Elle Fanning facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elle Fanning
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Fanning at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival
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Mary Elle Fanning
April 9, 1998 Conyers, Georgia, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Campbell Hall School |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2001–present |
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Works
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Full list |
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| Awards | Full list |
Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. She has starred in many different types of movies, from independent films to big blockbusters. Elle has won awards like a National Board of Review Award. She has also been nominated for two Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.
Elle Fanning started acting when she was very young. Her first movie role was playing a younger version of her older sister Dakota Fanning's character in I Am Sam (2001). As a child actress, she also appeared in movies like Daddy Day Care (2003), Babel (2006), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008).
She became more well-known for her main roles in the independent film Somewhere (2010) and the science fiction movie Super 8 (2011). Many people recognized her when she played Princess Aurora in the fantasy movies Maleficent (2014) and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019).
As she grew up, Elle took on more mature roles. These included the historical drama Ginger & Rosa (2012) and the thriller The Neon Demon (2016). She also appeared in the coming-of-age film 20th Century Women (2016) and The Beguiled (2017). In 2024, she played Sylvie Russo in the Bob Dylan movie A Complete Unknown. For this role, she won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2025, she took on a supporting role in the family drama Sentimental Value. She also appeared in the video game Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (2025).
On television, Elle Fanning played Catherine the Great in the Hulu series The Great from 2020 to 2023. Her performance earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She also played Michelle Carter in the Hulu series The Girl from Plainville (2022). In 2023, she made her first appearance on Broadway in the play Appropriate.
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Early Life and Family
Mary Elle Fanning was born on April 9, 1998, in Conyers, Georgia. Her mother is Heather Joy Fanning and her father is Steven J. Fanning. Her father used to play baseball for teams connected to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Elle's grandfather on her mother's side was a football player named Rick Arrington. Her aunt, Jill Arrington, is a reporter for ESPN. Elle Fanning is the younger sister of actress Dakota Fanning. Both sisters use their middle names as their main names, which is a family tradition. They were raised in the Southern Baptist faith. Elle graduated from Campbell Hall School in 2016.
Acting Career Highlights
Starting as a Child Actress (2001–2013)
Elle Fanning began acting before she was three years old. She first played younger versions of her sister Dakota's characters. This happened in the TV miniseries Taken and the movie I Am Sam. In 2002, when she was four, Elle got her first role without her sister in the comedy Daddy Day Care.
She was chosen for the role of Ruth in The Door in the Floor (2004). The movie's producers were so impressed with Elle that they decided to use only her. They had originally planned to hire twin girls for the demanding filming schedule. Later in 2003, Elle appeared in Because of Winn-Dixie as Sweetie Pie Thomas. In 2004, she voiced Mei in the English version of the animated film My Neighbor Totoro. Her sister Dakota voiced Satsuki, Mei's older sister.
In 2005, Elle filmed scenes for Charlotte's Web. She played the "future granddaughter" of Fern Arable, a character played by Dakota. However, these scenes were not included in the final movie. In mid-2005, she played Debbie in Babel. Debbie was the daughter of characters played by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.
Elle also appeared in TV shows. In 2006, she was in an episode of House: MD called "Need to Know". She also had a supporting role in an episode of Criminal Minds called "The Boogeyman". By the end of 2006, Elle started getting main roles. One of these was Emma Learner in Reservation Road. She played a grieving daughter whose brother is killed in a car accident.
In 2007, Elle worked again with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. She played a younger version of Blanchett's character. Later that year, Elle filmed the main role of Phoebe in Phoebe in Wonderland. This movie was released in March 2009. From July to October 2007, Elle played Mary in The Nutcracker in 3D, which came out in late 2010.
In 2009, it was announced that Elle would star in Sofia Coppola's 2010 film Somewhere. She played the daughter of a famous actor who has to rethink his life. The movie won the Golden Lion award at the 67th Venice Film Festival. In 2010, Elle started working on Francis Ford Coppola's 2011 film Twixt. She played a young ghost named "V".
In 2011, Elle starred in J. J. Abrams' science-fiction film Super 8 as Alice Dainard. The movie was about a group of children dealing with strange events in their town. The Telegraph praised Elle's performance. She also received a Spotlight Award at the Hollywood Film Festival.
In December 2011, Elle appeared in Cameron Crowe's We Bought a Zoo. She played Lily, a 13-year-old who works at the zoo's restaurant. In September 2012, Elle starred as Ginger in the drama film Ginger & Rosa. The movie was set in London in 1962. Critics highly praised Elle's acting in this film. A. O. Scott from The New York Times said she showed "a nearly Streepian mixture of poise, intensity, and technical precision."
Becoming Internationally Recognized (2014–2019)
In 2014, Elle Fanning starred with Angelina Jolie in the Walt Disney film Maleficent. Angelina Jolie played Maleficent, and Elle played Princess Aurora, also known as Sleeping Beauty. That same year, she was in the science-fiction Western Young Ones. She also starred in Low Down, a movie about jazz pianist Joe Albany. Elle played Albany's daughter, Amy-Jo, and the story was told from her point of view.
In 2015, Elle co-starred in Trumbo as Nikola, the daughter of Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston). She also starred in 3 Generations (also known as About Ray). In this film, she played a young transgender man, alongside Naomi Watts and Susan Sarandon.
In 2016, she appeared as Jesse in the psychological thriller The Neon Demon. This film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2016. It was released in June 2016. That same year, she was in 20th Century Women with Greta Gerwig and Annette Bening. The film premiered in October 2016. She then co-starred in Ben Affleck's drama Live by Night, which was released in December 2016.
In 2017, Elle appeared in The Vanishing of Sidney Hall, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. She also appeared in the science-fiction romantic comedy How to Talk to Girls at Parties. She reunited with Sofia Coppola in The Beguiled. Elle also starred in the romance film Mary Shelley and appeared in a music video for Grouplove's song "Good Morning".
In 2018, Elle Fanning starred with Peter Dinklage in I Think We're Alone Now. This movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2018. She also starred in Galveston with Ben Foster. This film premiered at South by Southwest in March 2018. That same year, Elle starred in Teen Spirit, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2018. It was released in April 2019.
In May 2019, Elle was chosen to be a jury member for the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival. This made her the youngest Cannes juror ever. That same year, Elle starred in Woody Allen's romantic comedy A Rainy Day in New York with Timothée Chalamet and Selena Gomez. In October 2019, she played Aurora again in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
Expanding Her Career (2020–Present)
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In 2020, Elle Fanning starred in All the Bright Places with Justice Smith. This movie was based on the novel of the same name. She also appeared in The Roads Not Taken with Javier Bardem and Salma Hayek. That same year, Elle starred in and helped produce the historical comedy series The Great. She played Catherine the Great alongside Nicholas Hoult. The series started on Hulu in May 2020. She received great reviews for her role and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Her performance also earned her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
In 2022, she starred in the Hulu miniseries The Girl from Plainville. She played Michelle Carter, a role based on a real-life event. In December 2023, she made her official Broadway acting debut in the play Appropriate. She acted alongside Sarah Paulson and Corey Stoll.
Elle and her sister Dakota started a production company called Lewellen Pictures. They were executive producers for Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer (2024) for Hulu. In 2024, Elle began filming the Bob Dylan movie A Complete Unknown. In June 2024, it was announced that Elle would lead the next Predator movie, Predator: Badlands. In September, Elle started filming Rosebush Pruning by Karim Ainouz. This is a remake of the film Fists in the Pocket.
She starred with Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgard in the Joachim Trier film Sentimental Value. In this movie, she plays a Hollywood actress. The film is set to premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. In May 2025, it was announced that Elle Fanning would play a younger version of Effie Trinket in the 2026 film, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
Elle Fanning also stars in Hideo Kojima's 2025 video game, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. She plays the character Tomorrow. She also sings on the game's soundtrack with French singer-songwriter Woodkid.
Personal Life
From 2018 to 2023, Elle Fanning was in a relationship with English actor Max Minghella. Since late 2023, she has been in a relationship with Rolling Stone CEO Gus Wenner. They appeared together at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2024. They have also been seen at other events, including the Met Gala.
Acting Credits and Awards
See also
In Spanish: Elle Fanning para niños
