Anna Faris facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anna Faris
Faris in 2023
Born	Anna Kay Faris (1976-11-29) November 29, 1976 (age 49) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Education	University of Washington (BA)
Occupation	Actress comedian podcaster author
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	Ben Indra ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2008)​ Chris Pratt ​ ​ (m. 2009; div. 2018)​ Michael Barrett ​ (m. 2021)​
Children	1

Anna Kay Faris (born November 29, 1976) is a talented American actress and comedian. She became well-known for her funny roles, especially as Cindy Campbell in the Scary Movie films. Her movies where she played a main character have earned over $1.5 billion around the world!

Anna Faris has also appeared in many other popular films. These include Lost in Translation (2003), Brokeback Mountain (2005), The House Bunny (2008), and Overboard (2018). She has also lent her voice to animated movies like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Alvin and the Chipmunks.

On television, Faris played Erica in the final season of the sitcom Friends (2004). She also had a lead role as Christy Plunkett in the CBS sitcom Mom from 2013 to 2020. Beyond acting, she created and hosted an advice podcast called Unqualified and wrote a best-selling book with the same name.

Early Life and School Days

Anna Faris was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 29, 1976. Her father, Jack, was a professor who studied how people live in groups (a sociologist). Her mother, Karen, was a teacher who helped students with special needs. Her parents were from Seattle, Washington, but lived in Baltimore because her dad had a job at Towson University. When Anna was six, her family moved to Edmonds, Washington. Her father later worked at the University of Washington, and her mother taught at a local elementary school.

Anna has an older brother named Robert, who is also a professor. Her parents always encouraged her to try acting. When she was six, they enrolled her in a community drama class for kids. She loved watching plays and even created her own shows with friends in her bedroom.

Anna went to Edmonds Woodway High School. During high school, she performed in plays with a theater group in Seattle and in radio shows that were broadcast across the country. She graduated in 1994. She then attended the University of Washington and earned a degree in English literature in 1999. Even though she loved acting, she didn't originally plan to be a movie star. She acted mostly to earn extra money. After college, she decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting. Soon after, she got the main role in the movie Scary Movie.

Anna Faris's Acting Journey

First Steps in Acting (1986–1999)

Anna's parents encouraged her to act from a young age. Her first professional acting job was at nine years old in a play called Danger: Memory! in Seattle. She earned $250, which felt like a lot of money to her back then! She also played famous characters like Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird and Heidi in other theater productions.

While in high school, Anna appeared in a TV commercial for frozen yogurt and a training video for a restaurant. In 1996, while in college, she was part of an interactive video for Microsoft's MSN service. Her first big movie role after college was in the independent film Lovers Lane (1999), where she played a cheerleader.

Becoming a Star with Scary Movie (2000–2006)

Anna Faris became widely known in 2000 when she starred in the funny horror movie Scary Movie. She played Cindy Campbell, a character who made fun of famous horror movie roles. This was her first main role, and she learned a lot from it. Scary Movie was a huge success, earning $278 million worldwide. Anna was nominated for awards for her performance. She played Cindy Campbell again in Scary Movie 2 (2001).

In 2002, she appeared in the independent thriller May. In 2003, Anna was cast in Sofia Coppola's drama Lost in Translation alongside Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. She played a lively actress, and critics praised her performance. This movie helped more people see her talent. She returned as Cindy Campbell in Scary Movie 3 that same year.

In 2004, Anna had a recurring role as Erica in the final season of the TV show Friends. Her character was the birth mother of the twin babies adopted by Chandler and Monica. She also had a small part in the drama Brokeback Mountain (2005), which earned her and her co-stars a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Anna starred in the comedies Waiting... and Just Friends in 2005, both with Ryan Reynolds. In Just Friends, she played Samantha James, a pop singer. This role earned her nominations for an MTV Movie Award and two Teen Choice Awards. She played Cindy Campbell for the fourth time in Scary Movie 4 (2006). That year, she also appeared in the romantic comedy My Super Ex-Girlfriend.

More Funny Roles (2007–2012)

Anna Faris in January 2007

In the independent comedy Smiley Face (2007), Anna played Jane F., a young woman who has many funny adventures after accidentally eating some special treats. Critics really liked her performance in this movie. She also appeared in the comedy Mama's Boy.

Anna then produced and starred in The House Bunny (2008). She played Shelley, a character who used to live in a famous mansion and then became a mentor for a university sorority. The movie was a commercial success, and critics praised Anna's acting.

Her 2009 movie, Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel, was a British science fiction-comedy. She also co-starred with Seth Rogen in the comedy Observe and Report, playing a cosmetic counter employee. Anna also lent her voice to the animated movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and played Jeanette Miller in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. Both animated films were very successful.

Anna Faris at a movie screening in 2009

In 2010, Anna starred in the animated live-action film Yogi Bear as a nature documentary filmmaker. The movie earned $201 million worldwide. Her next film was the comedy Take Me Home Tonight (2011), which earned her a Teen Choice Award nomination. She also starred in and was an executive producer for What's Your Number? (2011), where she played a woman looking back at her past relationships. She voiced Jeanette Miller again in Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011).

In 2012, Anna played a human rights activist in the political comedy The Dictator, co-starring Sacha Baron Cohen. Critics enjoyed her role, and the movie was a box office hit, making $179 million globally. Anna received the Star of the Year Award from the National Association of Theatre Owners.

Mom and Unqualified (2013–2017)

Anna Faris at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con

In 2013, Anna appeared in a segment of the independent comedy Movie 43. She also starred in the British romantic comedy I Give It a Year.

Anna got the main role in the CBS sitcom Mom, which started in September 2013. She played Christy, a single mom trying to improve her life in Napa Valley. This was her first full-time role on television. The show became very popular and received good reviews. Critics called her "the most talented comic actress of her generation." She was nominated for several awards for her role. Anna left the show after seven seasons in 2020.

She returned to her voice role in the animated sequel Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013), which was also a big success. In 2014, she had a small, uncredited appearance in the action-comedy 22 Jump Street.

In 2015, Anna and her Mom co-star Allison Janney hosted the 41st People's Choice Awards. In November of that year, Anna started her podcast called Unqualified. In this podcast, she interviews celebrities and talks to listeners who call in for advice, especially about relationships. She was inspired to create the podcast because she loves talking about relationships.

Anna voiced Jeanette Miller again in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2015). In 2016, she had a brief cameo in the action-comedy Keanu. She also voiced one of the main characters, Jailbreak, in the animated comedy The Emoji Movie (2017).

In October 2017, Anna published her first book, also called Unqualified. This memoir became a best-seller and received positive reviews. It shared insights about her life and career.

Recent Work (2018–Present)

In 2018, Anna starred in Overboard, a remake of an older film. She played a single working mother who convinces a wealthy man with amnesia that they are married. The movie was a commercial success, earning over $91.2 million worldwide.

Anna also starred with Toni Collette in The Estate (2022), a comedy about two sisters trying to inherit money from their aunt. In 2024, she had a supporting role in My Spy: The Eternal City.

It was announced that Anna Faris returned to her role as Cindy Campbell in the sixth Scary Movie film. The movie filmed in October 2025 and is set to release on June 5, 2026. Her upcoming projects include the film I, Object and the comedy feature Spa Weekend.

Anna Faris's Personal Life

Anna Faris with then-husband Chris Pratt at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival

Anna Faris started dating actor Ben Indra after they met while working on the film Lovers Lane in 1999. They married in June 2004 but later divorced in 2008.

Anna met actor Chris Pratt in early 2007 during a reading for the film Take Me Home Tonight. They started dating, got engaged in 2008, and married on July 9, 2009, in a small ceremony in Bali, Indonesia. They have a son named Jack, who was born in 2012 a bit early and needed special care at first. The family lived in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles. On August 6, 2017, the couple announced their separation, and their divorce was finalized in October 2018.

In September 2017, Anna reportedly began dating cinematographer Michael Barrett, whom she met while working on the film Overboard. She confirmed their engagement in February 2020 and later shared in 2021 that they had married in a courthouse ceremony in Washington State.

In November 2019, Anna and her guests experienced a health scare due to a problem with the air in their rental cottage in Lake Tahoe. In January 2025, Anna lost her home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles due to a fire.

Giving Back to the Community

In 2015, Anna Faris and her then-husband donated $1 million to a charity that provided eyeglasses to children who needed them. This donation was inspired by her son, who was born early and had some vision challenges. She also donated to the special care unit for newborns at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She supports March of Dimes, an organization that works to prevent premature births and birth defects.

In 2017, Anna Faris, Allison Janney, and Chuck Lorre made a combined $250,000 donation to support women's health services. Since 2021, Anna has supported the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS). She helps promote their fundraisers on her social media and through her podcast.

Filmography

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	Eden	Dithy
2000	Lovers Lane	Jannelle Bay
2000	Scary Movie	Cindy Campbell
2001	Scary Movie 2
2002	May	Polly
2003	Winter Break	Justine
	Lost in Translation	Kelly
	Scary Movie 3	Cindy Campbell
2005	Southern Belles	Belle Scott
	Waiting...	Serena
	Brokeback Mountain	Lashawn Malone
	Just Friends	Samantha James
2006	Scary Movie 4	Cindy Campbell
	My Super Ex-Girlfriend	Hannah Lewis
	Guilty Hearts	Jane Conelly
2007	Smiley Face	Jane F.
	Mama's Boy	Nora Flanagan
2008	House Bunny, TheThe House Bunny	Shelley Darlington	Also producer
	The Spleenectomy	Danielle / Dr. Fields	Short film
2009	Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel	Cassie
	Observe and Report	Brandi
	Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs	Sam Sparks	Voice
	Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel	Jeanette Miller
2010	Yogi Bear	Rachel Johnson
2011	Take Me Home Tonight	Wendy Franklin
	What's Your Number?	Ally Darling	Also executive producer
	Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked	Jeanette Miller	Voice
2012	The Dictator	Zoey
2013	Movie 43	Julie
	I Give It a Year	Chloe
	Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2	Sam Sparks	Voice
2014	22 Jump Street	Anna	Cameo
2015	Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip	Jeanette Miller	Voice
2016	Keanu	Herself	Cameo
2017	The Emoji Movie	Jailbreak / Princess Linda	Voice
2018	Overboard	Kate Sullivan
2022	The Estate	Savanna
2024	My Spy: The Eternal City	Nancy
2026	Scary Movie	Cindy Campbell	Post-production
	Spa Weekend	Sophie
	Primetime	TBA
rowspan="2" 0TBA	I, Object	TBA

Television

Podcasts

Soundtrack Appearances

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Anna Faris para niños