Anna Paquin

Anna Helene Paquin<ref name="Mathé">Template:Cite web</ref> (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; born 24 July 1982) is a New Zealand actress.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Born in Winnipeg, Canada, and raised in Wellington, she made her acting debut in the romantic drama film The Piano (1993), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 11, becoming the second-youngest winner in Oscar history.<ref name="Paquinny07">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As a child actress, she had roles in Fly Away Home (1996), Jane Eyre (1996), Amistad (1997), The Member of the Wedding (1997), and A Walk on the Moon (1999), as well as in Cameron Crowe's comedy drama film Almost Famous (2000).

Paquin continued to perform prominent roles into adulthood, portraying Rogue in the X-Men franchise (2000–2006; 2014). Her other film credits include 25th Hour (2002), Trick 'r Treat (2007), Margaret (2011), The Good Dinosaur (2015), and The Irishman (2019). She played the lead role of Sookie Stackhouse in the HBO vampire drama television series True Blood (2008–2014), for which she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2009.<ref name="golden">Template:Cite web</ref> Among other accolades, Paquin was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her work in the television film Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007), in addition to a further Golden Globe nomination for her work in the television film The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (2009).

Early life

Paquin was born on 24 July 1982 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.<ref name="Tollestrup">Template:Cite interview</ref> Her father, Brian Paquin, is a Canadian retired physical education teacher,<ref name="Brian">Template:Cite web</ref> and her mother, Mary<ref name="latimes">Template:Cite news</ref> (Template:Nee), is a New Zealand<ref name="Taylor">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Ana Douglas">Template:Cite web</ref> teacher of English from Wellington. Paquin is the youngest of three children, with a brother and a sister.<ref name="Mathé" /><ref name="Reuters">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="guardian1">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="macdonald">Template:Cite news</ref> Her father is of Dutch and French descent.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> Paquin has stated that all her maternal great-grandparents had immigrated to New Zealand from Ireland due to the Great Famine.<ref>Template:Cite Instagram</ref>

The family moved to Wellington in 1986,<ref name="Reuters" /> and Paquin attended Raphael House Rudolf Steiner School,<ref name="Brian" /> Hutt Intermediate School<ref name="tapaleao">Template:Cite news</ref> and Wellington Girls' College.<ref name="home">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her parents divorced when she was 12 years old.<ref name="macdonald" /> After moving to the United States at the age of 16,<ref name="Taylor" /> Paquin attended Windward School, where she graduated in 2000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="calsun">Template:Cite news</ref> Paquin studied for one year at Columbia College,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> where she lived in Carman Hall,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and subsequently dropped out<ref name="Mathé" /> to continue her acting career.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She holds dual New Zealand<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> and Canadian citizenship.<ref name="Tollestrup" /><ref name="Ana Douglas" />

Career

File:Anna Paquin 2009 adjusted.jpg

Paquin at the 25th Annual Paley Television Festival, April 2009

Director Jane Campion was looking for a little girl to play a main 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; this inspired Paquin to audition. 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.<ref name="latimes" /> 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 film among a wide audience. Paquin's debut performance in the film earned her the 1994 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the age of 11, making her the second-youngest Oscar winner in history, behind Tatum O'Neal.<ref name="latimes" />

The Piano was made as a small independent film and was not expected to be widely known, and Paquin and her family did not plan to continue to pursue acting.<ref name="home" /> However, she was invited to the William Morris Agency, and she kept receiving offers for new roles. She systematically rejected them, but she did appear in three commercials for the phone company MCI in 1994.<ref name="VZNewsRelease">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link</ref> She later made a series of television commercials for Manitoba Telecom Systems in her birth city of Winnipeg.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She also appeared as a voice in an audiobook entitled The Magnificent Nose in 1994. In 1996, she appeared in two films. 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.<ref name="people">Template:Cite news</ref> As a teenager, she had roles in other films, including A Walk on the Moon, Finding Forrester, Amistad, Hurlyburly, She's All That and Almost Famous as well as the English dub of Castle in the Sky.

Paquin played the mutant superhero Rogue in the Marvel Comics movie X-Men in 2000,<ref name="Paquinny07" /> its sequel X2 in 2003, and its third installment, X-Men: The Last Stand, in 2006. Between 2006 and 2007, she starred in, as well as executive-produced Blue State. The film is made by Paquin Films, a production company formed by her and her brother, Andrew.<ref>Template:Cite interview</ref> In November 2006, she completed the film Margaret, which was released in 2011. She played Elaine Goodale in HBO's made-for-TV film Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, based on Dee Brown's best-seller, garnering a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. In 2007, she played the role of Laurie in the horror film Trick 'r Treat, which was released in 2009.

File:Anna Paquin Comic-Con 2012.jpg

Paquin at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con

Paquin was cast as waitress Sookie Stackhouse in the HBO series True Blood in 2008, her first role in a TV series. The show is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, set in the fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. The series saw Paquin doing nude scenes for the first time. While working on True Blood, she started dating co-star Stephen Moyer and later married him in 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 biographical film 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2010, Paquin's film The Romantics, a romantic comedy with Josh Duhamel and Katie Holmes, was released in the US at selected cinemas in September. She played a cameo role in Scream 4, alongside Kristen Bell in 2011.<ref name="usatoday">Template:Cite news</ref> She also played the voice of Kristin on an episode of Phineas and Ferb. Paquin reprised her role as Rogue in the 2014 film X-Men: Days of Future Past, but most of her scenes were cut out for the theatrical release.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> An alternative version of the film with all of Paquin's scenes reinstated was released as The Rogue Cut on 14 July 2015.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Paquin voiced Ramsey in Disney•Pixar's film The Good Dinosaur.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She also played Nancy Holt, the wife of a Confederate soldier, in the 2016 miniseries Roots.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In June 2016, the Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting; in the video, Paquin and others told the stories of the people killed there.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Later in 2017 Paquin starred in television series Bellevue, also being the executive producer,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and acted as Nancy Montgomery in the television miniseries Alias Grace.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2018, she acted in husband Stephen Moyer's directorial debut, The Parting Glass,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and in Laurie Collyer's comedy-drama film Furlough.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In 2019, Paquin appeared in Martin Scorsese's critically acclaimed drama, The Irishman.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That year, she also produced and starred as Robyn in television series Flack<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and appeared in the television series The Affair.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2021, she portrayed the wife of Kurt Warner in the biographical Christian sports film, American Underdog.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2022, Paquin starred in A Friend of the Family for Peacock.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2023, Paquin starred in Netflix Original True Spirit alongside Teagan Croft and Cliff Curtis. The movie is based on the journey of Jessica Watson, an Australian sailor who attempted solo global circumnavigation at 16 years old, with Paquin playing her mother.

Personal life

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Paquin with husband and True Blood costar Stephen Moyer, 2009

On 5 August 2009, Paquin announced her engagement to her True Blood co-star Stephen Moyer,<ref name="tapaleao" /> whom she had been dating since filming the series pilot in 2007.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They married on 21 August 2010 at a private residence in Malibu, California.<ref name="tapaleao" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Paquin gave birth to fraternal twins on 12 September 2012.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She has a stepson and a stepdaughter through her marriage to Moyer.<ref name="macdonald" /> The couple reside in Venice, California, US<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and visit New Zealand yearly to see Paquin's family.<ref>Template:Cite AV mediaTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

In 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 organised by Cyndi Lauper dedicated to LGBT equality.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The video features Paquin stating, "I'm Anna Paquin. I'm bisexual, and I give a damn."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> When asked about her participation in the video, Paquin said her sexuality had not been a secret but that she had not "ever had an opportunity to speak out about [it] in a way that would be useful. Obviously I know that one person's voice doesn't necessarily do that much, but I just wanted to do my bit."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In May 2012, in an Us Weekly interview Paquin rejected the notion that bisexuality is a choice. "My sexuality is not made up, for a bisexual, it's not about gender. That's not the deciding factor to who they're attracted to," stated Paquin.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2014, she described herself on Twitter as "Proud to be a happily married bisexual mother".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Paquin also supports other charities and foundations such as the Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Elton John AIDS Foundation, and The Art of Elysium.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Template:Abbr
1993	The Piano	Flora McGrath
1996	Jane Eyre	Young Jane Eyre
	Fly Away Home	Amy Alden
1997	Amistad	Queen Isabella II of Spain
1998	Hurlyburly	Donna
1999	Template:Sortname	Alison Kantrowitz
	She's All That	Mackenzie Siler
	It's the Rage	Annabel Lee
2000	Castle in the Sky	Sheeta (voice)	English dub
	X-Men	Marie / Rogue
	Almost Famous	Polexia Aphrodisia
	Finding Forrester	Claire Spence
2001	Buffalo Soldiers	Robyn Lee
2002	Darkness	Regina
	25th Hour	Mary D'Annunzio
2003	X2	Marie / Rogue
2005	Steamboy	James Ray Steam (voice)	English dub
	Template:Sortname	Lili
2006	X-Men: The Last Stand	Marie / Rogue
2007	Blue State	Chloe Hamon	Also executive producer	<ref>Template:Cite interview</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Mosaic	Maggie (voice)
	Trick 'r Treat	Laurie
2010	Template:Sortname	Lila Hayes
	Open House	Jennie
2011	Scream 4	Rachel	Cameo
	Margaret	Lisa Cohen
	Template:Sortname	Kim	Short film
2013	Straight A's	Katherine
	Free Ride	Christina	Also producer
2014	X-Men: Days of Future Past	Marie / Rogue	Cameo; expanded role in The Rogue Cut
2015	The Good Dinosaur	Ramsey (voice)
2018	Furlough	Lily Benson
	The Parting Glass	Colleen	Also producer
	Tell It to the Bees	Dr. Jean Markham
2019	The Irishman	Peggy Sheeran
2021	American Underdog	Brenda Warner
2023	True Spirit	Julie Watson
2024	A Bit of Light	Ella	also producer	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Template:Abbr
1997	Template:Sortname	Frankie Adams	Television film
2007	Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee	Elaine Goodale	Television film
2008–2014	True Blood	Sookie Stackhouse	80 episodes	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2009	Template:Sortname	Irena Sendler	Television film
2011	Phineas and Ferb	Kristen (voice)	Episode: "The Curse of Candace"
2013	Susanna	Katie	6 episodes
2016	Roots	Nancy Holt	Episode: "Part 4"
2017	Bellevue	Annie Ryder	8 episodes; also executive producer	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Alias Grace	Nancy Montgomery	5 episodes
	Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams	Sarah	Episode: "Real Life"
2019	The Affair	Joanie Lockhart	8 episodes
2019–2020	Flack	Robyn	12 episodes; also executive producer
2021	Modern Love	Isabelle	Episode: "In the Waiting Room of Estranged Spouses"
2022	A Friend of the Family	Mary Ann Broberg	Miniseries

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Venue	Template:Abbr
2001	The Glory of Living	Lisa	MCC Theater	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
2002	This Is Our Youth	Jessica Goldman	Garrick Theatre
2003	Manuscript	Elizabeth Hawkins	Falmouth Academy
	Drug Buddy	Wendy	Manhattan Theatre Club
2004	Roulette	Jenny	Ensemble Studio Theatre
	The Distance from Here	Shari	MCC Theater
	The 24-Hour Plays, South of the Border	Maylene	MCC Theater
2005	After Ashley	Julie Bell	Vineyard Theatre
	Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead	Marcy	Westside Theatre
2006	The 24 Hour Plays, The Blizzard	Jenny	MCC Theater

See also

• List of actors with Academy Award nominations
• List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of New Zealand Academy Award winners and nominees

External links

• Template:IMDb name