Evan Rachel Wood facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Evan Rachel Wood
Wood in 2022
Born	(1987-09-07) September 7, 1987 (age 37) Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1993–present
Spouse(s)	Jamie Bell ​ ​ (m. 2012; div. 2014)​
Children	1
Parent(s)	Ira David Wood III (father)
Awards	Full list

Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress. She has won a Critics' Choice Television Award and has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.

She started acting in the 1990s, appearing in TV shows like Once and Again (1999–2002). She began acting in movies at age nine in Digging to China (1997). She received praise and a Golden Globe nomination for her role as a teenager in the drama film Thirteen (2003). After starring in independent films, Wood appeared in bigger movies such as The Wrestler (2008), Whatever Works (2009), and The Ides of March (2011).

She returned to television with a role as Sophie-Anne Leclerq on True Blood from 2009 to 2011. She also appeared in the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce (2011). For this role, she was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award. She starred as the robot Dolores Abernathy in the HBO series Westworld (2016–2022). For this, she won a Critics' Choice Award and received Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations. Wood also voiced a character in the Disney animated film Frozen II (2019). She played Madonna in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022).

Early Life and Family Background

Wood was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, on September 7, 1987. Her mother, Sara Lynn Moore, is an actress, director, and acting coach. Her father, Ira David Wood III, is an actor, theater director, and playwright in Raleigh. He is a co-founder and executive director of Theatre in the Park. Wood's brother, Ira David Wood IV, is also an actor. She has two other brothers, Dana and Thomas, and a sister named Aden. Her aunt, Carol Winstead Wood, was a production designer in Hollywood.

Wood has shared that her mother had a dream about having a daughter named Evan with blond hair and blue eyes.

Wood was very involved in Theatre in the Park as she grew up. She appeared in a production of her father's musical comedy A Christmas Carol when she was only a few months old. She later played the Ghost of Christmas Past in several shows there. She also starred as Helen Keller alongside her mother (as Anne Sullivan) in The Miracle Worker, directed by her father.

She went to Cary Elementary School in Cary, North Carolina. There, she starred in a school play of The Little Mermaid. When her parents divorced, she moved with her mother to Los Angeles in 1997 to continue her acting career. She attended public school in California before being homeschooled at age 12. She earned her high school diploma when she was 15. Wood has mentioned that she earned a black belt in taekwondo at age 12. She also participated in the AAU Junior Olympic Games.

Evan Rachel Wood's Acting Career

Early Roles in Television and Film (1993–2000)

Wood started her career in 1993, appearing in several television films filmed in her home state of North Carolina. Her first acting role was in Sondra Locke's Death in Small Doses. She had recurring roles in the TV series American Gothic (1995–1996) and Profiler (1998–1999). For Profiler, she was nominated for Best Supporting Young Actress in a TV Drama Series at the 21st Young Artist Awards.

Wood's first big movie role was in the 1997 film Digging to China. She played a ten-year-old girl living with her mother, played by Cathy Moriarty. Her character forms a friendship with a man with special needs, played by Kevin Bacon. The movie was filmed in Western North Carolina and won an award at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival. Wood remembers this role as challenging at first, but it made her realize she wanted to keep acting. The next year, she was in Practical Magic, a fantasy film. She was nominated for Best Supporting Young Actress at the 20th Young Artist Awards for this role. This was followed by the 1999 TV movie Down Will Come Baby, for which she was nominated for the YoungStar Award.

From 1999 to 2002, Wood was a regular on the ABC family drama Once and Again. She played Jessie Sammler, a character who dealt with her parents' divorce and other challenges. For her performance, Wood was nominated for the YoungStar Award. She also won Best Ensemble in a TV Series with her co-stars Julia Whelan and Meredith Deane at the 22nd Young Artist Awards.

Breakthrough Roles and Recognition (2001–2005)

Wood made her debut as a leading film actress in 2001's Little Secrets, directed by Blair Treu. She played 14-year-old Emily Lindstrom, who dreams of becoming a concert violinist. For this role, she was nominated for Best Leading Young Actress at the 24th Young Artist Awards. Wood then had a supporting role in Andrew Niccol's 2002 science fiction film Simone. In the same year, Wood was recognized as "One to Watch" at the Young Hollywood Awards.

Wood's big breakthrough came with Catherine Hardwicke's 2003 film Thirteen. She starred as Tracy Louise Freeland, a young teen who gets into difficult situations. Her acting received great reviews, earning her Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Lead Actress. Around the time Thirteen was released, Wood was featured on the cover of Vogue, which called her one of Hollywood's "It Girls." She also appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair's Young Hollywood issue in July 2003, along with eight other teen actresses. She then had a supporting role in Ron Howard's The Missing in the same year. She played Lilly Gilkeson, a kidnapped daughter, and was nominated for Best Leading Young Actress at the 25th Young Artist Awards.

In 2005, Wood appeared in The Upside of Anger, directed by Mike Binder. In this well-reviewed film, Wood played Lavender "Popeye" Wolfmeyer, one of four sisters dealing with their father's absence. Her character also narrated the film. Wood's next two main roles were in independent films. In the 2005 Sundance Film Festival nominee Pretty Persuasion, Wood played Kimberly Joyce, a high-schooler who is very clever. One critic said, "Wood shows such precise, easy rhythms and such obvious pleasure in naughtiness that she's impossible to hate." David Jacobson's Down in the Valley premiered later that year. Wood's character, Tobe, falls in love with an older man, played by Edward Norton, a cowboy who doesn't fit into modern society. Critics noted that "Wood shows all the strong feelings and delicate side of being a teenager." Wood has said that she doesn't choose her roles just to shock people. Also in 2005, Wood appeared in music videos for Bright Eyes' "At the Bottom of Everything" and Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends".

Independent Films and Musical Roles (2006–2008)

Wood at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival

By 2006, The Guardian newspaper described Wood as "one of the best actresses of her generation." Later that year, she received the Spotlight Award for Emerging Talent at Premiere magazine's annual Women in Hollywood event. Also in 2006, Wood was part of an all-star cast as Natalie Finch in the comedy-drama film Running with Scissors. Directed by Ryan Murphy and starring Annette Bening, the film was based on the true story of Augusten Burroughs' childhood in a family that faced many challenges.

Wood had roles in two films released in September 2007. King of California, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, is about a jazz musician (Michael Douglas) and his daughter, Miranda (Wood). They are reunited after he returns from a special hospital and begin a search for Spanish treasure. One review praised Wood's performance as "excellent." The second film was Across the Universe, Julie Taymor's jukebox musical featuring songs by the Beatles. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Set during the 1960s, Wood played Lucy, an American teen who develops a relationship with her brother's British friend Jude (Jim Sturgess). The film included her singing, and she has called this her favorite role. A critic wrote that "Wood brings much-needed emotional depth."

Wood provided the voice of an alien named Mala in Battle for Terra, a 2007 animated science fiction film. It is about a peaceful alien planet that is threatened by humans looking for a new home. The film won the 2008 Grand Prize at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. It was shown at the San Francisco International Film Festival, where she received an award. Also in 2007, Wood starred in The Life Before Her Eyes, directed by Vadim Perelman. This film is based on the novel by Laura Kasischke and is about the friendship of two teens who experience a difficult and scary event at their school. Wood played the younger version of Uma Thurman's character, Diana. One critic called her performance "hands-down extraordinary." Wood said she intended this to be her last film playing a teenager.

The next year, she co-starred in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler. This film won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival. It is about Randy "Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke), a professional wrestler who has to retire due to health issues. Wood played Stephanie, Robinson's daughter. A critic wrote, "Once her character stops ignoring her father and listens to him, Wood provides a fine match for Rourke in their intense scenes together."

Continued Success in Film and Television (2009–Present)

Wood at the premiere of Whatever Works in April 2009

Wood co-starred in Woody Allen's Whatever Works, which premiered at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. She played the young wife of Larry David's character. In May 2009, she played Juliet in six special performances of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at the Theater In The Park. Her brother Ira directed the play and also starred in it. In the same year, Wood was named Young Hollywood Superstar at the Young Hollywood Awards.

Wood had a recurring role in the second and third seasons of the HBO supernatural drama series True Blood, from 2009 to 2011, as Sophie-Anne Leclerq. Wood also had a role in the film The Conspirator, which premiered in April 2011. This film, directed by Robert Redford, is about the events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. She also appeared in The Ides of March. She played the main character's daughter in the 2011 HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce. For this role, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.

In late 2012, she began filming 10 Things I Hate About Life, a follow-up to the 1999 teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You. In this film, she and Thomas McDonell played a couple who meet while facing tough times. Filming was paused, and later Wood left the production due to payment issues. The production company then sued her.

Wood in 2019

Wood starred with Chris Evans in a 2010 ad campaign for Gucci Guilty Eau fragrances, directed by Frank Miller. They appeared in more ads in 2013 and 2016. Wood played Gabi in the 2013 psychological romantic thriller film Charlie Countryman with Shia LaBeouf and Rupert Grint. She voiced Marianne in the 2015 film Strange Magic.

In 2016, Wood began starring as the robot Dolores Abernathy in the HBO science fiction Western series Westworld. Her performance was highly praised by critics.

In August 2019, Wood announced that she was cast to voice Queen Iduna in Frozen II. The film was released in November 2019 and was very successful. She later appeared in Kajillionaire in 2020 and Backspot in 2023. In January 2023, a workshop reading for Thelma & Louise was held, starring Wood alongside Amanda Seyfried.

In 2024, she began starring in the Off-Broadway musical revival of Little Shop of Horrors.

Other Activities

Music Career

In 2012, Wood recorded "I'd Have You Anytime" for Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International. This was a compilation album to benefit the organization. In 2016, she performed as part of an electro-pop duo called Rebel and a Basketcase with multi-instrumentalist Zach Villa. The duo stopped performing together in August 2017. Wood is also one-half of the cover band Evan + Zane, which she formed with guitarist/singer-songwriter Zane Carney in 2018. Evan + Zane released their first CD, called Dreams, in December 2022.

Wood appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 2019. This was for "Show Yourself", a duet she sang with Idina Menzel from the Frozen II soundtrack. The song reached number 70 on the chart.

Activism and Advocacy

In June 2016, the Human Rights Campaign released a video honoring the victims of a tragic event in Orlando. In the video, Wood and others shared the stories of the people who were lost.

In February 2018, she spoke before the United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations. She supported a bill to help people who have experienced difficult situations. In April 2019, she spoke before the California State Senate to help pass the Phoenix Act. This law helps people who have experienced harm by giving them more time to report it and provides police with more training. In her testimony, Wood said she experienced difficult and harmful situations with singer Marilyn Manson, which affected her health.

Personal Life

Wood's mother is a convert to Judaism, and Wood has said she was "raised with the religion." In 2012, she stated, "I believe in God but I am not religious. I am spiritual. My definition of God isn't in any religion. It's very personal."

Wood dated English actor Jamie Bell between 2005 and 2006. In January 2007, her relationship with Marilyn Manson became public. Wood was the inspiration for Manson's song "Heart-Shaped Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand)" and appeared in its music video. They became engaged in January 2010 but ended their relationship seven months later.

In 2011, Wood publicly shared that she is bisexual. She then rekindled her relationship with Jamie Bell. They were married in October 2012 and had a son in July 2013. In May 2014, they announced their separation. By 2015, Wood was in a relationship with her bandmate Zach Villa. They were engaged in January 2017 but called it off that September. Starting in 2020, Wood and Bell had a disagreement over the custody of their son. Bell said he had less contact with their son when Wood moved from Los Angeles to Nashville. Wood stated she moved to protect their child from her former fiancé, Marilyn Manson. Bell argued in court that Wood's story "defies credibility" and accused her of "withholding our son from me for other reasons of her own invention." In May 2023, they agreed that their child would live primarily with Bell in Los Angeles. Wood would have visitation for "one extended weekend per month" and certain holidays.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Music Video Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Evan Rachel Wood para niños