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Anna Paquin

With her work in films and theater, Academy Award winning actress Anna Paquin has displayed a range of emotions and a wealth of talent well beyond her years.

Anna will next star in the upcoming HBO drama, True Blood, which marks her first foray into series television. True Blood is based on the Southern Vampire book series by Charlaine Harris, and is set to debut on HBO this September 2008.

Anna recently received an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Elaine Goodale Eastman in HBO's original movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, opposite Adam Beach and Aidan Quinn. Directed by Yves Simoneau and produced by Dick Wolf, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee , the film received a record 17 nominations.

In 2006, Paquin produced Blue State with her brother Andrew Paquin, under their banner Paquin Films. Blue State is a political romantic comedy about a Democratic campaigner played by Breckin Meyer, who follows through on his promise to move to Canada if George Dubya Bush is re-elected. Lured by an organization in Winnipeg that promises to help disgruntled Americans get settled in Canada, Meyer heads to Canada with his traveling partner, played by Anna Paquin. This is the first collaboration between Anna Paquin and her brother. Blue State premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.

Next year she will be seen in Michael Dougherty's Trick ‘r Treat, a thriller about four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween. Produced by Bryan Singer, Warner Bros. will release the film in the fall of 2008.

Paquin has also finished production on Kenneth Lonnergan's Margaret, as the lead, opposite Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo and Matthew Broderick. Paquin plays Lisa, a girl who witnesses a bus accident, and is caught up in the aftermath. Margaret is produced by Scott Rudin and Sydney Pollack and executive produced by Anthony Minghella and Dan Halsted. Fox Searchlight is set to release the film.

In 2006, she reprised her role as Rogue in Brett Ratner's X-Men 3. 20th Century Fox released the film worldwide on May 26th 2006; the film grossed over 130 million dollars opening weekend.

Additional film credits include Noah Baumbach's The Squid and The Whale (winning Best Ensemble Cast at the 2005 IFP Gotham Awards), X-Men 2?, Spike Lee's 25th Hour" opposite Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Rosario Dawson, Buffalo Soldiers opposite Joaquin Pheonix and Ed Harris, Gus Van Sant's Finding Forester with F. Murray Abraham and Sean Connery for Columbia Pictures, and Cameron Crowe's Academy Award winning Almost Famous., X-Men for director Bryan Singer, Hurlyburly Robert Iscove's She's All That ; A Walk on the Moon" for Dustin Hoffman's Punch Productions; Keith Stern's All the Rage; Steven Spielberg's Amistad; Carroll Ballard's Fly Away Home with Jeff Daniels and Franco Zeffirelli's Jane Eyre.

On stage Paquin received a Drama Desk nomination as Best Lead Actress for her stage debut in Rebecca Gilman's The Glory of Living for director Phillip Seymour Hoffman at New York's MCC Theater. She followed that critically acclaimed performance with the first West End production of Kenneth Lonergan's This is Our Youth co-staring Jake Gyllenhaal and Hayden Christensen in London. Other stage credits include After Ashley directed by Terry Kinney at The Vineyard Theatre and Neil Labute's dark drama The Distance from Here (Drama Desk Award for Best Play and won for Best Cast Ensemble).

Paquin stunned the world in 1993 with her film debut as the daughter of the bride of an arranged marriage in Jane Campion's The Piano. Paquin's performance opposite cast members Holly Hunter (who won the Academy Award for Best Actress), Sam Neill, and Harvey Keitel led to her winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the age of 11 years old.

Paquin spends her time between Los Angeles and New York.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2009.
Read earlier biographies on this page.

Anna Paquin Facts

Birth NameAnna Helene Paquin
OccupationActress
BirthdayJuly 24, 1982 (41)
SignLeo
BirthplaceWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Height5' 5" (1m65)  How tall is Anna Paquin compared to you?
Awards2009 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actress In A Television Series - Drama (for True Blood)
1994 Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress (for The Piano)

Selected Filmography

True Blood (2008) tv as Sookie Stackhouse
Blue State (2007) as Chloe
X-Men 3 (2006) as Rogue
Steamboy (2005) as James Ray Steam (voice)
X2 (2003) as Rogue
Darkness (2002) user recommendation as Regina (breakthrough)
The 25th Hour (2002) as Mary D'Annunzio
Almost Famous (2000) as Polexia Aphrodisia
Finding Forrester (2000) as Claire Spence
X-Men (2000) as Rogue
A Walk on the Moon (1999) as Alison
She's All That (1999) as Mackenzie
Amistad (1997) as Queen Isabella
Fly Away Home (1996) as Amy Alden
The Piano (1993) as Flora McGrath
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