Claire Danes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Claire Danes
Danes in 2015
Born	Claire Catherine Danes (1979-04-12) April 12, 1979 (age 46) New York City, U.S.
Education	Lycée Français de Los Angeles
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Hugh Dancy ​ (m. 2009)​
Partner(s)	Billy Crudup (2003–2006)
Children	3

Claire Catherine Danes (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress. She has been acting in movies and TV shows since she was a teenager. Claire has won many awards, including three Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2012, Time magazine said she was one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Claire Danes first became well-known for her role in the 1994 TV show My So-Called Life. For this show, she won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award. She also started her film career in 1994 with Little Women. She became even more famous starring in the romantic movie Romeo + Juliet in 1996. Since then, Claire has appeared in many films like The Rainmaker (1997), Brokedown Palace (1999), The Hours (2002), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Shopgirl (2005), and Stardust (2007).

In 2010, Claire played the main character in the HBO movie Temple Grandin. She won an Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for this role. From 2011 to 2020, she starred as Carrie Mathison in the Showtime TV series Homeland. For Homeland, she won two more Primetime Emmy Awards and two more Golden Globe Awards. In 2022, she also starred in the TV series Fleishman Is in Trouble.

Claire Danes's Early Life

Claire Danes was born in Manhattan, New York City, on April 12, 1979. Her mother, Carla Danes, was a sculptor and artist. Her father, Christopher Danes, was a photographer. Claire has an older brother named Asa, who is a lawyer. When Claire was a child, her mother ran a small daycare center from their home. Later, her mother also helped manage Claire's acting career.

The Danes family lived in an artist's loft in New York City. Claire went to P.S. 3 and P.S. 11 for elementary school. She then attended the Professional Performing Arts School for junior high. She also went to the New York City Lab School for Collaborative Studies. Claire studied at The Dalton School for one year of high school. Then, she moved with her parents to Santa Monica, California, for her role in My So-Called Life.

Claire graduated from the Lycée Français de Los Angeles in 1997. In 1998, she started studying at Yale University. She studied psychology for two years. However, she decided to leave college to focus on her acting career.

Her Acting Journey

Starring on TV Shows

In 1993, when she was 13, Claire Danes got her first big acting job. It was for a TV show pilot called Dudley. Later that year, she played a teenage character in an episode of Law & Order. She also appeared in an episode of HBO's Lifestories: Families in Crisis.

Then, she starred as 15-year-old Angela Chase in the TV drama series My So-Called Life. The show started in 1994. Claire won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role. Even though the show only had 19 episodes, it became very popular and still has many fans. In 1995, she was in the Soul Asylum music video for "Just Like Anyone".

In 2010, Claire returned to television in the HBO movie Temple Grandin. This movie was about a real-life autistic animal scientist. Claire won many awards for this role, including an Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. The film was well-liked, and Temple Grandin herself praised Claire's acting.

From 2011 to 2020, Claire Danes starred in the Showtime series Homeland. She played Carrie Mathison, a CIA agent who has bipolar disorder. For her performance in Homeland, she won two Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2012, Time magazine recognized her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

In 2022, Claire played Cora Seaborn in the Apple TV series The Essex Serpent. This show was based on a novel by Sarah Perry.

Movies She's Been In

Claire Danes in Toronto in 2007, promoting her movie Stardust

Claire Danes played Beth March in the 1994 movie Little Women. After My So-Called Life ended, she got many film roles. These included Home for the Holidays (1995) and I Love You, I Love You Not (1996).

Her first main role in a big movie was in 1996. She played Juliet in Romeo + Juliet. The director, Baz Luhrmann, called her "the Meryl Streep of her generation" when she was only 16. Later, it was reported that she turned down the main female role in Titanic.

In 1997, Claire played Kelly Riker in The Rainmaker, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. She also played Jenny in Oliver Stone's movie U Turn.

In 1998, she took on different roles. She played Cosette in Les Misérables. She also played a pregnant teenager in Polish Wedding.

In 1999, she voiced a character named San in the English version of the animated movie Princess Mononoke. That same year, she played Julie Barnes in The Mod Squad. She also starred in Brokedown Palace.

Claire took a break from acting to attend Yale University. She had made 13 films in five years. In 2002, she returned to movies. She starred in Igby Goes Down. Later that year, she was in the Oscar-nominated film The Hours. The next year, she was in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. In 2004, she appeared in Stage Beauty.

She received good reviews in 2005 for her roles in Shopgirl and The Family Stone. In 2007, she appeared in the fantasy movie Stardust. She also starred in the drama Evening and the thriller The Flock in 2007. In 2008, she was featured in Me and Orson Welles.

On Stage: Theater Roles

Claire Danes started her acting career in New York City theater. She performed in plays like Happiness and Punk Ballet. She also choreographed her own dance for Kids Onstage. In November 2000, she appeared in a special reading of Thornton Wilder's Our Town.

In September 2005, Claire performed in a solo dance piece called "Christina Olson: American Model". She played the person from Andrew Wyeth's famous painting Christina's World. Claire was praised for her dancing and acting in this project.

In January 2007, Claire performed in Edith and Jenny. Later that year, she made her Broadway theatre debut. She played Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion, a play by George Bernard Shaw.

In January 2012, Harvard University named Claire Danes their "Woman of the Year." In March 2016, Claire performed in the play Dry Powder at The Public Theater. She acted alongside John Krasinski and Hank Azaria.

Other Cool Projects

Claire Danes at the 2012 Time 100 Gala

In 1995, Claire Danes was the main character in the music video for Soul Asylum's song "Just Like Anyone".

In 1997, Claire wrote an introduction for Neil Gaiman's book Death: The Time of Your Life.

In 2012, Claire recorded the audiobook for Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Her performance won an Audie Award in 2013.

In 2013, she hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo.

In 2015, Claire Danes received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

A Look at Her Life

Claire Danes has been in therapy since she was six years old. She finds it a helpful way to understand herself better.

Claire and her mother support the charity Afghan Hands. This charity helps women in Afghanistan become more independent and earn money. Claire also supports DonorsChoose, a website that helps public school teachers get supplies for their classrooms.

Claire Danes believes in feminism. She has spoken about how there are not enough women in important roles in Hollywood.

Relationships and Family

Claire Danes met singer Ben Lee in 1997. They dated for six years.

In 2003, Claire started dating actor Billy Crudup. They starred together in the movie Stage Beauty. Their relationship ended in 2006.

Claire met actor Hugh Dancy while working on the film Evening in 2006. They got engaged in February 2009 and married in France later that year. They have three children: two sons born in 2012 and 2018, and a daughter born in 2023.

Claire Danes's Work

Film

Television

Stage

Awards and Recognitions

Emmy Awards (Primetime)

The Primetime Emmy Award is a special award given in the U.S. for excellent work in TV shows shown during primetime.

Golden Globe Awards

The Golden Globe Awards are awards given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. They celebrate great work in movies and TV shows from the U.S. and other countries.

Screen Actors Guild Awards

The Screen Actors Guild Award is an award given by actors to recognize great acting in movies and TV shows.

Critics' Choice Awards

The Critics' Choice Awards are given by film and TV critics in the U.S.

Satellite Awards

The Satellite Awards are given each year by the International Press Academy.

People's Choice Awards

The People's Choice Awards are American awards where the public votes for their favorite people and works in popular culture.

See also

In Spanish: Claire Danes para niños