Miriam Shor

Shor was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has described herself as "half Jewish but not really religious" (her father was Jewish). She speaks fluent Italian. Her parents divorced when she was age seven, and she moved back and forth between Turin, Italy (to live with her mother) and suburban Detroit (her father's residence). She later attended the University of Michigan, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama.Shor moved to New York City and began appearing onstage, notably in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. In 2000, she starred in the short-lived sitcom Then Came You. She accepted supporting roles in the Harold Ramis comedy remake Bedazzled (2000) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), reprising her role of Yitzhak. During the 2001-2002 television season, she starred in the short-lived comedy series Inside Schwartz. Shor later starred in a few independent films and guest-starred on episodes of My Name Is Earl and The West Wing. In 2006, she made an appearance in Shortbus, directed by her Hedwig and the Angry Inch co-star John Cameron Mitchell.

In 2006, Shor starred in the television comedy series Big Day, but the series was canceled after one season. In 2007, Shor had a supporting role to Mary Stuart Masterson's directorial debut, titled 'The Cake Eaters. The following year, she was cast in the 1970s-set primetime series Swingtown as Janet Thompson. The show was canceled due to mixed reception and low ratings. Shor had a recurring role on Damages as Carrie Parsons and appeared on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Bored to Death, and Royal Pains. In 2011, she played the role of Anna in miniseries Mildred Pierce.

She appeared in 2012 Broadway Bares with Kyle Dean Massey.

In 2012, Shor starred as Cricket Caruth-Reilly in the comedy-drama series GCB, but the series was canceled after one season. Later in 2012, Shor was cast in a recurring role as reporter Mandy Post in season four of The Good Wife.

In 2014, Shor was cast as a series regular in the comedy pilot Younger. The network ordered the show on April 14, 2014, and season one premiered on March 31, 2015. On April 21, 2015, TV Land announced that Younger had been renewed for a second season of 12 episodes, same as the first season. The second season premiered on January 13, 2016. In 2018, she received a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nomination for her performance. In 2018, she made her directing debut with an episode of Younger.

In 2015, Shor played Madelaine True in The Wild Party at the New York City Center. She had a recurring role as Erica Haskard in the final season of the drama series The Americans. Along with cast, she received Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. She later starred in the drama film Lost Girls, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2020. She also played a leading role, first in her career, in the comedy-drama film Magic Hour directed by Jacqueline Christy. In 2020, she was cast in the science fiction film Good Morning, Midnight directed by George Clooney and based on the novel of the same name by Lily Brooks-Dalton. In 2023, she played Cynthia O’Neal in the biographical drama film Maestro directed by Bradley Cooper. Also that year, Shor appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as Recorder Vim and in the drama film American Fiction. She guest-starred in the HBO Max comedy-drama And Just Like That... playing Amelia Carcy, Miranda's date. In December 2023, in was reported that Shor set to appear in the upcoming Superman directed by James Gunn.