Vera Farmiga facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vera Farmiga
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Farmiga in 2018
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Vera Ann Farmiga
August 6, 1973 Clifton, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Syracuse University (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1996–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
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| Awards | Full list |
Vera Ann Farmiga (born August 6, 1973) is a talented American actress. She is well-known for her roles in many different types of movies and TV shows. Vera started her acting journey on stage in a play called Taking Sides in 1996.
Later, she moved into television and film. She became widely recognized for her main role in the drama Down to the Bone (2004). She also appeared in the exciting thriller The Manchurian Candidate (2004) and the crime drama The Departed (2006). You might also know her from the historical drama The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008). Vera is also famous for her roles in horror films like Joshua (2007) and Orphan (2009).
Vera Farmiga was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in the comedy-drama Up in the Air (2009). She also directed her first movie, a drama called Higher Ground (2011), where she played the main character. She starred in thrillers like Source Code (2011) and Safe House (2012).
She is very well known for playing Lorraine Warren, a paranormal investigator, in the Conjuring Universe horror films. These include The Conjuring (2013), The Conjuring 2 (2016), Annabelle Comes Home (2019), and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021). Her other notable films include the legal drama The Judge (2014) and the monster movie Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).
On television, Vera Farmiga earned nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award. She was recognized for playing Norma Louise Bates in the horror series Bates Motel (2013–2017). She also starred in the Netflix miniseries When They See Us (2019). More recently, she appeared in the Disney+ miniseries Hawkeye (2021), which is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She also starred in the Apple TV+ miniseries Five Days at Memorial (2022).
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Vera Farmiga's Early Life
Vera Farmiga was born on August 6, 1973, in Clifton, New Jersey. Her parents, Michael and Lubomyra, were from Ukraine. Her father was a systems analyst and her mother was a schoolteacher. Vera has an older brother, Victor, and five younger siblings. One of her sisters is the actress Taissa Farmiga.
Vera grew up in a Ukrainian American community. She spoke Ukrainian as her first language and did not learn English until she started kindergarten at age six. When she was 12, her family moved to Whitehouse Station, New Jersey.
School and Hobbies
Vera attended St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic School. As a teenager, she toured with a Ukrainian folk-dancing group called Syzokryli. Besides being a semi-professional folk dancer, she is also a trained pianist.
In 1991, she graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School. During her junior year, she discovered acting. A friend convinced her to try out for a school play, and she won the main role. Vera then went on to study theater at Syracuse University, graduating in 1995.
Vera Farmiga's Acting Career
Vera Farmiga started her professional acting career on stage. In 1996, she played Miranda in a play called The Tempest. That same year, she made her Broadway debut in Taking Sides.
Early Film and TV Roles
After her stage work, Vera appeared in the TV western film Rose Hill in 1997. She also had a main role in the fantasy adventure TV series Roar (1997), alongside Heath Ledger. Her first feature film role was in the drama-thriller Return to Paradise (1998).
In 2000, she co-starred in the crime drama The Opportunists. The next year, she had a supporting role in the action thriller 15 Minutes with Robert De Niro. She also joined the main cast of the TV series UC: Undercover in 2001.
Breakthrough and Acclaim
Vera's first starring role was in the romantic drama Love in the Time of Money (2002). She then appeared in the comedy-drama Dummy (2003).
Her big breakthrough came in 2004 with the independent drama film Down to the Bone. Critics praised her performance, with one calling her "magnificent." She won an award for Best Actress for this role.
In 2004, she also appeared in the HBO drama film Iron Jawed Angels, playing a suffragette. She then starred as Detective Susan Branca in the TV series Touching Evil. Also in 2004, she had a supporting role in the political thriller The Manchurian Candidate.
In 2006, Vera co-starred with Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon in Martin Scorsese's crime drama The Departed. She played a police psychiatrist. For this role, she was nominated for an award and shared a nomination with her co-stars.
She continued to star in various films, including the crime thriller Running Scared (2006) and the romantic drama Never Forever (2007). In 2007, she starred in the psychological thriller Joshua.
In September 2008, Vera starred as Elsa Hoess in the historical drama The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. She won an award for Best Actress for her performance in this film. That same year, she played a Central Intelligence Agency agent in the political thriller Nothing But the Truth.
In 2009, Vera played the main role of Kate Coleman in the psychological thriller Orphan. Her acting in this film was highly praised.
Major Nominations and Directorial Debut
Also in 2009, she co-starred with George Clooney in the comedy-drama Up in the Air. Her performance earned her nominations for several major awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2011, Vera made her first movie as a director, called Higher Ground. She also starred in the film. Many of her family members helped with the movie, including her sister Taissa Farmiga and her husband Renn Hawkey. Critics praised her directing debut.
She then appeared in the science fiction thriller Source Code (2011) and the action thriller Safe House (2012), where she starred alongside Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington.
Television Success and The Conjuring Universe
In 2013, Vera returned to television, playing Norma Louise Bates in the drama-thriller series Bates Motel. This series is a modern version of the classic horror film Psycho. She won awards for her performance in this show. Besides acting, she also worked as a producer for the series.
She then starred in James Wan's horror film The Conjuring (2013). This movie was very successful. Vera played Lorraine Warren, a real-life paranormal investigator. She continued this role in the sequels The Conjuring 2 (2016) and Annabelle Comes Home (2019), and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021). These films are part of The Conjuring Universe.
In 2014, Vera co-starred in the drama film The Judge with Robert Downey Jr.. She also appeared in the comedy Special Correspondents (2016) and the adventure comedy-drama Burn Your Maps (2016).
In 2018, Vera co-starred with Liam Neeson in the action thriller The Commuter. She also played a character in the drama film Skin and the biographical drama The Front Runner with Hugh Jackman.
In 2019, she starred in the science fiction thriller Captive State. She also played Dr. Emma Russell in the monster film Godzilla: King of the Monsters. In May 2019, Vera played a prosecutor in the Netflix crime drama miniseries When They See Us, which was based on a real-life legal case.
Recent Projects
In 2021, Vera made a guest appearance in the Netflix drama series Halston. She also reprised her role as Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. In September 2021, Vera appeared as Livia Soprano in The Many Saints of Newark, a film that tells an earlier story related to the TV series The Sopranos. She then starred as Eleanor Bishop in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero miniseries Hawkeye on Disney+.
In 2022, Vera starred as Dr. Anna Pou in the Apple TV+ series Five Days at Memorial, which was based on a book about a real event. In 2023, she had a small appearance as Lorraine Warren in the horror film The Nun II. She also had roles in the drama film Origin and the comedy-drama film Ezra. Vera is set to star in a film about the Heaven's Gate group, where she will play the founder Bonnie Nettles. She will also voice a character in an upcoming animated series called Gossamer.
In October 2024, Vera Farmiga started a band called The Yagas and released her first song, "The Crying Room."
Vera Farmiga's Personal Life
Vera Farmiga met actor Sebastian Roché when they worked together on the TV series Roar. They got married in 1997 but later divorced in 2004.
She then started dating musician Renn Hawkey. They were introduced by a mutual friend. Vera and Renn got married on September 13, 2008. They have two children: a son named Fynn, born in January 2009, and a daughter named Gytta, born in November 2010. The family has homes in Hudson Valley, New York and Vancouver, British Columbia.
Vera is good friends with her Bates Motel co-star Freddie Highmore, who is the godfather to her son. She is also close friends with her Conjuring co-star Patrick Wilson.
Filmography and Awards
Vera Farmiga has starred in many successful films. Some of her highest-grossing and most praised movies include Down to the Bone (2004), The Manchurian Candidate (2004), and The Departed (2006). Other popular films are The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008), Orphan (2009), and Up in the Air (2009).
Her horror films like The Conjuring (2013), The Conjuring 2 (2016), and Annabelle Comes Home (2019) have also been very successful. She also appeared in Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).
For her role in Up in the Air (2009), Vera Farmiga received nominations for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She also received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award for her role in Bates Motel (2013–2017). For her performance in the miniseries When They See Us (2019), she received another Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
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See also
In Spanish: Vera Farmiga para niños
