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 |
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| 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 an American actress. She started her acting career on stage in a Broadway play called Taking Sides in 1996. Later, she began working in television and movies. She became well-known for her main role in the drama film Down to the Bone (2004), where she played a character facing difficult challenges.
Vera Farmiga has appeared in many popular films. These include the thriller The Manchurian Candidate (2004), the crime drama The Departed (2006), and the historical drama The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008). She is also known for her roles in horror movies like Joshua (2007) and Orphan (2009).
For her role in the comedy-drama Up in the Air (2009), Farmiga was nominated for an Academy Award. She also directed a film called Higher Ground (2011), where she played the main character. She continued to star in thrillers such as Source Code (2011) and Safe House (2012). She is very famous 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).
On television, Farmiga was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for her roles as Norma Louise Bates in the drama series Bates Motel (2013–2017) and in the Netflix miniseries When They See Us (2019). She has also appeared in the Disney+ miniseries Hawkeye (2021), which is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the Apple TV+ miniseries Five Days at Memorial (2022).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Vera Farmiga was born on August 6, 1973, in Clifton, New Jersey, United States. Her parents, Mykhailo and Lubomyra, are from Ukraine. Her father was a systems analyst who later became a landscaper, and her mother was a schoolteacher. Vera has an older brother, Victor, and five younger siblings: Stephan, Nadia, Alexander, Laryssa, and Taissa. Her sister Laryssa was born with spina bifida.
Vera's grandparents met in a camp during World War II. As a child, Vera and her family changed their church from Ukrainian Greek Catholic to Pentecostal.
Ukrainian Heritage
Farmiga feels "100% Ukrainian-American". She grew up in a Ukrainian-American community in Irvington. Ukrainian was her first language, and she did not learn English until she started kindergarten at age six. When she was 12, her family moved to Whitehouse Station. Vera went to St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic School in Newark. As a teenager, she performed with a Ukrainian folk-dancing group called Syzokryli. Besides being a folk dancer, she also learned to play the piano. She was a member of Plast, a Ukrainian scouting organization.
High School and College
Farmiga graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School in 1991. In her junior year, she discovered acting after being benched during a soccer game. A friend encouraged her to try out for the school play The Vampire, and she won the main role. Farmiga then studied theater at Syracuse University (SU), graduating in 1995. In her last year at SU, she played Nina Zarechnaya in The Seagull at a college theater festival, and her performance helped the play win a top award.
Acting Career
Starting Out in the 1990s
In February 1996, Farmiga played Miranda in a play called The Tempest. That same year, she was Anne Hartman in Good. She made her Broadway debut in October 1996, as an understudy for Emmi Straube in Taking Sides. After these stage roles, she appeared in the TV western film Rose Hill in April 1997.
Farmiga had a main role in the TV series Roar (1997) with Heath Ledger. The next year, she was a guest star in an episode of Law & Order. She made her first movie appearance in a supporting role in Return to Paradise (1998). She also had a guest role in the TV series Trinity that year.
Success in the 2000s
Farmiga's next film was The Opportunists (2000), where she played Miriam Kelly. She also had a supporting role in Autumn in New York (2000). The next year, she was in the action thriller 15 Minutes and the drama film Dust. Farmiga then joined the main cast of the TV series UC: Undercover, which started in September 2001. She also appeared in the TV film Snow White: The Fairest of Them All.
Her first main role in a film was in the romantic drama Love in the Time of Money (2002). In June 2002, she starred in a play called Under the Blue Sky. Farmiga then appeared in the comedy-drama Dummy (2003).
In 2004, Farmiga had a big breakthrough role in the independent drama film Down to the Bone. She played Irene Morrison, a mother facing tough challenges. Critics praised her performance, with one saying she was "magnificent." She won an award for Best Actress from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
Farmiga then appeared in the HBO film Iron Jawed Angels (2004), playing Ruza Wenclawska, a Polish-American woman who fought for women's right to vote. She also had a supporting role in Mind The Gap (2004). 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. The next year, she was in the fantasy drama Neverwas. Farmiga then appeared in Martin Scorsese's crime drama The Departed (2006), playing Dr. Madolyn Madden, a police psychiatrist. For this role, she was nominated for an Empire Award. She also played Dr. Charlie Brooks in the thriller The Hard Easy (2006).
She starred as Teresa Gazelle in the crime thriller Running Scared and as Oana in the romantic crime drama Breaking and Entering (both in 2006). Farmiga then took the main role of Sophie Lee in the romantic drama Never Forever (2007). A critic called her "the best American actress you've never heard of." She also starred as Abby Cairn in the psychological thriller Joshua (2007) and played Fiona Ankany in the drama film Quid Pro Quo (2008).
In September 2008, the historical drama The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was released. Farmiga played Elsa Hoess and won an award for Best Actress. That same year, she starred in the war drama film In Transit and played Erica Van Doren, a Central Intelligence Agency agent, in the political thriller Nothing But the Truth. This role earned her a nomination for a Critics' Choice Movie Award.
In 2009, Farmiga played the main role of Kate Coleman in the psychological thriller Orphan. Her performance was highly praised. She then appeared in the romantic drama The Vintner's Luck (2009).
Also in 2009, she co-starred as Alex Goran in the comedy-drama Up in the Air, alongside George Clooney. Critics loved her performance, with one saying she "is one of the warmest and most attractive women in the movies." She received nominations for many major awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In June 2010, she became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Work in the 2010s
Farmiga then starred in the romantic comedy Henry's Crime (2010). She next played Capt. Colleen Goodwin in the science fiction thriller film Source Code (2011).
While pregnant with her second child, Farmiga directed her first film, the drama Higher Ground (2011). She also starred as the main character, Corinne Walker. Many of her family members helped with the film: her sister Taissa played a younger Corinne, her husband Renn Hawkey was a producer, and her cousin Adriana Farmiga helped with the art. The film received good reviews, and Farmiga was nominated for awards for both her acting and directing.
Her next role was Wendy Whitman in the comedy-drama Goats (2012). That same year, she played CIA agent Catherine Linklater in the action thriller Safe House (2012), starring with Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington.
Farmiga returned to television in 2013, 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 and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. Critics praised her acting, calling it "superb." Besides acting, she also helped produce the show.
She then appeared in James Wan's horror film The Conjuring (2013), which was very successful. It became one of the highest-grossing horror films at the time. Farmiga played Lorraine Warren, a paranormal investigator. She was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for her role.
She played Lorraine Warren again in the sequel, The Conjuring 2 (2016), which was also very successful.
Farmiga appeared as Edith Martin in the romantic comedy At Middleton (2013), with Andy García and her sister Taissa. Also in 2013, she starred as Alice Bercovich in the comedy-drama Closer to the Moon. Farmiga then co-starred in the drama film The Judge (2014) as Samantha Powell. She then starred as Eleanor Finch in the comedy Special Correspondents (2016). She next appeared as Alise Firth in the adventure comedy-drama Burn Your Maps (2016). Farmiga also played Dr. Nora Phillips in the short film The Escape (2016). The next year, she was an executive producer for the documentary film Unspoken (2017).
Farmiga co-starred with Liam Neeson in the action thriller The Commuter (2018). She also appeared in the sci-fi TV series Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams (2018). Farmiga then played Laura Jaconi in the comedy-drama film Boundaries (2018). Next, in 2018, Farmiga starred as Shareen Krager in the drama Skin, and played Oletha "Lee" Hart in the film The Front Runner (2018).
In March 2019, she starred as Jane Doe in the science fiction thriller Captive State. In May 2019, she played Dr. Emma Russell in the film Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Also in May 2019, Farmiga played prosecutor Elizabeth Lederer in the Netflix miniseries When They See Us. For this role, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. In June 2019, she played Lorraine Warren again in the horror film Annabelle Comes Home.
Recent Work (2020s)
In May 2021, Farmiga made a special guest appearance in the Netflix drama series Halston. She then played Lorraine Warren again in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, released in June 2021. In September 2021, Farmiga appeared as Livia Soprano in the film The Many Saints of Newark. After this, she starred as Eleanor Bishop in the Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries Hawkeye, which premiered in November 2021.
In August 2022, Farmiga starred as Dr. Anna Pou in the Apple TV+ series Five Days at Memorial. In 2023, she had a small appearance as Lorraine Warren in the horror film The Nun II. That same year, Farmiga had roles in the drama film Origin and the comedy-drama film Ezra.
She is set to star in a film called The Leader, where she will play Bonnie Nettles. She will also voice a character in the upcoming animated series Gossamer.
Music Career
In October 2024, Farmiga started a band called The Yagas and released their first song, "The Crying Room." In February 2025, the band released another song called "She's Walking Down," which Farmiga wrote to help with her worries about the safety of children. The band's first album, Midnight Minuet, was released on April 25, 2025.
Personal Life
Farmiga met actor Sebastian Roché when they starred together in the TV series Roar. They got married in the Bahamas in 1997 and later divorced in 2004. She then started dating musician Renn Hawkey, after a friend introduced them. They married on September 13, 2008, when Farmiga was five months pregnant. She had a son, Fynn, in January 2009, and a daughter, Gytta, in November 2010. The family has homes in Hudson Valley, New York and Vancouver, British Columbia.
Farmiga's sister-in-law is actress and photographer Molly Hawkey. She 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.
Farmiga is a Christian. In an interview in 2011, she said that her parents taught her to understand faith for herself. She feels connected to many different places of worship.
Filmography and Awards
According to movie review and box office websites, some of Farmiga's most successful and well-liked films include Down to the Bone (2004), The Manchurian Candidate (2004), The Departed (2006), The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008), Orphan (2009), Up in the Air (2009), Source Code (2011), Safe House (2012), The Conjuring (2013), The Conjuring 2 (2016), The Commuter (2018), Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Annabelle Comes Home (2019), and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021).
For her role in Up in the Air (2009), Farmiga was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, a BAFTA for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role. Farmiga received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role in Bates Motel (2013–2017). For her performance in the miniseries When They See Us (2019), Farmiga received her second Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Images for kids
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Farmiga in 2018
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Farmiga at a screening of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas in November 2008
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Farmiga at the Academy Awards in March 2010
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Farmiga at the Paley Center for Media for Bates Motel in May 2013
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Farmiga in 2010 at the New York Metropolitan Opera
See also
In Spanish: Vera Farmiga para niños
