Taissa Farmiga facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Taissa Farmiga
Farmiga in 2016
Born	(1994-08-17) August 17, 1994 (age 30) Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2010–present
Spouse(s)	Hadley Klein ​ ​ (m. 2020; div. 2024)​
Relatives	Vera Farmiga (sister) Adriana Farmiga (cousin)

Taissa Farmiga (born August 17, 1994) is an American actress. She is well-known for her many roles in horror movies, often alongside her older sister Vera Farmiga.

Taissa started acting because her sister encouraged her. She made her first movie appearance in Vera's film, Higher Ground (2011). She became very famous for her work on the TV show American Horror Story. She starred in several seasons, including Murder House (2011), Coven (2013–2014), Roanoke (2016), and Apocalypse (2018).

Her early movie roles include the crime drama The Bling Ring (2013) and the thriller Mindscape (2013). Farmiga also received praise for her roles in the comedy horror film The Final Girls (2015) and the drama films 6 Years (2015) and Share (2015). These movies premiered at the South by Southwest festival, where she was named one of the top new stars.

She has also voiced the superhero Raven in the DC Animated Movie Universe from 2016 to 2020. Her other films include the comedies Rules Don't Apply (2016) and The Long Dumb Road (2018), and the dramas In a Valley of Violence (2016) and What They Had (2018). She also starred in the supernatural horror films The Nun (2018) and its sequel, The Nun II (2023).

Farmiga was also a main cast member in the TV series Wicked City (2015). She made her first stage appearance in the play Buried Child (2016).

Early Life and Family

Taissa Farmiga was born in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, on August 17, 1994. Her parents, Lubomyra and Michael Farmiga, moved from Ukraine. She is the youngest of seven children. Her siblings are Victor, Vera, Stephan, Nadia, Alexander "Alex," and Laryssa. Her sister Laryssa was born with a health condition called spina bifida. Her grandparents met during World War II.

Farmiga went to public school until the fourth grade. After that, her mother taught her and her two siblings, Alex and Laryssa, at home. She has said that she understands the Ukrainian language but can only speak some of it. She also knows American Sign Language very well, having taken classes for four years. She was raised in the Pentecostal faith.

Career Highlights

Starting Out in Acting (2011–2014)

Taissa Farmiga first thought about becoming an accountant. However, her sister Vera convinced her to act in her first movie as a director, a drama called Higher Ground. Taissa played the 16-year-old version of the main character, Corinne Walker. The movie premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Taissa received great reviews for her performance and soon signed with a talent agency.

In the same year, Farmiga starred in the first season of FX's TV series American Horror Story. This role made her famous around the world. In Murder House, she played Violet Harmon. Violet was a troubled teenager whose parents were Vivien (Connie Britton) and Ben Harmon (Dylan McDermott). Taissa got the role of Violet in her first audition for a professional acting role.

Next, she joined the cast of Sofia Coppola's crime movie The Bling Ring. This film was based on a real-life group of young people who stole from celebrities. Taissa played 17-year-old Sam Moore, a rebellious teen. The movie was shown at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and received good reviews. She then played Audrey Martin, a serious teenager visiting a college campus, in the romantic comedy At Middleton. She starred alongside her sister Vera and Andy García. This movie premiered at the 2013 Seattle International Film Festival and got mixed to good reviews from critics.

Farmiga returned to the American Horror Story series for its third season, American Horror Story: Coven (2013–2014). She played Zoe Benson, a young witch who has a special, powerful ability. Critics praised her performance in this role. She had her first main role in a movie as Anna Greene in Jorge Dorado's thriller Mindscape. This movie premiered at the 2013 Sitges Film Festival. Critics highly praised her acting in Mindscape. She then co-starred as Sarah, the main character's love interest, in the true-story crime drama Jamesy Boy (2014).

Becoming a Mainstream Star (2015–2016)

Farmiga at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of The Final Girls in September 2015.

In 2015, Farmiga starred in three movies that premiered at the South by Southwest festival. The first was Todd Strauss-Schulson's horror comedy The Final Girls, which received good reviews. She played the main role of Max Cartwright, a character often called a final girl in horror movies. This role earned her a Fright Meter Award nomination. The second movie was Hannah Fidell's romantic drama 6 Years, where she played Melanie Clark. The third film was Pippa Bianco's short drama Share. In this movie, she played Krystal Williams, a teenager who returns to school after a private video of her goes viral. Her acting in all these films was praised, and Farmiga was named one of the festival's breakout stars.

Farmiga then appeared as Karen McClaren, a young journalist, in ABC's crime drama series Wicked City (2015). The series received mixed reviews and was canceled after three episodes due to low ratings. The remaining episodes were later released on Hulu.

In 2016, she made her first appearance on stage in the play Buried Child. She played Shelly in this play, which also starred Ed Harris and Amy Madigan. She then starred with Ethan Hawke and John Travolta in the Western film In a Valley of Violence, directed by Ti West. She played Mary-Anne, a young innkeeper who becomes friends with Hawke's character. The movie premiered at the 2016 South by Southwest festival and received positive reviews.

Farmiga also started voice acting as the superhero Raven in DC Comics' Justice League vs. Teen Titans. This animated movie premiered at the 2016 WonderCon. She then returned to American Horror Story for its sixth season, Roanoke. She made a guest appearance as Sophie Green in the November 2016 episode "Chapter 9". Farmiga also co-starred as Sarah Bransford in Warren Beatty's romantic comedy-drama Rules Don't Apply. This movie premiered at the 2016 AFI Fest and received mixed reviews. In this film, Farmiga worked again with her Buried Child co-stars Harris and Madigan, who played her character's parents.

Main Film Roles (2017–2021)

Farmiga voiced Raven again in Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, which premiered at the 2017 WonderCon. She then played Emma Ertz in Elizabeth Chomko's drama film What They Had. She also worked again with director Hannah Fidell for the comedy film The Long Dumb Road. Both movies premiered at the 2018 Sundance.

Farmiga next appeared as Sister Irene, a Catholic nun, in Corin Hardy's horror film The Nun. This movie was released in September 2018 and became the highest-earning film in The Conjuring Universe series. In August 2018, it was confirmed that Farmiga would return to American Horror Story for its eighth season, American Horror Story: Apocalypse. She played both her characters from Murder House and Coven, Violet Harmon and Zoe Benson.

Farmiga then played the main character Merricat Blackwood in Stacie Passon's film We Have Always Lived in the Castle. This movie was based on Shirley Jackson's mystery novel and premiered at the 2018 LA Film Festival. She also appeared with Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper in the drama film The Mule, directed by Eastwood, which was released in December 2018.

In May 2019, Farmiga appeared as Annie Miller in an episode of the CBS All Access series The Twilight Zone. This was a new version of the 1959 TV series. She starred alongside Rhea Seehorn, Luke Kirby, and Ike Barinholtz. The next year, she also guest starred as Hannah Stolsfiss in three episodes of the horror series 50 States of Fright for Quibi.

Recent Work (2022–Present)

In 2022, Farmiga began starring in the HBO period drama series The Gilded Age. She plays Gladys Russell, a socialite and the daughter of Carrie Coon’s character. In 2023, she returned to her role as Sister Irene in the supernatural horror sequel The Nun II.

Farmiga also starred in the independent romantic drama film She Taught Love as Samantha Miron. This movie was released by Hulu on September 27, 2024.

Personal Life

Farmiga owns a home in Los Feliz, Los Angeles. In May 2019, it was reported that she was engaged to screenwriter and director Hadley Klein. They got married in a small ceremony at their home on August 8, 2020. They divorced in early July 2024.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Podcast

Awards and Recognition

Awards and Nominations

Special Honors

• Variety magazine included Farmiga on their list of "The 14 Women Who Dominated the South by Southwest Film Festival" for her work in The Final Girls (2015) and 6 Years (2015).
• Farmiga was featured on the cover of Town & Country magazine's June 2025 issue.

See also

In Spanish: Taissa Farmiga para niños