Dakota Fanning facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dakota Fanning
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Fanning in 2020
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Hannah Dakota Fanning
February 23, 1994 Conyers, Georgia, U.S.
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| Alma mater | New York University (BA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1999–present |
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Works
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Full list |
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| Awards | Full list |
Hannah Dakota Fanning (born February 23, 1994) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in big movies and independent films. Dakota Fanning started acting when she was very young. She has received many awards and nominations for her work. These include nominations for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award.
Dakota became famous at age seven for her role in the movie I Am Sam (2001). She was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award for this role. She became the youngest person ever nominated for that award. After that, she starred in the TV miniseries Taken (2002). She also appeared in popular films like Uptown Girls (2003), Man on Fire (2004), and War of the Worlds (2005). She also voiced characters in animated movies like Charlotte's Web (2006) and Coraline (2009).
As she grew up, Dakota took on more grown-up roles. She was in The Twilight Saga movies (2009–2012). She also starred in independent films like The Runaways (2010). More recently, she has appeared in movies such as Ocean's 8 (2018) and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). She also starred in TV series like The Alienist (2018) and Ripley (2024). For Ripley, she earned more award nominations.
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Early Life and Family
Dakota Fanning was born in Conyers, Georgia. She went to a special school called Montessori School when she was little. Her mother, Heather Joy, was a professional tennis player. Her father, Steven J. Fanning, played baseball in a minor league. He later became an electronics salesman.
Dakota's grandfather, Rick Arrington, was a professional American football player. Her aunt, Jill Arrington, was a reporter for ESPN. Dakota is the older sister of actress Elle Fanning. Both sisters were raised as Southern Baptists.
How Dakota Fanning Started Acting
Early Career in the 1990s
When Dakota Fanning was a young child, she loved acting. She performed in small plays at the Towne Lake Arts Center in Woodstock, Georgia. In 1999, at just five years old, she began her professional acting career. Her first job was in a TV commercial for Tide laundry detergent.
After the commercial, Dakota got many guest roles on popular TV shows. These included CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Practice, and Spin City. She also played younger versions of main characters on shows like Ally McBeal and The Ellen Show.
Becoming a Star in the 2000s
In 2001, Dakota Fanning got a big role in the movie I Am Sam. She starred alongside famous actors Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer. She played the daughter of a man with an intellectual disability who was fighting to keep her. Dakota was only seven years old at the time. Her performance earned her a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. This made her the youngest person ever to be nominated for that award. She also won an award for Best Young Actor/Actress.
In 2002, famous director Steven Spielberg chose Dakota for a main child role. She played Allison "Allie" Clarke/Keys in the science fiction miniseries Taken. Critics praised her acting, saying she had a special look. That same year, Dakota appeared in three more movies. She was in Trapped, Sweet Home Alabama, and Hansel and Gretel.
A year later, in 2003, she starred in two more important films. She played a serious child with a silly nanny (played by Brittany Murphy) in Uptown Girls. She also played Sally in The Cat in the Hat. Dakota also did voice work for cartoons. She voiced Satsuki in Disney's English version of My Neighbor Totoro. She also voiced a little girl in Family Guy and a young Wonder Woman in Justice League Unlimited.
In 2004, Dakota starred in Man on Fire with Denzel Washington. She played Pita, a nine-year-old girl who becomes friends with a bodyguard hired to protect her. A film critic said Dakota was "a pro at only ten years old." In 2004, she also appeared on the TV show Friends. She played Mackenzie, a young girl moving out of the house Monica and Chandler were buying.
Hide and Seek was her first movie released in 2005. She starred with Robert De Niro. Even though the movie got mixed reviews, critics praised Dakota's performance. She also voiced Lilo Pelekai in the movie Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch. Dakota had a small but important role in the film Nine Lives (2005). She shared a long scene with actress Glenn Close, who called Dakota "an old soul."
Dakota also recorded her voice role for the animated movie Coraline during this time. She finished filming Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story in late 2004. In Dreamer, she played a girl whose grandfather is played by Kris Kristofferson. He said Dakota was like the famous actress Bette Davis reborn. While promoting Dreamer, Dakota became a registered member of the Girl Scouts of the USA.
Dakota then starred in War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise. Both War of the Worlds and Dreamer were successful movies. Director Steven Spielberg praised Dakota's quick understanding of scenes. After War of the Worlds, Dakota immediately filmed Charlotte's Web. She finished filming in May 2005, and the movie came out in December 2006.
In 2007, Dakota filmed Fragments – Winged Creatures. She played Anne Hagen, a girl who turns to religion after seeing her father murdered. In July, she appeared in a short film called Cutlass, directed by Kate Hudson. From September to the end of the year, Dakota filmed Push. She played Cassie Holmes, a 13-year-old psychic.
In January 2008, Dakota began filming The Secret Life of Bees. This movie is based on a popular book. She played Lily Owens, a girl who runs away and finds a new home with beekeeping sisters. Her animated horror film Coraline and science fiction thriller Push were both released on the same day, February 6, 2009.
In March 2008, Dakota and her sister Elle were cast in the movie My Sister's Keeper. However, Dakota decided not to do the role because it required her to shave her head. Her sister Elle also left the project.
Dakota played Jane, a member of the Volturi Guard, in New Moon (2009). She also played the role again in Eclipse (2010). These movies are based on the popular Twilight books. In March 2009, Forbes magazine ranked her as one of the "Most Valuable Young Stars."
Acting in the 2010s
In 2010, Dakota starred in The Runaways with Kristen Stewart. She played Cherie Currie, the lead singer of the real-life band The Runaways. From late 2010 to early 2011, Dakota filmed Breaking Dawn, playing Jane again. Her voice was also heard in a documentary called Rise. She read a poem by a figure skater who died in a plane crash.
In the summer of 2011, she played Tessa in Now Is Good. Dakota also became the face of Marc Jacobs' perfume, "Oh, Lola!" In 2011, she played Annie James in The Motel Life. In the fall of 2011, Dakota played the main role in Effie Gray. This movie was written by and co-starred Emma Thompson.
In August 2012, she played Dena Brauer in the thriller film Night Moves. She starred with Jesse Eisenberg and Peter Sarsgaard. The movie is about three environmental activists who plan to blow up a dam.
In January 2013, Dakota was cast as Beverly Aadland in a movie about actor Errol Flynn. Later that year, she was cast as Olivia in Franny. In November, she was cast as Viena in Viena and the Fantomes. This movie is about a roadie traveling with a punk rock band in the 1980s.
In February 2014, she voiced a character for the animated film Yellowbird. In May 2015, Every Secret Thing was released. It was based on a novel and co-starred Diane Lane and Elizabeth Banks. In June 2015, Dakota and Kit Harington joined the cast of the film Brimstone.
In July 2016, it was announced Dakota would star in a movie based on the book The Bell Jar. However, this project has been put on hold. In 2017, Dakota starred in a short film called Zygote. Dakota had a small role in the comedy movie Ocean's 8, which came out in 2018. That same year, she starred as Sara Howard in the TV series The Alienist. In 2019, Dakota played Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme in Quentin Tarantino's movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. For this role, she and the other actors were nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Recent Work in the 2020s
In December 2019, it was announced that Dakota and her sister Elle Fanning would star together in a movie called The Nightingale. In March 2021, the sisters started their own production company called Lewellen Pictures. In March 2023, Dakota was cast in the Netflix miniseries The Perfect Couple. Dakota also starred in The Equalizer 3, working again with Denzel Washington. In January 2025, Dakota was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her role as Marge Sherwood in the Netflix series Ripley.
Personal Life
In June 2011, Dakota Fanning graduated from Campbell Hall School in Studio City, California. While in high school, she was part of the cheerleading team. She was also voted homecoming queen twice. From 2011 to 2014, she attended New York University. She studied women's studies, focusing on how women are shown in movies and culture.
Filmography and Awards
Images for kids
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A robot for kids
See also
In Spanish: Dakota Fanning para niños
