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Naomi Grossman

Naomi Grossman

Actor, also producer · Born February 6, 1975 (51) · Denver, Colorado, USA

Primetime Emmy nominee

Naomi Grossman was a 2018 Primetime Emmy nominee for "Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama" for her role in Ctrl Alt Delete. Best known as the first crossover character, the fan-favorite "Pepper" on FX's American Horror Story: Asylum & Freak Show, Naomi also appeared as a new character, the Satanist "Samantha Crowe" in the eighth season, Apocalypse. Naomi made #5 of IMDb's "Top 10 Breakout Stars" after her STARmeter skyrocketed to #1, making her the most searched in its entire 8 million person database. Huffington Post, The Wrap, Screen Rant, and Syfy all ranked Pepper among "The Best AHS Characters Ever;" MTV named her their "#1 Good Guy;" Uproxx, their "#1 Most Tragic;" Geek Insider, a "Top 5 Most Underrated AHS Performer," and Entertainment Weekly called her being cast in the role "The Best of 2012." Fans may also recognize her from cameos in the following feature films: Table for Three, The Chair, 1BR, Sky Sharks, Bite Me, Painkillers, The Lurker, Murder RX, The Portal, Preacher Six, An Accidental Zombie (Named Ted), and Fear, Inc. Naomi graduated in theatre from Northwestern University, and is a former member of the Groundlings Sunday Company.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 6, 1975 (51)
From
Denver, Colorado, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 21 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 3% in 30 days

What are Naomi Grossman's films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 35th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 9th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 21st percentile
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
35%
Bonds
17%
Society
16%
Morality
13%
Self
11%
Ideas
7%
Survival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 11 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 6 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 9 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 4

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 9 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 3

Roles they play

4 analyzed roles
Trickster
1 of 4
Herald
1 of 4
Shadow
1 of 4
Ally
1 of 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
10
Dread
5
Melancholic
4
Warm
4
Absurd
3
Other
12

How their films linger

Fun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous6

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Naomi Grossman's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (12).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Naomi Grossman's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

21 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Him(2025)

    as Marjorie

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Pet Investigators(2025)

    as Patricia Brown

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Hauntology(2024)

    as Annalisa Drouais

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Obliterated(2023)

    Show 1 episode · as Janet

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows

  • Murder Motel(2023)

    as Anna

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Oblivious(2023)

    as Willow

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Allnighter(2023)

    as Passenger Ava

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • American Horror Stories(2021)

    Show 1 episode · as Rabid Ruth

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows

  • Sky Sharks(2020)

    as Natalie Rochefort

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Murder RX(2020)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • The Lurker(2019)

    as Grace Fisher

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • 1BR(2019)

    as Janice

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Bite Me(2019)

    as Chrissy

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Painkillers(2018)

    as Nurse Sheralyn

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Portal(2019)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Good Girls(2018)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Amanda Johnson

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • An Accidental Zombie (Named Ted)(2017)

    as Carrie

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • The Chair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Mother

  • Fear, Inc.(2016)

    as Cat

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • American Horror Story(2011)

    Show 11 episodes · as Pepper · as Samantha Crowe

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • The Subscriber (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Kitt KO Jones

Career shape

Star power in the 79th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 20 titles, 19 of them dated from 2011 to 2025; peak year 2019.

Biggest box office

1BR (2019)

$16K worldwide

Highest rated

1BR (2019)

Midcredits 35th

Film career

20112025

Peak 2019 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting20 of 20: 20 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score31st

By decade

2010s9 · acting2020s10 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

Nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2018, Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Naomi Grossman's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 14th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 10th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

10thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

22ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

40thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th8

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 19 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned2
  • Divisive5
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · actor

Pet Investigators (2025)

96th percentile spread · 47% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

American Horror Story (2011)

Midcredits 87th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the acting 58/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 26. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Naomi Grossman work with?

People who share at least 2 of Naomi Grossman's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; James Russo shares the most, 2.

Actors

Composers

Producers