|
Anna Paquin |
Paquin at the 25th Annual Paley
Television Festival, ArcLight Cinemas, Los Angeles, April
13, 2009 |
| Born |
Anna Helene Paquin
July 24, 1982 (
1982-07-24)
(age 27)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Occupation |
Actress |
| Years active |
1993-present |
Anna Helene Paquin ( pronounced /-p�kw-n/;
born July 24, 1982) is a Canadian-born New Zealand actress. Paquin's
first critically successful film was The Piano, for which
she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1994 at
the age of 11 - the second youngest winner in history. Her acting
career took off almost half a decade later when she appeared in
a string of successful films including She's All That ,
Almost Famous and the X-Men franchise.
Paquin has received critical acclaim for her role as Sookie Stackhouse
in the HBO series True Blood , for which she won the 2009
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Television Series Drama.
Paquin was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the daughter of
Mary Paquin (n�e Brophy), an English teacher and native of Wellington,
New Zealand, and Brian Paquin, a high school physical education
teacher. Paquin is the youngest of three children; she has two older
siblings: brother Andrew, born in 1977, and sister Katya, born in
1980. Paquin moved to New Zealand when she was four. She attended
the Raphael House Rudolf Steiner School until she was eight or nine.
Her musical childhood hobbies in New Zealand included playing the
viola, cello and piano. She also did gymnastics, ballet, swimming
and downhill skiing, though she did not have any hobbies related
to acting.
While in New Zealand, Paquin attended Hutt Intermediate School
from 1994-95. Having begun her secondary education in Wellington
at Wellington Girls' College, she completed her high school diploma
at Windward School in Los Angeles, where she moved with her mother
following her parents' divorce in 1995. She graduated from Windward
School in June 2000 and completed the school's community service
requirement by working in an LA soup kitchen and at a special education
center. She studied at Columbia University for one year, but has
since been on a leave of absence to continue her acting career.
It was in New Zealand in 1991 that Paquin became an actress by
chance. Director Jane Campion was looking for a little girl to play
a key role in The Piano, set to film in New Zealand, and
a newspaper advertisement was run announcing an open audition. Paquin's
sister read the ad and went to try out with a friend; Paquin herself
tagged along because she had nothing better to do. When Campion
met Paquin--whose only acting experience had been as a skunk in
a school play--she was very impressed with the nine-year-old's performance
of the monologue about Flora's father, and she was chosen from among
the 5000 candidates.
When The Piano was released in 1993 it was lauded by critics,
won prizes at a number of film festivals, and eventually became
a popular movie among a wide audience. Paquin's debut performance
in the film earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
at the age of eleven, making her the second-youngest Oscar winner
in history after Tatum O'Neal. The Piano was made as a small
independent movie and wasn't intended to be widely known, and Paquin
and her family didn't plan to continue in the acting circles. However,
she was invited to the William Morris Agency, and she kept receiving
offers for new roles. She systematically refused them, but she did
appear in three commercials for the phone company MCI (now Verizon).
She also appeared as a voice in an audio book entitled The Magnificent
Nose in 1994.
In 1996, she appeared in two movies. The first role was as young
Jane in Jane Eyre. The other was a lead part in Fly Away
Home playing a young girl who, after her mother dies, moves
in with her father and finds solace in taking care of orphaned goslings.
As a teenager, she had roles in films including A Walk on
the Moon , The Member of the Wedding , Amistad,
Hurlyburly, She's All That and Almost Famous.
Paquin in 2006
Paquin returned to worldwide prominence with her role as Rogue
in the blockbuster X-Men movie in 2000, its sequel X2
in 2003, and its third installment X-Men: The Last Stand
in 2006.
In the summer of 2006, she completed filming Blue State
. She was the executive-producer of the film, the film having
been made by Paquin Films, a production company formed by
both her and her brother, Andrew Paquin. In November 2006, she completed
Margaret. This film has yet to be released. Its release is
unknown, due to ongoing legal disputes.
In 2007, Paquin received an Emmy Award nomination for Supporting
Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie for her role as Elaine Goodale
in HBO's made-for-TV movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
, based on Dee Brown's bestseller. She also received Golden Globe
and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations in similar categories.
In 2008, Paquin appeared as Sookie Stackhouse in the HBO series
True Blood , her first role in a TV series. The show is based
on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine
Harris. Paquin won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television
Drama Series for her role in the show, and also won a Satellite
Award in a similar category. She has also been nominated for the
same category in the 2010 Golden Globe Awards. The second season
of True Blood premiered in the US in June 2009. Season three will
premiere in the summer of 2010.
In 2009, Paquin played Irena Sendler, a Polish woman hailed as
a heroine of the Holocaust, in The Courageous Heart of Irena
Sendler , a CBS TV film biopic based on the book Mother of
the Children of the Holocaust: The Irena Sendler Story , by
Anna Mieszkowska. The film was made in Latvia, and was a Hallmark
Hall of Fame presentation for the network. Paquin's performance
earned her a 2010 nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best
Actress in a Television Film.
Paquin's next film is , a romantic comedy alongside Josh Duhamel
and Katie Holmes. The film is slated for a 2010 release.
Paquin is also an award-winning stage actress, having made her
stage debut in 2001 in a production of The Glory of Living
at the MCC Theater. She won a 2001-2002 Theater World Award for
her performance. She has since appeared in a number of other plays,
but has only once appeared in a play outside of the USA, when she
appeared on the West End stage in London in a production of This
is Our Youth in 2002.
On August 5, 2009, it was announced that Paquin had become engaged
to her True Blood co-star Stephen Moyer, whom she had been
dating since filming the series' pilot in 2007. Paquin lives in
Venice, Los Angeles, California. Her hobbies include surfing and
cycling.
On April 1, 2010, Paquin came out as bisexual in a public service
announcement for the Give a Damn campaign as part of the True Colors
Fund, an advocacy group organized by Cyndi Lauper dedicated to LGBT
equality.
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1993 |
The Piano |
Flora McGrath |
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting
Actress
Nominated -- Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress
|
| 1996 |
Jane Eyre |
Jane Eyre |
|
| Fly Away Home |
Amy Alden |
|
| 1997 |
The Member of the Wedding |
Frankie Addams |
TV movie |
| Amistad |
Isabela II of Spain |
|
| 1998 |
Hurlyburly |
Donna |
|
| Castle in the Sky |
Sheeta (voice) |
|
| 1999 |
It's the Rage |
Annabel Lee |
TV movie |
| She's All That |
Mackenzie Siler |
|
| A Walk on the Moon |
Alison Kantrowitz |
|
| 2000 |
X-Men |
Rogue/Marie |
|
| Almost Famous |
Polexia Aphrodisia |
|
| Finding Forrester |
Claire Spence |
|
| 2001 |
Buffalo Soldiers |
Robyn Lee |
|
| 2002 |
Darkness |
Regina |
|
| 25th Hour |
Mary D'Annunzio |
|
| 2003 |
X2 |
Rogue/Marie |
|
| 2004 |
Steamboy |
James Ray Steam (voice) |
|
| 2005 |
The Squid and the Whale |
Lili Thorn |
Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast |
| Joan Of Arc |
Joan (voice) |
TV movie |
| 2006 |
X-Men: The Last Stand |
Rogue/Marie |
|
| 2007 |
Blue State |
Chloe Hamon |
|
| Mosaic |
Maggie Nelson (voice) |
|
| Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee |
Elaine Goodale |
Nominated -- Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress
in a Movie
Nominated -- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television
Film
Nominated -- Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Female
Actor in a Television Film |
| 2009 |
Trick 'r Treat |
Laurie |
|
| The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler |
Irena Sendler |
Nominated -- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in
a Television Film |
| 2010 |
Open House |
Jennie |
Post-Production |
| The Romantics |
Lila |
Post-Production |
| Margaret |
Lisa Cohen |
Awaiting Release |
| Television |
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
| 2008-present |
True Blood |
Sookie Stackhouse |
2008-present (24 episodes)
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series
Drama (2008)
Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Television Series
Drama
Nominated -- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television
Series Drama (2009) |
- The Glory of Living; MCC Theater, New York, 2001
- Lisa (Won Theatre World Award (Outstanding Actress) in 2002
for the role)
- This is Our Youth; Garrick Theatre, London, 2002
- Jessica Goldman (nominated for Drama Desk Award (Outstanding
Actress) for the role)
- Manuscript (Reading); Falmouth Academy, New York,
2003 - Elizabeth Hawkins
- Drug Buddy (Reading); Manhattan Theater Club, 2003
- Wendy
- Roulette; Ensemble Studio Theatre, New York, 2004
- Jenny
- The Distance From Here; MCC Theater, New York, 2004
- Shari (Won Drama Desk Award (Outstanding Cast Ensemble) in
2004)
- The 24 Hour Plays , South Of The Border; MCC Theater,
2004 - Maylene
- After Ashley ; Vineyard Theatre, New York, 2005 -
Julie Bell
- Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead
; (Reading); Westside Theatre, New York, 2005 - Marcy
- The 24 Hour Plays , The Blizzard; MCC Theater, 2006
- Jenny
- 1993 - LAFCA Award - Best Supporting Actress for The
Piano
- 1994 - Academy Awards - Best Supporting Actress for The
Piano
- 2001 - Online Film Critics Society Awards - Best Ensemble
Cast Performance for Almost Famous
- 2005 - Gotham Awards - Best Ensemble Cast for The Squid
and the Whale
- 2008 - Satellite Award - Best Actress in a Series, Drama
for True Blood
- 2009 - Golden Globe Award - Best Actress in a Television
Drama Series for True Blood
- 2009 - Scream Award - Best Actress in a Horror Movie or
TV Show for True Blood
- 1994 - Golden Globe Award - Best Performance by an Actress
in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for The Piano
- 1997 - YoungStar Award - Best Performance by a Young Actress
in a Drama Film for Fly Away Home
- 1997 - Young Artist Award - Best Performance in a Feature
Film - Leading Young Actress for Fly Away Home
- 1998 - Young Artist Award - Best Performance in a TV Movie/Pilot/Mini-Series
- Leading Young Actress for The Member of the Wedding
- 1999 - YoungStar Award - Best Performance by a Young Actress
in a Drama Film for A Walk On The Moon
- 2000 - Young Artist Award - Best Performance in a Feature
Film - Supporting Young Actress for A Walk On The Moon
- 2001 - Screen Actors Guild Award - Outstanding Performance
by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture for Almost Famous
- 2001 - Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films
- Best Performance by a Younger Actor for X-Men
- 2001 - Saturn Award - Best Performance by a Younger Actor
for X-Men
- 2001 - Blockbuster Entertainment Award - Favorite Actress
- Science Fiction for X-Men
- 2003 - Teen Choice Award - Choice Movie Chemistry for
X2: X-Men United
- 2004 - MTV Movie Awards 2 nominations:
-
-
- Best Kiss for X2: X-Men United
- Best On-Screen Team for X2: X-Men United
- 2007 - Emmy Award - Outstanding Supporting Actress In A
Miniseries Or A Movie for Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
- 2008 - Golden Globe Award - Best Performance by an Actress
in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture
Made for Television for Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
- 2008 - Screen Actors Guild Award - Outstanding Performance
by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
- 2009 - Saturn Award - Best Actress in Television for
True Blood
- 2009 - Teen Choice Award - Choice Summer TV Star: Female
for True Blood
- 2010 - People's Choice Award - Favorite TV Drama Actress
for True Blood
- 2010 - Golden Globe Award - Best Performance by an Actress
in a Television Series - Drama for True Blood
- 2010 - Golden Globe Award - Best Performance by an Actress
In a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television for
The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler
- 2010 - Saturn Award - Best Actress in Television for
True Blood
