Mira Sorvino

Mira Katherine Sorvino (/ˈmiːrə sɔːrˈviːnoʊ/; born September 28, 1967) is an American actress. She won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite(1995).
She also starred in the films Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), Mimic (1997), Lulu on the Bridge (1998), The Replacement Killers (1998), Summer of Sam (1999), and Like Dandelion Dust (2009). She received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her role in Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996), and a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Human Trafficking (2005).
== Early life ==
Sorvino was born in New York City[1] to Lorraine Ruth Davis, a drama therapist for Alzheimer's disease patients and a former actress, and Paul Sorvino, a character actor and film director.[2][3] She has two siblings, Michael and Amanda. Sorvino is of Italian descent on her father's side.[4]
Sorvino was raised in Tenafly, New Jersey,[5] where she wrote and acted in backyard plays with her childhood friend Hope Davis and in theater productions at Dwight-Englewood School.[6] Sorvino has said that as a child she was strongly influenced by her mother to pursue social causes; her mother had participated at the March on Washington.[7] Sorvino excelled in high school, and was accepted into Harvard University. She studied for one year as an exchange student with CIEE in Beijing, China, where she became fluent in Mandarin Chinese.[8] In 1989, she graduated from Harvard magna cum laude with a degree in East Asian studies.[9] She also helped found the Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones, one of Harvard's co-ed a cappella groups in 1985.[10]
== Career ==
Sorvino's first major screen appearance was in the teen television series Swans Crossing, on which she appeared in six episodes.[7] When the 1993 film Amongst Friends entered preproduction, she was hired as third assistant director, then was promoted to casting director, then to assistant producer, and was finally offered a lead role. Positive reviews[11][12] led to other acting opportunities.
After small roles in Robert Redford's Quiz Show and Whit Stillman's Barcelona,she was cast in the 1995 Woody Allen film Mighty Aphrodite. Her portrayal of a happy-go-lucky prostitute made her a star, winning her an Academy Award[13]and Golden Globe[14] for Best Supporting Actress. While the film garnered Sorvino international notoriety, she described the shooting of the film as extremely stressful: "I was absolutely neurotic doing Mighty Aphrodite," she recalled. "Every night brought a new nervous breakdown. I'd cry and talk to God, I was so nervous. Then the next day, I'd show up and do my scenes."[7]
Other credits include Romy and Michele's High School Reunion with Lisa Kudrow, At First Sight with Val Kilmer, and Summer of Sam from Spike Lee. She portrayed Marilyn Monroe for the 1996 HBO film Norma Jean & Marilyn, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe,[14] and the lead role in the 1997 horror movie Mimic from Guillermo del Toro. In 1995, she portrayed Conchita Closson in the BBC miniseries The Buccaneers based on Edith Wharton's last novel. She starred as Daisy Buchanan in the 2000 television film The Great Gatsby.
In 2002, Sorvino appeared as the lead in The Triumph of Love, an adaptation of the 1732 Marivaux play.[15] In 2006, she received a Golden Globe nomination for her role as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in the Lifetime film Human Trafficking.[14] The following year, she had a supporting role in the drama Reservation Road (2007), with Mark Ruffalo.
In February 2008, she guest-starred in the "Frozen" episode of the medical television drama House. Making her character, psychiatrist Cate Milton, a recurring character, was mentioned, but the writers' strike put a freeze on such discussions.[16]
She starred in Attack on Leningrad (2009), Multiple Sarcasms (2010) with Timothy Hutton and Stockard Channing, and Nancy Savoca's Union Square(2012), with Patti Lupone and Tammy Blanchard.[17] The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival[17] to good reviews.[18][19] In the same year, Sorvino played the mother of the lead in the film adaptation of Wendy Mass’s popular children’s book Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life.[20]
In 2014, she reappeared as Head Detective Betsy Brannigan on the final season of Psych, and on the fourth season of Falling Skies as John Pope's love interest, Sara.[21] Sorvino also joined the cast of the television series Intruders, playing the role of Amy Whelan. In 2016, she appeared in the Netflix series Lady Dynamite as an actor working on a sitcom pilot named White Trash.[22] In 2018, Sorvino played the role of Amy in the psychological thriller, Look Away, alongside Jason Isaacs and India Eisley.[23] She will be voiced alongside Tom Hardy, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rachel Weisz, Steven Seagal, Holly Hunter, Sullivan Stapleton and Juliette Lewis in the animated film Live the Hipsters.
== Personal life ==
Between 1996 and 1998, Mira Sorvino was romantically involved with director Quentin Tarantino, who was her escort to the Academy Awards ceremony where she won Best Supporting Actress for Mighty Aphrodite.[24]
Sorvino met actor Christopher Backus at a friend's charades party in August 2003. On June 11, 2004, they married in a private civil ceremony at the Santa Barbara, California, courthouse, then later had a hilltop ceremony in Capri, Italy. The couple has four children: daughters Mattea Angel (born 2004)[25] and Lucia (born 2012)[26] and sons Johnny Christopher King (born 2006)[27] and Holden Paul Terry Backus (born 2009).[28]
In honor of Sorvino's role as Susan Tyler, an entomologist who was investigating deadly insect mutations in the feature film Mimic, a compound excreted by the sunburst diving beetle as a defensive mechanism was named "mirasorvone" by Thomas Eisner.[29],[30]
In September 2014, Sorvino gave a wide-ranging interview on The Nerdist Podcast in which she discusses her education and her life in China, and many of her varied interests.[31] Sorvino was an atheist in 1997 but has converted to Christianity since then.[32][33][34] She resides with her family in Los Angeles, California.[35]
In 2017, Mira Sorvino came out publicly about the sexual harassment she endured from producer Harvey Weinstein.[36] As one of his many victims, Sorvino believes that her career may have been damaged after rebuffing Weinstein's advances.[37][38]
=== Political activism ===
She has been affiliated with Amnesty International since 2004,[39] and in 2006, was honored with Amnesty International’s Artist of Conscience Award given to those who have displayed longstanding philanthropic and humanist efforts. Sorvino has been a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador to Combat Human Trafficking, since 2009 through 2012, and has lobbied Congress to abolish human trafficking in Darfur.[40]
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1985	The Stuff 	Factory Worker 	Uncredited[41]
1993	The Obit Writer 	 	Short film
1993	Amongst Friends 	Laura 	
1993	New York Cop (Nyū Yōku no koppu)[42] 	Maria 	
1994	Quiz Show 	Sandra Goodwin 	
1994	Barcelona 	Marta Ferrer 	
1995	Sweet Nothing 	Monika 	
1995	Mighty Aphrodite 	Linda Ash 	Academy Award Winner - Best Supporting Actress
1995	Blue in the Face 	Young Lady 	
1996	Beautiful Girls 	Sharon Cassidy 	
1996	Tales of Erotica 	Teresa 	Short film The Dutch Master
1996	Tarantella 	Diane 	
1997	Romy and Michele's High School Reunion	Romy White 	
1997	Mimic 	Dr. Susan Tyler 	
1998	The Replacement Killers 	Meg Coburn 	
1998	Lulu on the Bridge 	Celia Burns 	
1998	Too Tired to Die 	Death/Jean 	
1998	Free Money 	Agent Karen Polarski	
1999	At First Sight 	Amy Benic 	
1999	Summer of Sam 	Dionna 	
2001	The Grey Zone 	Dina 	
2001	The Triumph of Love 	The Princess 	
2002	WiseGirls 	Meg Kennedy 	
2002	Semana santa 	Maria Delgado 	
2002	Between Strangers 	Natalia Bauer 	
2003	Gods and Generals 	Fanny Chamberlain 	
2004	The Final Cut 	Delila 	
2006	Covert One: The Hades Factor 	Randi Russell 	Television film
2007	Reservation Road 	Ruth 	
2008	The Last Templar 	Tess 	Television miniseries
2009	Multiple Sarcasms 	Cari 	
2009	Like Dandelion Dust 	Wendy Porter 	
2009	The Trouble with Cali 	The Balletmaster 	
2009	Sweet Flame 	Sheila 	
2009	Attack on Leningrad 	Kate Davis 	
2010	The Presence 	The Woman 	
2011	Angels Crest 	Angie 	
2012	Union Square 	Lucy 	
2012	Smitty 	Amanda 	
2012	Trade of Innocents 	Claire Becker 	
2013	Space Warriors 	Sally Hawkins 	
2014	Perfect Sisters 	Linda 	
2015	Quitters 	May Rayman 	
2015	Do You Believe? 	Samantha 	
2015	Chloe and Theo 	Monica 	
2016	A Christmas to Remember 	Jennifer Wade 	Television (Hallmark) film
2016	Exposed 	Janine Cullen 	
2016	Indiscretion 	Veronica 	Television film
2016	The Red Maple Leaf 	Marianna Palermo 	
2017	Waterlily Jaguar 	Helen 	
2017	6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain 	Susan LeMarque 	
2018	Look Away 	Amy 	originally titled Behind the Glass
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1992 	Swans Crossing 	Sophia Eva McCormick De Castro 	6 episodes
1994 	Parallel Lives 	Matty Derosa 	Movie
1995 	The Buccaneers 	Conchita Closson 	5 episodes
1996 	Norma Jean & Marilyn 	Marilyn Monroe 	Movie
2000 	The Great Gatsby 	Daisy Buchanan 	Movie
2003 	Will & Grace 	Diane 	Episode "Last Ex to Brooklyn"
2005 	Human Trafficking 	Kate Morozov 	Miniseries
2008 	House 	Dr. Cate Milton 	Episode "Frozen"
2009 	The Last Templar 	Tess Chaykin 	Movie
2012 	Finding Mrs. Claus 	Mrs. Claus 	Movie
2014 	Psych 	Head Detective Betsy Brannigan 	3 episodes
2014–15 	Falling Skies 	Sara 	Recurring role (seasons 4–5)
2014 	Intruders 	Amy Whelan 	Main role, 8 episodes
2015 	Stalker 	Vicki Gregg 	Recurring role
2016–2017	Lady Dynamite 	Herself/Millicent Pratt/Jennipher Nickels/ Ranlith the Hive Queen	2 episodes
2018 	Spy Kids: Mission Critical	Ingrid Cortez (voice) 	
2018 	Condor 	Marty Ross 	Recurring role[44]
2018 	Modern Family 	Nicole Rosemary Page 	Recurring role (season 9)
2018 	No One Would Tell 	Judge Elizabeth Hanover 	Movie
== Awards and nominations ==
Year	Association 	Category 	Work 	Result
1995	Academy Awards 	Best Supporting Actress 	Mighty Aphrodite 	Won
1995	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award 	Best Supporting Actress 	Mighty Aphrodite 	Won
1995	Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actress 	Mighty Aphrodite 	Won
1995	Golden Globe Awards 	Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture 	Mighty Aphrodite 	Won
1995	National Board of Review 	Best Supporting Actress 	Mighty Aphrodite 	Won
1995	New York Film Critics Circle 	Best Supporting Actress 	Mighty Aphrodite 	Won
1995	Southeastern Film Critics Association 	Best Supporting Actress 	Mighty Aphrodite 	Won
1995	BAFTA 	Actress in a Supporting Role 	Mighty Aphrodite 	Nominated
1995	Chicago Film Critics Association 	Best Supporting Actress 	Mighty Aphrodite 	Nominated
1995	Los Angeles Film Critics Association 	Best Supporting Actress 	Mighty Aphrodite 	Nominated
1995	National Society of Film Critics 	Best Supporting Actress 	Mighty Aphrodite 	Nominated
1995	Screen Actors Guild 	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role	Mighty Aphrodite 	Nominated
1996	Golden Globe Awards 	Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film 	Norma Jean & Marilyn 	Nominated
1996	Primetime Emmy Awards 	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie 	Norma Jean & Marilyn 	Nominated
1997	MTV Movie Awards 	Best Dance Sequence 	Romy and Michele's High School Reunion	Nominated
1997	Saturn Awards 	Best Actress 	Mimic 	Nominated
2005	Golden Globe Awards 	Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film 	Human Trafficking 	Nominated
2006	Women's Image Network Awards 	Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film 	Human Trafficking 	Nominated
2009	San Diego Film Festival 	Best Actress 	Like Dandelion Dust 	Won