Born: Mia Wasikowska
Date of Birth: 14 October 1989
Birth Place: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Height: 5′ 4″ (1,63 m)
Mia Wasikowska is an Australian actress, born and raised in the country’s capital, Canberra. She is the daughter of photographers Marzena Wasikowska and John Reid. Her mother is Polish and her father is an Australian of British ancestry. She has an older sister, Jess, and a younger brother, Kai. At age eight, her family moved to Poland for a year.
At age nine, Mia took ballet classes with dreams of becoming a professional ballerina. However, an injury prevented this from happening and she quit at age fourteen. Mia turned to acting, having been excited by European and Australian cinema. She was attending Canberra High School, but left to pursue her career as an actor.
She had just turned 15 when she landed the role of Lilya in Suburban Mayhem (2006). Her breakthrough role came when she was cast as Alice in Tim Burton’s Alis harikalar diyarinda (2010).
Mia Wasikowska is a trained ballerina turned actress, who has been challenging herself as a performer since the age of 9. Wasikowska was introduced to US audiences as the tormented and suicidal teen “Sophie” in HBO’s Golden Globe®-nominated series “In Treatment.” In recognition of her performance, Wasikowska was honored by the Los Angeles based organization Australians in Film (whose Host Committee includes Cate Blanchett, Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman) with the “Breakthrough Actress” Award.
In 2009, Wasikowska was seen in a supporting role in Ed Zwick’s film Defiance (opposite Daniel Craig, Liev Schrieber, and Jamie Bell), a film of three brothers who escape from Nazi-occupied Poland into the Belarusian forest where they encounter a village of Russian resistance fighters. She also appeared in a supporting role in Mira Nair’s Amelia, starring Hilary Swank and Richard Gere.
Most recently, Wasikowska starred in the acclaimed Jane Eyre opposite Jamie Bell. Last year, she starred as the title character in Tim Burton’s retelling of the Lewis Carroll novel, Alice in Wonderland. The Disney live and 3-D animated film was shot primarily in Los Angeles and London, and co-stars Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Michael Sheen, and Alan Rickman. She also appeared in Lisa Cholodenko’s Oscar®-nominated The Kids Are All Right, sharing a SAG Award Nomination for Best Ensemble with co-stars Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo, and Josh Hutcherson.
Wasikowska began her acting career in her home country of Australia, landing a recurring role on the popular medical drama “All Saints.” Upon landing her first major role in the independent film Suburban Mayhem, Wasikowska was recognized by the Australian Film Institute Awards for “Best Young Actor.” She followed up these projects with acclaimed performances in Lens Love Story; September; and in the horror film Rogue alongside Michael Vartan and Radha Mitchell. Her other film credits include Scott Treem’s independent That Evening Sun opposite Hal Holbrook.
Wasikowska will again co-star with Jamie Bell in the upcoming Stainless Steel with Dame Judi Dench. She will also appear in Rodrigo Garcia’s Albert Nobbs (written by and co-starring Glenn Close), and The Wettest Country in the World with Gary Oldman. Wasikowska resides in Canberra, Australia with her parents and two siblings.
Views: 312
