Kat Dennings | Age, Husband, Movies, TV Shows & Career
Kat Dennings is an American actress and producer best known for playing Max Black on CBS’s 2 Broke Girls and Darcy Lewis in Marvel films and WandaVision. Born Katherine Victoria Litwack in Pennsylvania, she began acting as a child and built a career across independent films, network sitcoms, and superhero stories.
Who Is Kat Dennings?
Kat Dennings is an American screen performer whose work spans comedy, drama, and Marvel storytelling. She first drew wider attention through films such as Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, then reached a broad television audience as the sharp-tongued Max Black.
| Full name | Katherine Victoria Litwack |
| Professional name | Kat Dennings |
| Date of birth | June 13, 1986 |
| Age | 40 as of 2026 |
| Birthplace | Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Profession | Actress and producer |
| Parents | Ellen Judith Litwack and Gerald Litwack |
| Spouse | Musician Andrew W.K., married in 2023 |
| Known for | 2 Broke Girls, the Thor films, WandaVision, Dollface, and Shifting Gears |
Her later roles in WandaVision, Dollface, and Shifting Gears show how she has moved between franchise stories, character-driven comedy, and network television.
How Old Is Kat Dennings?
Kat Dennings was born on June 13, 1986, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and is 40 years old as of 2026. She grew up outside Philadelphia, in a wooded area that she later described as quiet and secluded.
That setting was far removed from Hollywood, but she began working toward an acting career while she was still a child.
What Was Kat Dennings’ Early Life and Education Like?
Dennings is the youngest of five children. Her mother, Ellen Judith Litwack, worked as a speech therapist and is also a poet. Her father, Gerald Litwack, was a molecular pharmacologist and academic. Dennings has spoken about growing up in a home where books and learning mattered, although television was limited.
She was homeschooled for most of her education and completed high school at 14. In a 2025 interview, she explained that she worked through school materials quickly because she wanted to pursue acting.
She attended a traditional school for only part of one day, according to past interviews. Her early education gave her a flexible schedule for auditions and work.
She chose the professional surname Dennings instead of using Litwack. In an interview with Philadelphia Magazine, she explained that she wanted a separate professional identity and liked having a name that could distinguish her public career from her family life.
How Did Kat Dennings Start Her Acting Career?
Dennings began asking her parents to let her try acting at about nine and started with commercial work around age ten. Her first widely recognized television appearance came in 2000, when she played Jenny Brier, a demanding teenager planning a bat mitzvah, in an episode of HBO’s Sex and the City.
The part gave her an early chance to work with established actors and introduced her to a national audience.
She followed that appearance with a regular role as Sarah Stewart on the family sitcom Raising Dad in 2001 and 2002, along with guest parts in television dramas.
These early jobs helped her build experience before she moved into larger film roles. Her family later relocated to Los Angeles so she could pursue acting more fully.
Which Kat Dennings Movies and TV Shows Are Best Known?
Dennings became better known through a mix of independent films, studio comedies, and television roles that gave her room for dry humor and strong character work. Her early film credits include Raise Your Voice, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Big Momma’s House 2.
Her profile grew with Charlie Bartlett in 2007 and The House Bunny in 2008. That same year, she starred opposite Michael Cera in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist as Norah Silverberg, a music-loving New Yorker navigating one eventful night. The role earned her award nominations, including recognition from the Satellite Awards and MTV Movie Awards.
A short list of projects that mark important points in her career includes:
- The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), a comedy that brought her to a wider film audience.
- Charlie Bartlett (2007), a teen comedy-drama in which she played Susan Gardner.
- Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008), her leading role as Norah Silverberg.
- Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013), which introduced her to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Dennings has also taken voice roles in animated projects, including Big Mouth, Dallas & Robo, and Marvel’s What If…? Her work across formats has allowed her to move between live-action comedies, genre stories, and animation.
What Is Kat Dennings’ Role in Thor and Marvel?
Dennings plays Darcy Lewis, a character who develops from a research assistant working with Jane Foster into an astrophysicist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She first appeared as Darcy in Thor in 2011 and returned in Thor: The Dark World in 2013.
Her quick reactions and comic timing made Darcy a useful source of humor in stories built around gods, science, and large-scale danger.
She returned to the role in WandaVision in 2021, where Darcy helps investigate the strange events surrounding Westview. She also appeared in Thor: Love and Thunder in 2022 and voiced Darcy in What If…?
The character’s return connected Dennings’ early Marvel work with a later phase of the franchise and introduced her to viewers who discovered her through streaming television.
Why Did 2 Broke Girls Become a Defining Role?
Dennings played Max Black, a sarcastic waitress who hopes to build a cupcake business with Caroline Channing, played by Beth Behrs, on the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls.
The series ran for six seasons, from 2011 to 2017, and became one of her best-known roles. Max’s direct humor and practical outlook helped set the tone of the show.
The series was created by Michael Patrick King and Whitney Cummings. For Dennings, it was also a long professional chapter: she spent much of her twenties on the show.
She later said she wanted to try different formats and take on projects with a different tone, which helped lead to work behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera.
What Has Kat Dennings Worked on in 2025 and 2026?
In the 2025 to 2026 television season, Dennings played Riley Parker on ABC’s sitcom Shifting Gears, opposite Tim Allen. Riley is an adult daughter who reconnects with her father while raising her children and navigating work and family life. ABC’s second season aired from October 2025 through February 2026.
Before Shifting Gears, Dennings led Hulu’s Dollface as Jules Wiley and served as an executive producer on the series, which ran from 2019 to 2022. The comedy follows a woman rebuilding her friendships after a breakup.
Dennings said the theme felt familiar because people can sometimes lose touch with friends while focusing on romantic relationships. Her producer credit reflects a broader role in shaping the projects she works on.
Who Is Kat Dennings’ Husband?
Kat Dennings is married to musician Andrew W.K., whose full name is Andrew Wilkes-Krier. The couple made their relationship public in 2021 and announced their engagement in May of that year. They married in November 2023 in an intimate ceremony at their home in Los Angeles.
Their wedding was described as a personal event rather than a large Hollywood production. Dennings has shared some affectionate moments with her husband publicly, but she generally keeps details of her private life limited. Her marriage is confirmed, while many other personal details are not part of her public record.
Does Kat Dennings Have Children?
Dennings and Andrew W.K. have not publicly announced that they have children. Because they keep much of their personal life private, it is best to distinguish what the couple has confirmed from assumptions based on online discussion. There is no need to treat unverified posts as reliable information about their family.
What Is Kat Dennings’ Net Worth?
Kat Dennings has not publicly confirmed an exact net worth, so online figures should be treated as estimates rather than verified financial facts. Her professional income has come from film and television acting, long-running series work, voice performances, and producing credits. The financial details of her contracts, investments, and personal assets are not fully public.
Her six seasons on 2 Broke Girls and recurring work in Marvel projects are important parts of her career history, but they do not establish a precise personal fortune. A reliable biography should avoid presenting an unsourced estimate as an official figure.
If this biography interested you, you may also enjoy reading about Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Betty White, Alexis Bledel, Lauren Graham, Lacey Chabert, and Beth Behrs, her co-star from 2 Broke Girls.
Conclusion
Kat Dennings has built a lasting career through comedy, independent films, and Marvel stories. From her early appearance on Sex and the City to 2 Broke Girls, WandaVision, Dollface, and Shifting Gears, she has taken on roles that balance sharp humor with character detail.
Her work as an executive producer also shows that her career extends beyond acting, while she continues to keep much of her private life out of public view.
