Childhood & Early Life
Anna Kay Faris was born on November 29, 1976, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, to Jack Faris, a sociology professor and Karen Faris, a special education teacher. Her family re-located to Edmonds, Washington when she was six years old.
At the age of nine, she delivered her first major acting performance in ‘Danger: Memory!,’ which was a one-act play that opened at the ‘Seattle Repertory Theatre’ in Washington.
In 1994, she graduated from the ‘Edmonds-Woodway High School.’ While still studying at school, she was cast to play a role in a TV commercial for frozen-yogurt. In 1999, she graduated from the ‘University of Washington’ with a degree in English literature.
Career
In 1999, she got her first film role as Jannelle Bay, an ill-fated cheerleader, in the slasher film ‘Lovers Lane,’ which was directed by Jon Steven Ward. The film was a moderate success.
Her popularity increased in 2000 when she was cast to play Cindy Campbell in the horror-comedy-spoof film ‘Scary Movie,’ which was directed by Keenen Ivory. The film was a parody of many popular horror movies, including ‘Scream.’
In 2001, she reprised her role as Cindy Campbell in the film ‘Scary Movie 2,’ which was a sequel to the earlier film, ‘Scary Movie.’ The film was a success at the box office but did not receive good reviews from the critics.
In 2002, she starred in the comedy film ‘The Hot Chick,’ which was directed by Tom Brady. That year, she also appeared in the drama-horror film ‘May,’ which received positive reviews from movie critics.
In 2003, she acted in the critically acclaimed ‘Golden Globe’ and ‘Academy’ award-winning film ‘Lost in Translation.’ She played the role of Kelly in the film. The same year, she was also seen in ‘Scary Movie 3.’
In 2005, she played the role of Lashawn Malone in the critically acclaimed ‘Golden Globe’ award-winning film ‘Brokeback Mountain.’ That year, she was also seen in the romantic comedy film ‘Just Friends.’
In 2006, she played the role of Hannah Lewis in the romantic-comedy-superhero film ‘My Super Ex-Girlfriend.’ That year, she was also seen in ‘Scary Movie 4’ and ‘Guilty Hearts.’
In 2008, she starred in the romantic comedy film ‘The House Bunny,’ which was directed by Fred Wolf. Her portrayal of Shelley Darlington received praises from the film critics. Though the movie received bad reviews, it fared well at the box office.
In 2009, she voiced the character of Jeanette Miller in the live-action comedy film ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.’ The film received unfavorable reviews.
In 2010, she played the role of Rachel Johnson in the live-action comedy film ‘Yogi Bear,’ which was an adaptation of the cartoon series, ‘The Yogi Bear Show.’
In 2011, she reprised her voice role as Jeanette Miller in the film ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,’ a sequel to the earlier film ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.’
In February 2013, Anna Faris starred in the British comedy film ‘I Give It a Year,’ which was the directorial debut of Dan Mazer. From 2013, Anna started focusing on television, appearing in the lead role of the ‘CBS’ sitcom ‘Mom’ where she plays Christy Jolene Plunkett, a single mother of two who battles alcoholism and drug abuse. The series is currently renewed for its seventh and eighth seasons.
Later, Anna did some voice roles in movies, such as ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2’ (2013), ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip’ (2015) and ‘The Emoji Movie’ (2017). While ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2’ was praised by the critics, ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’ (2015) and ‘The Emoji Movie’ failed to impress the critics and received negative reviews.
In the meantime, she played cameo roles in movies like ‘22 Jump Street’ (2014) and ‘Keanu’ (2016). She appeared in the lead role opposite Eugenio Derbez in the 2018 romantic-comedy movie ‘Overboard.’ Though the movie failed to impress the critics, it was a commercial success.
Major Works
She was seen in the critically acclaimed award-winning film ‘Lost in Translation,’ which was an immense financial success, earning $119.7 million at the worldwide box office. The film was awarded four ‘IFP Independent Spirit Awards’ and was honored by the ‘Writers Guild of America’ with the ‘Best Screenplay’ award.
Anna Faris was seen in the award-winning and critically-acclaimed film ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ which won the ‘Golden Lion’ at the ‘Venice Film Festival.’ It also won an award for ‘Best Picture and Best Director’ from the ‘British Academy of Film and Television Arts.’
Her TV series ‘Mom’ has been a recipient of various accolades. The show has received nominations at the prestigious ‘Primetime Emmy Awards,’ ‘Critics’ Choice Awards,’ and ‘People’s Choice Awards.’
