Caitlin Dulany was born in Iowa City, Iowa where her father was a graduate student at the prestigious Iowa Writer's Workshop. Her family then moved to Kennybunk, Maine and eventually to Brooklyn, New York. She attended St. Ann's School in Brooklyn Heights, where her mother, Barry Dulany, was a teacher. Her father, Harris Dulany, a novelist and poet, also made films with documentary photographer and filmmaker, Danny Lyon, a close family friend. Growing up, the family brownstone in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn was always filled with artists of all kinds, which was a source of inspiration for Caitlin and, as it turns out, a way of life.

Caitlin started her career at the age of 14, when she was cast in a play at Ensemble Studio Theatre in Manhattan. After graduating from Northwestern University, she went on to pursue her acting career in both New York and Los Angeles. She has appeared on numerous television shows, guest starring on such hits as American Horror Stories, Law and Order, CSI: Miami, Castle, and Criminal Minds. She has also played recurring roles as a love interest to Anthony Edwards on ER and as Holly Hunter's sister on Saving Grace. Her film work includes the Todd Phillip's produced Project X, director Spike Lee's Oldboy and Akiva Goldsman's directorial debut, Winter's Tale.