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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Full list |
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| Awards | Full list |
Hannah Dakota Fanning (born February 23, 1994) is an American actress. She is famous for her roles in both big movies and independent films. Dakota started acting when she was very young and continued as an adult. She has been nominated for important awards like the Golden Globe Award and the Primetime Emmy Award.
Dakota Fanning became well-known at age seven for her role in the movie I Am Sam (2001). She was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award, becoming the youngest person ever to receive this nomination. She also starred in the TV miniseries Taken (2002). Other popular films include Uptown Girls (2003), Man on Fire (2004), and War of the Worlds (2005). She also appeared in Charlotte's Web (2006) and Coraline (2009).
As she grew up, Dakota took on more mature roles. These included movies in The Twilight Saga (2009–2012). She also acted in independent films like The Runaways (2010). More recently, Fanning has appeared in films such as Ocean's 8 (2018) and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). She also starred in the TV series The Alienist (2018) and Ripley (2024). For her role in Ripley, she received nominations for major awards.
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Early Life and Family
Dakota Fanning was born in Conyers, Georgia. She went to a Montessori School when she was young. Her mother, Heather Joy, was a professional tennis player. Her father, Steven J. Fanning, played minor league baseball. He later worked selling electronics.
Dakota's grandfather, Rick Arrington, was a football player. Her aunt, Jill Arrington, was a reporter for ESPN. Dakota is the older sister of actress Elle Fanning. Both sisters use their middle names as their main names, which is a family tradition. They grew up in the Southern Baptist faith.
Acting Career Highlights
Starting Out in the 1990s
When Dakota Fanning was a young child, she acted in plays at the Towne Lake Arts Center in Woodstock, Georgia. In 1999, at age five, she started her professional acting career. Her first job was in a Tide TV commercial.
Her first important acting role was a guest appearance in the TV drama ER. She played a car accident victim with leukemia. Fanning also had guest roles in other TV shows. These included CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Practice, and Spin City. She also played younger versions of main characters in Ally McBeal and The Ellen Show.
Success in the 2000s
In 2001, Fanning starred with Sean Penn in the film I Am Sam. She played the daughter of a man with an intellectual disability. Her role earned her a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. At seven years old, she was the youngest person ever nominated for this award. She also won the Best Young Actor/Actress award from the Broadcast Film Critics Association.
In 2002, director Steven Spielberg chose Fanning for the main child role in the science fiction miniseries Taken. Critics praised her acting. That same year, Fanning appeared in three other films. She was in Trapped, Sweet Home Alabama, and Hansel and Gretel.
A year later, she starred in Uptown Girls and The Cat in the Hat. Fanning also did voice-over work for animated projects. She voiced Satsuki in Disney's English version of My Neighbor Totoro. She also voiced a young Wonder Woman in Justice League Unlimited.
In 2004, Fanning appeared in Man on Fire. She played Pita, a nine-year-old girl protected by a retired mercenary played by Denzel Washington. Film critic Roger Ebert said Fanning was "a pro at only ten years old." In 2004, she also appeared in Friends. She played Mackenzie, a young girl moving out of Monica and Chandler's new house.
Hide and Seek was her first film released in 2005. She starred opposite Robert De Niro. Fanning also voiced Lilo Pelekai in the film Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch. She had a small role in Nine Lives (2005). In this film, she shared a long scene with actress Glenn Close.
Fanning finished filming Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story in late 2004. She starred with Kurt Russell. Kris Kristofferson, who played her character's grandfather, praised her acting. While promoting Dreamer, Fanning became a registered member of Girl Scouts of the USA.
Fanning then starred in War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise. Director Steven Spielberg praised her quick understanding of scenes. Both War of the Worlds and Dreamer were successful. Fanning then filmed Charlotte's Web, which premiered in December 2006.
In 2006, Fanning worked on the film Hounddog. At age twelve, she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This made her the youngest member in the academy's history. That year, Forbes magazine ranked her 4th among "Top-Earning Stars Aged Under 21."
In 2007, she filmed Fragments – Winged Creatures. She played Anne Hagen, a girl who turns to religion after her father's murder. In July, Fanning appeared in a short film called Cutlass. From September to the end of the year, Fanning filmed Push. She played Cassie Holmes, a 13-year-old psychic.
In January 2008, Fanning began filming The Secret Life of Bees. This film is based on a novel by Sue Monk Kidd. Fanning played Lily Owens, a girl who runs away with her caregiver. They are taken in by beekeeping sisters.
Her films, Coraline and Push, were both released on February 6, 2009. Fanning played Jane, a member of the Volturi Guard, in New Moon. She returned for Eclipse. New Moon was released in November 2009, and Eclipse in June 2010. In March 2009, Forbes ranked her number three on their "Most Valuable Young Stars" list.
Roles in the 2010s
In 2010, Dakota Fanning starred in The Runaways. She played Cherie Currie, the lead singer of the band. From late 2010 to early 2011, Fanning filmed Breaking Dawn, again playing Jane. Fanning's voice was heard in Rise, a documentary about a plane crash involving the American figure skating team.
In the summer of 2011, she played Tessa in Now Is Good. Fanning also became the face of Marc Jacobs' Oh, Lola! perfume. The advertisement was later banned in the UK. In 2011, she played Annie James in The Motel Life. In late 2011, Fanning played the main role in Effie Gray. This film was directed by Richard Laxton 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 film is about three eco-terrorists who plan to blow up a dam.
In January 2013, she was cast as Beverly Aadland in The Last of Robin Hood. Later that year, Fanning was cast as Olivia in Franny. In November, she was cast as Viena in Viena and the Fantomes. This film is about a roadie traveling with a punk rock band in the 1980s. It was released digitally in June 2020.
In February 2014, she recorded a voice role for the animated film Yellowbird. In May 2015, Every Secret Thing was released in the U.S. In June 2015, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Fanning joined the cast of Brimstone.
In July 2016, Fanning was cast in a film version of The Bell Jar. However, this project later became a TV series idea and is currently on hold. In 2017, Fanning starred in Neill Blomkamp's short film Zygote. Fanning had a small role in the comedy Ocean's 8, released in 2018. That same year, she starred as Sara Howard in the TV series The Alienist. In 2019, Fanning played Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme in Quentin Tarantino's film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. She and the cast were nominated for a SAG Award.
Recent Work in the 2020s
In 2023, Fanning had a starring role in The Watchers, a supernatural film set in Ireland. In December 2019, it was announced that Fanning and her sister Elle Fanning would star together in The Nightingale. This film is set to be directed by Mélanie Laurent.
In March 2021, the sisters announced they had formed their own production company, Lewellen Pictures. In March 2023, Fanning was cast to star in the Netflix miniseries The Perfect Couple. Fanning also starred in The Equalizer 3, working again with Denzel Washington. In January 2025, Fanning was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her role in the Netflix series Ripley.
Personal Life
In June 2011, Dakota Fanning graduated from Campbell Hall School in Studio City, California. She was part of the cheerleading squad and was 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 films and culture.
Filmography and Awards
See also
In Spanish: Dakota Fanning para niños
