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Mena Suvari Profile |
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Birth Date: February 9, 1979
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Birth Place: Newport, Rhode Island, USA
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Birth Name: Mena Adrienne Suvari
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Height: 5'4"
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Biography |
Mena Adrienne Suvari was born February 9, 1979, in Newport,
Rhode Island. The youngest child of parents Ando, a retired
psychiatrist, and Candice, a nurse, the natural redhead has
three older brothers, who all enlisted in the US army.
Mena, named for an Egyptian godmother (her last name, Suvari,
is the name of an Estonian river), began as a model with
Wilhelmina. After lying about her age (she was 12, but
claimed she was 13), Mena signed with the agency and worked
as a model for the following 5 years.
While modeling, she balanced her education by attending high
school and finally receiving her high school degree. She
moved to Los Angeles with her parents after she got a job in
an ad for Rice-A-Roni.
Before hitting it big in Hollywood, Mena appeared in several
hit television shows. She had two separate roles in Boy
Meets World in 1995 and 1996, and appeared in the hospital
dramas ER and Chicago Hope. Mena played a teen infected with
HIV on Chicago Hope, a portrayal that highly impressed
critics.
Next up for Suvari: the movies. Although the title of her
first film in 1997, Nowhere (also starring Denise Richards),
is exactly where the role got her... nowhere. Mena's next
role won her much critical praise. Playing the object of a
serial killer's affection in the 1997 thriller Kiss the
Girls, which starred Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman, Mena
was on her way to becoming one of today's most promising
young actresses.
For those who didn't catch her appearance in Kiss the Girls,
Mena's memorable performance as the best friend of the title
character in The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999), made audience
members notice.
While the NBC made-for-TV movie Atomic Train (1999) -- in
which Mena played Rob Lowe's daughter -- was a bomb, she
portrayed virginal choir girl Heather in 1999's sleeper hit,
American Pie. The movie that made teenage audiences flock to
the movies and howl with laughter, also brought actresses
such as Tara Reid and Shannon Elizabeth into the spotlight.
From innocent high school girl Heather, to wild child
temptress Angela in American Beauty (1999), Mena proved how
broad her acting abilities really are. In the Oscar winning
and critically acclaimed film, Mena is the object of her
best friend's father's (played by Kevin Spacey) obsession
and rose-petaled sex fantasies.
She might not have been nominated for an Oscar, but she did
receive a Best Supporting Actress nomination by the British
version of the Oscars, The British Academy of Film and
Television Arts.
Also the object of an older man's affection in real life,
Mena married 38-year-old cinematographer Robert Brinkmann in
March 2000. Interestingly enough, the age difference between
her parents is 24 years.
After being thrust into the spotlight, Mena appeared on a
slew of magazine covers, including Cosmopolitan and Vanity
Fair. She also kept busy by starring in more movies. In
2000, she starred in another American-titled movie, American
Virgin, and Loser, co-starring American Pie co-star Jason
Biggs. The two even starred in the video for the movie's hit
song "Teenage Dirtbag," by Wheatus.
In 2001, Mena put another three movies under her belt: Sugar
and Spice, American Pie 2, and The Musketeer.
In 2004, while Mena decided to take on television in the HBO
hit series Six Feet Under, that hasn't stopped her from
starring in a host of movies including Trauma, Standing
Still, Beauty Shop with Queen Latifah and Alicia
Silverstone, Closing The Ring, and Living and Breathing,
co-starring Angelica Huston and Lisa Kudrow. |
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Other
Information |
Graduated from Providence High School in Burbank, California
class of 1997.
Her first name came from an Egyptian godmother.
Is a natural blonde.
Last name "Suvari", pronounced "soo-VAHR-ee", is Estonian.
First name "Mena", pronounced "MEE-nah".
Has 3 older brothers, 1 of them in the US army.
Mother is a nurse; father is a psychiatrist.
Mena was raised in a Rhode Island home that was built in
1870 and which she and her brothers believed was haunted.
They saw several apparitions over the years, all of which
she believed were friendly.
People Weekly magazine titled an article about her
"All-American Girl" (1999).
Declared as the most "patriotic" artist of 2000 by
Entertainment Weekly magazine, making allusion to her 3
consecutive movies with the word "American" on their titles:
American Pie (1999), American Beauty (1999) and American
Virgin (2000). In 2001, she added American Pie 2 (2001) to
that list.
Her mother is of Greek descent.
Mena and her husband Robert Brinkmann have taken
considerable flak because of their age difference - 18
years. Robert is a cinematographer.
Did her own singing in American Pie (1999).
Auditioned for the role of Mary Jane in Spider-Man (2002).
Her father is Estonian.
Her older brother A.J., formerly an Intelligence Analyst in
the U.S. Army, is currently a real estate agent in Virginia
Beach, Virginia.
Is a vegetarian.
Born on the same day as Wo hu cang long (2000) ("Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon") star Ziyi Zhang.
Filed for divorce from cinematographer Robert Brinkmann
after five years of marriage. The actress cited
irreconcilable differences. (10 May 2005)
Attended workshops at TVI Actors Studio.
Named #69 on the Maxim magazine "Hot 100 of 2005" list. |
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