Elle Fanning
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Mary Elle Fanning, born April 9, 1998, is an American actress whose career spans both independent gems and blockbuster hits. Her talent has earned her a National Board of Review Award, alongside nominations for two Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.
Her journey began as a child, mirroring her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the 2001 drama "I Am Sam." This was followed by memorable child roles in "Daddy Day Care," "Babel," and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Fanning truly shone with leading roles in the independent film "Somewhere" and the science fiction thriller "Super 8." She then captivated audiences worldwide as Princess Aurora in the "Maleficent" films.
Fanning has consistently evolved, embracing mature roles in the period drama "Ginger & Rosa," the psychological horror "The Neon Demon," the coming-of-age dramedy "20th Century Women," and the Southern Gothic thriller "The Beguiled." Her portrayal of Sylvie Russo in the Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown" earned her the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2025, she's set to take on a supporting role as a Hollywood actress in Joachim Trier's family drama "Sentimental Value" and feature in the highly anticipated video game "Death Stranding 2: On the Beach."
On television, Fanning's performance as Catherine the Great in the Hulu period satire "The Great" garnered her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She also portrayed Michelle Carter in the Hulu limited series "The Girl from Plainville" and made a powerful Broadway debut in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' play "Appropriate."
Born in Conyers, Georgia, Mary Elle Fanning is the younger sister of actress Dakota Fanning. Their parents, Heather Joy and Steven J. Fanning, instilled a love for performance in their daughters. With a family lineage that includes American football player Rick Arrington and ESPN reporter Jill Arrington, talent runs deep. Elle and Dakota, following family tradition, use their middle names as their given names. Raised in the Southern Baptist faith, Elle graduated from Campbell Hall School in 2016.
Fanning's acting career launched before she even turned three. She initially appeared as younger versions of her sister Dakota's characters in the miniseries "Taken" and the film "I Am Sam." In 2002, at just four years old, Fanning secured her first independent role in the comedy "Daddy Day Care." Her talent was so evident that producers of "The Door in the Floor" cast her as Ruth, even when they initially sought identical twins for the demanding filming schedule. Late in 2003, she took on the small role of Sweetie Pie Thomas in "Because of Winn-Dixie." In 2004, she lent her voice to Mei in the English-dubbed version of Hayao Miyazaki's animated masterpiece "My Neighbor Totoro," alongside her sister Dakota. That same year, she filmed "I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With."
Early in 2005, Fanning filmed scenes as the "future granddaughter" of Fern Arable in "Charlotte's Web," though these scenes ultimately didn't make the final cut. Mid-2005 saw her play Debbie, the daughter of Richard and Susan Jones, in "Babel," sharing the screen with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. In early 2006, Fanning filmed scenes for both "The Nines" and "Déjà Vu." Mid-2006, she took on a role in the science-fiction TV miniseries "The Lost Room." She also appeared in an episode of "House: M.D." as the patient's daughter. A 2006 episode of "Criminal Minds" featured her in the supporting role of Tracey. By the close of 2006, Fanning began booking lead roles, starting with Emma Learner in "Reservation Road," a film exploring the aftermath of a tragic car accident.
In early 2007, Fanning reunited with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett for a small part in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," portraying the younger version of Blanchett's character. Mid-2007, she filmed the title role of Phoebe in "Phoebe in Wonderland." From July to October 2007, Fanning appeared in "The Nutcracker in 3D," playing Mary. In March 2008, Fanning and her sister were slated to star in "My Sister's Keeper," but the opportunity was lost when Dakota learned she would have to shave her head.
In April 2009, Variety reported that Fanning would star in Sofia Coppola's 2010 film "Somewhere," a story about a reclusive actor whose life is upended by his daughter's arrival. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, winning the Golden Lion. Late in 2010, Fanning began working on Francis Ford Coppola's "Twixt," a film inspired by a dream, where she played a young ghost named "V." In 2011, Fanning starred as Alice Dainard in J. J. Abrams' science-fiction drama "Super 8," a film about children encountering strange events in their town. "The Telegraph" praised her performance, and she received a Spotlight Award at the Hollywood Film Festival.
In December 2011, Fanning appeared in Cameron Crowe's "We Bought a Zoo," playing Lily, a young girl working at the zoo's restaurant. In September 2012, Fanning starred as Ginger in Sally Potter's drama "Ginger & Rosa," set in 1962 London. Her performance was widely acclaimed, with critics praising her poise, intensity, and a "luminous naturalism that seems the opposite of performance."
Fanning achieved international recognition with her role as Princess Aurora alongside Angelina Jolie in Disney's 2014 film "Maleficent." The same year, she appeared in the independent science-fiction Western "Young Ones" and starred in the biographical film "Low Down." In 2015, Fanning co-starred in Jay Roach's "Trumbo" and took on the role of a young transgender man in "3 Generations."
In 2016, she played Jesse in Nicolas Winding Refn's psychological thriller "The Neon Demon," which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. That same year, she appeared in Mike Mills's "20th Century Women" and co-starred in Ben Affleck's Prohibition-era drama "Live by Night."
In 2017, Fanning appeared in Shawn Christensen's drama "The Vanishing of Sidney Hall," John Cameron Mitchell's science-fiction romantic comedy "How to Talk to Girls at Parties," Sofia Coppola's "The Beguiled," and the Irish-American romance film "Mary Shelley." She also featured in the music video for Grouplove's single "Good Morning."
In 2018, Fanning starred alongside Peter Dinklage in "I Think We're Alone Now," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. She also starred in Mélanie Laurent's "Galveston" and Max Minghella's "Teen Spirit," which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
In May 2019, Fanning became the youngest jury member in the history of the Cannes Film Festival. That year, she starred in Woody Allen's romantic comedy "A Rainy Day in New York" and reprised her role as Aurora in "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil."
In 2020, Fanning starred in "All the Bright Places" and Sally Potter's "The Roads Not Taken." She also starred in and executive produced the historical comedy series "The Great," portraying Catherine the Great. Her performance earned critical acclaim, a Golden Globe nomination, and her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
She starred in the 2022 Hulu miniseries "The Girl from Plainville" as Michelle Carter. In December 2023, she made her Broadway debut in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' play "Appropriate."
Fanning and her sister Dakota launched Lewellen Pictures, securing a first-look deal with MRC. In 2024, Fanning began filming the Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown" and was announced to lead the next installment of "The Predator" franchise, "Predator: Badlands." She also began filming "Rosebush Pruning" by Karim Ainouz.
She stars alongside Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgard in Joachim Trier's dramedy "Sentimental Value," playing a Hollywood actress. The film is set to debut at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. In May 2025, Fanning was announced to play a younger version of Effie Trinket in the 2026 film, "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping."
Fanning lends her voice to the character Tomorrow in Hideo Kojima's 2025 video game, "Death Stranding 2: On the Beach," and collaborated with Woodkid on the game's soundtrack.
From 2018 to 2023, Fanning was in a relationship with actor Max Minghella. Since late 2023, she has been reportedly in a relationship with Rolling Stone CEO Gus Wenner, with whom she made her red carpet debut at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2024.
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Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. Her works include both independent films and blockbusters, and her accolades include a National Board of Review Award, in addition to nominations for two Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.
Fanning made her film debut as a child playing the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the drama film I Am Sam (2001), followed by further roles as a child actress in Daddy Day Care (2003), Babel (2006), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). She gained recognition with leading roles in the independent Somewhere (2010), the science fiction film Super 8 (2011) before reaching wider audiences with her portrayal of Princess Aurora in the fantasy films Maleficent (2014) and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019).
She transitioned her career taking mature roles in the period drama Ginger & Rosa (2012), the psychological horror film The Neon Demon (2016), the coming-of-age dramedy 20th Century Women (2016), and the Southern Gothic thriller The Beguiled (2017). She portrayed Sylvie Russo in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown (2024) for which she earned the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2025 she took a supporting part as a Hollywood actress tasked with a challenging role in Joachim Trier's family drama Sentimental Value (2025) and in the video-game Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (2025).
On television, she portrayed Catherine the Great in the Hulu period satire series The Great (2020–2023), she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She then portrayed Michelle Carter in the Hulu limited series The Girl from Plainville (2022) and made her Broadway debut in the Branden Jacobs-Jenkins play Appropriate (2023).
== Early life ==
Mary Elle Fanning was born on April 9, 1998, in Conyers, Georgia, to Heather Joy (née Arrington) and Steven J. Fanning, who played for St. Louis Cardinals-affiliated minor league baseball teams.
Her maternal grandfather was American football player Rick Arrington, and her aunt is ESPN reporter Jill Arrington. Counted among the Arrington family's most notable ancestors is the gentleman farmer William Farrar. Fanning is actress Dakota Fanning’s younger sister. She and her sister use their middle names as given names per family tradition. They were brought up in the Southern Baptist denomination.
Fanning is a 2016 graduate of Campbell Hall School.
== Career ==
=== 2001–2013: Child actress and breakthrough ===
Fanning started acting before turning 3 years old. She began her acting career by starring as the younger versions of her older sister Dakota's characters in the miniseries Taken and the film I Am Sam. In 2002, at the age of 4, Fanning won her first role independent of her sister in the comedy Daddy Day Care. She was cast for the role of Ruth in The Door in the Floor (2004) opposite Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger. The film's producers originally planned to hire identical twins for the intense shooting schedule, but were so impressed with Fanning that they used only her. Late in 2003, Fanning appeared in Because of Winn-Dixie in the small role of Sweetie Pie Thomas. In 2004, she performed the voiceover role of Mei in the English-dubbed version of Hayao Miyazaki's animated film My Neighbor Totoro opposite her sister Dakota Fanning, who voiced Satsuki, the older sister to Elle's character. Later that same year, she filmed I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With.
In early 2005, Fanning filmed scenes in Charlotte's Web as the "future granddaughter" of Fern Arable played by Dakota. The scenes did not make the final cut. In mid-2005, she played Debbie, the daughter of Richard and Susan Jones (played by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) in the film Babel. In early 2006, Fanning filmed scenes in both The Nines and Déjà Vu. In mid-2006, she filmed The Lost Room, a science-fiction TV miniseries. Also in 2006, she appeared on the episode "Need to Know" of House: MD, playing the patient's daughter. She appeared in an episode of Criminal Minds in 2006, playing the supporting role of Tracey in "The Boogeyman". By the end of 2006, Fanning began to book lead roles. In the first of these she played Emma Learner in Reservation Road—the grieving daughter of Grace and Ethan Learner. The film deals with the aftermath of a tragic car accident in which Emma's brother is killed.
In early 2007, Fanning reunited with her Babel co-stars, Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, in a small part in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as the younger version of Blanchett's character. Mid-year 2007, Fanning filmed the title role Phoebe of Phoebe in Wonderland, which also starred Felicity Huffman and was released in March 2009. From July through October 2007, Fanning appeared in The Nutcracker in 3D, playing Mary. It was released in late 2010. In March 2008, Fanning and her sister Dakota were scheduled to star in My Sister's Keeper, but the opportunity fell through when Dakota learned she would have to shave her head. The sisters were replaced by Abigail Breslin and Sofia Vassilieva.
Variety reported in April 2009 that Fanning would be starring in screenwriter Sofia Coppola's 2010 film Somewhere. The plot centers around a "bad-boy" actor who is forced to re-evaluate his life when his daughter, played by Fanning, arrives unexpectedly. The film was released during the 2010 awards season. At its first film festival, the 67th Venice Film Festival, it took the Golden Lion. In late 2010, Fanning began working on Francis Ford Coppola's 2011 film Twixt, which Coppola based on a dream. She played the role of a young ghost named "V". In 2011, Fanning starred in J. J. Abrams' science-fiction drama film Super 8 as Alice Dainard. The film was released on June 10, 2011, and centers around a group of children who are forced to deal with strange happenings in their small town. The Telegraph cited Fanning as one of the film's best aspects and she received a Spotlight Award at the Hollywood Film Festival.
In December 2011, Fanning appeared in Cameron Crowe's We Bought a Zoo. She played Lily, a 13-year-old who is working at the zoo's restaurant and lives on the property with her only parental figure, Kelly (Scarlett Johansson). In September 2012, Fanning starred as Ginger along with Alice Englert (who played Rosa) in the drama film Ginger & Rosa that took place during 1962 in London. The film was directed by Sally Potter and was released on October 19, 2012. Fanning has received widespread acclaim for her performance, with A. O. Scott of The New York Times writing that she "shows a nearly Streepian mixture of poise, intensity, and technical precision. It is frightening how good she is and hard to imagine anything she could not do." Ty Burr, film critic for The Boston Globe, praised her "luminous naturalism that seems the opposite of performance" and felt that "Fanning easily convinces you of Ginger's emotional reality."
=== 2014–2019: International recognition ===
Fanning starred alongside Angelina Jolie in the 2014 Walt Disney film Maleficent, directed by Robert Stromberg. Jolie played Maleficent, while Fanning played Princess Aurora, the Sleeping Beauty. The same year, she appeared in the independent science-fiction Western Young Ones and starred in the biographical Low Down, about the life of jazz pianist Joe Albany, in which she plays the role of Albany's daughter, Amy-Jo, from whose perspective the story is told. In 2015, Fanning co-starred in Jay Roach's Trumbo as Dalton Trumbo's (Bryan Cranston) daughter Nikola, and starred in 3 Generations (previously known as About Ray), alongside Naomi Watts and Susan Sarandon, playing the role of a young transgender man.
In 2016, she appeared as Jesse in the psychological thriller The Neon Demon, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2016. It was released on June 24, 2016, and did poorly at the box office. That same year, she appeared in Mike Mills's 20th Century Women, opposite Greta Gerwig and Annette Bening. The film had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on October 8, 2016, and began a limited release on December 28, 2016. She then co-starred in Ben Affleck's Prohibition-era drama Live by Night, which was released on December 25, 2016.
In 2017, Fanning appeared in Shawn Christensen's feature-length drama The Vanishing of Sidney Hall, which premiered on January 25 at the Sundance Film Festival. In the same year, Fanning appeared in John Cameron Mitchell's British-American science-fiction romantic comedy film How to Talk to Girls at Parties (based on a short story by Neil Gaiman), reuniting with Sofia Coppola in The Beguiled, in the Irish-American romance film Mary Shelley, directed by Haifaa al-Mansour, and in the music video for Grouplove's single "Good Morning".
In 2018, Fanning starred alongside Peter Dinklage in I Think We're Alone Now, directed by Reed Morano. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2018. and was released on September 14, 2018, by Momentum Pictures. She also starred in Galveston opposite Ben Foster, directed by Mélanie Laurent, which had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 10, 2018. That same year, Fanning starred in Teen Spirit, directed by Max Minghella, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2018. It was released on April 5, 2019.
In May 2019, Fanning was appointed as a jury member of the international competition in the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, becoming the youngest Cannes juror in history. That same year, Fanning starred in Woody Allen's romantic comedy film A Rainy Day in New York alongside Timothée Chalamet and Selena Gomez. In October 2019, Fanning reprised the role of Aurora in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
=== 2020–present: Career expansion ===
In 2020, Fanning starred in All the Bright Places, opposite Justice Smith, directed by Brett Haley, based upon the novel of the same name by Jennifer Niven, and The Roads Not Taken, directed by Sally Potter, opposite Javier Bardem and Salma Hayek. That same year, Fanning starred in and executive produced the historical comedy series The Great, starring as Catherine the Great alongside Nicholas Hoult. The series premiered on Hulu in May 2020. She received critical acclaim for the role and was nominated in the 2021 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. Her performance also earned Fanning her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
She starred in the 2022 Hulu miniseries The Girl from Plainville, playing Michelle Carter, based on the death of Conrad Roy. In December 2023, she made her official Broadway acting debut in the Branden Jacobs-Jenkins play Appropriate where she acts alongside Sarah Paulson and Corey Stoll.
Fanning and her sister Dakota started Lewellen Pictures with a first look deal at MRC, and served as executive producers on Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer (2024) for Hulu. In 2024 Fanning began filming the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. In June 2024 it was announced Fanning would lead the next installment of The Predator franchise, Predator: Badlands. In September Fanning began filming Rosebush Pruning by Karim Ainouz, a remake of Fists in the Pocket by Marco Bellocchio.
She starred alongside Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgard in the Joachim Trier dramedy film Sentimental Value where she plays a Hollywood actress. The film is set to debut at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and compete for the Palme d'Or. In May 2025, Fanning was announced to play a younger version of Effie Trinket in the 2026 film, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
Fanning stars in Hideo Kojima's 2025 video game, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, as the character Tomorrow. She also features in the game's soundtrack, in collaboration with French singer-songwriter Woodkid.
== Personal life ==
From 2018 to 2023, Fanning was in a relationship with English actor Max Minghella.
Per several sources, she has been in a relationship with Rolling Stone CEO Gus Wenner since late 2023. They made their red carpet debut at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2024. The two have been spotted at multiple events, including the Met Gala and private after-parties.
== Acting credits and accolades ==
== References ==
== External links ==
Elle Fanning at IMDb
Elle Fanning at the Internet Broadway Database
Elle Fanning on Instagram
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