cast in soon after as Pepper, a woman with microcephaly; the season premiered later that year on October 17. In preparation for the role, she shaved her head bald. In 2014, it was revealed that Grossman would return to the series in its fourth season, American Horror Story: Freak Show, reprising her role as Pepper from the second season, making her the first to play the same role in two different seasons of the show. She spoke of her casting in the fourth season saying that reprising her role was "the last thing from mind" since it had never been done before. She performed her monologue life story focusing on her failed relationships, ""American Whore Story"" at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2024.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1999She's All ThatExtra
2000Marisa, Where Art Thou?WendyShort film
2005Over the ShoulderGoth GirlShort film
2007BubblesMamaShort film
2007Wacky Spoof CommercialsPeople's Bank Gal 2Short film
2008YesBonnieShort film
2008Men at WorkWoman
2009RepresentShaniaShort film
2009Table for ThreeActress
2009The Hollywood HousesitterWaitressShort film
2009My Boyfriend Is a BlimpSuzyShort film
2009Jesus's SecretaryMaryShort film
2009Hot YogaAmaniShort film
2009Food PoisoningNaomiShort film
2009Burka Girls Gone WildUnknown
2010Random Chapters in the Life of Some GuyWifeShort film
2010Paradrunken ActivityKatieShort film
2011ChubductionHilary Q.
2011Teat the ParentsGirlfriendShort film
2012Kev Jumba Dances with the Stars!Dot
2012Touch My JunkTravelerShort film
2013Bakersfield, EarthUnknownShort film
2013RipBella TiavasStylized as #RIP
2014Just Me and All of YouKatrinaShort film
2016Fear, Inc.Cat
2016The ChairMother
2017An Accidental Zombie Carrie
2017DriftingShort film
2018PainkillersNurse Sheralyn
2018Sleep Away Mrs. Sturridge
2018Short Straw Jolene
2019Bite MeChrissy
2019The LurkerGrace Fisher
20191BR Janice
2020The InitiationLillianFilming
2020Sky SharksNatalie Rochefort
2024HauntologyAnnalisa Drouais
2025HimMarjorie

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1990Father Dowling MysteriesConfirmation KidEpisode: "The Passionate Painter Mystery"
1998Sabrina, the Teenage WitchCheerleaderEpisode: "The Pom Pom Incident"
2007Destination TruthHerself/Translator3 episodes
2012FammGlammGazeldaEpisode: "Quality Control"
2012–2013American Horror Story: AsylumPepperSupporting role; 7 episodes
2014American Horror Story: Freak ShowPepperSupporting role; 10 episodes
2014Halloween WarsHerselfEpisode: "The Haunted Farm"
2016Alley WayReagan7 episodes
2016Point SocietySojourner2 episodes
2017Hell's KitchenHerselfEpisode: "Leaving It on the Line"
2017–2019ctrl alt delete LornaMain role
2018CasualTanyaEpisode: "All About You"
2018American Horror Story: ApocalypseSamantha Crowe2 episodes
2020Good GirlsDr. Amanda JohnsonEpisode: "Frere Jacques"
2021American Horror StoriesRabid RuthEpisode: "Drive In"
2022Painted with RavenHerself Episode: "Shock It to Me"