Taissa Farmiga

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Taissa Farmiga
Farmiga in February 2016
Farmiga in February 2016
Born (1994-08-17) August 17, 1994 (age 27)
Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active2011–present
Spouse(s)
Hadley Klein
​
(m. 2020)​
Relatives

Taissa Farmiga /tɑːˈɪsə fɑːrˈmiːɡə/[1] (born August 17, 1994) is an American actress. Born in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, Farmiga was encouraged by her sister, Vera, to begin acting,[2] and made her debut in her sister's drama film Higher Ground (2011). Thereafter, she rose to prominence for her work on the anthology series American Horror Story, starring in the seasons Murder House (2011), Coven (2013–2014), Roanoke (2016) and Apocalypse (2018), which established her as a scream queen.[3] Her early film roles include the romantic comedy At Middleton (2013), the crime drama The Bling Ring (2013) and the psychological thriller Mindscape (2013), the latter of which was her first starring film role.

Farmiga was lauded for her performances in the comedy slasher film The Final Girls (2015), and the drama films 6 Years (2015) and Share (2015), all of which premiered at South by Southwest, which led her to be named one of the breakout stars of the festival. She has since provided the voice of Raven in the DC Animated Movie Universe (2016–2020), starred in the comedy films Rules Don't Apply (2016) and The Long Dumb Road (2018), the drama films In a Valley of Violence (2016) and What They Had (2018), and the supernatural thriller film The Nun (2018), and headlined the procedural drama series Wicked City (2015). Farmiga made her stage debut in the off-Broadway revival of the drama play Buried Child (2016).

Early life[]

Farmiga was born in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey,[4] on August 17, 1994,[5] the daughter of Ukrainian immigrant parents Lubomyra Spas, a schoolteacher, and Michael Farmiga, a systems analyst.[6][7] She has six older siblings named Victor, Vera, Stephan, Nadia, Alexander, and Laryssa, the last of whom was born with spina bifida.[8][9][10] Her maternal grandparents met at a displaced persons camp in Karlsfeld during World War II.[11] Farmiga attended public school until fourth grade, after which she began homeschooling.[12] She has stated that she understands the Ukrainian language but can only partially speak it. She is proficient in American Sign Language, having taken classes for four years.[12]

Career[]

2011–2014: Early work and television breakthrough[]

Although Farmiga initially planned to become an accountant,[13] she was persuaded by her sister, Vera Farmiga, to appear in her directorial debut drama Higher Ground, where she was cast as the 16-year-old version of the lead character Corinne Walker.[14] Shortly after its premiere at the 2011 Sundance, where Farmiga garnered rave reviews for her performance, she was signed to talent agency ICM Partners.[15] That same year, Farmiga starred in the first season of FX's anthology series American Horror Story, which launched her to worldwide prominence.[16]

Farmiga went on to star in the next season of American Horror Story, Murder House, where she played Violet Harmon, the troubled adolescent daughter of Vivien (Connie Britton) and Ben Harmon (Dylan McDermott).[17][18] She secured the role of Violet Harmon in her first professional acting audition.[19] She next joined the cast of Sofia Coppola's crime satire The Bling Ring, based on the real life group of the same name, portraying 17-year-old wild child Sam Moore.[20] The film opened in Un Certain Regard at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival to generally positive reviews.[21] She portrayed Audrey Martin, an uptight teen touring a college campus, in the romantic comedy At Middleton, co-starring with her sister Vera and Andy García.[22] The film premiered at the 2013 Seattle International Film Festival and received a mixed to positive response from critics.[23]

Farmiga starred as Zoe Benson, a young witch afflicted with a dark and dangerous power in American Horror Story: Coven (2013–2014),[24] for which she received critical acclaim.[25] She had her first leading film role as Anna Greene in Jorge Dorado's psychological thriller Mindscape,[26] which premiered at the 2013 Sitges Film Festival. Her performance in Mindscape was lauded by critics; Fotogramas, Spain's oldest film magazine, described her as "hypnotizing", comparing her to a young Hannibal Lecter,[27] and La Razón called her "the hypnotic Farmiga, the precocious youngster with ambiguous and intelligent class".[28] She next co-starred as Sarah, the main character's love interest, in the biographical crime drama Jamesy Boy (2014).[29]

2015–2016: Rise to prominence in mainstream film[]

The cast of The Final Girls at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2015. Farmiga is second from the left.

Farmiga starred in three films that premiered at the 2015 South by Southwest: the first was Todd Strauss-Schulson's critically-acclaimed horror comedy The Final Girls,[30] in which she portrayed the lead role of final girl Max Cartwright,[31][32] which earned her a Fright Meter Award nomination.[33] The second was Hannah Fidell's heavily improvised romantic drama 6 Years, in which she starred as Melanie Clark.[34][35] The third and final film was Pippa Bianco's short drama Share, in which she played Krystal Williams, a teenager who returns to school after an explicit video of her sexual assault goes viral.[36] Her performances in all these films were lauded, and Farmiga was listed as one of the breakout stars of the festival.[37][38]

Farmiga next appeared as Karen McClaren, a young journalist who gets caught up in the hunt for a serial killer, in ABC's short-lived crime drama series Wicked City (2015).[39] On filming the series, she stated that "There's neon lights and billboards and clubs, and it just feels so fun - even though there's a seedy underbelly to it."[40] The series received mixed reviews from critics,[41] and due to low ratings was cancelled after three episodes,[42] with the remaining unaired episodes later debuting on Hulu.[43]

In 2016, she made her stage debut as Shelly in the Off-Broadway revival of Sam Shepard's drama Buried Child,[44] also starring Ed Harris and Amy Madigan.[45] She then starred opposite Ethan Hawke and John Travolta in the Ti West-directed revenge Western film In a Valley of Violence, playing a motormouthed young innkeeper who befriends Hawke's character.[46] The film premiered at the 2016 South by Southwest, and was met with positive reviews.[47] Farmiga made her voice acting debut as the superhero Raven in DC Comics' Justice League vs. Teen Titans, directed by Sam Liu, which premiered at the 2016 WonderCon,[48] and thereafter returned to American Horror Story for the sixth season of the series, Roanoke, where she guest starred as Sophie Green in the November 2016 episode "Chapter 9".[49] Farmiga next co-starred as Sarah Bransford in Warren Beatty's ensemble romantic comedy-drama Rules Don't Apply, which premiered at the 2016 AFI Fest to mixed reviews.[50] The project reunited Farmiga with her Buried Child co-stars Harris and Madigan, who portray her character's parents in the film.[51]

2017–present: Established actress and current work[]

Farmiga reprised her voice role as Raven in Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, again directed by Sam Liu, which premiered at the 2017 WonderCon.[52] She next played Emma Ertz in Elizabeth Chomko's drama film What They Had,[53] and re-teamed with director Hannah Fidell for the comedy film The Long Dumb Road, both of which premiered at the 2018 Sundance.[54] Farmiga next appeared as the Catholic novitiate Sister Irene in Corin Hardy's horror film The Nun, the fifth film in The Conjuring Universe, which was released in September 2018,[55] and emerged as the highest-grossing film in its series.[56]

In August 2018, it was confirmed that Farmiga would return to American Horror Story for the eighth season of the series, American Horror Story: Apocalypse,[57] portraying both her Murder House and Coven characters, Violet Harmon and Zoe Benson. Farmiga then played protagonist Merricat Blackwood in Stacie Passon's film adaptation of Shirley Jackson's mystery novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle, which premiered at the 2018 LA Film Festival.[58] She also appeared alongside Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper in the Eastwood-directed drama film The Mule, released in December 2018.[59]

In May 2019, Farmiga appeared as Annie Miller in an episode of the CBS All Access series of The Twilight Zone, a reboot of the 1959 TV series of the same name, where she starred opposite Rhea Seehorn, Luke Kirby and Ike Barinholtz.[60] That same year, it was announced that Farmiga was cast in the HBO period drama series The Gilded Age as socialite Gladys Russell, who is described as "innocent and naive, yet ready to be treated as an adult".[61] Production of The Gilded Age was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[62] leading filming to begin in February 2021, which took place across Newport, Rhode Island and Troy, New York.[63][64]

Personal life[]

Farmiga owns a home in Los Feliz, Los Angeles.[65] In May 2019, she was reported to be engaged to screenwriter and director Hadley Klein.[66] They were married in an intimate ceremony at their home on August 8, 2020.[67]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Role Notes
2011 Higher Ground Teenage Corinne Walker
2013 The Bling Ring Sam Moore
At Middleton Audrey Martin
Mindscape (a.k.a. Anna) Anna Greene
2014 Jamesy Boy Sarah
2015 The Final Girls Max Cartwright
6 Years Melanie Clark
Share Krystal Williams Short film
2016 In a Valley of Violence Mary-Anne
Justice League vs. Teen Titans Raven Voice role
Rules Don't Apply Sarah Bransford
2017 Teen Titans: The Judas Contract Raven Voice role
2018 What They Had Emma Ertz
The Long Dumb Road Rebecca
The Nun Sister Irene
We Have Always Lived in the Castle Merricat Blackwood
The Mule Ginny
2020 Justice League Dark: Apokolips War Raven Voice role
2021 John and the Hole Laurie

Anna

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
2011 American Horror Story: Murder House Violet Harmon 12 episodes
2013–2014 American Horror Story: Coven Zoe Benson 13 episodes
2015 Wicked City Karen McClaren 8 episodes
2016 American Horror Story: Roanoke Sophie Green Episode: "Chapter 9"
2018 American Horror Story: Apocalypse Zoe Benson 6 episodes
Violet Harmon Episode: "Return to Murder House"
2019 The Twilight Zone Annie Miller Episode: "Not All Men"
2020 50 States of Fright Hannah Sullivan Episode: "Almost There"
2021 The Gilded Age Gladys Russell Upcoming series

Stage[]

Year Title Role Notes
2016 Buried Child Shelly The New Group, Off-Broadway

Accolades[]

Awards and nominations[]

Year Work Award Category Result Ref.
2015 The Final Girls Fright Meter Awards Best Actress Nominated [33]

Honors[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Just Jared Spotlight presents Taissa Farmiga". YouTube. April 7, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  2. ^ Fitzsimons, Amanda. "Taissa Farmiga: It's All Relative". Teen Vogue. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  3. ^ Minear, Piper (August 17, 2017). "Taissa Farmiga: A New Generation's Scream Queen". iHorror.
  4. ^ Sundel, Jenny (March 11, 2015). "SXSW 2015: Taissa Farmiga Takes Off". Women's Wear Daily.
  5. ^ "5 Things You Don't Know About Taissa Farmiga". Entertainment Tonight. November 4, 2013.
  6. ^ Brown, Mick (August 30, 2008). "Vera Farmiga: rare breed". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on September 3, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
  7. ^ Smindak, Helen (October 15, 2006). "Actress Vera Farmiga: reaching for stardom". The Ukrainian Weekly.
  8. ^ Savage, Sophia (August 22, 2011). "Vera and Taissa Farmiga Talk Higher Ground: Strength, Vulnerability, Self-Discovery, Courage". IndieWire. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014.
  9. ^ Neumyer, Scott (March 15, 2014). "Actresses Vera and Taissa Farmiga Are Sisters and Best Friends". Parade. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014.
  10. ^ Tucker, Reed (March 7, 2010). "Ascent of a women". New York Post. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  11. ^ "Nadia Spas Obituary". Legacy.com. October 23, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b DeSocio, Jeffrey Thomas (October 6, 2015). "Farmiga bring the chills in 'The Final Girls'". Good Day L.A. at FOXLA.com.
  13. ^ Doty, Meriah (July 30, 2015). "Taissa Farmiga Talks '6 Years' and Sis, Plus Exclusive Trailer". Yahoo! Movies.
  14. ^ Jacobs, Laura (June 22, 2011). "The Family Farmiga". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  15. ^ Miller, Daniel (March 30, 2011). "Agency Signing Round-Ups: 'Falling Skies' Star Connor Jessup to UTA; Vera's Sister Taissa Farmiga to ICM". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  16. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 5, 2011). "Duo Join Ryan Murphy's 'American Horror Story' FX Pilot". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  17. ^ Wightman, Catriona (December 26, 2011). "'American Horror Story' Taissa Farmiga Q&A: 'Violet is a dark soul'". Digital Spy. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  18. ^ Hale, Mike (October 4, 2011). "'American Horror Story' on FX: They Said It Had Good Bones". The New York Times.
  19. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 5, 2011). "'American Horror Story' Casts Young Leads". Deadline Hollywood.
  20. ^ Jagernauth, Kevin (March 1, 2012). "American Horror Story Star Taissa Farmiga Joins Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring". IndieWire. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  21. ^ Rosen, Christopher (May 16, 2013). "'The Bling Ring' Reviews: Sofia Coppola's Burglar Bunch Film Debuts At Cannes". HuffPost. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
  22. ^ Kit, Borys (June 19, 2012). "Three Actors Join Indie Dramedy 'Admissions'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  23. ^ Rome, Emily (May 18, 2013). "Vera Farmiga, Andy Garcia film 'Middleton' premieres in Seattle". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  24. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 7, 2013). "'American Horror Story' Adds Frances Conroy, Taissa Farmiga for Season 3". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  25. ^ Pasha, Adam (October 7, 2013). "American Horror Story: Coven Premiere, "Bitchcraft"". HuffPost. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  26. ^ Hopewell, John (October 17, 2012). "Strong, Cox, Farmiga enter 'Mindscape'". Variety.
  27. ^ Montoya, Por Àlex (November 28, 2013). "Mindscape". Fotogramas (in Spanish). Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  28. ^ ""Mindscape": Yo vigilo tu mente - La Razón digital". February 22, 2014. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  29. ^ Kroll, Justin (March 1, 2012). "'Horror Story' thesp Farmiga lands 2 roles". Variety. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  30. ^ Peitzman, Louis. "The 19 Best Horror Films Of 2015". BuzzFeed. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  31. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 27, 2014). "SPWA Acquires 'Final Girls' Starring Malin Akerman, Taissa Farmiga". Variety.
  32. ^ Harvey, Dennis (March 14, 2015). "SXSW Film Review: 'The Final Girls'". Variety. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  33. ^ Jump up to: a b "It Follows, Spring, and We Are Still Here Lead the 2015 Fright Meter Awards Nominations". Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  34. ^ Kilday, Gregg (June 12, 2014). "Taissa Farmiga, Ben Rosenfield Starring in Hannah Fidell's New Feature". The Hollywood Reporter.
  35. ^ "6 Years (2015)". Metacritic. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  36. ^ Chang, Justin (March 17, 2015). "SXSW: 'Krisha,' 'Peace Officer' Win Grand Jury Prizes". Variety.
  37. ^ Jump up to: a b Setoodeh, Ramin (March 20, 2015). "The 14 Women Who Dominated the SXSW Film Festival". Variety.
  38. ^ Smith, Nigel M.; Kohn, Eric (March 23, 2015). "The 12 Breakouts of the 2015 SXSW Film Festival". IndieWire.
  39. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 25, 2015). "'American Horror Story' Alum Taissa Farmiga Joins ABC Anthology". The Hollywood Reporter.
  40. ^ Sandy Kenyon (October 27, 2015). "Behind the making of Wicked City". ABC7 New York. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  41. ^ Wicked City: Season 1, retrieved June 8, 2021
  42. ^ "'Wicked City' officially canceled". EW.com. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  43. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (December 23, 2015). "Hulu Streaming Un-Aired Episodes of ABC's Canceled 'Wicked City'". Variety.
  44. ^ Gerard, Jeremy (October 8, 2015). "'American Horror Story's Taissa Farmiga Joins Ed Harris, Amy Madigan in 'Buried Child' Revival". Deadline Hollywood.
  45. ^ "'Buried Child', Starring Ed Harris & Amy Madigan, Extends Again Off-Broadway". Broadway.com. February 17, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  46. ^ Yamato, Jen (May 22, 2014). "Taissa Farmiga Joins Ethan Hawke, John Travolta In Revenge Western 'In A Valley Of Violence'". Deadline Hollywood.
  47. ^ DeFore, John (March 12, 2016). "'In a Valley of Violence': SXSW Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  48. ^ Sands, Rich (January 18, 2016). "Roll Call: Meet the Cast of Justice League vs. Teen Titans". TVInsider.com. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  49. ^ Verhoeven, Beatrice (October 18, 2016). "Taissa Farmiga, Finn Wittrock to Return to 'American Horror Story: Roanoke'". TheWrap. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  50. ^ Busch, Anita (July 14, 2016). "'Rules Don't Apply' Trailer: First Look At Warren Beatty's Star-Studded Film". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  51. ^ Brown, Emma (February 22, 2016). "Taissa Farmiga Takes the Stage". Interview.
  52. ^ Kit, Borys (January 19, 2017). "Christina Ricci, Miguel Ferrer Join Voice Cast of 'Teen Titans' Animated Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  53. ^ Kit, Borys (March 17, 2017). "Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon to Star in Drama 'What They Had' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  54. ^ Galuppo, Mia (April 12, 2017). "Jason Mantzoukas, Tony Revolori to Star in Indie Road Trip Film (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  55. ^ McNary, Dave (April 24, 2017). "Taissa Farmiga to Play Titular Role in Horror Movie 'The Nun'". Variety. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  56. ^ "Home". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  57. ^ Hipes, Patrick (August 7, 2018). "'American Horror Story: Apocalypse' Adds Familiar Faces To Cast". Deadline Hollywood.
  58. ^ Kit, Borys (August 10, 2016). "Alexandra Daddario, Taissa Farmiga Join Sebastian Stan in 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  59. ^ Kit, Borys (June 4, 2018). "Dianne Wiest, Michael Pena Join Clint Eastwood's 'The Mule' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  60. ^ Petski, Denise (January 28, 2019). "'The Twilight Zone': Taissa Farmiga, Rhea Seehorn, Luke Kirby & Ike Barinholtz To Star In Episode Of CBS All Access Reboot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  61. ^ Petski, Denise (November 19, 2019). "'The Gilded Age': Denée Benton, Louisa Jacobson, Taissa Farmiga, Blake Ritson & Simon Jones Join HBO Period Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  62. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 1, 2020). "Carrie Coon To Star In HBO's Julian Fellowes Series 'The Gilded Age' In Recasting". Deadline. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  63. ^ News, The Newport Daily. "Extras sought for Newport filming of HBO series 'The Gilded Age'". The Providence Journal. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  64. ^ Crowe, Kenneth C. II (May 25, 2021). "Troy closes two blocks of Second Street for Gilded Age filming". Times Union. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  65. ^ Beale, Lauren (May 27, 2019). "Scream queen Taissa Farmiga buys reanimated Traditional in Los Feliz". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  66. ^ Caller Jaffe, Marcia (May 29, 2019). "Lewis Takes Well-Deserved Bow at Westin". The Atlanta Jewish Times. Retrieved June 4, 2019. Stepson Hadley Klein, with fiancé actress Taissa Farmiga, flew in from Los Angeles
  67. ^ Aderoju, Darlene (November 27, 2020). "American Horror Story's Taissa Farmiga Reveals She Secretly Married Filmmaker Hadley Klein". People. Retrieved December 10, 2020.

External links[]

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