Vera Farmiga

Happy Birthday to Vera Farmiga! From her first appearance on movie screens in the mid-1990s, actress Vera Farmiga built up a long resume and increasing critical note for dramatic work in largely independent films. Like many independent film actresses, Farmiga was passionate about exploring a wide range of complex, nuanced lead characters; also, like those same actresses, her options were limited in the world of male-dominated Hollywood films. Farmiga stuck to her dramatic convictions and over more than a decade, she advanced from memorable supporting roles in films including 15 Minutes (2001) to the acclaimed lead in Down to the Bone (2004), a little-seen film about a working-class mother battling drug addiction. As her film festival street cred grew, Farmiga caught the eye of more character-driven filmmakers and had the chance to appear before larger audiences in studio films like The Departed (2006) and her Oscar nominated role in Up in the Air (2009), where she showcased her fine work at crafting layered, realistic female characters.

She was born Vera Ann Farmiga, the second of seven children in Clifton, New Jersey, USA, to Ukrainian parents. She did not speak English until the age of six and was raised in the Ukrainian Catholic home of her mother, Luba (Spas), a schoolteacher, and her father, Michael Farmiga, a computer systems analyst. Her younger sister is actress Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story), who is 21 years her junior. Young Vera was a shy, nearsighted girl, who played piano. and folk danced with a Ukrainian touring company in her teens. In 1991, she graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School. Farmiga initially dreamed of becoming an optometrist, but she later changed her mind and studied acting at Syracuse University's School of Performing Arts, graduating in 1995. The following year, she began her professional acting career, making her Broadway debut as an understudy in the play Taking Sides. Her stage credits included performances in The Tempest, Good, The Seagull, and in a well-reviewed off-Broadway production of Second-Hand Smoke (1997). That same year, she made her television debut as the female lead, opposite a then-unknown Heath Ledger, in Fox's adventure series Roar (1997). The following year, she guest-starred in an episode of NBC's procedural drama series Law & Order, portraying Lindsay Carson, the daughter of a convicted murderer who goes on her own killing spree. She next played a supporting role alongside Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix in the drama-thriller Return to Paradise (1998). wo years later, Farmiga had a supporting role alongside Richard Gere and Winona Ryder in the romantic drama Autumn in New York (2000). Her next film was the crime drama The Opportunists (2000), in which she co-starred as the daughter of Christopher Walken's character. She in the drama film Dust (2001), which premiered at the 2001 Venice Film Festival. Farmiga subsequently joined the main cast of NBC's short-lived procedural drama series UC: Undercover as Alex Cross. The series premiered in September 2001 and was cancelled after one season.

Farmiga had her first starring role in the romantic drama Love in the Time of Money, which premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. In June 2002, she starred in David Eldridge's Under the Blue Sky at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Farmiga next appeared in the comedy-drama Dummy (2003), alongside Adrien Brody. Farmiga next appeared alongside Hilary Swank and Anjelica Huston in the HBO drama film Iron Jawed Angels (2004), as the Polish American suffragette Ruza Wenclawska. Soon after, she had a supporting role in the 2004 film Mind The Gap, in which she portrayed a woman who left her fiancé at the altar. She then starred in the short-lived USA Network adaptation of the British crime drama series Touching Evil. Also in 2004, she had a supporting role as Jocelyne Jordan in the remake of the 1962 political thriller The Manchurian Candidate, which also starred Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep. Farmiga then appeared alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon as police psychiatrist Dr. Madolyn Madden in Martin Scorsese's crime drama The Departed (2006). For her performance as Madolyn, Farmiga was nominated for the Empire Award for Best Newcomer and shared with her co-stars the nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Soon after, she portrayed Dr. Charlie Brooks in the 2006 indie thriller, The Hard Easy. She next starred as Teresa Gazelle in Wayne Kramer's cult crime thriller Running Scared, co-starring Paul Walker and as the Romanian prostitute Oana in Anthony Minghella's romantic crime drama Breaking and Entering (both in 2006). She next starred as Abby Cairn in the psychological horror film Joshua (2007), with Sam Rockwell, In September 2008, the historical drama The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, was released worldwide. Farmiga won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress for her performance. That same year, she starred in the war drama film In Transit alongside John Malkovich and portrayed Central Intelligence Agency operative Erica Van Doren in the political thriller Nothing but the Truth. The latter role earned Farmiga a nomination for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2009, Farmiga portrayed the lead role in Jaume Collet-Serra's psychological thriller Orphan. Also in 2009, she co-starred as frequent flyer Alex Goran, opposite George Clooney, in Jason Reitman's comedy-drama Up in the Air. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times praised Farmiga's performance, stating that she "is one of the warmest and most attractive women in the movies, or at least she plays one".

She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and her second nomination for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress. On June 25, 2010, she was inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Farmiga then starred in the surrealist romantic comedy Henry's Crime as stage actress Julie Ivanova, with Keanu Reeves and James Caan. which premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. She next played Capt. Colleen Goodwin in Duncan Jones' science fiction thriller film Source Code, which premiered at the 2011 South by Southwest. In 2010, Farmiga was offered a lead role in Marc Forster's action biopic Machine Gun Preacher but declined because she was pregnant. Her next role was the flaky New Age mother Wendy Whitman in the independent comedy-drama Goats, which opened at the 2012 Sundance. That same year, she portrayed CIA operative Catherine Linklater in Daniel Espinosa's action thriller Safe House (2012). Farmiga starred opposite Ryan Reynolds and, for the second time, Denzel Washington.

Farmiga's return to television came in 2013, when she began portraying Norma Louise Bates, the mother of Norman Bates, in A&E's drama-thriller series Bates Motel. The series is a contemporary reboot of Alfred Hitchcock's classic horror film Psycho (1960). For her performance, she won the 2013 Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television, and the 2016 People's Choice Award for Favorite Cable TV Actress. She also received three nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series (2013–2015) as well as nominations for the 2013 Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama, the 2013 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and the 2013 TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama. In addition to starring, she served as a producer and later executive producer from the second season to its fifth and final season, which aired in 2017. She next appeared in James Wan's horror film The Conjuring (2013), which was met with critical and commercial success. The film became the second highest-grossing horror film of all time up to that date. Farmiga portrayed paranormal investigator and self-professed clairvoyant Lorraine Warren, alongside Patrick Wilson, for which she was nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Best Scared-As-Shit Performance. She reprised her role in the sequel, The Conjuring 2 (2016), which was also directed by Wan. The film was the second released in the main series, but the third released within The Conjuring Universe. Like its predecessor, The Conjuring 2 was met with a positive critical reception and commercial success, surpassing The Conjuring as the second highest-grossing horror film of all time. Farmiga co-starred with Liam Neeson in Jaume Collet-Serra's action thriller The Commuter, which was released in January 2018. Also in January 2018, she appeared as a politician in Amazon's sci-fi anthology series Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams, in an episode directed by Dee Rees.

Next in 2018, Farmiga starred as neo-Nazi group leader Shareen Krager in Guy Nattiv's racial drama Skin, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and portrayed Oletha "Lee" Hart in Jason Reitman's Gary Hart biopic The Front Runner, opposite Hugh Jackman, which was released in November 2018. In May 2019, she portrayed Dr. Emma Russell in the third installment of the MonsterVerse film franchise, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, directed by Michael Dougherty. Also in May 2019, Farmiga portrayed prosecutor Elizabeth Lederer in Ava DuVernay's Netflix crime drama miniseries When They See Us, based on the Central Park jogger case. For her performance, she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. In June 2019, she reprised her role as Lorraine Warren in the horror sequel film Annabelle Comes Home. Farmiga appeared in Ryan Murphy's drama limited series Halston, based on the life of the fashion designer of the same name, opposite Ewan McGregor in the title role. She reprised her role as Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, released in June 2021. Farmiga appeared as Livia Soprano in the film prequel to The Sopranos, titled The Many Saints of Newark, which was directed by Alan Taylor. Farmiga has also starred as Eleanor Bishop in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero miniseries Hawkeye. In August 2022, Farmiga starred in the lead role of Dr. Anna Pou in the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ limited series Five Days at Memorial, an adaptation of the book of the same name by Sheri Fink. Among Farmiga's upcoming projects are Ava DuVernay's drama film Caste, an adaptation of the book of the same name by Isabel Wilkerson; the comedy-drama Inappropriate Behavior, directed by Tony Goldwyn; costarring Robert De Niro and Whoopi Goldberg and the Heaven's Gate Cult Biopic The Leader, in which she is set to portray group founder Bonnie Nettles. She will voice a character in the upcoming animated series Gossamer, based on the novel of the same name by Lois Lowry. She is a highly skilled pianist. She has played the piano for many of her acting roles, including Orphan, At Middleton and Bates Motel. She began dating Deadsy musician Renn Hawkey, after being introduced by mutual friend Allen Hughes on the set of Touching Evil. They married on September 13, 2008, when Farmiga was five months pregnant with their first child. She gave birth to a son, Fynn, in January 2009 in Rhinebeck, New York and a daughter, Gytta, in November 2010. She is close friends with her Bates Motel co-star Freddie Highmore, who is godfather to her son, and with her Conjuring co-star Patrick Wilson.