Vera Farmiga
Encyclopedia
Vera Ann Farmiga is an American actress and director. Farmiga made her film debut in the 1998 drama thriller Return to Paradise. This was followed by supporting roles in the 2000 romantic film Autumn in New York
and the 2001 television series UC: Undercover
. She was also cast in the 2001 thriller 15 Minutes
.
Her other film appearances and roles include the 2003 comedy Dummy
, the 2004 drama Down to the Bone
, the 2006 crime thriller The Departed
, the 2007 horror Joshua
, and the 2008 drama The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
. Farmiga gained critical acclaim following her work in the 2009 comedy-drama Up in the Air
, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She also starred as Kate Coleman in Orphan
in 2009.
Her latest film appearance was in the 2011 thriller/action movie Source Code
, as Capt. Colleen Goodwin.
. She is the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants Mykhailo, a computer-systems analyst, and Luba Farmiga, a schoolteacher. Farmiga was raised in an "insular" Ukrainian American community, with Ukrainian as her native language. She attended a Ukrainian
Catholic school
in Newark and toured with a Ukrainian folk-dancing ensemble
, Syzokryli. As a girl, she converted with her family from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to Pentecostalism
. In 1991, Farmiga graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School
.
's School of Visual and Performing Arts. She made her Broadway
debut in 1996 as an understudy in the play Taking Sides
. The same year, she starred as Miranda in the American Conservatory Theater
production of The Tempest. She also performed in several productions as a member of The Barrow Group
, a prestigious New York City Theatre Company, where her credits include The Seagull and Good. Following her theater debut, she played a role in the television series Roar, which was filmed in Australia, alongside Heath Ledger
. Farmiga said that the series "wanted to be Braveheart
but turned out more Xena: Warrior Princess
." Throughout the late 1990s, she continued appearing in stage, television and film roles, including a supporting role as Kerrie in the 1998 film Return to Paradise, a drama thriller about two friends struggling to save another friend from an impending death sentence. Farmiga co-appeared with Vince Vaughn
, Anne Heche
and Joaquin Phoenix
.
In 2000, the romantic comedy-drama Autumn in New York
– in which Farmiga had a small role – was released. The film is about a man who falls in love with a beautiful young woman, who is terminally ill. Autumn in New York afforded her the chance to work with actors Richard Gere
and Winona Ryder
. Later, Farmiga had a major supporting role in the crime-thriller 15 Minutes
(2001), starring Robert De Niro
. She starred in the Macedonian film Dust, opposite Joseph Fiennes
. The film opened at the 2001 Venice Film Festival
. That same year, she portrayed the character of Josephine in Snow White: The Fairest of Them All, a made-for-television film. In 2001, Farmiga joined the cast of the NBC
action-thriller television series UC: Undercover
. The show, however, was canceled in early 2002.
and Adrien Brody
in the romantic comedy Dummy
(2003), which had also a limited release. In 2004, Farmiga released the independent
drama film Down to the Bone
. The film took place mainly in upstate New York and was filmed in digital video. Her performance as the character of Irene earned her several awards nominations, including the "Best Actress" award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association
and the "Best Female Lead" award from the Independent Spirit Awards
. Farmiga also portrayed a supporting role in the 2004 thriller remake The Manchurian Candidate
. Denzel Washington
and Meryl Streep
co-starred in the film. The Manchurian Candidate was well received by critics and was a big success at the worldwide box offce, grossing over $96 million. In 2005, at the Toronto International Film Festival
, opened fantasy feature Neverwas
, in which she played Eleanna.
Rather than attending auditions for films in which she is interested, Farmiga makes short films which she submits for casting. "To fade in and fade out, have intimacy with the mikes, the lighting, and have the luxury of takes – you could make yourself as ugly or as beautiful as you wanted." One of these audition films led to Martin Scorsese
inviting her for what she calls "a chemistry read" with Leonardo DiCaprio
, which led to her role as a police psychiatrist in The Departed. Later she was nominated for an Empire Award and shared with the other The Departed members cast the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture nomination. In 2007, Farmiga landed the lead role in the American/Korean drama Never Forever
, about a New York woman arranging to pay an illegal immigrant from Korea to have sex with her, so that she might get pregnant and save her marriage. Her performance was praised by critic G. Allen Johnson who described her as "...the best American actress you've never heard of."
Farmiga starred with Sam Rockwell
in the 2007 psychological horror Joshua
. Later, she appeared in the 2008 drama film Quid Pro Quo
, appearing as Fiona. The film premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
and received favorable reviews; David Edelstein of New York
magazine stated that Farmiga "is – as usual – scarily good. Her madness isn’t something out of the ether. She’s always visibly calculating, thinking better of something reckless she’s about to do – then doing it anyway."
Farmiga appeared in the British drama The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008), as the wife of a Nazi commandant, played by David Thewlis
. The films tells a friendly relationship between two eight-year-old boys, one the son of the camp's Nazi commandant, the other a Jewish inmate. She won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress
for her role in the film. That year, Farmiga played the role of Erica Van Doren in the political thriller Nothing But the Truth
, which was starring Matt Dillon
and Kate Beckinsale
. Her role earned her a nomination for the Best Supporting Actress award at the 2009 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
.
's horror-thriller film Orphan
. In the film, she with Peter Sarsgaard
, portrayed a couple who, after the death of their unborn child, adopt a mysterious 9-year old girl. The film was released theatrically in the United States on July 24, 2009. Orphan received mixed or average reviews and grossed $76,699,632 worldwide. Toby Young of Times wrote that Farmiga "becomes more convincing as the story unfolds. By the end, she has you in the palm of her hand."
Farmiga starred opposite George Clooney
, Anna Kendrick
, and Melanie Lynskey
in the 2009 comedy-drama
Up in the Air
(2009), which was initially given limited release, and then wide-released on December 25, 2009. In an interview with NJ.com, Farmiga explained her character: "She doesn’t temper her desires at all. She makes clear her needs and expects to have the world accommodate them. It’s not a character we often see on-screen, and when we do, more often than not she’s bereft of dignity. So that was cool." Up in the Air received universal acclaim and was one of Farmiga's biggest box office successes, with a worldwide $163,227,071 gross. Roger Ebert
praised her, saying: "Farmiga is one of the warmest and most attractive women in the movies, or at least she plays one." In 2010, she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress
and a Golden Globe Award
nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture as well as many other nominations.
On June 25, 2010, she was inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
. Farmiga started filming the surrealist romantic comedy film
Henry's Crime
with Keanu Reeves
in December 2009, with filming wrapping in early 2010. The film was screened at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival
on September 14. Farmiga played Colleen Goodwin in the techno-thriller Source Code
, which was released on April 1, 2011, by Summit Entertainment
. She has her directorial debut in the 2011 film Higher Ground
, in which she also stars. In January 2011, Variety
reported that she would play Beatrice in a feature adaptation of the Arthur Miller
play A View from the Bridge
; the film is scheduled to begin shooting in June in New York and Melbourne.
while filming Roar. The two eloped to the Bahamas after the series' end in 1997. The marriage ended in 2004.
Farmiga married Renn Hawkey
in September 2008. Hawkey, a carpenter, is the former keyboardist for a synthpop band named Deadsy
. They have a son named Fynn, born on January 15, 2009. On November 4, 2010, Farmiga gave birth to daughter Gytta Lubov Hawkey.
Her sister is actress Taissa Farmiga
who plays Violet Harmon in FX's horror-drama series, American Horror Story
.
Autumn in New York (film)
Autumn in New York is a 2000 romantic drama film directed by Joan Chen and starring Richard Gere, Winona Ryder, and Anthony LaPaglia.The movie focuses on Will Keane who falls in love with Charlotte Fielding , a sweet, but terminally ill young woman.-Plot:Will Keane, a 48-year old restaurant owner,...
and the 2001 television series UC: Undercover
UC: Undercover
UC: Undercover is an action-thriller television series that focuses on the secret lives and private demons of an elite Justice Department crime-fighting unit that confronts the country’s deadliest, most untouchable lawbreakers by going undercover to bust them. The series was broadcast from 2001 to...
. She was also cast in the 2001 thriller 15 Minutes
15 Minutes
15 Minutes is a 2001 film starring Robert De Niro , Edward Burns and Karel Roden. It is about a homicide detective and a fire marshal who must stop a couple of Eastern European murderers from videotaping their killing and becoming sensationalized by the media. Melina Kanakaredes and Kelsey Grammer,...
.
Her other film appearances and roles include the 2003 comedy Dummy
Dummy (film)
Dummy is a 2002 comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Pritikin. It stars Adrien Brody, Milla Jovovich, Illeana Douglas, Vera Farmiga and Jared Harris. It was released to home media by Lionsgate Home Entertainment on February 17, 2004....
, the 2004 drama Down to the Bone
Down to the Bone (film)
Down to the Bone is a 2005 independent film drama, starring Vera Farmiga, who received a "Best Actress" award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for the role...
, the 2006 crime thriller The Departed
The Departed
The Departed is a 2006 American crime thriller film, fashioned as a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan...
, the 2007 horror Joshua
Joshua (film)
Joshua is a 2007 American psychological horror/thriller film about an affluent young Manhattan family and how they are torn apart by the increasingly sadistic behavior of their disturbed son, Joshua. The film was directed by George Ratliff and stars Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga and Jacob Kogan...
, and the 2008 drama The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (film)
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a 2008 historical-drama film based on the novel of the same name by Irish writer John Boyne. Directed by Mark Herman and produced by David Heyman, it stars Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon, David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga and Rupert Friend.A Holocaust drama, the film...
. Farmiga gained critical acclaim following her work in the 2009 comedy-drama Up in the Air
Up in the Air (film)
Up in the Air is a 2009 American comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and co-written by Reitman and Sheldon Turner. It is a film adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name, written by Walter Kirn. The story is about a corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham and his travels...
, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She also starred as Kate Coleman in Orphan
Orphan (film)
Orphan is a 2009 psychological thriller directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, starring Isabelle Fuhrman, Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard. The film centers on a couple who, after the death of their unborn child, adopt a mysterious 9-year old girl...
in 2009.
Her latest film appearance was in the 2011 thriller/action movie Source Code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
, as Capt. Colleen Goodwin.
Early life
Farmiga, the second of seven children, was born in Clifton, New JerseyClifton, New Jersey
Clifton is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 84,136. The 2010 population represented an increase of 5,464 residents from its population of 78,672 in the 2000 Census, making it the state's 11th largest...
. She is the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants Mykhailo, a computer-systems analyst, and Luba Farmiga, a schoolteacher. Farmiga was raised in an "insular" Ukrainian American community, with Ukrainian as her native language. She attended a Ukrainian
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church , Ukrainska Hreko-Katolytska Tserkva), is the largest Eastern Rite Catholic sui juris particular church in full communion with the Holy See, and is directly subject to the Pope...
Catholic school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
in Newark and toured with a Ukrainian folk-dancing ensemble
Ukrainian dance
Ukrainian dance refers to the traditional folk dances of the peoples of Ukraine.Today, Ukrainian dance is primarily represented by what ethnographers, folklorists and dance historians refer to as "Ukrainian Folk-Stage Dances" , which are stylized representations of traditional dances and their...
, Syzokryli. As a girl, she converted with her family from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
. In 1991, Farmiga graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School
Hunterdon Central Regional High School
Hunterdon Central Regional High School is a comprehensive, regional, four-year public high school, and school district that serves students from five municipalities in east central Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States...
.
1996–2001
Although she originally intended to become an ophthalmologist, Farmiga attended Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
's School of Visual and Performing Arts. She made her Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in 1996 as an understudy in the play Taking Sides
Taking Sides (play)
Taking Sides is a 1995 play by British playwright Ronald Harwood, about the post-War U.S. denazification investigation of the German conductor and composer Wilhelm Furtwängler on charges of having served the Nazi regime. Harwood drew inter alia on a detailed diary kept by Furtwängler of his...
. The same year, she starred as Miranda in the American Conservatory Theater
American Conservatory Theater
American Conservatory Theater is a large non-profit theater company in San Francisco, California, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. A.C.T. was founded in 1965 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Carnegie Tech by theatre and...
production of The Tempest. She also performed in several productions as a member of The Barrow Group
The Barrow Group
The Barrow Group is a non-profit Off-Broadway Theatre Company, Acting School and Arts Center located in New York City. It was founded in 1986 by Lee Brock and Seth Barrish. The organization has received awards for its productions including a Drama Desk Award, a Lucille Lortel Awards, an OBIE...
, a prestigious New York City Theatre Company, where her credits include The Seagull and Good. Following her theater debut, she played a role in the television series Roar, which was filmed in Australia, alongside Heath Ledger
Heath Ledger
Heath Andrew Ledger was an Australian television and film actor. After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his film career...
. Farmiga said that the series "wanted to be Braveheart
Braveheart
Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical drama war film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. The film was written for the screen and then novelized by Randall Wallace...
but turned out more Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess is an American–New Zealand supernatural fantasy adventure series that aired in syndication from September 4, 1995 until June 18, 2001....
." Throughout the late 1990s, she continued appearing in stage, television and film roles, including a supporting role as Kerrie in the 1998 film Return to Paradise, a drama thriller about two friends struggling to save another friend from an impending death sentence. Farmiga co-appeared with Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
, Anne Heche
Anne Heche
Anne Celeste Heche is an American actress, director, and screenwriter. She started her career on the daytime soap opera Another World, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1991. Heche gradually landed supporting roles in feature films, and in 1997 appeared in I Know What You Did Last Summer,...
and Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix , formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later...
.
In 2000, the romantic comedy-drama Autumn in New York
Autumn in New York (film)
Autumn in New York is a 2000 romantic drama film directed by Joan Chen and starring Richard Gere, Winona Ryder, and Anthony LaPaglia.The movie focuses on Will Keane who falls in love with Charlotte Fielding , a sweet, but terminally ill young woman.-Plot:Will Keane, a 48-year old restaurant owner,...
– in which Farmiga had a small role – was released. The film is about a man who falls in love with a beautiful young woman, who is terminally ill. Autumn in New York afforded her the chance to work with actors Richard Gere
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
and Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1986 film Lucas. Ryder's first significant role came in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice as a goth teenager, which won her critical and commercial recognition...
. Later, Farmiga had a major supporting role in the crime-thriller 15 Minutes
15 Minutes
15 Minutes is a 2001 film starring Robert De Niro , Edward Burns and Karel Roden. It is about a homicide detective and a fire marshal who must stop a couple of Eastern European murderers from videotaping their killing and becoming sensationalized by the media. Melina Kanakaredes and Kelsey Grammer,...
(2001), starring Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
. She starred in the Macedonian film Dust, opposite Joseph Fiennes
Joseph Fiennes
Joseph Fiennes is an English film and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayals of William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love, Sir Robert Dudley in Elizabeth, Commisar Danilov in Enemy at the Gates, Martin Luther in Luther, Merlin in Camelot, and his portrayal of Mark Benford in the...
. The film opened at the 2001 Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
. That same year, she portrayed the character of Josephine in Snow White: The Fairest of Them All, a made-for-television film. In 2001, Farmiga joined the cast of the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
action-thriller television series UC: Undercover
UC: Undercover
UC: Undercover is an action-thriller television series that focuses on the secret lives and private demons of an elite Justice Department crime-fighting unit that confronts the country’s deadliest, most untouchable lawbreakers by going undercover to bust them. The series was broadcast from 2001 to...
. The show, however, was canceled in early 2002.
2002–2008
Farmiga had her first starring role in the 2002 romantic drama film Love in the Time of Money. The film received a limited theatrical release. The following year, she appeared alongside Milla JovovichMilla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
and Adrien Brody
Adrien Brody
Adrien Brody is an American actor and film producer. He received widespread recognition and acclaim after starring in Roman Polanski's The Pianist . Winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2003 at age 29, he is the youngest actor to do so...
in the romantic comedy Dummy
Dummy (film)
Dummy is a 2002 comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Pritikin. It stars Adrien Brody, Milla Jovovich, Illeana Douglas, Vera Farmiga and Jared Harris. It was released to home media by Lionsgate Home Entertainment on February 17, 2004....
(2003), which had also a limited release. In 2004, Farmiga released the independent
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
drama film Down to the Bone
Down to the Bone (film)
Down to the Bone is a 2005 independent film drama, starring Vera Farmiga, who received a "Best Actress" award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for the role...
. The film took place mainly in upstate New York and was filmed in digital video. Her performance as the character of Irene earned her several awards nominations, including the "Best Actress" award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association was founded in 1975. Its main purpose is to present yearly awards to members of the film industry who have excelled in their fields. These awards are presented each January...
and the "Best Female Lead" award from the Independent Spirit Awards
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
. Farmiga also portrayed a supporting role in the 2004 thriller remake The Manchurian Candidate
The Manchurian Candidate (2004 film)
The Manchurian Candidate is a 2004 American thriller film based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Richard Condon, and a reimagining of the previous 1962 film....
. Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
and Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film.Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with...
co-starred in the film. The Manchurian Candidate was well received by critics and was a big success at the worldwide box offce, grossing over $96 million. In 2005, at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
, opened fantasy feature Neverwas
Neverwas
Neverwas is a 2005 English film written and directed by Joshua Michael Stern, starring Ian McKellen, Aaron Eckhart, Brittany Murphy and Nick Nolte.It was first shown at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival...
, in which she played Eleanna.
Rather than attending auditions for films in which she is interested, Farmiga makes short films which she submits for casting. "To fade in and fade out, have intimacy with the mikes, the lighting, and have the luxury of takes – you could make yourself as ugly or as beautiful as you wanted." One of these audition films led to Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
inviting her for what she calls "a chemistry read" with Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
, which led to her role as a police psychiatrist in The Departed. Later she was nominated for an Empire Award and shared with the other The Departed members cast the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture nomination. In 2007, Farmiga landed the lead role in the American/Korean drama Never Forever
Never Forever
Never Forever is a 2007 US/Korean movie written and directed by Gina Kim, released worldwide in December 2007...
, about a New York woman arranging to pay an illegal immigrant from Korea to have sex with her, so that she might get pregnant and save her marriage. Her performance was praised by critic G. Allen Johnson who described her as "...the best American actress you've never heard of."
Farmiga starred with Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell is an American actor known for his leading roles in Lawn Dogs, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Choke and Moon, as well as for his supporting roles in The Green Mile, Iron Man 2, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Frost/Nixon, Galaxy Quest, Matchstick Men, The Assassination of...
in the 2007 psychological horror Joshua
Joshua (2007 film)
Joshua is a 2007 American psychological horror/thriller film about an affluent young Manhattan family and how they are torn apart by the increasingly sadistic behavior of their disturbed son, Joshua. The film was directed by George Ratliff and stars Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga and Jacob Kogan...
. Later, she appeared in the 2008 drama film Quid Pro Quo
Quid Pro Quo
Quid Pro Quo is a film written and directed by Carlos Brooks, starring Nick Stahl, Vera Farmiga, Pablo Schreiber, and Kate Burton. The film was released at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and scheduled for release on 13 June 2008....
, appearing as Fiona. The film premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
and received favorable reviews; David Edelstein of New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine stated that Farmiga "is – as usual – scarily good. Her madness isn’t something out of the ether. She’s always visibly calculating, thinking better of something reckless she’s about to do – then doing it anyway."
Farmiga appeared in the British drama The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008), as the wife of a Nazi commandant, played by David Thewlis
David Thewlis
David Thewlis is an English actor of stage and screen. His most commercially successful role to date has been that of Remus Lupin, in the Harry Potter film series...
. The films tells a friendly relationship between two eight-year-old boys, one the son of the camp's Nazi commandant, the other a Jewish inmate. She won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress
British Independent Film Awards 2008
The 11th British Independent Film Awards, held on 30 November 2008 at the Old Billingsgate Market in London, honoured the best British independent films of 2008.-Best British Independent Film:* Slumdog Millionaire* Hunger* In Bruges...
for her role in the film. That year, Farmiga played the role of Erica Van Doren in the political thriller Nothing But the Truth
Nothing But the Truth (2008 film)
Nothing but the Truth is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Rod Lurie. According to comments made by Lurie in The Truth Hurts, a bonus feature on the DVD release, his inspiration for the screenplay was the case of journalist Judith Miller, who in July 2005 was jailed for contempt of...
, which was starring Matt Dillon
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
and Kate Beckinsale
Kate Beckinsale
Kathryn Bailey "Kate" Beckinsale is an English actress. After some minor television roles, she made her film debut in Much Ado About Nothing while still a student at Oxford University...
. Her role earned her a nomination for the Best Supporting Actress award at the 2009 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
The Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, commonly called the Critics' Choice Awards, are bestowed annually by the Broadcast Film Critics Association to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Nominees are selected by written ballots in a week-long voting period, and are announced in...
.
2009–present
Farmiga next appeared in Jaume Collet-SerraJaume Collet-Serra
Jaume Collet-Serra is a Spanish film director and producer.Collet-Serra is most famous for the 2005 remake House of Wax, and 2009's Orphan...
's horror-thriller film Orphan
Orphan (film)
Orphan is a 2009 psychological thriller directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, starring Isabelle Fuhrman, Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard. The film centers on a couple who, after the death of their unborn child, adopt a mysterious 9-year old girl...
. In the film, she with Peter Sarsgaard
Peter Sarsgaard
John Peter Sarsgaard is an American film and stage actor. He landed his first feature role in the movie Dead Man Walking in 1995. He then appeared in the 1998 independent films Another Day in Paradise and Desert Blue. That same year, Sarsgaard received a substantial role in The Man in the Iron...
, portrayed a couple who, after the death of their unborn child, adopt a mysterious 9-year old girl. The film was released theatrically in the United States on July 24, 2009. Orphan received mixed or average reviews and grossed $76,699,632 worldwide. Toby Young of Times wrote that Farmiga "becomes more convincing as the story unfolds. By the end, she has you in the palm of her hand."
Farmiga starred opposite George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
, Anna Kendrick
Anna Kendrick
Anna Kendrick is an American film and stage actress best known for the role of Natalie Keener in the 2009 film Up in the Air. Her other work includes the films Camp , Rocket Science , Scott Pilgrim vs. the World , 50/50 , and the Broadway musical High Society...
, and Melanie Lynskey
Melanie Lynskey
Melanie Jayne Lynskey is a New Zealand actress best known for playing Charlie Harper's neighbor/stalker Rose on Two and a Half Men, and a range of characters in films such as Win Win, Up in the Air, The Informant!, Away We Go, Flags of Our Fathers, Shattered Glass, Sweet Home Alabama, Ever After...
in the 2009 comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
Up in the Air
Up in the Air (film)
Up in the Air is a 2009 American comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and co-written by Reitman and Sheldon Turner. It is a film adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name, written by Walter Kirn. The story is about a corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham and his travels...
(2009), which was initially given limited release, and then wide-released on December 25, 2009. In an interview with NJ.com, Farmiga explained her character: "She doesn’t temper her desires at all. She makes clear her needs and expects to have the world accommodate them. It’s not a character we often see on-screen, and when we do, more often than not she’s bereft of dignity. So that was cool." Up in the Air received universal acclaim and was one of Farmiga's biggest box office successes, with a worldwide $163,227,071 gross. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
praised her, saying: "Farmiga is one of the warmest and most attractive women in the movies, or at least she plays one." In 2010, she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
and a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture as well as many other nominations.
On June 25, 2010, she was inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
. Farmiga started filming the surrealist romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
Henry's Crime
Henry's Crime
Henry's Crime is a 2011 romantic comedy film directed by Malcolm Venville and starring Keanu Reeves, James Caan, Vera Farmiga, and Danny Hoch. The film follows Henry who goes to jail for a robbery he didn't commit. Once released, he plans on robbing the same bank with his former cellmate Max...
with Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
in December 2009, with filming wrapping in early 2010. The film was screened at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival
2010 Toronto International Film Festival
The 35th annual Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 9 and September 19, 2010. The opening night gala presented Score: A Hockey Musical, a Canadian comedy-drama musical film. Last Night closed the festival on September 19.2010 TIFF included...
on September 14. Farmiga played Colleen Goodwin in the techno-thriller Source Code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
, which was released on April 1, 2011, by Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment LLC is an independent film studio headquartered in Santa Monica, California with international offices in London.-History:...
. She has her directorial debut in the 2011 film Higher Ground
Higher Ground (film)
Higher Ground is a 2011 American drama film starring Vera Farmiga. The film is also Farmiga's directorial debut.-Plot:Pregnant, married, and awkward at eighteen years old, Corinne Briggs grows more and more interested in Jesus, eventually giving herself over to a radical New Testament church...
, in which she also stars. In January 2011, Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported that she would play Beatrice in a feature adaptation of the Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
play A View from the Bridge
A View from the Bridge
A View from the Bridge is a play by American playwright Arthur Miller that was first staged on September 29, 1955 as a one-act verse drama with A Memory of Two Mondays at the Coronet Theatre on Broadway. The play was unsuccessful and Miller subsequently revised the play to contain two acts; this...
; the film is scheduled to begin shooting in June in New York and Melbourne.
Personal life
Farmiga met French actor Sebastian RochéSebastian Roché
- Early life :Roché was born in Paris, France, on August 4, 1964; he is of Scottish and French ancestry. He is also fluent in four languages: English, French, Spanish and Italian. On General Hospital, he spoke in Russian, Spanish and French, and on the pilot episode of Odyssey 5, he spoke in French...
while filming Roar. The two eloped to the Bahamas after the series' end in 1997. The marriage ended in 2004.
Farmiga married Renn Hawkey
Renn Hawkey
Renn Macdonnel Hawkey , also known by the stage name Dr. Nner, was the synthesizer player for the band Deadsy. He was the third member to join after frontman Elijah Blue Allman sent him a Juno-106 synth and a demo tape made by Allman and drummer Alec Puro...
in September 2008. Hawkey, a carpenter, is the former keyboardist for a synthpop band named Deadsy
Deadsy
Deadsy is an American synth rock band from California. The band is known for its visual iconography and signature characteristics assigned to each band member. Each musician is identified by a specific color, stage name, and graphic tied into the band's theatrical nature. The band has released...
. They have a son named Fynn, born on January 15, 2009. On November 4, 2010, Farmiga gave birth to daughter Gytta Lubov Hawkey.
Her sister is actress Taissa Farmiga
Taissa Farmiga
Taissa Farmiga is an American actress, best known for her roles in the FX TV series American Horror Story and the film Higher Ground. She is the younger sister of Oscar nominated actress Vera Farmiga....
who plays Violet Harmon in FX's horror-drama series, American Horror Story
American Horror Story
American Horror Story is a horror-drama television series created and produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. The series centers on the Harmon family: Ben, Vivien and their daughter Violet, who move from Boston to Los Angeles after Vivien has a miscarriage and Ben has an affair...
.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Return to Paradise | Kerrie | |
| 2000 | Autumn in New York Autumn in New York (film) Autumn in New York is a 2000 romantic drama film directed by Joan Chen and starring Richard Gere, Winona Ryder, and Anthony LaPaglia.The movie focuses on Will Keane who falls in love with Charlotte Fielding , a sweet, but terminally ill young woman.-Plot:Will Keane, a 48-year old restaurant owner,... |
Lisa Tyler | |
| 2001 | 15 Minutes 15 Minutes 15 Minutes is a 2001 film starring Robert De Niro , Edward Burns and Karel Roden. It is about a homicide detective and a fire marshal who must stop a couple of Eastern European murderers from videotaping their killing and becoming sensationalized by the media. Melina Kanakaredes and Kelsey Grammer,... |
Daphne Handlova | |
| 2001 | Dust | Amy | |
| 2001 | Snow White: The Fairest of Them All | Josephine | |
| 2002 | Love in the Time of Money | Greta | Limited release |
| 2003 | Dummy Dummy (film) Dummy is a 2002 comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Pritikin. It stars Adrien Brody, Milla Jovovich, Illeana Douglas, Vera Farmiga and Jared Harris. It was released to home media by Lionsgate Home Entertainment on February 17, 2004.... |
Lorena | |
| 2004 | Touching Evil | Det. Susan Branca | |
| 2004 | Down to the Bone Down to the Bone (film) Down to the Bone is a 2005 independent film drama, starring Vera Farmiga, who received a "Best Actress" award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for the role... |
Irene | Marrakech Marrakech Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history... International Film Festival Award for Best Actress Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress The Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress is one of the annual awards given by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-References:... Special Jury Prize Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new... of the Sundance Film Festival Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead The Film Independent's Spirit Award for Best Female Lead is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... |
| 2004 | Iron Jawed Angels Iron Jawed Angels Iron Jawed Angels is a 2004 American drama film. It was directed by Katja von Garnier and starred Hilary Swank, Frances O'Connor, Julia Ormond, and Anjelica Huston. It focuses on the American women's suffrage movement during the 1910s. The film received acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival... |
Ruza Wenclawska | Television film |
| 2004 | Mind the Gap Mind The Gap (2004 film) Mind The Gap is a multi-story 2004 film written & directed by Eric Schaeffer.The film moves back and forth between five separate stories that touch on each other by the end of the film.... |
Allison Lee | |
| 2004 | Jocelyne Jordan | ||
| 2005 | Dr. Charlie Brooks | ||
| 2005 | Neverwas Neverwas Neverwas is a 2005 English film written and directed by Joshua Michael Stern, starring Ian McKellen, Aaron Eckhart, Brittany Murphy and Nick Nolte.It was first shown at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival... |
Eleanna | |
| 2006 | Running Scared Running Scared (2006 film) Running Scared is a 2006 crime film written and directed by Wayne Kramer and released by New Line Cinema. The film stars Paul Walker, Cameron Bright, Vera Farmiga, Chazz Palminteri, Alex Neuberger and Johnny Messner. It was released in the United States on February 24, 2006... |
Teresa Gazelle | |
| 2006 | Breaking and Entering Breaking and Entering (film) Gabriel Yared and Underworld collaborated on the film's original music score.-External links:* at TIFF, by Andrea Miller /CANOE Live... |
Oana | |
| 2006 | Madolyn Madden | National Board of Review Award National Board of Review Awards 2006 The 78th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in film for 2006, were given on 6 December 2006.-Top 10 films:#Letters from Iwo Jima #Babel#Blood Diamond#The Departed... for Best Ensemble Nominated — Empire Award for Best Newcomer Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
|
| 2007 | Joshua Joshua (film) Joshua is a 2007 American psychological horror/thriller film about an affluent young Manhattan family and how they are torn apart by the increasingly sadistic behavior of their disturbed son, Joshua. The film was directed by George Ratliff and stars Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga and Jacob Kogan... |
Abby Cairn | |
| 2007 | Never Forever Never Forever Never Forever is a 2007 US/Korean movie written and directed by Gina Kim, released worldwide in December 2007... |
Sophie Lee | |
| 2007 | In Tranzit | Natalia | |
| 2008 | Quid Pro Quo Quid Pro Quo Quid Pro Quo is a film written and directed by Carlos Brooks, starring Nick Stahl, Vera Farmiga, Pablo Schreiber, and Kate Burton. The film was released at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and scheduled for release on 13 June 2008.... |
Fiona | |
| 2008 | Elsa (Mother) | British Independent Film Award British Independent Film Awards 2008 The 11th British Independent Film Awards, held on 30 November 2008 at the Old Billingsgate Market in London, honoured the best British independent films of 2008.-Best British Independent Film:* Slumdog Millionaire* Hunger* In Bruges... for Best Actress |
|
| 2008 | Nothing But the Truth Nothing But the Truth (2008 film) Nothing but the Truth is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Rod Lurie. According to comments made by Lurie in The Truth Hurts, a bonus feature on the DVD release, his inspiration for the screenplay was the case of journalist Judith Miller, who in July 2005 was jailed for contempt of... |
Erica Van Doren | Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 2009 | Baroness Aurora | Best International Actress in a New Zealand Film - New Zealand Film and TV Awards New Zealand Film and TV Awards The New Zealand Film and TV Awards were awarded in New Zealand from 1986 through 2003, and were supplanted by the New Zealand Film Awards.-Film Awards:In 2003 film awards were given in the following categories:*Best Film*Best Actor*Best Actress... |
|
| 2009 | Orphan Orphan (film) Orphan is a 2009 psychological thriller directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, starring Isabelle Fuhrman, Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard. The film centers on a couple who, after the death of their unborn child, adopt a mysterious 9-year old girl... |
Kate Coleman | |
| 2009 | Up in the Air Up in the Air (film) Up in the Air is a 2009 American comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and co-written by Reitman and Sheldon Turner. It is a film adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name, written by Walter Kirn. The story is about a corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham and his travels... |
Alex Goran | International Cinephile Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress The winners of the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress are listed below.- 2000s :- 2010s :... Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the... Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Best Actress in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding supporting performance in a film... Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Chicago Film Critics Association The Chicago Film Critics Association is an American film critic association.-Members:Current members include:*Sarah Knight Adamson*Zbigniew Banas*Shelley Cameron*Dave Canfield*Vittorio Carli*Erik Childress*Camerin Courtney*Bonnie DeShong... Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Denver Film Critics Society Denver Film Critics Society The Denver Film Critics Society is an organization of film critics based in Denver, Colorado. -2009 Winners and Nominees:Best Film*The Hurt Locker**A Serious Man**Star Trek**Up in the AirBest Director... Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Denver Film Critics Society Denver Film Critics Society The Denver Film Critics Society is an organization of film critics based in Denver, Colorado. -2009 Winners and Nominees:Best Film*The Hurt Locker**A Serious Man**Star Trek**Up in the AirBest Director... Award for Best Acting Ensemble Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Online Film Critics Society The Online Film Critics Society is a professional association for film critics who publish their reviews, interviews, and essays on the Internet.The OFCS was founded in 1997... Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association is a group of film critics based out of Washington, D.C., United States that was founded in 2003. WAFCA is composed of 34 DC-based film critics from television, radio, print and the internet... Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association is a group of film critics based out of Washington, D.C., United States that was founded in 2003. WAFCA is composed of 34 DC-based film critics from television, radio, print and the internet... Award for Best Ensemble Cast |
| 2010 | Henry's Crime Henry's Crime Henry's Crime is a 2011 romantic comedy film directed by Malcolm Venville and starring Keanu Reeves, James Caan, Vera Farmiga, and Danny Hoch. The film follows Henry who goes to jail for a robbery he didn't commit. Once released, he plans on robbing the same bank with his former cellmate Max... |
Julie | |
| 2011 | Source Code Source code In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source... |
Capt. Colleen Goodwin | |
| 2011 | Higher Ground Higher Ground (film) Higher Ground is a 2011 American drama film starring Vera Farmiga. The film is also Farmiga's directorial debut.-Plot:Pregnant, married, and awkward at eighteen years old, Corinne Briggs grows more and more interested in Jesus, eventually giving herself over to a radical New Testament church... |
Director and star, Corinne | Premiere at Sundance Film Festival Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new... |
| 2011 | Beatrice | ||
| 2012 | Safe House Safe House (2012 film) Safe House is an upcoming action thriller film directed by Daniel Espinosa, starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. It is set for release on February 10, 2012 in North America by Universal Pictures. Filming took place in Cape Town, South Africa... |