Dorfman was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia,[3] to a Jewish family. Dorfman graduated from Fordham University's drama program in 2015 with a B.A. in theatre arts.[4][3] After graduating, they were cast in the role of Ryan Shaver on the Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why, which premiered in 2017.[5] Also that year, they helped design a fashion collection with ASOS,[6] and, in October, were honored with the Rising Star Award by GLAAD.[4]