Mary Elle Fanning is an American actress. She is the younger sister of actress Dakota
Fanning and mainly known for her starring roles in Phoebe in Wonderland, Somewhere,
We Bought a Zoo, and as Aurora in 2014's Maleficent. In 2011, Fanning starred in her breakout role
as Alice Dainard in J. J. Abrams' sci-fi-drama blockbuster, Super 8. For this role she received
overwhelming critical acclaim and was often cited as one of the film's best aspects. She
received nominations for a Saturn Award, a Young Artist Award, a Broadcast Film Critics
Association Award, a Teen Choice Award, a Scream Award, an MTV Movie Award, and more
including a special Spotlight Award at the Hollywood Film Festival.
Early life and education Fanning was born in Conyers, Georgia on April
9, 1998, the daughter of Heather Joy, who played tennis professionally, and Steven J.
Fanning, who played minor league baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals and now works
as an electronics salesman in Los Angeles. Her maternal grandfather is American football
player Rick Arrington, and her aunt is ESPN reporter Jill Arrington. Fanning is the younger
sister of Dakota Fanning, who is also an actress. Fanning has Irish, German, English, and French
ancestry. Fanning and her family are members of the Southern Baptist Convention. She has
been quoted as saying "We're just normal sisters. We both go to school and we just play together."
Fanning currently attends Campbell Hall School in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, which was
also attended by child actresses Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen.
Career Fanning started acting at the age of 2 years
and 8 months. She began her acting career by playing the younger version of her older
sister Dakota's characters in the mini-series Taken and the movie I Am Sam. In 2002, at
the age of four, Fanning won her first role independent of her sister in the comedy Daddy
Day Care. Anecdotal evidence of her emerging skill was seen in the decision to cast her
in the role of Ruth in The Door in the Floor opposite Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger. The
film's producers originally planned to hire identical twins for the intense shooting schedule,
but were so impressed with Fanning that they used only her. Late in 2003, Fanning appeared
in Because of Winn-Dixie in the small role of Sweetie Pie Thomas. In 2004, she did voice
work in the English dubbed version of Miyazaki's animated film My Neighbor Totoro, in the role
of Mei. Later that same year, she filmed I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With. In early 2005,
Fanning filmed scenes in Charlotte's Web as the "future granddaughter" of Fern Arable
played by Dakota Fanning. However, the scenes didn't make the final cut. In mid-2005, she
played Debbie, the daughter of Richard and Susan Jones in the Academy Award-winning film
Babel. In early 2006, Fanning filmed scenes in both The Nines and Déjà Vu. In mid-2006,
she filmed The Lost Room a sci-fi TV mini-series. Also in 2006, she appeared on the episode
"Need to Know" of House: MD, playing the patient's daughter.
By the end of 2006, Fanning began to book lead roles. The first of these was the one
of Emma Learner in Reservation Road—the grieving daughter of Grace and Ethan Learner.
The film deals with the aftermath of a tragic car accident in which Emma's brother is killed.
Late in 2008, Fanning had a small part in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as a younger
version of Cate Blanchett's character. Mid-year 2007, Fanning filmed the title role Phoebe
of Phoebe in Wonderland—the tale of a little girl who won't—or can't—follow the rules.
Phoebe in Wonderland also starred Felicity Huffman and was released in March 2009. From
July through October 2007, Fanning appeared in The Nutcracker in 3D, playing Mary. Set
in 1920s Vienna, this is a tale of a little girl whose godfather gives her a special doll
on Christmas Eve. The movie was filmed in Budapest, Hungary and was released late 2010.
In March 2008, Fanning and her sister Dakota were scheduled to star in My Sister's Keeper,
but the opportunity fell through when Dakota learned she would have to shave her head.
The sisters were immediately replaced by Abigail Breslin and Sofia Vassilieva.
Variety reported in April 2009 that Fanning would be starring in Academy Award-winning
screenwriter Sofia Coppola's 2010 film, Somewhere. The plot centers around a "bad-boy" actor
who is forced to re-evaluate his life when his daughter, played by Fanning, arrives unexpectedly.
The film was released during the 2010 awards season. At its first film festival, the 67th
Venice Film Festival, it took out the Golden Lion. In late 2010, Fanning began working
on Francis Ford Coppola's 2011 film Twixt, that Coppola wrote, based on a dream he had.
She plays the role of a young ghost named V. In 2011, Fanning starred in J. J. Abrams'
sci-fi-drama film Super 8 as Alice Dainard. The movie was released on June 10, 2011 and
centers around a group of kids who are forced to deal with strange happenings in their small
town. In December 2011, Fanning appeared in Cameron
Crowe's We Bought a Zoo. She played Lily, a thirteen-year-old who is working at the
zoo's restaurant, and lives on the property with her only parental figure, Kelly. In September
2012, Fanning starred as Ginger along with Alice Englert who played Rosa in the drama
film Ginger & Rosa that took place during 1962 in London. The film was directed by Sally
Potter and was released on October 19, 2012. Fanning has received widespread acclaim for
her performance, with A. O. Scott of The New York Times writing that she "shows a nearly
Streepian mixture of poise, intensity and technical precision. It is frightening how
good she is and hard to imagine anything she could not do." Ty Burr, film critic for The
Boston Globe, praised her "luminous naturalism that seems the opposite of performance" and
felt that "Fanning easily convinces you of Ginger’s emotional reality."
Fanning starred alongside Angelina Jolie in the 2014 Walt Disney film, Maleficent, directed
by Robert Stromberg. Jolie played Maleficent and Fanning played Princess Aurora.
Filmography Television
Awards and nominations References
External links Elle Fanning at the Internet Movie Database