Sydney Bernice Sweeney was born on September 12, 1997, in Spokane, Washington, United States. She developed an interest in acting while growing up in the Spokane area and eventually convinced her parents to let her pursue the profession by presenting them with a five-year business plan. Her family later spent time in Seattle and Portland, Oregon, while she auditioned for commercial and acting work before moving to Los Angeles at the age of 13. Sweeney attended Brighton Hall School in Burbank, where she was valedictorian, and during her school years she took part in robotics and mathematics activities. She briefly attended UCLA and also worked at Universal Studios Hollywood before leaving after securing an acting opportunity. She has over 25 million followers on Instagram (@sydney_sweeney), where she shares career updates and projects connected to her work.
Sweeney began acting professionally as a child, appearing in television productions and films before landing several notable roles in 2018. That year, she appeared in Everything Sucks!, The Handmaid’s Tale, and the limited series Sharp Objects. She subsequently appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in 2019. Her major breakthrough came with HBO’s Euphoria, in which she plays Cassie Howard. The role brought her widespread recognition and earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She followed that success with a role as Olivia Mossbacher in the first season of HBO’s The White Lotus, earning another Emmy nomination and later being included on the TIME100 Next list in 2022.
Alongside television, Sweeney has developed an increasingly prominent film career. She starred as Reality Winner in Tina Satter’s Reality, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, and appeared in the crime thriller Americana. She also starred opposite Glen Powell in the romantic comedy Anyone But You, which she produced through her production company Fifty-Fifty Films. The company, founded in 2020, has also been involved with Immaculate, in which Sweeney starred and served as a producer. In 2025, she portrayed professional boxer Christy Martin in the biographical sports drama Christy. Her other creative work has included an appearance in the Rolling Stones’ music video for “Angry.”
Beyond acting, Sweeney has built a profile in fashion and beauty. She has worked with brands including Frankies Bikinis, Parade, Jimmy Choo, Armani Beauty, and Laneige, and has appeared on the covers of publications including Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Her 2025 American Eagle campaign, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” attracted considerable attention and became one of the more widely discussed fashion campaigns of that year. She continues to balance acting, producing, modeling, and brand work as her career develops.
Sweeney has spoken about her interests in learning languages and has studied Russian and Spanish in addition to English. She has also maintained interests in activities such as robotics and mathematics that began during her school years. Her personal life has received considerable media attention, including her previous engagement to businessman Jonathan Davino and later reports about her relationship with music executive Scooter Braun. She has also addressed speculation surrounding her friendship with Anyone But You co-star Glen Powell, including joking about the rumors during her 2024 Saturday Night Live appearance.