MS
Mira Sorvino
Actor, Producer
Born September 28, 1967 (54 years)
Mira Katherine Sorvino was born on September 28, 1967 in Manhattan. She is the daughter of Lorraine Davis, an actress turned drama therapist, and veteran character actor Paul Sorvino. Her father's family were Italian immigrants. The young Sorvino was intelligent, an avid reader and an exceptional scholar. Her father discouraged her from becoming an actor, as he knew how the industry often chews up young stars. She attended Harvard, majoring in Chinese, graduating magna cum laude in 1989, largely on the strength of her thesis, a Hoopes Prize-winning thesis on racial conflict in China, written and researched during the year spent in Beijing, which helped her fluency in Mandarin Chinese.
However, she showed interest in a career in acting from an early age, and moved to New York City to try her hand in the City's film industry, waitressing, auditioning and working at the Tribeca production company of Robert De Niro. She succeeded in getting a little television work in the early 1990s, but got her first film job in the independent gangster movie Amongst Friends (1993), on which she worked her way up the ladder behind the camera to eventually associate-produce the film, and, more importantly, was eventually cast as the female lead. The indie production was well-received, and Sorvino's performance attracted enough buzz to get her cast in two more movies, one a more prominent indie, Barcelona (1994), the other her first Hollywood feature, Quiz Show (1994), and her skillful performances brought her yet more attention.
An exceptionally poised and articulate young woman, she may have seemed inappropriate to play a crazy hooker, but Woody Allen took the chance, and her magnificent performance as the female lead in his Mighty Aphrodite (1995) proved her range as a performer and earned her an Oscar (at the tender age of 29) for Best Supporting Actress. Since winning the Oscar, Sorvino has continued to take a wide range of roles, including another stretch as Marilyn Monroe in Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996), co-starring with another very intelligent and skilled young actress, Ashley Judd. Forays into action and horror, such as Mimic (1997) and The Replacement Killers (1998) show that Sorvino is not above being playful in the film roles she chooses.
However, what forever cemented her role in popular culture was her performance as charmingly silly California beach girl Romy White in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), in which she and co-star Lisa Kudrow utter one hilarious absurdity after another.
Mira Sorvino married Christopher Backus on June 11, 2004, and the couple have four children.
Filmography
| 2022 | After Ever Happy · as Carol Young |
| 2022 | Shining Vale (TV Series) · as Rosemary |
| 2021 | East of the Mountains · as Renee Givens |
| 2021 | The Girl Who Believes in Miracles · as Bonnie Hopkins |
| 2021 | Crime Story · as Unknown |
| 2021 | After We Fell · as Carol Young |
| 2021 | Hero Mode · as Kate Mayfield |
| 2020 | Butter · as Marian |
| 2020 | Hollywood (2020) (TV Series) · as Jeanne Crandall |
| 2020 | The Expecting (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 2019 | The Islands · as Mary Thornton |
| 2019 | Beneath the Leaves · as Detective Erica Shotwell |
| 2019 | Stuber · as Angie McHenry |
| 2019 | Badland · as Sarah Cooke |
| 2019 | Drowning · as Mary |
| 2018 | A Dog and Pony Show · as Sarah Jean |
| 2018 | Look Away · as Amy Brennan |
| 2018 | No One Would Tell · as Elizabeth Hanover |
| 2018 | Doe · as The Executive |
| 2018 | Condor (TV Series) · as Marty Frost |
| 2018 | Spy Kids: Mission Critical (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 2018 | Waterlily Jaguar · as Helen |
| 2017 | 6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain · as Susan Lemarqe |
| 2016 | Mothers and Daughters · as Georgina Scott |
| 2016 | Exposed · as Janine Cullen |
| 2016 | A Christmas to Remember · as Jennifer Wade |
| 2016 | The Red Maple Leaf · as Marianna Palermo |
| 2016 | Indiscretion · as Dr. Veronica Simon |
| 2016 | American Crime Story (TV Series) · as Marcia Lewis |
| 2016 | Lady Dynamite (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 2016 | StartUp (TV Series) · as Rebecca Stroud |
| 2015 | Chloe and Theo · as Monica |
| 2015 | Quitters · as May Rayman |
| 2015 | Do You Believe? · as Samantha |
| 2014 | Perfect Sisters · as Linda / Perfect Mom |
| 2014 | Ava & Lala · as Unknown |
| 2014 | Frozen in Time · as Carol (voice) |
| 2014 | Stalker (TV Series) · as Vicki Gregg |
| 2014 | Intruders (2014) (TV Series) · as Amy Whelan |
| 2013 | Space Warriors · as Sally Hawkins |
| 2013 | Trooper · as K.J. Flaxton |
| 2012 | |
| 2012 | Trade of Innocents · as Claire Becker |
| 2012 | Finding Mrs. Claus · as Jessica Claus |
| 2011 | Angels Crest · as Angie |
| 2011 | Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life · as Elaine |
| 2011 | Union Square · as Lucy |
| 2011 | Falling Skies (TV Series) · as Sara |
| 2010 | Multiple Sarcasms · as Cari |
| 2010 | The Presence · as The Woman |
| 2009 | Leningrad · as Kate Davis |
| 2009 | Like Dandelion Dust · as Wendy Porter |
| 2009 | The Last Templar (TV Series) · as Tess Chaykin |
| 2009 | Modern Family (TV Series) · as Nicole Rosemary Page |
| 2007 | Reservation Road · as Ruth Wheldon |
| 2007 | Attack on Leningrad (TV Series) · as Kate Davis |
| 2006 | Covert One: The Hades Factor · as Rachel Russel |
| 2006 | Psych (TV Series) · as Betsy Brannigan |
| 2005 | Human Trafficking (TV Series) · as Kate Morozov |
| 2004 | House (TV Series) · as Dr. Cate Milton |
| 2004 | The Final Cut · as Delila |
| 2003 | Gods and Generals · as Fanny Chamberlain |
| 2003 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 2002 | WiseGirls · as Meg Kennedy |
| 2002 | Between Strangers · as Natalia Bauer |
| 2001 | The Grey Zone · as Dina |
| 2001 | Massive Attack: Eleven Promos · as Unknown |
| 2001 | The Triumph of Love · as The Princess |
| 2001 | Angel of Death · as Maria Delgado |
| 2000 | The Great Gatsby · as Daisy Buchanan |
| 2000 | Lisa Picard Is Famous · as Mira Sorvino |
| 1999 | At First Sight · as Amy Benic |
| 1999 | Summer of Sam · as Dionna |
| 1998 | The Replacement Killers · as Meg Coburn |
| 1998 | Free Money · as Agent Karen Polarski |
| 1998 | Lulu on the Bridge · as Celia Burns |
| 1998 | Welcome to Hollywood · as Mira Sorvino |
| 1998 | Too Tired to Die · as Death / Jean |
| 1998 | Will & Grace (TV Series) · as Diane |
| 1997 | Mimic · as Dr. Susan Tyler |
| 1997 | Romy and Michele's High School Reunion · as Romy White |
| 1996 | Beautiful Girls · as Sharon Cassidy |
| 1996 | Norma Jean & Marilyn · as Marilyn Monroe |
| 1996 | Tales of Erotica · as Unknown |
| 1996 | Jake's Women · as Julie |
| 1995 | Blue in the Face · as Young lady |
| 1995 | Mighty Aphrodite · as Linda Ash |
| 1995 | Sweet Nothing · as Monika |
| 1995 | The Buccaneers (1995) (TV Series) · as Conchita Closson |
| 1994 | Quiz Show · as Sandra Goodwin |
| 1994 | Barcelona · as Marta Ferrer |
| 1994 | Parallel Lives · as Matty Derosa |
| 1994 | The Second Greatest Story Ever Told · as Mary Weinstein |
| 1993 | Amongst Friends · as Laura |
| 1993 | New York Cop · as Maria |
| 1992 | Swans Crossing (TV Series) · as Sophia DeCastro |
| 1985 | The Stuff · as Factory Worker (uncredited) |
| 1952 | Guiding Light (TV Series) · as Julie Camalletti (1991) (temporary replacement) |
Lamborghini: The Legend · as Anita Borgatti |