Anna Kendrick is an American actress and singer.
She rose to international fame after her performance as Natalie Keener in Up in the Air, for which
she received Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations
for Best Supporting Actress.
She played Dinah Lord in the Broadway musical High Society, for which she was nominated
for a Tony Award.
Her other notable roles include Fritzi Wagner in Camp, Jessica Stanley in The Twilight Saga,
Stacey Pilgrim in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Beca Mitchell in Pitch Perfect, and Janet
in End of Watch.
Early life Kendrick was born in Portland, Maine, the
daughter of Janice, an accountant, and William K. Kendrick, a history teacher who also works
in finance.
She is of English, Irish, and Scottish descent.
She has an older brother, actor Michael Cooke Kendrick, who appeared in the 2000 film Looking
for an Echo.
She attended Deering High School in Portland.
Career
Kendrick started her career at the age of 10 when she caught a bus from Portland, Maine,
to New York City so that she could attend auditions.
Kendrick's first acting role was as Dinah in the Broadway musical High Society in August
1998 when she was 12 years old, a performance for which she won the Theatre World Award
and was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award, making her the third-youngest
Tony Award nominee.
Kendrick went on to appear in a number of other stage productions, including the musical
A Little Night Music, playing Fredrika Armfeldt in the New York City Opera production, before
making her film debut in the 2003 musical comedy Camp, for which she was nominated at
the Independent Spirit Awards for Best Debut Performance for her portrayal of Fritzi Wagner.
In 2007, she appeared in her next film, Rocket Science, in which she portrayed Ginny Ryerson,
a fast-talking high school debater.
Although Kendrick said she found the role intimidating and challenging after watching
an actual national collegiate championship debate, her performance was praised by critics
and she was nominated for an Independent Spirit award for Best Supporting Actress.
Later that year, she auditioned for the role of Jessica Stanley in Twilight, a 2008 film
adapted from the first book of the novel series by Stephenie Meyer.
She had intended to do a mix-and-match audition with various actors, but was too ill and had
to leave; she was brought in for a later session where she was given the role.
Kendrick reprised her role as Jessica in the first three Twilight sequels.
Kendrick's theater singing experience gave her the opportunity to star in The Marc Pease
Experience, where she appears as a high school senior involved in musical theater.
She appeared in the 2009 films Elsewhere, in which she plays her first lead character,
a girl whose best friend goes missing, and in director Jason Reitman's Up in the Air,
based on Walter Kirn's 2001 novel of the same name.
For her role in Up in the Air, the National Board of Review named her Best Supporting
Actress, and she also picked up nominations from numerous critics awards, The Golden Globes,
The Screen Actors Guild, and the Academy Awards.
She reprised her role as Jessica Stanley in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.
Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg devised a graduation speech for her character that was not part
of the novel.
She appeared in Edgar Wright's adaptation of the graphic novel Scott Pilgrim, titled
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
Kendrick played Stacey Pilgrim, the sister of the lead character.
In 2010, she appeared in LCD Soundsystem's music video "Pow Pow" as a "shape-shifter"
who collects "the souls of wicked men".
In October 2010, she attended the 2010 Top Glamour Awards in Mexico where she won for
"Best International Actress".
In 2011, she starred in the dramatic comedy 50/50, and reprised her role as Jessica Stanley
in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn.
In 2012, she played Rosie in the screen adaptation of the baby guide What to Expect When You're
Expecting, and voiced the character Courtney in the stop-motion animated film ParaNorman.
She starred in Pitch Perfect as Beca, a rebellious college student who discovers her voice in
her school's female a cappella group, and she is featured on the film's soundtrack.
Kendrick also appeared in the police drama End of Watch, playing Janet.
In 2012 she appeared in the political thriller The Company You Keep.
It has been confirmed that Kendrick will star in a film adaptation of The Last Five Years.
She will also star in a psychological thriller titled The Voices.
On June 21, 2013, it was confirmed that Kendrick will play Cinderella in Rob Marshall's 2014
musical film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods.
In 2013, she scored a hit song with "Cups" from the film Pitch Perfect which became a
No. 2 hit on Billboard's Adult Pop Song chart.
Kendrick made her SNL hosting debut on April 5, 2014 with musical guest Pharrell.
Personal life Kendrick dated director Edgar Wright, whom
she met during the 2009 production of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, until early 2013.
Filmography Film
Television Stage
Music videos Web
Discography Singles
Other recordings Awards and nominations
References
External links Anna Kendrick at the Internet Movie Database
Anna Kendrick at the Internet Broadway Database Anna Kendrick on Instagram