Vera Farmiga on screen and stage

Vera Farmiga on the red carpet at the 82nd Academy Awards
Farmiga at the 82nd Academy Awards on March 7, 2010

Vera Farmiga is an American actress. She began her career on stage as an understudy in Ronald Harwood's 1996 play Taking Sides on Broadway.[1] The following year, she starred in the Off-Broadway play Second-Hand Smoke (1997) by Mac Wellman.[2] Farmiga made her film debut in the drama-thriller Return to Paradise (1998). She then had supporting roles in the romantic drama film Autumn in New York (2000), the crime drama film The Opportunists (2000), and the action thriller film 15 Minutes (2001). Farmiga's breakthrough role came in 2004, when she was cast in the drama film Down to the Bone. For her performance, she won the Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for Acting and was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead.[3] She then starred in the political thriller The Manchurian Candidate (2004) and the crime thriller Running Scared (2006).

Farmiga's role in The Departed (2006), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture,[4] brought her to worldwide prominence.[5] She subsequently had a lead role in the romantic drama Never Forever (2007). In 2008, Farmiga starred in the historical drama The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, for which she won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress.[6] That same year, she appeared in the political drama Nothing But the Truth, for which she was nominated for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress.[7] She then starred in the psychological thriller Orphan (2009), and gained critical acclaim for her role in the comedy-drama Up in the Air (2009), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[8]

In 2011, Farmiga made her directorial debut with the drama Higher Ground, for which she was nominated for the Gotham Award for Best Breakthrough Director and the Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture.[9][10] Also in 2011, she starred in the science fiction film Source Code. The following year, she appeared in the action thriller Safe House (2012) and the comedy-drama Goats (2012). In 2014, she starred in the drama The Judge. Two years later, she co-starred in the satirical comedy Special Correspondents (2016). In 2018, she appeared in the action thriller The Commuter and the biographical drama The Front Runner. The following year, Farmiga starred in the science fiction thriller Captive State and the monster blockbuster Godzilla: King of the Monsters. In 2021, she starred as Livia Soprano in the crime drama film The Many Saints of Newark.

In 2013, Farmiga starred as Lorraine Warren in the critically-acclaimed horror film The Conjuring, for which she was nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Best Scared-As-Shit Performance;[11] she has reprised her role multiple times in the franchise, including in The Conjuring 2 (2016), Annabelle Comes Home (2019), and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021).

From 2013 to 2017, she starred in the A&E drama-thriller series Bates Motel as Norma Louise Bates. Her performance in the role earned her the 2013 Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television,[12] and nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (2013),[13] the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series (2013–2015),[14][15] and the TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama (2013).[16] She also served as a producer on the series.[17] In 2019, Farmiga starred in the miniseries When They See Us. For her performance, she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.[18] Farmiga also portrayed Eleanor Bishop in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero miniseries Hawkeye (2021) and Dr. Anna Pou in the medical drama miniseries Five Days at Memorial (2022).

  1. ^ Wang, Christina; Perozzi, David (March 2, 2010). "Before They Were Famous: Farmiga and Kendrick". ABC News. American Broadcasting Company. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference SecondHandSmoke was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ King, Susan (December 1, 2004). "Independent bids for Spirit Awards". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  4. ^ Halbfinger, David M; Waxman, Sharon (February 26, 2007). "'The Departed' Wins Best Picture, Scorsese Best Director". The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  5. ^ Levine, Stuart (December 12, 2006). "Vera Farmiga, 'The Departed'". Variety. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  6. ^ "Mumbai celebrated at film awards". BBC News. December 1, 2008. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  7. ^ "Battle of the Kates in film awards". Metro UK. December 9, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  8. ^ Sperling, Nicole (February 5, 2010). "Oscars 2010: Best Supporting Actress nominees". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  9. ^ Szalai, Georg (November 28, 2011). "Gotham Awards 2011: 'Tree of Life,' 'Beginners' Tie for Best Feature". The Hollywood Reporter. Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  10. ^ Grosz, Christy (December 1, 2011). "Golden Satellite Award Nominees Announced". Variety. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  11. ^ Ng, Philiana (March 6, 2014). "MTV Movie Awards Nominations Revealed". The Hollywood Reporter. Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  12. ^ McCabe, Joseph (June 28, 2014). "Gravity, The Walking Dead, and Breaking Bad Win Big at the Fortieth Annual Saturn Awards". Nerdist News. Nerdist Industries. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  13. ^ "Photos: Road to the Emmys – Lead Drama Actress". Variety. August 14, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  14. ^ Bricker, Tierney (May 22, 2013). "2013 Critics' Choice Television Awards: Big Bang Theory, Game of Thrones, New Girl and More Earn Nominations". E! Online. Comcast. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  15. ^ Sandberg, Bryn Elise (June 19, 2014). "Critics' Choice Television Awards 2014: Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  16. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (June 10, 2013). "FX's 'The Americans' Leads 2013 TCA Awards Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  17. ^ Petski, Denise (July 22, 2016). "Rihanna To Play Iconic 'Psycho' Role In 'Bates Motel' Fifth & Final Season – Comic-Con". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  18. ^ Hipes, Patrick (July 16, 2019). "Primetime Emmy Awards Nominations: 'Game Of Thrones' Sets Records With 32 Total Noms, HBO & Netflix Top Networks". Deadline.com. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved July 16, 2019.