Mena Suvari

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Mena Suvari

Mena Suvari, May 2007
Born Mena Adrienne Suvari
February 13, 1979 (1979-02-13) (age 29)
Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.
Occupation actress, fashion designer

Mena Adrienne Suvari (born February 13, 1979) is an American actress, model, fashion designer and spokeswoman. She is best known for her supporting role in the Academy Award-winning film American Beauty (1999), as well as the successful comedy American Pie (1999) and its sequel American Pie 2 (2001).

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Suvari was born in Newport, Rhode Island, the daughter of Candice, a Greek American nurse, and Ando Süvari, an Estonian-American psychiatrist.[1][2] She has 3 older brothers, 1 of them in the United States Army. By the age of twelve, Suvari was modeling; she starred in a Rice-A-Roni commercial by the age of thirteen. Attended Providence High School, in Burbank, California, class of 1997.

The family later relocated to Charleston, South Carolina, where her three older brothers lined up to attend The Citadel. Meanwhile, Mena was entertaining dreams of becoming an archaeologist, astronaut or doctor, when a modeling agency stopped by her all-girls school, Ashley Hall, to offer classes. By the time she started acting, she had been modeling for the New York-based Wilhelmina agency for five years.

[edit] Career

Mena Suvari, September 2007
Mena Suvari, September 2007

Suvari made appearances in television shows such as Boy Meets World and ER at the age of fifteen and sixteen respectively. In 1999, she starred in the Oscar-winning American Beauty and the popular American Pie. Suvari was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, for her role in American Beauty.

She followed these movies with roles in such movies as Loser (2000), The Musketeer (2001), and Spun (2002). Suvari also became a recurring character in the fourth season of the critically acclaimed HBO serial Six Feet Under in 2004, as lesbian performance poet and artist, Edie. Suvari was nominated for a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for "Favorite Actress - Newcomer (Internet Only)" in 2000 for American Pie.

In 2006, Suvari performed the voice role of Aerith Gainsborough in the Square Enix/Disney video game Kingdom Hearts II and the English-language version of Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII Advent Children.

She has lead roles in the remake of the zombie movie Day of the Dead as well as Stuart Gordon's controversial film Stuck.

[edit] Fashion

Suvari is a model for Lancôme cosmetics and print ads for Lancôme Paris Adaptîve. She has been featured in fashion magazines such as Vogue.

Suvari has collaborated with Echo Design to launch a limited-edition three scarf collection. The project features her own nature-inspired photography, digitally screened on silk and silk chiffon as wearable art. The collection depicts trees in three stages of foliage from fall to winter; a portion of the proceeds from sales will go to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

In June 2007, Suvari shaved her head for her lead role in the forthcoming movie adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's The Garden of Eden; photos appeared on the Internet rapidly.[3]

[edit] Personal life

Her first name came from an Egyptian godmother. Suvari married German-born cinematographer Robert Brinkmann on March 4, 2000.[4] Brinkmann is about eighteen years older than her. On April 24, 2005, Suvari filed for legal separation, citing irreconcilable differences; the divorce was finalized in May 2005. In the summer of 2005, she dated professional breakdancer Mike "Murda" Carrasco, a member of "Knuckle Head Zoo". They met in Braunschweig, Germany in October 2005. In 2007, Suvari began dating Italian-Canadian dancer, Simone Sestito.

Suvari plays on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home games for the Starlight Children's Foundation.

She is also active in female empowerment issues. She is involved with several charities whose cause is breast cancer, the "End Violence Against Women" campaign, and tours high schools as a "Circle Of Friends" spokesperson, encouraging teenagers to quit smoking.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Film

[edit] Television

[edit] Other

[edit] References

  1. ^ Pie's American Beauty Dabbles in Swordplay. Girl.com.au (Oct 2001). Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
  2. ^ Interview with Mena Suvari at the Hollywood Premiere of "Rumor Has It". Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
  3. ^ Mena Suvari Pulls a Britney. Thirty Mile Zone (2007-08-06). Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
  4. ^ Biography for Mena Suvari. The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.

[edit] External links

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American Pie series
Original series
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