Isabel May (born November 21, 2000)[1] is an American actress.[2] She first gained attention as high school student Katie Cooper on the Netflix series Alexa & Katie (2018–2020) as well as playing Elsa Dutton on the Paramount+ series 1883 (2021–2022). She reprised her role as Elsa Dutton as the narrator of its sequel series, 1923 (2022–2025). In 2026, she joined the Scream franchise starring as Tatum Evans, daughter of Sidney Prescott in Scream 7.

Isabel May
May in 2023
Born (2000-11-21) November 21, 2000 (age 25)
OccupationActress
Years active2018–present
Known forKatie Cooper in Alexa & Katie
Elsa Dutton in 1883, 1923, Yellowstone

Early life

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May was born on November 21, 2000, in Santa Monica, California. After auditioning for three years without landing a role, May and her parents decided to have her schooling done online starting in tenth grade so that she could concentrate on acting.[3] Six months later, she was cast as Katie in Alexa & Katie as her first acting role.[3]

Career

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May joined the cast of Young Sheldon[4] as the love interest of Sheldon's brother Georgie.[5] She appeared as the party host in the independent film Let's Scare Julie, a 90-minute one-shot film produced in 2018, about scaring a reclusive "girl next door" at a Halloween party.[6] Run Hide Fight had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 10, 2020.[7]

In 2021, May played Elsa Dutton, the lead character and the show's narrator in the Paramount+ Western limited series 1883, a prequel of Yellowstone.[8] She was named as one of the most promising young stars in Hollywood by The Hollywood Reporter.[9][10] She later returned to role as the narrator for 1923.[11] For her role, May won the Outstanding Actress in a Made for Television Movie/Limited-Series at the 24th Women's Image Network Awards. In 2022, May appeared in a supporting role in the romantic comedy film I Want You Back.[12]

In 2025 May was cast alongside Jennifer Lopez in the Robert Zemeckis directed The Last Mrs. Parrish.[13]

In 2026, she joined the Scream franchise as Tatum Evans, the daughter of Sidney Prescott in Scream 7.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Film Role Notes Ref.
2018 Age of Summer Missing Poster Girl
2019 Let's Scare Julie Taylor
2020 Run Hide Fight Zoe Hull
2022 I Want You Back Leighton [14]
The Moon & Back Lydia Gilbert
2026 Scream 7 Tatum Evans
Love Language Olivia
Mr. Irrelevant: The John Tuggle Story TBA Post-production
2027 Karoshi TBA Post-production
TBA The Last Mrs. Parrish Amber Patterson Post-production
TBA Falling TBA Post-production
TBA Menace TBA Post-production

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2018–2020 Alexa & Katie Katie Cooper Main role; 39 episodes
Young Sheldon Veronica Duncan Recurring role (seasons 2–3); 9 episodes
2021–2022 1883 Elsa Dutton Main role; 10 episodes
2022–2025 1923 Narrator; 13 episodes
2024 Yellowstone Uncredited vocal role; 1 episode
2024 American Masters Alta Hilsdale Episode: "HOPPER: An American love story"; voice role
Masters of the Air Marjorie "Marge" Spencer Episode: "Part One"

Awards and nominations

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Awards Year Category Work Result
Women's Image Network Awards 2022 Outstanding Actress in a Made For Television Movie / Limited Series 1883 Won

References

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  1. 1 2 Walters, Meg (February 12, 2022). "The Stunning Transformation Of Isabel May". TheList.com. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  2. Davids, Brian (January 28, 2022). "How 'Mayor of Kingstown' Turned Isabel May Into the Star of '1883'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Riemer, Melissa (December 31, 2018). "Isabel May: A Miracle in Hollywood". Terroir Magazine. Archived from the original on May 23, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  4. "Isabel May on Acting in both "Alexa and Katie" & "Young Sheldon"". KTLA 5 Morning News. January 17, 2019. 3:36 minutes in. KTLA. Retrieved October 12, 2019 via YouTube.
  5. Karra, Sushma (October 11, 2019). "'Young Sheldon' Season 3: Elder brother Georgie does a candy act to get to Veronica's heart". Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide (Meaww.com). Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  6. Hipes, Patrick (July 24, 2018). "Isabel May To Star In Indie Real-Time Thriller 'Let's Scare Julie To Death'. In 2020 she starred in the action - thriller 'Run, Hide, Fight'". www.yahoo.com. Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  7. Rankin, Kyle (January 14, 2021), Run Hide Fight (Crime, Drama, Thriller), Isabel May, Radha Mitchell, Thomas Jane, Eli Brown, Bonfire Legend, Media Finance Capital, retrieved June 11, 2021
  8. Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 25, 2022). "Isabel May On Being The Catalyst For Taylor Sheridan's Epic '1883' — Deadline Disruptors". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  9. Feinberg, Scott (June 21, 2022). "'Awards Chatter' Podcast — Isabel May ('1883')". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  10. Gunning, Cathal (August 3, 2022). "Isabel May's Career Evolution To Young Sheldon & 1883". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  11. Ngimbi, Emmanuella (December 19, 2022). "1923 fans overjoyed as Yellowstone spin-off 'resurrects' character". Daily Express. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  12. Pantoja, Kevin (February 15, 2022). "I Want You Back: The Main Characters, Ranked By Likability". ScreenRant.
  13. Donnelly, Matt (September 9, 2025). "'The Last Mrs. Parrish'". Variety.
  14. Stahulak, Leanne (March 3, 2022). "'1883' Star Isabel May Says She's 'Bored' Now That Show's Over". Outsider. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
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