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Mara Wilson
Mara Wilson Photo Op GalaxyCon Raleigh 2023.jpg
Wilson in 2023
Born
Mara Elizabeth Wilson

(1987-07-24) July 24, 1987 (age 36)
Education New York University (BFA)
Occupation Actress
Years active 1993–present
Relatives Ben Shapiro (cousin)

Mara Elizabeth Wilson (born July 24, 1987) is an American actress and writer. She rose to prominence as a child for playing Natalie Hillard in the film Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and went on to play Susan Walker in Miracle on 34th Street (1994), the title character in Matilda (1996), Annabel Greening in A Simple Wish (1997), and Lily Stone in Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000). Wilson took a 12-year hiatus following the last film to focus on writing. She returned to acting in 2012 and has predominantly worked in web series.

Early life

Mara Elizabeth Wilson was born in Burbank, California, on July 24, 1987, the oldest daughter of Burbank PTA school volunteer Suzie Wilson (née Shapiro; 1953–1996) and KTLA broadcast engineer Mike Wilson. Her mother was Jewish, while her father is half Irish. She was raised Jewish but became an atheist when she was 15. She has three older brothers named Danny, Jon, and Joel, and a younger sister named Anna. She is a cousin of political commentator and media host Ben Shapiro, but has disavowed him due to differences arising from his conservative views and her opposing progressive beliefs. They have no contact with each other.

Wilson's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer on March 10, 1995, and died on April 26, 1996. The film Matilda was dedicated to her memory. Wilson later recalled that this affected her passion for acting. At age 12, Wilson was diagnosed with OCD. She has also been diagnosed with ADHD. She attended Idyllwild Arts Academy in Idyllwild, California. After graduation in 2005, she relocated to New York City to continue her studies at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 2009. She appeared in her own one-woman show called Weren't You That Girl? while in college.

Career

Mara Wilson (37671460704)
Wilson in 2017

When Wilson was five, she became interested in acting after watching her older brother Danny appear in television commercials. Her parents were initially disinclined, but eventually appearing in several commercials for businesses, she was invited to audition for the 1993 comedy film Mrs. Doubtfire. Producers were impressed and awarded her the role of Natalie Hillard. The following year, she appeared in the remake of Miracle on 34th Street.

In 1994, Wilson was cast in a recurring role as Nikki Petrova on Melrose Place and played Barbara Barton in the television film A Time to Heal. She sang "Make 'Em Laugh" at the 67th Academy Awards broadcast on March 27, 1995, with Tim Curry and Kathy Najimy. In 1995, she won the ShoWest Award for Young Star of the Year.

Wilson's film work caught the attention of Danny DeVito, and she was cast as the main protagonist Matilda Wormwood in the 1996 film Matilda. She was only 9 at the time. She was nominated for three awards for her performance, winning the YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy Film. In 1997, she starred in A Simple Wish alongside Martin Short. Although Wilson was nominated for three awards, the film mostly received negative reviews by critics.

In 1997, Wilson went to a table reading for What Dreams May Come starring Robin Williams, but she did not get the part. A year later, she unsuccessfully auditioned for the 1998 remake of Disney's The Parent Trap but the role was given to Lindsay Lohan after Wilson was deemed too young. In 1999, she portrayed Willow Johnson in the film for The Wonderful World of Disney titled Balloon Farm, based on a fiction book.

In 2000, Wilson appeared in the fantasy film Thomas and the Magic Railroad, which was her last film. The film was universally panned by critics and performed poorly at the box office. She retired from film work shortly afterward. She received a script for the 2001 film Donnie Darko but declined to audition for the film. After retiring from film acting, she began stage acting. Her theater credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream and Cinderella. She starred in her own live shows Weren't You That Girl? and What Are You Afraid Of?

In 2012, Wilson appeared briefly in one episode of a web series called Missed Connection in the role of Bitty and made special appearances on internet review shows for That Guy with the Glasses—most notably a comedic turn playing an adult Matilda during a review of Matilda by The Nostalgia Chick, Lindsay Ellis. That year, she explained why she quit film acting: "Film acting is not very fun. Doing the same thing over and over again until, in the director's eyes, you 'get it right', does not allow for very much creative freedom. The best times I had on film sets were the times the director let me express myself, but those were rare."

In May 2013, Wilson wrote an article for Cracked.com, offering her opinion of the delinquency of some former child stars. As of 2013, she worked for Publicolor. Her play Sheeple was produced in 2013 for the New York International Fringe Festival. In an interview that December, Wilson stated that her film acting days are over, and that she is instead focusing on writing. Her book Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame was published on September 13, 2016.

Wilson has a recurring role on the podcast Welcome to Night Vale as "The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home", as well as her own storytelling show called What Are You Afraid Of? In 2016, she made a brief return to television in a Mrs. Doubtfire-inspired episode of Broad City, in which she played a waitress where the comical Heimlich scene from the film was re-enacted. That same year, she voiced Jill Pill, a writer/director anthropomorphic spider, in season 3 of BoJack Horseman. She voiced Liv Amara/Diane "Di" Amara in Big Hero 6: The Series.

In a 2017 NPR interview, The Simpsons voice actress Nancy Cartwright stated that a young Wilson was the inspiration for a character's voice on the episode "Bart Sells His Soul".

Charity work

In 2015, Wilson collaborated with Project UROK, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to aid teens with mental illness.

Personal life

Wilson has three older brothers named Danny, Jon, and Joel, and a younger sister named Anna. She is a cousin of political commentator and media host Ben Shapiro, whom she has disavowed due to his conservative views and her contrasting progressive beliefs; the two have no contact with each other. Wilson was raised Jewish, but became an atheist at the age of 15; she shifted to agnosticism in more recent years.

In 2015, Wilson appeared in a video by the mental health charity Project UROK in which she discussed the mental illnesses she has experienced, including anxiety, depression, and obsessive–compulsive disorder. She discussed her history of mental illness on Paul Gilmartin's podcast The Mental Illness Happy Hour.

Wilson came out as bisexual during an interview with Medium in September 2017. ..... In a 2021 op-ed in The New York Times, she commented on the documentary Framing Britney Spears and the parallels between her own life as a child star and Britney Spears'. ..... She described her disappointment when a reporter called her a "spoiled brat" after she stated that she wanted the day off on her 13th birthday instead of granting interviews.

As of 2013, Wilson resides in the Queens borough of New York City.

Filmography

Screen roles

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1993 Mrs. Doubtfire Natalie "Nattie" Hillard First film role
1994 A Time to Heal Barbara Barton Television film
Miracle on 34th Street Susan Walker
1996 Matilda Matilda Wormwood Lead role
1997 A Simple Wish Anabel Greening
1999 Balloon Farm Willow Johnson Television film
2000 Thomas and the Magic Railroad Lily Stone
2015 Billie Bob Joe Herself
2021 Pre-Emptive Defence Sara Short film

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1993 Melrose Place Nicole "Nikki" Petrova Recurring, 5 episodes
1996 Pearl Samantha Stein Episode: "The Tutor"
1999 Batman Beyond Tamara Caulder Voice, episode: "Mind Games"
2016 Broad City Waitress Episode: "Burning Bridges"
BoJack Horseman Jill Pill Voice, 4 episodes
2018–19 Big Hero 6: The Series Liv Amara/Diane "Di" Amara Voice, recurring role

Web

Year Title Role Notes
2012 Nostalgia Critic Herself Episode: "A Simple Wish"
Nostalgia Chick Episode: "Matilda", also writer
Demo Reel Donnie DuPre's wife Voice, episode: "Lost in Translation (Bromance Version)"
Shut Up and Talk Herself Episode: "Guest: Mara Wilson"
Missed Connection Bitty Episode: "Bad Dates"
2013 Welcome to Night Vale Faceless Old Woman Voice, 10 episodes
2014 Keith and The Girl Herself Episode: "2002: ..."
Nostalgia Chick Episode: "Nostalgic Foods of Yore"
Amy Poehler's Smart Girls Episode: "The In Too Steep Tea Party"
Maven of the Eventide Pumpktoberfest Vlogs, Episodes 5 & 12
I Don't Even Own a Television Episode: "016 — Covert Conception (w/ Mara Wilson)"
2015 Keith and The Girl Episode: "2147: Gang Dick"
Gilmore Guys Episode 4.21
That's the Show with Danny Episode: "117: The One with Mara Wilson"
2015, 2017 I Don't Even Own a Television Episodes: "026: Treacherous Love (w/ Mara Wilson)", "081: I'm With the Band (w/ Mara Wilson)"
2016 Mouth Time with Reductress Ruth Hrorgen Mouth Time LIVE! With Mara Wilson
2019 Passenger List N/A Writer of "Cyberspace" (episode 5)
2020 Helluva Boss Mrs. Mayberry Voice, episode: "Murder Family"
Our Popcorn Movie Dystopia - Some More News: The Movie Matilda Cody Web film
The George Lucas Talk Show Herself May the AR Be LI$$ You Arli$$ marathon fundraiser;

The George Lucas Holiday Special

2021 You Are Good Episode: "Hocus Pocus with Mara Wilson"
2022 Ollie & Scoops Claudia Grimson, Creepy Girl Voice, 2 episodes

Stage roles

  • A Midsummer Night's Dream (2004)
  • Cinderella (2005)
  • Weren't You That Girl? (2009)
  • What Are You Afraid Of? (2014)

Awards and nominations

Year Organization Award Work NotesResult
1995 ShoWest Awards Young Star of the Year N/A Won
1996 YoungStar Awards Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy Film Matilda Won
Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film — Leading Young Actress Nominated
Saturn Awards Best Performance by a Younger Actor Nominated
1997 YoungStar Awards Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy Film A Simple Wish Nominated
Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film — Leading Young Actress Won
Saturn Awards Best Performance by a Younger Actor Nominated
2000 YoungStar Awards Best Young Actress in a Comedy Film Thomas and the Magic Railroad Nominated
Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film — Leading Young Actress Nominated

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Mara Wilson para niños

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