Taissa Farmiga is an American actress.
She made her acting debut in the film Higher Ground, directed by her sister.
She came to prominence playing Violet Harmon in the FX television series American Horror
Story debut season, Murder House.
She has subsequently appeared in films such as The Bling Ring and At Middleton.
In 2013, she returned to American Horror Story for its third season, portraying young witch
Zoe Benson.
She then starred in the 2014 films Jamesy Boy and Mindscape.
In 2015, she will star in the horror-comedy The Final Girls, and the Western drama In
a Valley of Violence.
Early life Farmiga was born in Clifton, New Jersey, the
youngest of seven children born to Ukrainian immigrants Mykhailo "Michael" Farmiga, a computer
systems analyst, and Lubomyra "Luba" Farmiga, a schoolteacher.
She was raised in the Whitehouse Station section of New Jersey's Readington Township.
Farmiga attended public school until fourth grade, when her mother began homeschooling
her along with two of her siblings.
Her six older siblings are Victor, Vera, Stephan, Nadia, Alexander, and Laryssa who was born
with spina bifida.
Farmiga speaks English and Ukrainian, and took American Sign Language classes for three
years.
Career 2011–2013
Farmiga initially had no ambitions to become an actress, stating: "I never wanted to be
an actor.
Acting had always been Vera's thing, not mine, but when we were at Sundance, I decided I
officially loved acting."
She was persuaded to appear in sister Vera Farmiga's directorial debut Higher Ground,
playing Young Corinne Walker, the 16-year-old version of her sister's character.
After her performance in the film was acclaimed by critics at the Sundance Film Festival,
she decided to pursue an acting career.
In May 2011, she was cast in the role of Violet Harmon in the first season of the FX anthology
series American Horror Story, which launched Farmiga to worldwide prominence.
Farmiga said that she loved Violet "immediately" and that "she had spunk to her, she had attitude."
The series premiered on October 5, 2011, and was met with critical acclaim; Murder House
was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and seventeen Emmy Awards.
In January 2012, she joined the cast of The Bling Ring, portraying Sam Moore, the wild
child and the adoptive sister of Nicki.
The film is based on the true story of a group of teenagers who robbed the Hollywood homes
of the rich and famous between 2008 and 2009, stealing over $3 million from the likes of
Orlando Bloom, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton.
The film opened the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival on June 15, 2013.
In June 2012, it was announced that Farmiga had signed on to star in the indie dramedy
film At Middleton, about a man and a woman who meet and fall in love while dropping their
children off at college.
The film premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 17, 2013.
In 2013, Farmiga returned to the third season of American Horror Story.
In January 2013, series creator Ryan Murphy hinted that a clue about the third season
would be hidden in the tenth episode of the second season.
In a later interview discussing that episode, he stated: "One of the things that I missed
this season was I really loved having that Romeo and Juliet youth story with Violet and
Tate in the first season.
I want something like that again and we're doing something like that in the third season."
Farmiga portrayed Zoe Benson, a young girl who finds out that she is a witch and is then
forced to go to a special school called Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young
Ladies in New Orleans, after her discovery of her magical powers.
American Horror Story: Coven premiered on October 9, 2013, and The Huffington Post said
about Farmiga's character: "Farmiga effortlessly plays the mix of innocence, sardonic wit and
tragedy required to make her character work."
2014–present Farmiga had her first starring role in Mindscape,
produced by Jaume Collet-Serra, alongside Mark Strong, about a man with the ability
to enter people's memories who begins working on the case of a brilliant but problematic
teenager to determine whether she is a sociopath or the victim of trauma.
Farmiga explained her attraction to this project: "When I first read the script I immediately
fell in love with Anna, the character.
There's always something going on underneath.
You never know if what she's saying is what she's really saying.
And I loved that and was attracted to the challenge that would be."
The world premiere was held at the 46th Sitges Film Festival on October 13, 2013, receiving
critical acclaim from audiences in its native Spain.
The film opened at the Festival international du film fantastique de Gérardmer.
Warner Bros released the film in Spain on January 24, 2014.
It then had its North American premiere at the Dallas International Film Festival on
April 5, 2014, where it was retitled Anna for the American market.
The film was released to select theaters and Video on Demand providers in North America
on June 6, 2014.
Farmiga also had a role in the crime drama Jamesy Boy, which is based on the true story
of a young suburban street gang member who gets sent to a maximum security prison and
strikes up an unlikely friendship with a convicted murderer.
Farmiga portrays Sarah, the main character's love interest.
The film was released through Video on Demand on January 3, 2014, and then in select movie
theaters on January 17, 2014.
In February 2014, Dread Central reported that Farmiga had signed on to star in the horror-comedy
The Final Girls, opposite Malin Åkerman and Nina Dobrev.
She will portray Max, the film's main character.
The following month, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Farmiga had joined the cast
of The Sacrament director Ti West's 1890s Western drama film In a Valley of Violence,
led by Ethan Hawke and John Travolta.
The story follows Paul, a drifter with nothing to lose who seeks revenge on the thugs who
killed his best friend.
Farmiga will play Mary Anne, a young woman who runs the town's hotel with her older sister,
and helps Paul in his quest for vengeance.
On May 27, 2014, it was reported that Farmiga joined the cast of Warren Beatty's untitled
project, portraying a character called Sarah, opposite Annette Bening, Lily Collins and
Alec Baldwin.
The film is set for release on May 21, 2015.
In June 2014, it was announced that Farmiga had filmed a lead role in Hannah Fidell's
upcoming untitled drama film, starring opposite Ben Rosenfield.
The feature follows the story of Mel and Dan, a young couple about to graduate college when
events threaten to tear them apart.
In the media Farmiga has appeared in many popular magazines,
such as Elle, Lucky, Teen Vogue, Nylon, Interview, Muse, V, Marie Claire, Complex, and Rolling
Stone.
In 2012, she was photographed by Drew Barrymore for "Drew's Angels", a feature in the American
magazine publication V. Barrymore shot Hollywood's up-and-coming actresses, which, along with
Farmiga, included Victoria Justice, Isabelle Fuhrman, Amandla Stenberg, Haley Bennett,
and Maika Monroe.
Personal life Farmiga is the sister of Academy Award-nominated
actress Vera Farmiga, and her brother-in-law is musician Renn Hawkey.
Taissa explained: "When I was growing up, people would always confuse me for Vera's
daughter."
The sisters consider each other their best friends.
Farmiga told Teen Vogue that her sister is "my stylist, my everything."
Vera feels similarly, stating: "Taissa is the person you take with you to choose your
Oscar gown and then take to In-N-Out Burger.
As much of an age difference as there is, she is one of my best friends in the world."
For starring in Vera's directorial debut, Farmiga was given a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck.
She can play the guitar, and is able to make origami.
She enjoys snowboarding and hiking.
Filmography Film
Television References
External links Taissa Farmiga at the Internet Movie Database
Taissa Farmiga at AllMovie Taissa Farmiga at Rotten Tomatoes
Taissa Farmiga on Twitter