Abigail Kathleen Breslin is an American actress. She is one of the youngest actresses ever
to be nominated for an Academy Award. Breslin appeared in her first commercial when she
was three years old, and in her first film, Signs, at the age of five. Her other film
roles include Little Miss Sunshine; No Reservations; Nim's Island; Definitely, Maybe; My Sister's
Keeper; Zombieland; Rango; August: Osage County; The Call; Ender's Game; and Perfect Sisters.
Personal life Breslin was born in New York City, the daughter
of Kim and Michael, a telecommunications expert, computer programmer, and consultant. She has
two older brothers, Ryan and Spencer, who are also actors. Breslin lives in New York
with her family, which her maternal grandparents have described as "very close-knit". She is
named after First Lady of the United States Abigail Adams.
Career Breslin's career began at the age of three
when she appeared in a Toys "R" Us commercial. Her first acting role was in the 2002 science
fiction thriller film Signs, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, where she played Bo Hess,
the daughter of the main character, Graham Hess. Signs garnered mostly positive reviews
and was a box office success, grossing $408 million worldwide. Breslin's performance in the film
was praised by critics. David Ansen of Newsweek wrote that she and her co-star Rory Culkin
gave "terrifically natural, nuanced performances". In 2004, she appeared in the film Raising
Helen, in which she and her brother Spencer played siblings but the film fared poorly.
Breslin had a small role in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. In the independent film
Keane, she played Kira Bedik, a young girl who reminds the mentally disturbed protagonist
William Keane of his abducted daughter. Keane had a limited theatrical release and grossed
only $394,390 worldwide but it received positive reviews and Breslin's performance was praised
by critics. Meghan Keane of The New York Sun wrote that "the scenes between Mr. Lewis and
the charmingly fragile Kira, winningly played by Ms. Breslin, bring a captivating humanity
to the film". Breslin's breakthrough role was in the 2006
comedy-drama Little Miss Sunshine, where she played Olive Hoover, a beauty pageant contestant,
the youngest in a dysfunctional family on a road trip. She was cast at the age of six,
years before filming was started. Her co-stars, Greg Kinnear and Alan Arkin, both mentioned
that they were "astounded by her seriousness of purpose during shooting". Little Miss Sunshine
was a critical and commercial success, grossing $100 million worldwide. Breslin's performance
was highly praised; Claudia Puig of USA Today wrote that "If Olive
had been played by any other little girl, she would not have affected us as mightily
as it did." She received nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award and Academy Award
for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the fourth youngest actress to be nominated in
that category.
Although Jennifer Hudson won the Oscar, Breslin co-presented with actor Jaden Smith at the
79th Academy Awards on February 25, 2007. Breslin was part of the Disney Year of a Million
Dreams celebration. Annie Leibovitz photographed her as Fira from Disney Fairies with Julie
Andrews as the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio. On October 27, 2007, Breslin made her stage
debut in the play Right You Are in New York City at the Guggenheim Museum starring in
an ensemble cast alongside Cate Blanchett, Dianne Wiest, Natalie Portman and Peter Sarsgaard.
In 2007, Breslin was ranked #8 in Forbes Magazine's list of "Young Hollywood's Top-Earning Stars",
having earned $1.5 million in 2006. Breslin next appeared in the 2007 romantic
comedy No Reservations, playing the niece of master chef Kate Armstrong. The film garnered
mostly negative reviews but was successful commercially, grossing $92 million worldwide.
Roger Ebert wrote that Breslin "has the stuff to emerge as a three-dimensional kid, if she
weren't employed so resolutely as a pawn." Also in 2007, she starred in another romantic
comedy, Definitely, Maybe, as the daughter of a recently divorced father. Definitely,
Maybe received generally favorable reviews, with Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer
writing that Breslin is "alarmingly cute – but she backs the cuteness up with serious acting
instinct". In 2008, Breslin starred with Jodie Foster
in the film Nim's Island as Nim Rusoe, a young girl who lives on a remote tropical island.
Nim's Island received mixed reviews but was successful financially, grossing $100 million
worldwide. Also in 2008, Breslin appeared in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl as the
title character. The film was based on the American Girl line of dolls, books, and accessories
of which Breslin is a fan. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl garnered favorable reviews
and grossed $17 million at the box office. Breslin's performance in the film was praised
by critics; Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal wrote that she "carries the event-stuffed
story with unflagging grace". In 2009, Breslin appeared in My Sister's Keeper,
where she played the role of Anna Fitzgerald, a young girl who was conceived to be a donor
for her sister, Kate, who suffers from leukemia. Elle and Dakota Fanning were slated to play
the roles of Anna and Kate respectively; however, Dakota refused to shave her head for the role,
so she and Elle were replaced by Sofia Vassilieva and Breslin. My Sister's Keeper received mixed
reviews but was a financial success, grossing $95 million worldwide. James Berardinelli
wrote that Breslin and Vassilieva "display a natural bond one might expect from sisters,
and there's no hint of artifice or overacting in either performance". Also in 2009, Breslin
appeared in the horror comedy Zombieland as Little Rock. Director Ruben Fleischer said
that "the dream was always to get Abigail Breslin" for the role. The film received positive
reviews and was successful at the box office, grossing $102 million worldwide.
With previews beginning in February 2010, she made her Broadway theatre debut as Helen
Keller in The Miracle Worker at the Circle in the Square Theatre. Breslin has said that
she was honored to play Keller, who is one of her "biggest heroes". The Alliance for
Inclusion in the Arts, an advocacy group for blind and deaf actors criticized the play's
producers for not casting a deaf or blind actor in the role. Lead producer David Richenthal
defended the decision, stating that he needed a well-known actress: "It’s simply naïve
to think that in this day and age, you’ll be able to sell tickets to a play revival
solely on the potential of the production to be a great show or on the potential for
an unknown actress to give a breakthrough performance." Vision-impaired actress Kyra
Siegel was cast as Breslin's understudy. Breslin's performance was praised by critics; Frank
Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that she "well portrays Helen's feral rebelliousness
in the play's early sections and is deeply touching as her character's bond with her
teacher grows". Ticket sales for the play, however, were considered disappointing, and
the show closed in April 2010. In September 2009, Breslin filmed in Des Moines,
Iowa, playing the title character in the film Janie Jones: a 13-year old girl who is abandoned
by her former-groupie mother, and informs Ethan Brand, a fading rock star, that she
is his daughter. The film premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.
In 2011, Breslin voiced Priscilla, a cactus mouse in the animated comedy Rango, and appeared
in the romantic comedy New Year's Eve. In 2013, Breslin appeared in the thriller
The Call. The film received mixed reviews from critics. Andrew Barker of Variety wrote
that Breslin "acquits herself well enough for a problematic role in which she’s forced
to cry and scream nearly continuously." The Call grossed $68 million worldwide.
Also in 2013, Breslin appeared in the horror film Haunter in the role of Lisa a ghost who
bonds with a future girl living in her house to stop an evil killing spirit with the help
of his many victims. Breslin also starred in the film adaptation
of Orson Scott Card's novel, Ender's Game The film received mixed-to-positive reviews
from critics but it was a disappointment at the box office, grossing only $125 million
worldwide on a $110 million budget. In July 2012, she was cast in August: Osage County,
the film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, alongside Julia Roberts
and Meryl Streep. August: Osage County received mostly positive reviews.
Filmography Film
Television Awards and nominations
References
External links Abigail Breslin at the Internet Movie Database
Abigail Breslin at AllMovie Works by or about Abigail Breslin in libraries
Vanity Fair spotlight Brandon Kosters interview 1 March 2011