Mia Kirshner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mia Kirshner
Kirshner at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	(1975-01-25) January 25, 1975 (age 50) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Actress activist writer
Years active	1989–present
Partner(s)	Sam Shepard (2014–2015)

Mia Kirshner (born January 25, 1975) is a Canadian actress, writer, and social activist. She is well-known for her roles on TV shows like 24, The L Word, and Star Trek: Discovery. She has also appeared in many movies, including Not Another Teen Movie and The Black Dahlia.

Early life and education

Mia Kirshner was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her mother, Etti, was a teacher, and her father, Sheldon, was a journalist. Mia's grandparents were survivors of the Holocaust, a very sad time in history. Her father was born in a camp for people who had to leave their homes after World War II. Her mother was a Jewish refugee who escaped to Israel.

Mia grew up in a regular family and went to Forest Hill Collegiate Institute. She later graduated from Jarvis Collegiate Institute. She also studied Russian literature and the history of movies at McGill University in Montreal. Mia has a younger sister named Lauren, who is also a writer.

Acting career

Mia Kirshner in 2009

Mia Kirshner started acting in 1989 on the TV show War of the Worlds. She made her first movie appearance in 1993 in Love and Human Remains. The next year, she starred in Exotica, playing a dancer. In 1996, she was in The Crow: City of Angels. She also played Kitty Scherbatsky in the 1997 movie Anna Karenina.

In 2001, Mia played Mandy, a secret agent, in the first three episodes of the TV show 24. She returned to this role in later seasons. Also in 2001, Kirshner played Catherine Wyler in the comedy movie Not Another Teen Movie. Her character was a funny take on popular movie characters from other teen films. She even appeared as Catherine Wyler in the music video for "Tainted Love" by Marilyn Manson.

From 2004 to 2009, Mia was a main character, Jenny Schecter, in the drama series The L Word. In 2006, she starred in The Black Dahlia. In this movie, she played Elizabeth Short, whose real-life murder in 1947 is still a mystery. Many critics praised her acting in this role.

In 2010, Mia joined the cast of The Vampire Diaries as Isobel Flemming. In 2011, she lent her voice to Bear 71, an online documentary. She also appeared in the TV series Defiance starting in 2012, and Lost Girl in 2013.

From 2017 to 2019, she had a recurring role as Amanda Grayson in Star Trek: Discovery. Amanda Grayson is the mother of Spock, a famous character from Star Trek. Mia played this role again in an episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in 2023.

In 2019, Mia Kirshner played a character in the TV movie The College Admissions Scandal. Her role was inspired by real-life events where wealthy parents tried to get their children into top universities unfairly. Mia described her character as "corrupt, greedy, narcissistic, self-centered." In 2020, she starred in the Hallmark Channel holiday movie Love, Lights, Hanukkah!. In this film, she played a restaurant owner who discovers her Jewish heritage through a DNA test.

Helping others

In 2008, Mia Kirshner published a book called I Live Here. She worked on this book for seven years with other writers and artists. The book shares the true stories of women and children who are refugees from places like Chechnya, Juárez, Burma, and Malawi. The book includes drawings and stories from famous artists. Amnesty International, a group that helps people around the world, supported the book. They also receive some of the money from book sales. After the book came out, Mia was invited to teach a course about I Live Here at MIT in 2009.

Personal life

From 2014 to 2015, Mia Kirshner was in a relationship with the actor and writer Sam Shepard.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

• 24: The Game (2006), as Mandy

See also

In Spanish: Mia Kirshner para niños