Katy Mixon was born and raised in Pensacola, Florida. She was one of seven children. She graduated from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. Mixon's first acting job came in 2001, playing "Calpurnia" in the Utah Shakespearean Festival's presentation of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar". Mixon moved to Los Angeles, California, in 2003. In 2005, she starred in the premiere of the interactive theater play, "American Standard", at the Los Angeles Edgefest. Mixon has performed at Upright Cabaret. Her first role in a major motion picture was in the 2005 thriller, The Quiet (2005), playing the character, "Michelle Fell".