Vera Ann Farmiga (born August 6, 1973) is an American actress, director and producer. She began her career on Broadway in the play Taking Sides (1996). She made her television debut in the Fox fantasy series Roar (1997), and her film debut in the drama-thriller Return to Paradise (1998).

Farmiga's breakout role came in 2004, when she portrayed a mother harboring a secret drug habit in the drama film Down to the Bone. She then co-starred in The Manchurian Candidate (2004), The Departed (2006), The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008), and Nothing But the Truth (2008). She gained more critical acclaim for her role as Alex Goran in the 2009 comedy-drama Up in the Air, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress.

She then had starring roles in Orphan (2009), Source Code (2011), and Safe House (2012). Farmiga made her directorial debut with the drama film Higher Ground (2011), in which she also starred in the lead role. In 2013, she portrayed paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the horror film The Conjuring, and reprised the role in the 2016 sequel The Conjuring 2.

From 2013 to 2017, Farmiga starred as Norma Louise Bates in the A&E drama-thriller series Bates Motel, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. This role, along with her roles in Joshua, Orphan, and the two Conjuring films, has dubbed her as a contemporary scream queen.

Early life and family

Farmiga was born in Clifton, New Jersey, to Ukrainian-born parents Lubomyra "Luba" (née Spas), a schoolteacher, and Michael Farmiga, a systems analyst-turned-landscaper. She was raised in an insular Ukrainian American community in Irvington, New Jersey, with Ukrainian as her native language. She did not learn English until she started kindergarten at age six. As a child, Farmiga converted with her family from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to Pentecostalism. When she was twelve, the family moved from Irvington to Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. She attended St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic School in Newark, New Jersey, and toured with a Ukrainian folk-dancing ensemble, Syzokryli, during her teen years. In addition to being a semi-professional folk dancer, she is also a classically trained pianist. Farmiga was a member of Plast, the Ukrainian scouting organization

In 1991, she graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School. During her junior year there, she found acting after being benched during a varsity soccer game; her friend convinced her to audition for the school production of The Vampire, and she won the lead role. Farmiga went on to study performing arts at Syracuse University, from which she graduated in 1995. In her final year at Syracuse, she portrayed Nina Zarechnaya in The Seagull at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, and the production won the top prize. Her drama professor, Gerardine Clark, stated, "We'd never have won had she not nailed the fourth act. A number of the judges told me that."

Farmiga has one older brother, Victor, and five younger siblings, Stephan, Nadia, Alexander, Laryssa (who was born with spina bifida and Taissa Her maternal grandparents, Nadia (née Pletenciw; October 23, 1925 – October 19, 2014) and Theodor Spas (March 20, 1921 – February 4, 1990), met at a displaced persons camp in Karlsfeld during World War II. At the time, her grandfather was working as a mechanic for the United States Army. Theodor and Nadia married in Munich in 1946, and emigrated to the States (aboard the USS General M. B. Stewart) in 1950 when Luba was 14 months old. Farmiga's father was born in Ukraine and raised in Argentina. A soccer player, Michael was scouted for the Argentine national team, and also played professionally for the Newark Ukrainian Sitch.

Career

1996–2001: Beginnings

In February 1996, Farmiga starred as Miranda in the American Conservatory Theater's production of The Tempest That same year, she also portrayed Anne Hartman in a production of Good at The Barrow Group, a prestigious theater company in New York City. Farmiga made her Broadway debut alongside Ed Harris and Daniel Massey on October 17, 1996, understudying the role of Emmi Straube, in Ronald Harwood's play Taking Sides. Following these stage roles, she co-starred in the Hallmark Hall of Fame Western television film Rose Hill, portraying Emily Elliot. The film, which aired on the CBS network on April 20, 1997, also featured Jennifer Garner and Justin Chambers in the cast.

Farmiga next played the beautiful former slave Catlin in Fox's fantasy adventure series Roar, alongside Heath Ledger and Sebastian Roché. Farmiga said that the series "wanted to be Braveheart but turned out more Xena: Warrior Princess." The show premiered on July 14, 1997, and was cancelled by the network after only one season. The following year, Farmiga guest starred in an episode of NBC's procedural drama series Law & Order, portraying Lindsay Carson, the daughter of a convicted murderer who goes on her own killing spree. Throughout the late 1990s, she continued appearing in stage, television and film roles. She had a supporting role as Kerrie, alongside Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix, in the drama-thriller Return to Paradise, which was released to theaters on August 14, 1998. Two years later, Farmiga had a supporting role as Lisa Tyler in the romantic drama Autumn in New York, opposite Richard Gere (who played her character's biological father) and Winona Ryder. The film, released on August 11, 2000, grossed a total of $90.7 million worldwide from a budget of $65 million, becoming a financial success.

Her next film, the crime drama The Opportunists, was also released on August 11, 2000, in which she co-starred as Miriam Kelly, the daughter of Christopher Walken's character. The following year, Farmiga had a major supporting role as Czech immigrant Daphne Handlova in the action thriller 15 Minutes, alongside Robert De Niro. The film, released on March 9, 2001, was a box office success, grossing $56.4 million worldwide against a budget of $42 million. She next co-starred in the British-Macedonian drama film Dust, opposite Adrian Lester, which opened at the Venice Film Festival on August 29, 2001. Farmiga subsequently joined the main cast of NBC's short-lived procedural drama UC: Undercover as Alex Cross. The series premiered on September 30, 2001, and was cancelled after one season. She then portrayed Queen Josephine in the Hallmark fantasy television film Snow White: The Fairest of Them All, which aired on October 28, 2001.

2002–2008: Breakthrough

Farmiga had her first starring role in the romantic drama film Love in the Time of Money, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 11, 2002 and later received a limited release on November 1, 2002. In June 2002, she portrayed Helen in David Eldridge's Under the Blue Sky at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Ralph Hamman wrote of Farmiga's performance in the play, "Most compelling is Vera Farmiga, who dances a fragile yet dangerous duet with Tate Donovan. Reams of subtext sweep across her face and stimulate her entire presence into being a sort of supersensitive seismograph to Donovan's every word and action." Farmiga next appeared as Lorena Fanchetti, alongside Adrien Brody, in the comedy-drama Dummy, which was released to theaters on September 13, 2003.

The following year, Farmiga had her breakout role as a drug addicted mother, Irene Morrison, in the independent drama film Down to the Bone, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 15, 2004. Her performance earned her the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress, and a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. She next appeared in the HBO drama film Iron Jawed Angels, which was released on February 15, 2004, as Polish-American suffragette Ruza Wenclawska, alongside Hilary Swank and Anjelica Huston. Farmiga then starred as Detective Susan Branca in the American adaptation of the British crime drama series Touching Evil. The series premiered on the USA Network on March 12, 2004 and was well received by critics; however, the network did not renew the series for a second season.

Later that year, she had a supporting role as Jocelyne Jordan in the political thriller The Manchurian Candidate, also starring Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep. The film, released on July 30, 2004, was well received by critics, and grossed $96.1 million at the worldwide box office. The following year, she co-starred in the fantasy drama Neverwas with Aaron Eckhart and Ian McKellen, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2005 and went straight to DVD two years later. Farmiga then appeared alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon as police psychiatrist Dr. Madolyn Madden in The Departed. The film, released on October 6, 2006, was lauded by critics, winning four Academy Awards including Best Picture. It went on to gross $289.8 million at the worldwide box office from a budget of $90 million. For her performance as Madolyn, Farmiga was nominated for the Empire Award for Best Newcomer, and shared with her co-stars the nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

She next starred as Teresa Gazelle in Wayne Kramer's crime thriller Running Scared, released on February 24, 2006, and as an Eastern European prostitute in Anthony Minghella's romantic crime drama Breaking and Entering, released on November 9, 2006. Farmiga subsequently landed the lead role of Sophie Lee in Gina Kim's Korean-American romantic drama Never Forever, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2007. Her performance was praised by film critic G. Allen Johnson, who described her as "the best American actress you've never heard of." She next co-led the psychological thriller film Joshua with Sam Rockwell, released in the United States on July 6, 2007. Farmiga then portrayed Fiona Ankany in the drama film Quid Pro Quo, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2008 to favorable reviews; David Edelstein of New York Magazine stated that Farmiga's performance was "scarily good" and added, "She's always visibly calculating, thinking better of something reckless she's about to do – then doing it anyway."

On September 12, 2008, the British historical drama The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, in which she portrayed Mother Elsa Hoess, was released worldwide. Based on the novel of the same name, the film was well received by critics, grossing $44.1 million against a budget of $12.5 million. Farmiga won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress for her performance. She then starred in the British-Russian war drama In Transit alongside John Malkovich, which was released in Russia on March 4, 2008. Her next role was that of CIA operative Erica Van Doren in the political thriller Nothing But the Truth, co-starring Matt Dillon and Kate Beckinsale. The role earned Farmiga a nomination for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress.

2009–2012: Directorial debut

Farmiga portrayed the lead role of Kate Coleman in Jaume Collet-Serra's psychological thriller film Orphan. Also starring Peter Sarsgaard, the film was released theatrically in the United States on July 24, 2009 and, despite the film receiving mixed reviews from critics, it became a box office success, grossing $78.3 million worldwide from a budget of $20 million. Farmiga's performance was praised, with Toby Young of The Times writing that she "becomes more convincing as the story unfolds. By the end, she has you in the palm of her hand." She then appeared as Aurora de Valday in Niki Caro's romantic drama A Heavenly Vintage, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2009.

She next co-starred as frequent flyer Alex Goran, opposite George Clooney, in Jason Reitman's comedy-drama Up in the Air, which was released on December 4, 2009. The film received universal acclaim, and was a box office success, with a worldwide gross of $166.8 million from a $25 million budget. Roger Ebert praised Farmiga's performance in the film, stating that she "is one of the warmest and most attractive women in the movies, or at least she plays one." She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, and her second nomination for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress. On June 25, 2010, she was inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In October 2009, Farmiga joined the cast of the surrealist romantic comedy film Henry's Crime as stage actress Julie Ivanova. Keanu Reeves and James Caan co-starred. The film was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 2010, and though it received mixed reviews, Farmiga's comedic performance was praised. Farmiga then played Capt. Colleen Goodwin in Duncan Jones' science fiction thriller film Source Code, which premiered at South by Southwest on March 11, 2011 and was released in theaters on April 1, 2011. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $147.3 million worldwide from a budget of $32 million. Farmiga was offered lead roles in both Madonna's romantic drama W.E. and Marc Forster's action biopic Machine Gun Preacher (both 2011), but declined the roles due to falling pregnant.

During her second pregnancy, Farmiga filmed her directorial debut, the religious drama Higher Ground, in which she also starred as the adult Corinne Walker. The film received critical acclaim following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2011, and had a limited release in the United States on August 26, 2011. Many of her family members where involved in the production; Farmiga's younger sister Taissa Farmiga portrayed Corinne as a teenager, her husband Renn Hawkey served as a producer and musical director, and her cousin Adriana Farmiga served as an art curator. She received award nominations in both acting and directing for the feature, including the Gotham Award for Best Breakthrough Director, and the Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture. In his review of the film, critic Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter noted, "Directing debuts by actors don't come any better than this."

Her next role was as flaky New Age mother Wendy Whitman in the independent comedy-drama Goats, with David Duchovny and Ty Burrell. The film opened at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2012, and was given a limited release in the United States on August 10, 2012. That same year, she portrayed CIA operative Catherine Linklater in Daniel Espinosa's action thriller Safe House, starring opposite Ryan Reynolds and, for the second time, Denzel Washington. The film had its premiere in New York City on February 7, 2012, and was released in theaters three days later. Although it received mixed reviews from critics, the film was a financial success, grossing $208.1 million worldwide from a budget of $85 million.

2013–present

Farmiga's return to television came on March 18, 2013, when she began portraying Norma Louise Bates, the mother of Norman Bates, in A&E's drama-thriller series Bates Motel. The series is a contemporary reboot of Alfred Hitchcock's horror film Psycho. For her performance, Farmiga won the 2013 Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television, and the 2016 People's Choice Award for Favorite Cable TV Actress. She also received three nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series (2013–2015), as well as nominations for the 2013 Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama, the 2013 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and the 2013 TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama. In addition to starring in the series, she served as a producer, and later executive producer, from the second season to its fifth and final season.

She next appeared in James Wan's horror film The Conjuring, which was released on July 19, 2013 to critical and commercial success. The film became one of the highest-grossing horror films of all time, making $318 million worldwide from a budget of $20 million. Farmiga portrayed paranormal investigator and self-professed clairvoyant Lorraine Warren, alongside Patrick Wilson, for which she was nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Best Scared-As-Shit Performance. Set in 1971, The Conjuring follows the Warrens as they investigate demonic activity occurring at a farmhouse in Rhode Island. She reprised her role in the sequel, The Conjuring 2, which focuses on the Enfield Poltergeist case in London, England in 1977. The film, also directed by Wan, opened in theaters on June 10, 2016 and was the third released in the Conjuring franchise. Like its predecessor, The Conjuring 2 was met with a positive critical reception and commercial success, grossing $320.3 million worldwide from a budget of $40 million, and becoming the second highest-grossing horror film of all time.

In 2013, Farmiga appeared as Edith Martin in the romantic comedy At Middleton, with Andy García and her sister Taissa. The film premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 17, 2013, and was released in a limited number of theaters on January 31, 2014. Sen starred as Alice Bercovich in the Romanian-American comedy-drama Closer to the Moon, based on the events of the Ioanid Gang. The film, directed by Nae Caranfil, was released in Romania on March 7, 2014, and was given a limited release in the United States on April 17, 2015. Farmiga next co-starred in David Dobkin's drama film The Judge as Samantha Powell, the love interest and high school girlfriend of Robert Downey Jr.'s character. The film, released on October 10, 2014, was a mild success at the box office, grossing $84.4 million from a budget of $50 million.

Farmiga then starred as Eleanor Finch in Ricky Gervais' comedy Special Correspondents, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22, 2016, before being released worldwide on April 29, 2016. She next appeared as Alise Firth in Jordan Roberts' adventure comedy-drama Burn Your Maps, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2016. Farmiga also co-starred as Dr. Nora Phillips, alongside Dakota Fanning and Clive Owen, in the BMW short film The Escape, directed by Neill Blomkamp. The short marked a comeback for BMW's film series The Hire, and was released online on October 23, 2016.

In 2017, Farmiga will play the lead role, opposite Christopher Plummer and Bobby Cannavale, in Shana Feste's drama film Boundaries. That same year, she will lead an episode of the Channel 4-Amazon Video sci-fi anthology series Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams. Farmiga is then set to co-star with Liam Neeson in the action thriller The Commuter, set for release on January 12, 2018. The latter film reunites her with Orphan director Jaume Collet-Serra and The Conjuring co-star Patrick Wilson. She will also appear alongside John Goodman in the sci-fi thriller Captive State, directed by Rupert Wyatt, set for release on August 17, 2018. Farmiga is attached to star in the third installment of the MonsterVerse film franchise, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, directed by Michael Dougherty, which is set for release on March 22, 2019.

Personal life

Marriages and family

Farmiga met French actor Sebastian Roché while co-starring together in the series Roar; she eloped with him to the Bahamas after the series ended in 1997. After seven years of marriage, Farmiga and Roché separated and subsequently divorced in 2004. She then began dating Deadsy musician Renn Hawkey after being introduced by mutual friend Allen Hughes on the set of Touching Evil. They married in a private ceremony on September 13, 2008, when Farmiga was five months pregnant. Their son, Fynn McDonnell Hawkey, was born on January 13, 2009 in Rhinebeck, New York. Farmiga gave birth to a daughter, Gytta Lubov Hawkey, on November 4, 2010. The family owns homes in New York and Vancouver. Through her marriage to Hawkey, she is the sister-in-law of actress and photographer Molly Hawkey. Farmiga's younger sister is actress Taissa Farmiga, whom she considers her best friend. She is close friends with her Bates Motel co-star Freddie Highmore, who is godfather to her son.

Religious beliefs

Farmiga is a nondenominational Christian. In an August 2011 interview with Christianity Today, Farmiga said, "I grew up in a Ukrainian Catholic-turned-Christian household, and that is my family's faith. My father instilled in me – of utmost importance and innate in me is the yearning to determine for myself – to define God, to define holiness for myself. That was my parents' number one lesson for us." Speaking of her family, she then added, "I have not been home enough [to attend a local church]. We're constantly going, constantly travelling. So for us, God is in temples and in churches, and on park benches. I don't belong to any particular church, but I'm someone who will be able to walk into any place of worship, any house of worship, and have a direct correspondence."

Filmography

• Return to Paradise (1998)

• Autumn in New York (2000)

• 15 Minutes (2001)

• Dummy (2002)

• Down to the Bone (2004)

• The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

• Running Scared (2006)

• The Departed (2006)

• Never Forever (2007)

• The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008)

• Orphan (2009)

• Up in the Air (2009)

• Henry's Crime (2010)

• Higher Ground (2011)

• Source Code (2011)

• Safe House (2012)

• The Conjuring (2013)

• At Middleton (2013)

• Closer to the Moon (2013)

• The Judge (2014)

• The Conjuring 2 (2016)

• Special Correspondents (2016)

• Boundaries (2017)

• The Commuter (2018)

• Captive State (2018)

• Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

Bates Motel is an American psychological horror drama television series that aired from March 18, 2013 to April 24, 2017. It was developed by Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin, and Anthony Cipriano, and is produced by Universal Television and American Genre for the cable network A&E.