Carla Gugino facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carla Gugino
Gugino in 2024
Born	(1971-08-29) August 29, 1971 (age 53) Sarasota, Florida, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1988–present
Partner(s)	Sebastián Gutiérrez (1996–present)
Relatives	Carol Merrill (aunt)

Carla Gugino (born August 29, 1971) is an American actress known for her many roles in movies and television. She has appeared in a wide variety of films, from family adventures to action-packed thrillers.

Gugino became well-known for playing the mom, Ingrid Cortez, in the Spy Kids trilogy (2001–2003). She also starred in popular movies like Night at the Museum (2006), Race to Witch Mountain (2009), and San Andreas (2015). Other major film roles include Sin City (2005), Watchmen (2009), and Gerald's Game (2017).

On television, Gugino has starred in several series. These include the crime drama Karen Sisco (2003) and the science fiction show Threshold (2005–2006). She is also famous for her roles in the horror series The Haunting of Hill House (2018), The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), and The Fall of the House of Usher (2023).

Early life

Carla Gugino was born in Sarasota, Florida, on August 29, 1971. Her father, Carl Gugino, was an orthodontist of Italian heritage. Her mother, Susan, was of English and Irish heritage and had a free-spirited, "Bohemian" lifestyle. Her parents separated when she was two years old.

After the separation, Gugino split her time between two very different homes. She lived with her father in a beautiful house in Sarasota. She also lived with her mother in a tepee and a van in northern California. She said this felt like having "two childhoods."

At her aunt's suggestion, she began taking acting classes. Her aunt was Carol Merrill, a model on the TV show Let's Make a Deal. Gugino also worked as a fashion model as a teenager. With her parents' support, she became legally independent at age 16.

Career

Early Roles

Gugino started her acting career in the late 1980s. She appeared in TV shows like Who's the Boss?, ALF, and The Wonder Years. Her first movie role was in Troop Beverly Hills (1989). In 1993, she starred in the comedy Son in Law. She also appeared in the music video for Bon Jovi's song "Always" in 1994.

In 1996, she joined the cast of the TV show Spin City with Michael J. Fox. She later starred opposite Nicolas Cage in the movie Snake Eyes (1998). From 1999 to 2000, she played Dr. Gina Simon on the medical drama Chicago Hope.

Becoming a Star

In 2001, Gugino played Ingrid Cortez in the hit movie Spy Kids. She returned for the sequels in 2002 and 2003. This role made her famous to families and younger audiences. In the same year, she starred with Jet Li in the action film The One.

She continued to work in television, starring in the crime drama Karen Sisco (2003) and the sci-fi series Threshold (2005). In 2005, she appeared in the movie Sin City. The next year, she played Ben Stiller's love interest in Night at the Museum.

Gugino also performed on stage. She made her Broadway debut in a play called After the Fall.

Gugino at WonderCon in 2015

Recent Work

In 2009, Gugino had a busy year. She starred in the adventure movie Race to Witch Mountain with Dwayne Johnson. She also played the superhero Sally Jupiter in the film Watchmen.

In 2011, she appeared in the fantasy film Sucker Punch and the family comedy Mr. Popper's Penguins. In 2015, she teamed up with Dwayne Johnson again for the disaster movie San Andreas.

Gugino has received praise for her work in horror. She starred in the Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House (2018), The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), and The Fall of the House of Usher (2023). These roles have shown her talent in dramatic and scary stories.

Personal life

Gugino has been in a relationship with director and writer Sebastián Gutiérrez since 1996. They have worked together on several projects. In a 2009 interview, she said they were happy as boyfriend and girlfriend and had no plans to marry.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1989	Troop Beverly Hills	Chica Barnfell
1990	Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael	Young Roxy
1992	Murder Without Motive: The Edmund Perry Story	Allison Connors	Television film
	Private Matter, AA Private Matter	Mary Beth
1993	This Boy's Life	Norma
	Red Hot	Valentina
	Son in Law	Rebecca Warner
1994	Motorcycle Gang	Leann Morris	Television film
1995	Miami Rhapsody	Leslie
1996	Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco	Delilah	Voice
	War at Home, TheThe War at Home	Melissa
	Wedding Bell Blues	Violet
	Michael	Bride
1997	Lovelife	Amy
1998	Jaded	Megan 'Meg' Harris
	Snake Eyes	Julia Costello
	Judas Kiss	Coco Chavez
1999	Bonne Nuit	Carol Reeves	Television film
	Season for Miracles, AA Season for Miracles	Emilie Thompson
2001	Spy Kids	Ingrid Cortez
	The Center of the World	Jerri
	The Jimmy Show	Annie O'Brien
	The One	T.K. / Massie Walsh
	She Creature	Lily	Television film
2002	Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams	Ingrid Cortez
2003	The Singing Detective	Betty Dark / Hooker
	Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over	Ingrid Cortez
2005	The Life Coach	Carla
	Sin City	Lucille
2006	Even Money	Veronica
	Night at the Museum	Rebecca
2007	The Lookout	Janet
	Rise: Blood Hunter	Eve
	American Gangster	Laurie Roberts
2008	Righteous Kill	Karen Corelli
2009	The Unborn	Janet Beldon
	Sparks	Robin	Short film
	Watchmen	Sally Jupiter / Silk Spectre
	Race to Witch Mountain	Dr. Alex Friedman
	The Mighty Macs	Cathy Rush
	Women in Trouble	Elektra Luxx
	Under the Hood	Sally Jupiter / Silk Spectre	Short film
	Apocrypha	Woman
2010	Elektra Luxx	Elektra Luxx / Celia
	Tell-Tale	Femme Fatale	Short film
	Every Day	Robin
	Faster	Cicero
2011	I Melt with You	Officer Boyde
	Girl Walks into a Bar	Francine Driver
	Hide	D.D. Warren	Television film
	Sucker Punch	Dr. Vera Gorski
	Mr. Popper's Penguins	Amanda
	New Year's Eve	Spiritual Dr. Morriset
2012	Hotel Noir	Hanna Click
2013	By Virtue Fall	Actress
	Man of Steel	Kelor	Voice
2014	Match	Lisa Davis
2015	San Andreas	Emma Gaines
2016	Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice	Ship	Voice
	Wolves	Jenny Keller
	Bling	Catherine	Voice
2017	The Space Between Us	Kendra Wyndham
	Gerald's Game	Jessie
2018	Vice President Elizabeth Harvest	Claire
2021	Zack Snyder's Justice League	Ship	Voice
	With/In: Volume 2	Writer	Segment: "20 Questions"
	Gunpowder Milkshake	Madeleine
2024	Orion and the Dark	Orion's Mom	Voice
	Lisa Frankenstein	Janet Swallows
	The Friend	Elaine
2025	Heads of State	Elizabeth Kirk
TBA	Veo Veo A Family	Sandra	Short film; post-production
	The Adventures of Cliff Booth	0TBA	Filming

Television

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Music videos