Kate Mara

Infobox actor


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name = Kate Mara
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birthname = Kate Mara
birthdate = birth date and age|1983|2|27
birthplace =Bedford, New York, U.S.
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occupation = Actress
yearsactive = 1997–present
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Kate Mara (born February 27, 1983) is an American television and film actress. Beginning acting in her hometown of Bedford, New York, she moved from the stage to her first film, "Random Hearts" (1999). Notable roles include appearances in Academy Award-winning "Brokeback Mountain" and on Fox television series "24". Included on the "New York Daily News" list of "10 young actorswho have a shot at making it big" [Mills, Nancy (January 1, 2006). "Let em Shine". "New York Daily News". Retrieved on February 27, 2007.] at the start of 2006, she has since appeared in the feature films "We Are Marshall" (2006) and "Shooter" (2007). She will next be seen with Justin Timberlake in "The Open Road" (2008).

Biography

Early life

Mara was born and raised in Bedford, New York, the daughter of Chris Mara, a scout for the New York Giants, and Kathleen Rooney. She is Irish-Italian-American, her family name used to be O'Mara.Millar, John (September 28, 2008). " [http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/tv-showbiz-news/entertainment-news/2008/09/28/hollywood-star-pays-tribute-to-stone-of-denisty-nationilst-78057-20757039/ Hollywood Star Pays Tribute To Stone Of Denisty Nationilst] ". "Sunday Mail". Retrieved on October 4, 2008.] She has one older brother, Daniel, and two younger siblings, Patricia and Conor. Mara wanted to be an actress since seeing "Les Misérables" at a young age; she said she "fell in love with Broadway and musicals", [" [http://cinecon.com/news.php?sid=263 "Interview: Kate Mara on "We Are Marshall"] ". (December 21, 2006). Cinema Confidential. Retrieved on February 27, 2007.] and grew up watching movie musicals on television and going to Broadway shows with her mother. She was especially a fan of Judy Garland's films.King, Susan (March 22, 2007). "Kate Mara: She tackled the right career". "Los Angeles Times". Retrieved on March 27, 2007.] She began acting at the age of nine, appearing in a school musical.Lynch, Lorrie (July 30, 2006). " [http://www.usaweekend.com/06_issues/060730/060730whosnews.html Who's News] ". "USA Weekend". Retrieved on February 27, 2007.] Mara attended several youth theater-arts schools and appeared in community theater and in school plays. [ "Nip/Tuck" media guide. 2003. FX Networks.]

Beginning at a young age, Mara continually asked her mother to help her get an agent.Longsdorf, Amy (March 18, 2007). " [http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxNjcmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcwOTQyNzMmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3 Mara's game plan: keep acting] ". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.] Mara's mother got the name and address of a management company, sent in a photograph, and Mara signed with her first agent, beginning her professional career at the age of 14. Mara's first audition was for the television drama "". She didn't get the role, but knew from then on that she just wanted to act. Mara was accepted into the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University to study musical theater and graduated from Fox Lane High School early by a year. Mara felt pressure from her parents to go to college, but was already getting work as an actress, so she deferred for three or four years before deciding not to go. Mara moved to Manhattan in order to act full time.

Television and stage roles

Mara's first television role was in the drama "Law & Order" in 1997. She went on to guest star on numerous television series including, "Madigan Men", "Ed", and '. Recurring parts followed in 2003 on the series "Everwood", as Kate, an 18-year-old who is impregnated by her piano teacher and then gets an abortion, and on "Nip/Tuck" as Vanessa, a bisexual cheerleader involved in a love triangle with boyfriend Matt McNamara and another cheerleader, played by Sophia Bush. [Warn, Sarah (September 2003). " [http://www.afterellen.com/archive/ellen/TV/nip-tuck.html Nip/Tuck Increases Lesbian Visibility by Leaps/Bounds] ". AfterEllen.com. Retrieved on September 7, 2008.] Mara also appeared on "Cold Case", "Boston Public", ', and "" in 2003. Mara was cast as the lead in "Prodigy" in 2004, a television series on the WB Television Network about a teenage child prodigy played by Mara. The series only produced a pilot episode. ["Casting Call". March 4, 2004. "The Hollywood Reporter".] Mara appeared in a large recurring role on the WB series "Jack & Bobby" in 2005 and a 5 episode arc on Fox television series "24" in 2006, playing computer analyst .

Mara debuted theatrically in 2003 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in John Guare’s "Landscape of the Body" with Lili Taylor. [Brantley, Ben (July 19, 2003). " [http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?_r=1&html_title=&tols_title=LANDSCAPE%20OF%20THE%20BODY%20(PLAY)&pdate=20030719&byline=By%20BEN%20BRANTLEY&id=1077011430538&oref=slogin The Allure Of an Empty Paradise] ". "The New York Times". Retrieved on February 23, 2007.] Doing more theater work for Mara is a "dream" because it was "all I really wanted to do as a kid. I didn't care about movies or tv, I just wanted to do Broadway", she told WFAN radio in 2006.Francesa, Mike; Russo, Chris (December 11, 2006). "The Fan - Kate Mara interview". "Mike and the Mad Dog".] Mara starred in "The Alice Complex", a play by Peter Barr Nickowitz, at Dixon Place in New York City in 2005 and at the Blank Theatre in Los Angeles in 2006. The production co-starred Tony Award-winner Harriet Harris. [" [http://broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=30160 'The Alice Complex' to Star Elbrick and Banes] ". broadwayworld.com. July 18, 2008. Retrieved on July 18, 2008.]

Film career

Mara's film debut was in "Random Hearts" with Harrison Ford in 1999, directed by Sydney Pollack. She played Jessica Chandler, the daughter of a congresswoman. She next appeared in the Sundance Film Festival award-winning films "Joe the King" (1999) and "Tadpole" (2002), alongside Sigourney Weaver. Mara co-starred in "Peoples" (2004), a drama and coming of age story filmed in Louisville, Kentucky. She starred in the direct-to-video horror film "", and appeared with Noah Wyle and Illeana Douglas in "The Californians" in 2005. However, it was her supporting role in the Academy Award-winning "Brokeback Mountain" (2005) that brought her more widespread attention.

At the beginning of 2006, Mara signed with the William Morris Agency.Dodd, Stacy (January 13, 2006). " [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117936011.html?categoryId=29&cs=1 Kate Mara] ". "Variety". Retrieved on February 27, 2007.] That year, she appeared in "Zoom" with Tim Allen and Courteney Cox and in "We Are Marshall", starring Matthew McConaughey. "We Are Marshall" recalled the aftermath of the 1970 Marshall University plane crash that took the lives of most of the football team, with Mara playing fictional cheerleader Annie Cantrell. It was a script that Mara responded to emotionally because of her football background.

In 2007, Mara appeared in the comedy "Full of It" with Ryan Pinkston for New Line Cinema. The film later aired on television as "Big Liar on Campus". Mara was also featured in an advertising campaign for clothing retailer Gap called, "khakis with attitude." [O'Loughlin, Sandra (January 19, 2007). " [http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003535139 Gap Campaign Features Khakis and Attitude] ". "Brandweek". Retrieved on March 18, 2007.] She appeared in "Shooter", a thriller about a master sniper lured out of retirement to prevent an assassination, based on the novel "Point of Impact". [Fleming, Michael (April 11, 2006). " [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117941380?categoryid=1238&cs=1 'Shooter' Targets Mara] ". "Variety". Retrieved on February 27, 2007.] Mara played Kentucky widow Sarah Fenn, the love interest of Mark Wahlberg's character's partner, and then Wahlberg's character himself. She adopted a southern dialect for the role. Director Antoine Fuqua immediately felt Mara was right for the part when she auditioned.

Also in 2007, Mara finished the film "Transsiberian" by Brad Anderson, the director of "The Machinist" (2004). "Transsiberian" takes place on the Trans-Siberian Railway that runs from China to Moscow. The cast includes Woody Harrelson, Ben Kingsley, Eduardo Noriega, and Emily Mortimer. Mara spent three months shooting the thriller in Vilnius, Lithuania, starting in December 2006. The film also shot on location in Beijing and Russia. [Hopewell, John & Fleming, Michael (November 30, 2006). " [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117954866.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 Cast aboard for Anderson] ". "Variety". Retrieved on February 27, 2007.] Mara plays Abby, a 20-year-old runaway from Seattle, Washington, a character she described to MoviesOnline as "dark", "mysterious", "sort of goth", and doesn't talk much. [" [http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_11526.html Kate Mara Interview, Shooter] ". MoviesOnline. Retrieved on March 27, 2007.] "Transsiberian" premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival in January 2008 and was released in theaters on July 18, 2008.

In 2008, Mara will star in "Stone of Destiny", written and directed by Charles Martin Smith, a film about the theft of the Stone of Scone on Christmas Day, 1950. Mara plays Kay Matheson, one of four students that removed the stone in a Scottish nationalist plot. The period "adventure-comedy" co-stars Billy Boyd, Robert Carlyle and Charlie Cox.Pendreigh, Brian (June 17, 2007)." [http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=946702007 Romancing the Stone: Scots heist destined for Hollywood] ". "Scotland on Sunday". Retrieved on June 17, 2007.] Filming began in June 2007 in locations around Glasgow, including Film City studio and Arbroath Abbey. [" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_and_central/6253378.stm Stone of Destiny film under way] ". June 29, 2007. "BBC News". Retrieved on June 29, 2007.] Mara employed a Scottish accent for the role, which she described to the "Daily Mail" as "incredibly difficult to master",Das, Lina (August 30, 2008). " [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/moslive/article-1049264/Kate-Mara-Shes-featherweight.html Kate Mara: She's no featherweight] ". "Daily Mail". Retrieved on September 24, 2008.] and stayed near the Botanic Gardens in the city's West End while filming."Kate Mara interview". "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson". August 12, 2008.] Mara attended the film's world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, Scotland on June 21, 2008. [" [http://news.scotsman.com/entertainment/Destiny-calls-stars-to-premiere.4210264.jp Destiny calls stars to premiere of Scone stone film] ". "Edinburgh Evening News". June 21, 2008. Retrieved on June 21, 2008.] The film closed the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2008, [" [http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Showbiz/Stone-Destiny-closes-Toronto/article-327441-detail/article.html Stone Of Destiny closes Toronto] ". September 15, 2008. "Bristol Evening Post". Retrieved on September 24, 2008.] and will be released in UK theaters on October 10, 2008.

Mara will star in "The Open Road" alongside Jeff Bridges, Justin Timberlake, and Mary Steenburgen.Frater, Patrick (February 7, 2008). [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117980406.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2562 Trio will hit 'Open Road'] . "Variety". Retrieved on February 8, 2008.] Filming began in Hammond, Louisiana in February 2008, continuing in Memphis, Tennessee and elsewhere in the southern United States. [Lambert, Mark (March 4, 2008). " [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20181800,00.html Justin Timberlake Shakes Up Southern Town] ". "People". Retrieved on March 4, 2008.] She will also appear with Charlie Hunnam in "Deal", a film by Michael Corrente, [McNary, Dave (September 5, 2007). " [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117971405.html?categoryId=2669&cs=1 Todd Traina] ". "Variety". Retrieved on September 7, 2007.] and "Flying Lessons", produced by 20th Century Fox. ["Film: Updated listings". "The Hollywood Reporter". August 23, 2008.]

NFL football ties

Mara's family owns the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers; she is the great-granddaughter of Giants founder Tim Mara, the granddaughter of late Giants owner Wellington Mara on her father's side, as well as the great-granddaughter of Steelers founder Art Rooney on her mother's side. Mara's uncle is John Mara, the president and CEO of the Giants, and her father is the vice president of player evaluation. Mara attended almost every Giants home game while growing up. On Sundays, after attending church, her family would head directly to the games. When asked who she roots for when the Giants play the Steelers she replied to "Vanity Fair" magazine, "that question is not allowed. I can't answer."Smith, Krista (September 2006). " [http://www.vanityfair.com/fame/features/2007/05/vanities_portfolio200705 Vanities] ". "Vanity Fair". Retrieved on July 12, 2007.] Mara missed the Steelers' winning Super Bowl in 2006 because she was working in Los Angeles. Mara was so disappointed, she added to her contract that if the Giants or Steelers go to the Super Bowl, she can attend. She attended almost every game of the 2007 Giants season, leading up to the team's win in Super Bowl XLII. [Mara, Kate (February 1, 2008). " [http://www.nypost.com/seven/02012008/sports/giants/we_are_giants__is_great_theater_162935.htm 'We Are Giants’ Is Great Theater] ". "New York Post". Retrieved on February 1, 2008.]

Mara's favorite Giants game was when she was asked to sing the national anthem in honor of her grandfather, Wellington Mara, who died in October 2005. Mara has regularly sung at home games and season openers of the Giants since about the age of 15 or 16 when her uncle asked her to fill in when they couldn't find a singer. [Alt, Eric (May 2006). "Kate Mara". "Nylon Magazine".] She sang the national anthem at the 2006 NFL season opener, dubbed the "Manning Bowl," where the Giants played the Indianapolis Colts. [Eisen, Michael (September 7, 2006). " [http://www.giants.com/news/eisen/story.asp?story_id=18362 Brother vs. Brother] ". Giants.com. Retrieved on March 15, 2007.] Mara's singing was featured in the film "The Californians".

Personal life

Mara has stated that she comes from a "huge" family. Her father was one of 11 children. She has 22 aunts and uncles and 40 cousins. She lives in Los Angeles, having resided there on and off since around 2003. Her younger sister, Patricia, is living with her temporarily since relocating to Los Angeles in 2007. Mara travels back to New York when her schedule allows and has stated, "If I could live in New York, I would", specifying that she likes "the cold... the rain" and "miss [es] it". Mara tries to spend the football season in New York when she can. As of 2007, her boyfriend was producer and director Joseph McGinty Nichol, whom she worked with on "We Are Marshall". [" [http://www.instyle.com/instyle/parties/party/0,,20172213_20394214,00.html Kate Mara, McG, Chanel] " "InStyle". January 17, 2008. Retrieved on February 8, 2008.] As of July 2008, she was linked to "Stone of Destiny" co-star Charlie Cox. [Froelich, Paula (July 17, 2008). " [http://www.nypost.com/seven/07142008/gossip/pagesix/tough_to_watch_119757.htm Tough to Watch] " "New York Post". Retrieved on July 17, 2008]

Filmography

References

* " [http://www.giants.com/team/front_office_member.asp?front_office_id=9 Front Office Member - Chris Mara] ". Giants.com.
* Kernan, Kevin (September 24, 2006). " [http://www.nypost.com/seven/09242006/sports/hollywood_giant_sports_kevin_kernan.htm Hollywood Giant] ". "New York Post".
* Vranish, Jane (February 26, 2006). " [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06057/660187.stm "The Insiders: 2/26/06"] ". "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette".

External links

*imdb|0544718
*Allmovie|2:271433
*tvtome person|id=15036

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SHORT DESCRIPTION=television and film actress
DATE OF BIRTH= February 27, 1983
PLACE OF BIRTH=Bedford, New York, U.S.
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