Maggie Grace facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maggie Grace
Grace in 2018
Born	Margaret Grace Denig (1983-09-21) September 21, 1983 (age 41) Worthington, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2001–present
Spouse(s)	Brent Bushnell ​ (m. 2017)​
Children	1

Margaret Grace Denig (born September 21, 1983), known as Maggie Grace, is an American actress. She is famous for playing Shannon Rutherford in the TV series Lost from 2004 to 2006 and again in 2010. She also played Kim Mills in the Taken movie series (2008–2014) and Irina in The Twilight Saga films (2011–2012). More recently, she was known as Althea Szewczyk-Przygocki in Fear the Walking Dead (2018–2021).

Maggie Grace was nominated for a Young Artist Award in 2002. This was for her role in the TV movie Murder in Greenwich, where she played a young girl named Martha Moxley. In 2004, she joined the cast of Lost as Shannon Rutherford. She was a main character for the first two seasons and won a Screen Actors Guild Award with the other actors in the show. After Lost, Maggie wanted to act more in movies. She appeared in The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) and starred with Liam Neeson as Kim Mills in Taken in 2008. She played Kim again in Taken 2 (2012) and Taken 3 (2014).

She also played the main character, Alice, in Malice in Wonderland (2009). This movie was a modern version of Lewis Carroll's famous book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Maggie Grace returned to Lost for two more episodes, including the very last one. In 2013, she appeared in the TV series Californication. She played Faith, a character who inspires artists and catches the eye of Hank Moody. In 2018, she joined the cast of Fear the Walking Dead as a journalist named Althea.

Early Life

Margaret Grace Denig was born in Worthington, Ohio. Her parents, Valinn and Fred Denig, owned a family jewelry business. Maggie went to Worthington Christian Schools for many years. She also briefly attended Thomas Worthington High School. During this time, she started acting in school plays and local theater. She even performed in a play called The Crucible in 2000.

As a child, Maggie Grace loved to read. She described herself as a "Shakespeare nerd." She told the Los Angeles Times that when she was 13, she was very interested in Jane Austen. She compared it to how some kids are really into Star Trek.

Acting Career

Getting Started

After moving to Los Angeles, Maggie Grace quickly found an agent and started taking acting classes. Her first role was in 2001 in Rachel's Room. This was a web series about a teenage girl's life. Her next role was in a TV series called Septuplets in 2002, but the show was canceled before it even aired.

Her first big role was in the 2002 TV movie Murder in Greenwich. This movie was based on the true story of a young girl named Martha Moxley. Maggie was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her acting in this role. After this, she had smaller roles in several TV shows. These included CSI: Miami, Cold Case, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She also appeared in the films Twelve Mile Road and Creature Unknown.

Grace at the New York premiere of Won't Back Down in September 2012

Becoming Famous

In 2004, Maggie Grace's agent sent her the script for a new TV show called Lost. She got the part of Shannon Rutherford after a successful audition. In 2005, she was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for her role on Lost. While filming the first season of Lost in Hawaii, she also starred in The Fog. This was a 2005 remake of a horror movie.

Maggie returned for Lost's second season in 2005. Her character was written off the show in the eighth episode. The show's creators felt her character's story had reached its end. Even after leaving the show, Maggie joined the other main actors from Lost season 2. They won an award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series at the 12th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Later Roles

After Lost, Maggie Grace continued to work in films. In 2007, she starred in The Jane Austen Book Club. This movie was based on a book she had already read and loved. She played Allegra, a 20-year-old character. She also appeared in the independent film Suburban Girl with Sarah Michelle Gellar.

In 2008, she starred in the thriller film Taken with Liam Neeson. She had always wanted to work with him. In 2009, she played the main role in Malice in Wonderland, a modern version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. In 2010, Maggie was very busy. She starred in the drama Flying Lessons. She also appeared with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz in Knight and Day and with Dwayne Johnson in Faster.

Maggie's busy schedule meant she couldn't return for the start of Lost's final season. However, she did come back for the very last episode, "The End". In 2010, it was announced that Maggie Grace would play Irina in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 and Part 2.

In 2012, Maggie made her debut on Broadway, which is a famous theater district in New York City. She starred in a play called Picnic. In 2013, she also guest-starred in the TV series Californication. She played Faith, a character who inspires rock and roll musicians. In 2018, she joined the cast of Fear the Walking Dead as Althea, a journalist.

Other Projects

Maggie Grace has been featured on the covers of many fashion magazines around the world. These include Saturday Night, Femme Fatales, Glow, and CosmoGirl.

Personal Life

While working on Lost, Maggie Grace and her co-star Ian Somerhalder adopted a cat they found on set. She said the cat became her "travel buddy." In February 2017, Maggie got engaged to Brent Bushnell, who runs an entertainment company. They got married on May 28, 2017. Their first child, a son, was born in 2020.

Maggie often says her mother is her biggest inspiration. She feels very lucky to have a "cool mom" who is like a sister to her. Maggie also loves England and English poets like William Shakespeare. She has had a pen pal in England since she was eight years old. She first visited England when she was thirteen. Maggie describes herself as clumsy and was even jokingly called "Maggie Graceless" by a former co-star.

Movies and TV Shows

Movies

TV Shows

See also

In Spanish: Maggie Grace para niños