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Anna Paquin
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| Anna Paquin | |
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 Paquin at the True Blood 25th Annual Paley Television Festival, ArcLight Cinemas, Los Angeles, April 13, 2009 |
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| Born | Anna Helene Paquin July 24, 1982 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1993–present |
Anna Helene Paquin (born July 24, 1982) is a Canadian and New Zealand actress. Her breakthrough performance was in the New Zealand film The Piano, which earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1994, making her the second youngest winner in history at the age of 11.1 Paquin is best known for her roles as Rogue in the X-Men movies and as Sookie Stackhouse in the HBO series True Blood.
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Early life
Paquin was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the daughter of Mary Paquin (née 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 1980.23 Paquin moved to New Zealand when she was four. She attended the Raphael House Rudolf Steiner School until she was eight or nine.4 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.56
While in New Zealand, Paquin attended Hutt Intermediate School in 1994 and 1995, where she completed Form 1 and 2. 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 1995.7 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.
Career
Acclaim as a child actress
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.6
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.6 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.5 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).8 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.9
As a teenager, she had roles in films including A Walk on the Moon, The Member of the Wedding, Amistad, Hurlyburly, Almost Famous and She's All That.
X-Men and beyond
Paquin returned to worldwide prominence with her role as Rogue in the blockbuster X-Men movie in 2000,1 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.10 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.11 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. The second season of the show premiered in the US on 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.12
Paquin is currently filming her next project, The Romantics, a romantic comedy, alongside Liv Tyler, Josh Duhamel and Katie Holmes. The film is slated for a 2010 release.13
Theatrical career
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.14 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.
Personal life
On August 5, 2009, it was announced that Anna Paquin had become engaged to her True Blood co-star Stephen Moyer, whom she had been dating since filming the series' pilot in 2007.151617 Paquin lives in Venice, Los Angeles, California. Her hobbies include surfing and cycling.18
Filmography and awards
Theatre credits
- 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
Awards
- 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
Nominations
- 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:
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- Best Kiss for X2: X-Men United
- Best On-Screen Team for X2: X-Men United
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- 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
References
- ^ a b Crisell, Luke (2007-05-21). "Rogue Star". New York Magazine. http://nymag.com/movies/features/32118/. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
- ^ "X Appeal". Guardian Unlimited. 2000-08-06. http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,6737,351581,00.html. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
- ^ "Anna Paquin Biography (1982-)". filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/12/Anna-Paquin.html. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
- ^ "X Patriate Anna Paquin". NZHerald.co.nz. May 2003. http://anna-paquin.net/press/2003/nzherald-0503/. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
- ^ a b Verhaeghe, Melanie (Summer 1994), "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", Homemakers magazine.
- ^ a b c Dutka, Elaine (1994-01-11). "A Young Star is Born in the Piano". Los Angeles Times. http://djuna.cine21.com/anna/02.html.
- ^ Hobson, Louis B. (1996-09-02). "Real-Life Acting Difficult for Paquin". Calgary Sun.
- ^ "Verizon and MCI Close Merger, Creating a Stronger Competitor for Advanced Communications Services". New York. 2006-01-06. http://newscenter.verizon.com/press-releases/verizon/2006/page.jsp?itemID=29672197.
- ^ Lambert, Pam (1996-04-16). "Paquicking it in". People. http://djuna.cine21.com/anna/07.html.
- ^ ifilmalliance.com
- ^ "Paquin Bites Into True Blood". scifi.com. 26 February 2007. http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=40314.
- ^ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20090211cbs02
- ^ http://www.trueblood-online.com/cast-crew/anna-paquin/new-film-project-for-anna-paquin-the-romantics/
- ^ Winners list at theatreworldawards.org
- ^ True Blood's True Romance TV Guide, February 24, 2009
- ^ http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20296172,00.html
- ^ Silverman, Stephen (August 5, 2009). "'True Blood' stars get engaged". CNN/People Magazine. http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/08/05/true.blood.engagement/index.html. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
- ^ Spin magazine article, September 2008
- ^ TV: SCREAM 2009 AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
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