Dominic Sessa

Dominic Sessa (born October 25, 2002) is an American actor. He made his film debut in Alexander Payne's coming-of-age film The Holdovers (2023), portraying troubled teenager Angus Tully.^[2] His performance won him the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer in addition to a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.^[3][4]

Dominic Sessa
Sessa at the 2025 Tribeca Festival
Born	(2002-10-25) October 25, 2002 (age 22)[1] Cherry Hill, New Jersey, U.S.[1]
Education	Carnegie Mellon University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2022–present

Early life and education

Sessa was born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and he was raised in the South Jersey communities of Egg Harbor Township and Ocean City.^[1] Sessa's mother is a teacher and his father died when he was 14.^[5] Sessa attended Alder Avenue Middle School.^[6] From tenth grade, he went to Deerfield Academy, a preparatory high school in Deerfield, Massachusetts, as a financial aid student.^[7][8] He was active in the school's theater program, acting in the plays Antigone and Rumors and directing an excerpt from No Exit.^[9]

As of September 2023^[update], Sessa is a student at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama.^[10]

Career

In 2021, Sessa was discovered by casting director Susan Shopmaker, who offered Deerfield Academy students a chance to audition for the Alexander Payne-directed film The Holdovers since the film was using the academy as a shooting location.^[7] Sessa was selected among twelve students who auditioned for the role.^[9] In September 2023, Sessa was listed as one of Variety's "10 Actors to Watch for 2023".^[10] Sessa's performance in the film earned him several accolades, including the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer,^[11] the Independent Spirit Award for Best Breakthrough Performance,^[12] and a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.^[3] On casting Sessa, Payne said: "He is a remarkably talented young actor ... (he) instinctively understood how to access his own life experience for an emotionally intelligent performance ... He also possessed a face I wanted to see healed by the story the movie was to tell."^[13]

In 2025, Sessa co-starred in Tow, directed by Stephanie Laing and starring Rose Byrne.^[14]

He will next appear in Oh. What. Fun., a Christmas film directed by Michael Showalter,^[15] and the sequel Now You See Me: Now You Don't.^[16] He is also attached to star in the biopic Tony as the late chef Anthony Bourdain.^[17]

Filmography

Key

†	Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2023	The Holdovers	Angus Tully
2025	Tow	Kevin Eggers
	Now You See Me: Now You Don't †	Bosco	Post-production
	Oh. What. Fun. †		Post-production
TBA	Tony †		Post-production[18]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
2023	Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	Most Promising Performer	The Holdovers	Nominated	[19]
	Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor		5th Place	[20]
	Florida Film Critics Circle	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated	[21]
		Breakout		Nominated
	Heartland International Film Festival	Pioneering Spirit: Rising Star Award		Won	[22]
	Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards	Best Supporting Performance		Nominated	[23]
		Breakout of the Year		Nominated
	North Texas Film Critics Association Awards	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated	[24]
		Best Newcomer		Won
	St. Louis Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated	[25]
	Toronto Film Critics Association	Best Breakthrough Performance		Runner-up	[26]
	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award	Best Breakthrough Performance		Won	[27]
		Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
2024	Astra Film Award	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated	[28]
	Austin Film Critics Association Awards	The Robert R. "Bobby" McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award		Nominated	[29]
	British Academy Film Awards	Best Actor in a Supporting Role		Nominated	[30]
	Columbus Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Performance		Nominated	[31]
		Breakthrough Film Artist		Nominated
	Critics' Choice Awards	Best Young Performer		Won	[11]
	Georgia Film Critics Association	Breakthrough Award		Won	[32]
	Houston Film Critics Society Award	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated	[33]
	London Film Critics' Circle	Breakthrough Performer of the Year		Nominated	[34]
	Music City Film Critics Association	Best Young Actor		Won	[35]
	North Carolina Film Critics Association	Breakthrough Performance		Won	[36]
	Satellite Award	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated	[37]
	Independent Spirit Awards	Best Breakthrough Performance		Won	[38][12]