The daughter of playwright David Rabe and actress Jill Clayburgh, Lily Rabe was born in New York City and spent her childhood in Bedford, NY. She attended the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, and later went on to pursue her college degree at Northwestern. She graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Theatre. After college Rabe returned to New York City where she took roles in local theater including a series of one-act plays mounted by the Naked Angels theater company. Rabe made her debut on Broadway in 2005, playing Annelle in the stage revival of "Steel Magnolias," a performance which garnered her a Drama Desk Award nomination. In 2006 Rabe played Ellie in a production of George Bernard Shaw's play "Heartbreak House," mounted by the Roundabout Theatre Company. Rabe's big screen debut came when she played the role of Tess in "Never Again" (2001), a movie starring her mother. In 2003 Rabe appeared as a student in the ensemble drama "Mona Lisa Smile." In 2007 Rabe was cast in a minor role in the Catherine Zeta-Jones romantic comedy "No Reservations." In 2008 Rabe appeared in two episodes of the TV series "Medium" (NBC/CBS 2005-2011), which starred Patricia Arquette. In 2011 Rabe was given a recurring role in the popular anthology series "American Horror Story" (FX 2011- ). In 2015 Rabe was cast in "Pawn Sacrifice," a biopic about the chessmaster Bobby Fischer. She was also cast as the star in the thriller series "The Whispers" (ABC 2015).