Vera Farmiga
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Vera Farmiga (born August 6, 1973, Passaic County, New Jersey) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the 2006 films Running Scared and The Departed.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Farmiga, the second oldest of seven children, was born in Livingston, New Jersey to Michael and Luba Farmiga, Ukrainian immigrants. She was raised in an insular Ukrainian American community, not speaking English until the age of six. She attended a Ukrainian Catholic school and toured with a Ukrainian folk-dancing ensemble.[1] In 1991, Farmiga graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School.
[edit] Career
Although she originally intended to become an optometrist, Farmiga attended Syracuse University's School of Visual and Performing Arts. She made her Broadway debut in 1996 as an understudy in the play Taking Sides. The same year, she starred as "Miranda" in the American Conservatory Theater production of The Tempest. Throughout the late 1990s, she continued appearing in stage, television and film roles, including a part in the 1998 film Return to Paradise.
Farmiga appeared in several high profile films in the early 2000s, including Autumn in New York and 15 Minutes. She also played opposite Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep in the 2004 Jonathan Demme remake of The Manchurian Candidate. Her lead performance in the 2005 independent film Down to the Bone received a "Best Actress" award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Farmiga subsequently co-starred with Paul Walker in the 2006 action thriller, Running Scared.
In 2006, Farmiga played police psychiatrist Madolyn in Martin Scorsese's The Departed, alongside Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Jack Nicholson, and Martin Sheen.
[edit] Personal life
Farmiga was formerly married to actor Sebastian Roache, who co-starred with her in the television series Roar. The two eloped to the Bahamas after the series' end in 1997. The marriage ended in divorce in 2005.
[edit] Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Breaking and Entering | Oana | |
| The Departed | Madolyn | ||
| Running Scared | Teresa Gazelle | ||
| 2004 | Down to the Bone | Irene | limited release |
| The Manchurian Candidate | Jocelyne Jordan | ||
| 2003 | Dummy | Lorena | |
| 2000 | Autumn in New York | Lisa Tyler | |
| 1998 | The Return to Paradise | Kerrie |
[edit] TV work
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Touching Evil | Detective Susan Branca | |
| 2002 | UC: Undercover | Alex Cross | |
| 1997 | Roar | Caitlin |
[edit] References
- ^ Fun Fact from Syzokryli website, accessed October 14, 2006
[edit] External links
- Lynn Hirschberg. "A Film of One’s Own", The New York Times Magazine, September 3, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-09-03.
- Buzzline interview (February, 2006)
- Dateline New York article (December 10, 2000)
- Interview (September, 2000)
- Vera Farmiga at the Internet Movie Database
