Claim: Vera Farmiga is a theater actress.

Vera Ann Farmiga -LRB- -LSB- fɑrˈmiːɡə -RSB- born August 6 , 1973 -RRB- is an American actress , director and producer . She began her career on Broadway in the play Taking Sides -LRB- 1996 -RRB- . She made her television debut in the Fox fantasy series Roar -LRB- 1997 -RRB- , and her film debut in the drama-thriller Return to Paradise -LRB- 1998 -RRB- .   Farmiga 's breakout role came in 2004 , when she portrayed a mother harboring a secret drug habit in the drama film Down to the Bone . She then co-starred in The Manchurian Candidate -LRB- 2004 -RRB- , The Departed -LRB- 2006 -RRB- , The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas -LRB- 2008 -RRB- , and Nothing But the Truth -LRB- 2008 -RRB- . She gained more critical acclaim for her role as Alex Goran in the 2009 comedy-drama Up in the Air , for which she was nominated for the Academy Award , BAFTA Award , Golden Globe Award , and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress .   She then had starring roles in Orphan -LRB- 2009 -RRB- , Source Code -LRB- 2011 -RRB- , and Safe House -LRB- 2012 -RRB- . Farmiga made her directorial debut with the drama film Higher Ground -LRB- 2011 -RRB- , in which she also starred in the lead role . In 2013 , she portrayed paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the horror film The Conjuring , and reprised the role in the 2016 sequel The Conjuring 2 .   From 2013 to 2017 , Farmiga starred as Norma Louise Bates in the A&E drama-thriller series Bates Motel , for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination . This role , along with her roles in Joshua , Orphan , and the two Conjuring films , has dubbed her as a contemporary scream queen .