Lena Dunham Wiki: 5 Facts To Know About The TV Show 'Girls' Creator

Though 'Girls' is what launched Lena Dunham onto TV screens across the nation, she had to do something pretty spectacular before HBO let her create an entire series which she could write, direct, and star in. During her time at Oberlin College, Lena Dunham created several pieces, both serious and comedic, focusing on sexual enlightenment, including a Youtube series for Nerve.com entitled Tight Shots, which inveigled young people, sex, and alcohol. After graduation, the piece that really caught HBO's attention was 'Tiny Furniture,' a semi-autobiographical independent film Lena Dunham both wrote and starred in.

The film follows Aura, played by Lena Dunham, as she returns home to live with her mother and sister after graduating college. Artist Laurie Simmons, Lena's real-life mother, plays Aura's mother, and the two are joined by Dunham's sister Grace Dunham in the role of Aura's sister. 'Tiny Furniture' was praised in Variety for being realistic to the post-college angst of inventing one's self. Obviously, this feeling was strong for Dunham after college, but this self-reflective film making would cause controversy for her later on.

Following Tiny Furniture, Lena Dunham took on a small roll in horror film The Innkeepers, adding a moment of humor to the dark movie. She's also had roles in 'This is 40,' and 'Happy Christmas.'

'This is 40' was a return to Dunham's comedic roots. The movie starred Paul Rudd and and Leslie Mann and it was written by Leslie Mann's Judd Apatow, who saw Tiny Furniture and started working with Dunham, immediately after. In the midst of helping her write Girls, Apatow brought Dunham onto set for 'This is 40' to play a quirky assistant to Rudd's character.

While working on Girls, Dunham also participated in the improvised movie 'Happy Christmas' with Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Joe Swanberg, and Mark Webber. In 'Happy Christmas,' Dunham's character worked alongside Kendrick to revitalize Lynskey's career.

While working on 'The Innkeepers,' 'This is 40,' and 'Happy Christmas,' Lena Dunham was hard at work on her HBO series 'Girls.' Dunham's autobiographical work continued in the first season of this TV show, as 'Girls,' dubbed the new 'Sex in the City,' follows a group of friends in their 20's, with Dunham in the leading role of Hannah, a white Jewish woman. During its six season run, which came to end in 2017, 'Girls' was tossed about as being innovative but also privileged, most critics hitting on its lack of diversity. Dunham called this criticism totally valid, stating she didn't have the knowledge or authority to comment on the issues women of color face.

To try and combat this criticism, season two of 'Girls' starts with Lena Dunham's character, Hannah, dating Donald Glover though this love affair only lasts two episodes. Moving forward in the series, though, the show took on issues that are close to the hearts of women around the world. Girls was praised for portraying realistic sex, exposing the non-traditional idea of beauty in women's bodies, and giving millennial's a voice.

Critics missed the satire of this millennial voice, however, and from the start, Lena Dunham's character Hannah was self-involved and ignorant, Her character was able to shed light on the think-pieces of the minds of millennials in a way only Dunham could do.

Another positive attribute that came out of the show's lack of diversity was inciting a conversation about the lack of diversity in media overall, because 'Girls' was definitely not the first or last show to focus on white people problems.

Lena Dunham published her first book with Random House in September 2014, a memoir comprised of personal essays titled 'Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned." Just like 'Girls', the book received mixed reviews, one side stating the book was charming with its brutally honest humor, while others noted Dunham's narcissism and unoriginal experiences. Either way, the publication definitely pumped up Lena Dunham's net worth.

Dunham's book also came into legal crossfires when she accused a "Barry" of raping her in college. Breitbart News searched through alumnus of Oberlin College and found a man matching "Barry's" description and dragged him into the chaotic world that is Lena Dunham. Random House was quick to remind the court that "Barry" was a pseudonym, so no charge could be made, but the name was dropped from future publications.

Inspired by her Russian immigrant great-grandmother and the strength she had in coming to America, , Dunham commits much of her time to activism, fighting for the rights and freedoms and of women and the LBGTQ community. Another big inspiration for Dunham is her sister Grace Dunham, who came out to her family at age 17.

While dating now ex-boyfriend Jack Antonoff, the pair would shut down engagament rumors by stating that they would not get married until the LGBTQ community had the right to do the same.

Of course, like everything Dunham has done, her feminist activism has been anything but smooth. She was quick to receive backlash when she said she wished she received an abortion so she could better understand what women who have done so have gone through.

Most recently, Dunham in under fire for defending Girls writer Murray Miller after he was accused of sexually assaulting actress Aurora Perrineau when she was 17.

Since she was young, Lena Dunham knew she was destined to have children. When she was younger, she admits to running around the house with pillow or piles of clothes stuffed under her shirt. This destiny won't be met in the traditional way, though, because for years Lena Dunham has suffered from endometriosis, a severely painful disease where the tissue traditionally found in a woman's womb grows in other places, such as the abdomen or ovaries. Dunham has gone through several surgeries over the years and thought she was rid of the pain last April. In November, however, the pain came back, and Dunham showed up at a hospital determined to have a hysterectomy, the removal of her uterus.

Dunham woke to family surrounding her, who were all thrilled to see she had taken steps towards ending her pain, but she has received backlash for having a hysterectomy at such a young age. The surgery is not a cure for endometriosis and the pain could still return. In letter she wrote to prove she was committed to the surgery, though, Dunham revels in the freedom she had in making the decision.

Dunham has also received endless support from women who are also living with a hysterectomy, and is looking forward to her future where she still intends to fulfill her destiny of being a mother, happy to take the non-traditional routes available to her.

After five years together, it was reported in December of 2017 that Lena Dunham and Jack Antonoff, best known as the lead guitarist of the band 'Fun,' amicably split. After years of engagement rumors constantly circling them, Dunham thought he was going to pop the question in October. But things went the opposite direction after months of reportedly growing apart. Of course, this has unfortunately been the focus in Dunham's post-surgery life, while magazines comment on her appearance during her first sighting in public after surgery while Antonoff is seen hanging around Lorde.

Sources say Antonoff has been supportive amidst Dunahma's health issues and her recovery, but Dunham is very appreciative of all the people who are helping her through this rough start to 2018.

Lena Dunham doesn't need a man to get through her surgery, though. Grace Dunham and mama Laurie are surely at Lena's side after the recent surgery and split, and celeb friends like Taylor Swift and Aubrey Plaza are always there for emotional support as well.

At the start of the second season of Girls, Lena Dunham was being paid $150,000 an episode. With a top-selling memoir and series rumored to be in the works, Dunham is making bank and doesn't look like she intends to slow down, her net worth likely to grow in this new era of her career. After the breakup and the surgery, her goals include working on herself and her work.

In 2013, with the signing of her book deal with Random House and the second season of Girls, Lena Dunham was the 15th highest-paid actress.That same year, Times named her one of the top 100 most influential people in the world. Five years later, though, with Girls over and in the chaos of revealing her hysterectomy, Dunham has new plans looking ahead in her writing career.

If this really is Dunham's next step, one can only feverishly anticipate the kind of controversies a male protagonist from Lena Dunham would stir up, given her overtly sexual writing style. Whatever this problematic-fave does next is sure to get everyone talking. No matter what, though, she'll face the backlash or praise the same way always has: with strength and a smile.