Mira Sorvino

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox person Mira Katherine Sorvino (Template:IPAc-en; born Template:Birth date) is an American actress. She rose to stardom with her performance as a prostitute in the comedy film Mighty Aphrodite (1995), which won her both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.

Sorvino also starred in the films Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), Mimic (1997), Lulu on the Bridge (1998), The Replacement Killers (1998), Summer of Sam (1999), Gods and Generals (2003), Like Dandelion Dust (2009), and Sound of Freedom (2023). For her work in television, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996) and nominated twice for a Golden Globe for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for her performance as Detective Kate Morozov and for her leading role in Human Trafficking (2005).

Early life

Sorvino was born on September 28, 1967, in Manhattan, New York City,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to Lorraine Ruth Davis, a drama therapist for Alzheimer's disease patients and former actress, and Paul Sorvino, an actor and film director.<ref name="laurino">Template:Cite news</ref> She has two siblings, Michael Sorvino and Amanda. She is of Italian descent on her father's side.<ref name="av-club">Template:Cite web</ref>

She was raised in Tenafly, New Jersey,<ref name="seal">Seal, Mark. "Mira Sorvino's Barcelona" Template:Webarchive, American Way, January 1, 2001. Accessed December 18, 2013. "When Mira Sorvino arrived in Barcelona in 1994 to film a movie called Barcelona, she had a past in academia and a future in acting. Raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, she was the daughter of tough-guy character actor Paul Sorvino, who raised his kids to strive for an education instead of childhood acting careers."</ref> where she wrote and acted in backyard plays with her childhood friend Hope Davis, and in theater productions at Dwight-Englewood School.<ref>Ervolino, Bill. "Tenafly's Mira Sorvino says she was a Weinstein victim" Template:Webarchive, The Record (Bergen County), October 10, 2017. Accessed June 14, 2018. "Sorvino, who was raised in Tenafly and took part in theater productions at the Dwight-Englewood School when she was a youngster, told a local news outlet in Los Angeles that Weinstein lured her into his hotel room in 1995 when they were in Canada promoting the Woody Allen film Mighty Aphrodite, the film which earned Sorvino her best-supporting actress award."</ref> As a child, she was strongly influenced to pursue social causes by her mother, who participated in the 1963 March on Washington.<ref name="bio">Template:Cite web</ref>

Sorvino excelled in high school and was accepted into Harvard University. She studied for one year as an exchange student with CIEE in Nanjing, China, where she studied Mandarin Chinese.<ref name="allmovie">Template:Cite web</ref> In 1989, she graduated from Harvard magna cum laude with a degree in East Asian studies.<ref name="harvard">Template:Cite web</ref> She also helped found the Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones, one of Harvard's co-ed a cappella groups, in 1985.<ref name="veritones">Template:Cite web</ref>

Career

File:Mira Sorvino Olivier Martinez.jpg

Mira Sorvino and Olivier Martinez at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival

Sorvino's first major screen appearance was in the teen television series Swans Crossing, where she appeared in six episodes.<ref name="bio"/> When the 1993 film Amongst Friends entered preproduction, she was hired as third assistant director, then promoted to casting director, then to assistant producer, and finally offered a lead role. The positive reviews she received<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> led to more acting opportunities.

After supporting roles in Robert Redford's Quiz Show and Whit Stillman's Barcelona, she was cast in Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite (1995). Her portrayal of a happy-go-lucky prostitute made her a star, winning her an Academy Award<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Golden Globe<ref name="Mira Sorvino at the HPFA">Template:Cite web</ref> for Best Supporting Actress. Although the film brought her international recognition, she described its shooting as extremely stressful: "I was absolutely neurotic doing Mighty Aphrodite," she recalled. "Every night brought a new nervous breakdown. I'd cry and talk to God, I was so nervous. Then the next day, I'd show up and do my scenes."<ref name="bio"/>

Her other credits include Romy and Michele's High School Reunion with Lisa Kudrow, At First Sight with Val Kilmer, and Spike Lee's Summer of Sam. She portrayed Marilyn Monroe for the 1996 HBO film Norma Jean & Marilyn, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe;<ref name="Mira Sorvino at the HPFA"/> and had the lead role in Guillermo del Toro's horror film Mimic. In 1995, she portrayed Conchita Closson in the BBC miniseries The Buccaneers, based on Edith Wharton's last novel. She starred as Daisy Buchanan in the 2000 television film The Great Gatsby.

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Sorvino from Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. 2001

In 2002, Sorvino appeared as the lead in The Triumph of Love, an adaptation of the 1732 Marivaux play.<ref>Template:Cite journal Template:Open access</ref> That year she also starred in WiseGirls alongside Mariah Carey and Melora Walters.<ref name="VarietyWG1">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2006, she received a Golden Globe nomination for her role as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in the Lifetime film Human Trafficking.<ref name="Mira Sorvino at the HPFA"/> She had a supporting role in the drama Reservation Road (2007) with Mark Ruffalo.

In February 2008, she guest-starred as psychiatrist Cate Milton in the "Frozen" episode of the medical television drama House. Plans to make hers a recurring character were interrupted by the writers' strike.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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Sorvino at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival

She starred in Attack on Leningrad (2009), Multiple Sarcasms (2010) with Timothy Hutton and Stockard Channing, and Nancy Savoca's Union Square (2012), with Patti Lupone and Tammy Blanchard.<ref name="Union Square">Union Square Template:Webarchive at Tiff.net</ref> The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival<ref name="Union Square"/> to good reviews.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the same year, Sorvino played the mother of the lead in the film adaptation of Wendy Mass's popular children's book Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2014, she reappeared as Head Detective Betsy Brannigan on the final season of Psych, and on the fourth season of Falling Skies as John Pope's love interest, Sara.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sorvino also joined the cast of the television series Intruders, playing the role of Amy Whelan. In 2016, she appeared in the Netflix series Lady Dynamite as an actor working on a sitcom pilot named White Trash.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2018, Sorvino played the role of Amy in the psychological thriller Look Away, alongside Jason Isaacs and India Eisley.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2019, Sorvino was cast in the Netflix miniseries Hollywood as an actor whose career stalled out after a relationship with a studio head.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2022, she played a supporting role in Sound of Freedom, a film about human trafficking in South America.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In May 2025, Sorvino revealed that a sequel to Romy and Michele's High School Reunion was in the works at 20th Century Studios.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sorvino made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago in September 2025 at the Ambassador Theatre.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Between 1996 and 1998, Mira Sorvino was romantically involved with director Quentin Tarantino, who was her escort to the Academy Awards ceremony where she won Best Supporting Actress for Mighty Aphrodite.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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Sorvino at the Anti-Human Trafficking Symposium in Washington, D.C., January 30, 2013

Sorvino met actor Christopher Backus at a friend's charades party in August 2003. On June 11, 2004, they married in a private civil ceremony at the Santa Barbara, California, courthouse, then later had a hilltop ceremony in Capri, Italy. They have four children: two daughters and two sons. They have also starred in films together, including Indiscretion and Mothers and Daughters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=People1>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In honor of Sorvino's role as Susan Tyler, an entomologist who investigated deadly insect mutations in the film Mimic, a compound that is excreted as a defense mechanism by the sunburst diving beetle was named mirasorvone by the entomologist Thomas Eisner who discovered it.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In September 2014, Sorvino gave a wide-ranging interview on The Nerdist Podcast, where she discussed her education, living in China, and her varied interests.<ref>Levine, Katie (September 12, 2014). "Episode 570: Nerdist Podcast: Mira Sorvino" Template:Webarchive. The Nerdist Podcast.</ref> She is a Christian<ref name="ct">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and resides with her family in Los Angeles, California.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2017, Sorvino came out publicly about the sexual harassment she endured from producer Harvey Weinstein<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and believes her career was damaged after she rebuffed Weinstein's advances.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to Peter Jackson, Weinstein blocked Sorvino and Ashley Judd (her co star from Norma Jean and Marilyn), another of his alleged victims, from being considered for parts in The Lord of the Rings films.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2019, she also made public that she was a date rape victim.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Activism

Sorvino has been affiliated with Amnesty International since 2004.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2006 she was honored with their Artist of Conscience Award, given to those who have made longstanding philanthropic and humanist efforts. From 2009 to 2012 she was a United Nations Goodwill ambassador for combatting human trafficking, and has lobbied Congress to help abolish the practice in Darfur.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Filmography

Film

Film work by Mira Sorvino

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	The Stuff	Factory Worker	Uncredited<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1993	Amongst Friends	Laura
	New York Cop	Maria
1994	Quiz Show	Sandra Goodwin
	Barcelona	Marta Ferrer
1995	Sweet Nothing	Monika
	Mighty Aphrodite	Linda Ash	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
	Blue in the Face	Young Lady
1996	Beautiful Girls	Sharon Cassidy
	Tales of Erotica	Teresa	Short film The Dutch Master
	Tarantella	Diane
1997	Romy and Michele's High School Reunion	Romy White
	Mimic	Dr. Susan Tyler
1998	Template:Sortname	Meg Coburn
	Lulu on the Bridge	Celia Burns
	Too Tired to Die	Death / Jean
	Free Money	Karen Polarski
1999	At First Sight	Amy Benic
	Summer of Sam	Dionna
2001	Template:Sortname	Dina
	Template:Sortname	The Princess
2002	WiseGirls	Meg Kennedy
	Semana Santa	Maria Delgado
	Between Strangers	Natalia Bauer
2003	Gods and Generals	Fanny Chamberlain
2004	Template:Sortname	Delila
2007	Reservation Road	Ruth
2009	Like Dandelion Dust	Wendy Porter
	Sweet Flame	Sheila
	Attack on Leningrad	Kate Davis
2010	Multiple Sarcasms	Cari
	Template:Sortname	The Woman
2011	Angels Crest	Angie
2012	Union Square	Lucy
	Template:Sortname	The Balletmaster
	Smitty	Amanda
	Trade of Innocents	Claire Becker
2013	Space Warriors	Sally Hawkins
2014	Perfect Sisters	Linda
	Frozen in Time	Carol Purtle	Direct-to-video film
2015	Quitters	May Rayman
	Do You Believe?	Samantha
	Chloe and Theo	Monica
2016	Exposed	Janine Cullen
	Mothers and Daughters	Georgina
	The Red Maple Leaf	Marianna Palermo
2017	6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain	Susan LeMarque
2018	Waterlily Jaguar	Helen
	Look Away	Amy Brennan
2019	Beneath the Leaves	Detective Erica Shotwell
	Stuber	Captain Angie McHenry
	Badland	Sarah Cooke
	Drowning	Mary
2020	Butter	Marian<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Most Guys Are Losers	Amy
2021	The Girl Who Believes in Miracles	Bonnie Hopkins
	East of the Mountains	Renee Givens
	Hero Mode	Kate Mayfield
	Crime Story	Nick Wallace
	After We Fell	Carol Young
2022	After Ever Happy	Carol Young
	Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend	Annita
2023	Sound of Freedom	Katherine Ballard
2024	The Image of You	Alexia

Television

Television work by Mira Sorvino

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1991–1992	Guiding Light	Julie Camaletti	Temporary replacement for Jocelyn Seagrave
1992	Swans Crossing	Sophia Eva McCormick De Castro	6 episodes
1994	Parallel Lives	Matty Derosa	Movie
1995	Template:Sortname	Conchita Closson	5 episodes
1996	Norma Jean & Marilyn	Marilyn Monroe	Movie
2000	Template:Sortname	Daisy Buchanan	Movie
2003	Will & Grace	Diane	Episode: "Last Ex to Brooklyn"
2005	Human Trafficking	Kate Morozov	Miniseries
2006	Covert One: The Hades Factor	Randi Russell	Movie
2008	House	Dr. Cate Milton	Episode: "Frozen"
2009	Template:Sortname	Tess Chaykin	Movie
2012	Finding Mrs. Claus	Mrs. Claus	Movie
2014	Psych	Head Detective Betsy Brannigan	3 episodes
2014–2015	Falling Skies	Sara	Recurring role (seasons 4–5)
2014	Intruders	Amy Whelan	Main role, 8 episodes
2015	Stalker	Vicki Gregg	Recurring role
2016	Indiscretion	Veronica Lewis	Movie
2016	A Christmas to Remember	Jennifer Wade / Maggie	Hallmark Movie
2016–2017	Lady Dynamite	Herself / Millicent Pratt / Jennipher Nickels / Ranlith the Hive Queen	2 episodes
2018	Condor	Marty Ross	Recurring role<ref name="Hollywood2017-04-03">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
2018	No One Would Tell	Judge Elizabeth Hanover	Movie
2018	StartUp	Rebecca Stroud	Recurring role (season 3)
2018	Modern Family	Nicole Rosemary Page	Recurring role (season 9)
2018	Spy Kids: Mission Critical	Ingrid Cortez (voice)	7 episodes
2020	Hollywood	Jeanne Crandall	Miniseries, recurring role
2021	Impeachment: American Crime Story	Marcia Lewis	6 episodes
2022–2023	Shining Vale	Rosemary Wellingham / Ruth Levin / Nellie Bly	Main role, 16 episodes
2023	Dancing with the Stars	Herself / Contestant	Season 32
2024	Blue Bloods	Fire Commissioner	Episode "Bad to Worse"
2023–2024	Celebrity Jeopardy!	Herself / Contestant	2 episodes

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Theatre
2025	Chicago	Roxie Hart	Ambassador Theatre, Broadway.

Works and publications

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External links

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