Mae Whitman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mae Whitman
Whitman in 2023
Born	Mae Margaret Whitman (1988-06-09) June 9, 1988 (age 37) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1993–present
Children	1
Parent(s)	Pat Musick (mother)

Mae Margaret Whitman (born June 9, 1988) is an American actor. She began her career as a child actor, starring in the films When a Man Loves a Woman (1994), One Fine Day (1996), Independence Day (1996), and Hope Floats (1998), and the television series Chicago Hope (1996–1999) and JAG (1998–2001). She earned mainstream recognition for her performances in the Fox sitcom Arrested Development (2004–2006, 2013), the NBC drama series Parenthood (2010–2015)—for which she was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award—and the NBC crime comedy series Good Girls (2018–2021). She also had roles in the films Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), and The DUFF (2015), the latter earning her a Teen Choice Award nomination.

Whitman has also worked as a voice actor in film and television, including Little Suzy in Johnny Bravo (1997–2004), Shanti in The Jungle Book 2 (2003), Katara in the Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008), Rose / Huntsgirl in American Dragon: Jake Long (2005–2007), Tinker Bell in the eponymous film series (2008–2015), Cassie Sandsmark / Wonder Girl in Young Justice (2012–2022), April O'Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012–2017), Amity Blight in The Owl House (2020–2023), Annie in Skull Island (2023–present), and reprising her Scott Pilgrim role as Roxie Richter in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023).

Early life

Whitman was born in Los Angeles, the only child of voice actress Pat Musick and personal manager and set construction coordinator Jeffrey Whitman. She attended Ribet Academy.

Career

Early roles

She started her career with a voice-over for a Tyson Chicken commercial at the age of two. Acting coach Andrew Magarian helped her memorize lines as she could not read. In 1994, at the age of six, Whitman made her film debut acting alongside Meg Ryan in When a Man Loves a Woman (1994), playing Ryan's youngest daughter, Casey Green. She beat 700 other girls who were interested in the part. In 1996, Whitman appeared in two films: Independence Day, playing Bill Pullman's daughter Patricia Whitmore, and One Fine Day, playing George Clooney's daughter Maggie Taylor. The same year, Whitman guest starred in the season three episode of Friends, "The One Where Rachel Quits". In 1998, she played Sandra Bullock's daughter, Bernice Pruitt, in Hope Floats. During several guest appearances from 1998 until 2001, Whitman played the role of Chloe Madison on JAG before starring in the Fox Family series State of Grace in which she portrayed Grace, a girl from a Catholic background who befriends Hannah (Alia Shawkat), a Jewish girl. She was also in 17 episodes of Chicago Hope.

2000s

Whitman at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con

From 2004 to 2006, Whitman had a recurring role on Arrested Development. She also voiced Katara on Avatar: The Last Airbender from 2005 to 2008. Whitman appeared in the 2006 series Thief for FX Networks, playing the stepdaughter of Nick Atwater (Andre Braugher). Whitman made several high-profile guest appearances in 2006 and 2007. She also appeared on Desperate Housewives in the episode "Nice She Ain't" as Sarah, a friend of Julie Mayer (Andrea Bowen). Whitman also had a recurring role on Chicago Hope (1994–2000), playing the daughter of Dr. Kate Austin (Christine Lahti), in the series' later years.

Whitman was initially cast in the 2007 series remake of The Bionic Woman, playing the deaf younger sister of the title character. On June 27, 2007, TV Guide reported that Whitman was being replaced in the role of Jaime's sister and Lucy Hale was cast as Whitman's replacement the following July. An NBC spokesperson confirmed this, stating "The decision was purely creatively driven. It is very common to change storylines, characters, actors after the initial pilot is shot." The sister character's hearing was restored after this recasting at the request of an NBC executive.

She also appeared in the 2008 episode "Streetwise" of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. She appeared in the HBO series In Treatment as the supporting character Rosie.

Whitman voiced the character Tinker Bell in the Disney Tinker Bell films: Tinker Bell (2008), Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (2009) and Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010). As part of a deal to promote the production of the first Tinker Bell film, the UK's speaking clock started to use her voice at 0100GMT on October 26, 2008. Furthermore, she voiced the role as Rose in American Dragon: Jake Long, and played Cynder in The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night.

2010s

In 2009, Whitman landed a regular role in NBC's version of the Ron Howard classic Parenthood, which premiered in 2010. She played Amber Holt, "a rebellious and willful teen whose only interest at present is her wannabe rock star boyfriend." Whitman played evil ex Roxy Richter in Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, a film adaptation of the Bryan Lee O'Malley indie comic series Scott Pilgrim, which also starred her former Arrested Development co-star Michael Cera in the title role. Whitman appeared on Family Guy in 2010. She had a large role in the 2012 film The Perks of Being a Wallflower opposite Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller.

In 2013, she reprised her role as Ann Veal in Arrested Development's season four, six years after the series was canceled. She appeared alongside Darren Criss in three episodes of season three of Lisa Kudrow's Web Therapy, playing his girlfriend. In 2015, Whitman played the lead role in the comedy The DUFF. She also started filming Operator alongside Martin Starr in June. She voiced Batgirl in DC's Super Hero Girls series debuting on September 10, 2016. According to co-writer and director Roland Emmerich, Whitman did not reprise her role as the President's daughter in Independence Day: Resurgence, the sequel to the 1996 blockbuster hit Independence Day, because she did not want to read for the part.

Whitman has expressed her feelings on being typecast as an outsider in various roles in television and movies. She has talked about being a child actor and her relatable experiences such as being bullied in high school for being "weird." In an interview with Bello Mag, Whitman explains that the entertainment industry constantly tells actors what they are "not" and felt her choosing of these roles was her "trying to communicate to everyone" who may go through similar situations, that it's okay to be who they are. One of Whitman's more notable quotes is, "People should recognize who you are and how you can act rather than how famous you are."

In 2018, Whitman was cast alongside Christina Hendricks and Retta on the NBC dramedy Good Girls. The show was renewed for a fourth season on May 15, 2020. In June 2021, the series was canceled after four seasons.

2020s

Whitman appears in the 2020 musical film Valley Girl, a remake of the 1983 film of the same name. From 2020 to 2023, she voiced Amity Blight in The Owl House. She played a leading role in the Hulu original series Up Here in 2023, which was cancelled after one season.

Personal life

On August 16, 2021, shortly after the airing of The Owl House episode "Knock, Knock, Knocking on Hooty's Door", Whitman came out as pansexual via Twitter, saying she knows she can "fall in love with people of all genders" and that she wished there were characters representing people like her when she was growing up. She is also open about her struggle with endometriosis, which went undiagnosed for 15 years.

On May 12, 2024, Whitman announced she was pregnant with her first child. She gave birth to a son on August 28, 2024.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Audio books

See also

In Spanish: Mae Whitman para niños