Born July 24, 1982 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and raised in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, Anna Paquin, at age eleven, was the first New
Zealander to receive the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, for her
performance in The Piano, and the second youngest Oscar winner
ever. After making her stage bow at the age of seven as a skunk
in a school production, she auditioned for the part of Flora in
Jane Campion's The Piano. Hand picked from 5000 girls.
With the success of the 1993 film and an Oscar, she won international
fame. But Paquin retreated from the limelight until 1996, when
she emerged, in the acclaimed family drama Fly Away Home. That
same year, she could be seen playing a younger version of the
title character in Jane Eyre. After playing Queen Isabella in
Steven Spielberg's Amistad, Paquin assumed her first adult role
in 1998, in the film Hurlyburly. The following year she appeared
in the critically acclaimed A Walk on the Moon and followed up
with a small role in a high school comedy, She's All That. She
also appeared in the star-studded ensemble drama All the Rage,
which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.
Since, Anna has established herself as a true talent starring
as the mutant Rogue in the huge blockbuster hit X-Men. With sequels
expected and small roles in the critically acclaimed Almost Famous
and Finding Forrester, Anna Paquin continues to find diverse roles
that allow her to grow as an actress. I have no doubt that the
best of Anna is still to come.