Background
Coon was born and raised in Copley, Ohio, the daughter of Paula (née Ploenes) and John Coon.
Coon was born and raised in Copley, Ohio, the daughter of Paula (née Ploenes) and John Coon.
She graduated from Copley High School in 1999, next attending the University of Mount Union, graduating in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Spanish.
In 2014, she began starring as Nora Durst in the Home Box Office drama series, The Leftovers, and appeared in the thriller film Gone Girl. In 2006 she earned her M.F.A in Acting from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Coon began her career in regional theater.
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Coon was immediately recruited by the Madison Repertory Theatre and made her professional stage debut in a production of Our Town.
After her debut with the Madison Repertory Theatre, Coon joined the American Players Theatre and stayed with them for four seasons. Coon moved to Chicago in 2008 and made her Chicago debut with a production of Brontë.
Coon commuted between Chicago and Wisconsin for several years, alternating between Chicago productions, productions in Milwaukee, and seasons with the American Players Theatre. During these years, Coon provided for herself by performing motion capture work for a video game company based in Wisconsin.
Coon"s breakthrough came in 2010 when she was cast as Honey in the Steppenwolf Theatre Company production of Who"s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.
The role immediately resulted in further parts in Chicago productions, and she followed the production to performances in Washington District of Columbia and New York City, making her Broadway debut. Coon made her screen debut in an episode of the short-lived National Broadcasting Company series The Playboy Club in 2011. She later guest-starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Ironside and Intelligence.
After her Tony Award nomination, Coon was cast as one of the main characters in the Home Box Office drama series, The Leftovers, alongside Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, and Ann Dowd.
She later made her film debut in Gone Girl, based on the 2012 novel of same name and directed by David Fincher. In early 2015, Coon starred in the lead role of the Office-Broadway production of Placebo at Playwrights Horizons.
In April 2015, Coon left The Gersh Agency for United Talent Agency. In October and November 2015, Coon filmed the movie Strange Weather alongside actress Holly Hunter for director Katherine Dieckmann in Mississippi.
In December 2015, she filmed the horror romance The Keeping Hours for director Karen Moncrieff and Blumhouse Productions.