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Mira Sorvino Profile |
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Birth Date: September 28, 1967
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Birth Place: Tenafly, New Jersey, USA
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Birth Name: Mira Katherine Sorvino
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Height: 5'10"
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Biography |
While growing up in Tenafly, New Jersey, Mira Sorvino was
exposed to the acting profession at a very early age.
Although Mira, born in September of 1967, was never involved
in acting as a youngster, her father, Paul Sorvino, was in
the business at the time. This enabled her to get a good
feel for what the industry was all about.
Even though her father had chosen acting as his profession,
he discouraged young Mira and her two siblings from getting
into the business during their earlier years. He felt that
education should be their top priority and that acting would
only lead to unnecessary psychological pressures that plague
so many young actors.
Mira accepted her father's wishes and concentrated fully on
her education, although the acting bug had bitten her at a
very early age, and it was always something that was of
great interest to her. Her strong devotion to her studies
ultimately paid off, however, when she was accepted into
Harvard University. Upon graduating in 1990 with a degree in
East Asian Studies, Mira traveled to Beijing, and it was
there that she learned to speak fluent Mandarin Chinese.
When Mira eventually returned to the United States, she let
her inhibitions get the best of her, and headed to New York
City to pursue a career in acting. Much to the dismay of her
father's wishes, she felt that it was the right thing to do
at the time and followed her heart. Discovering quickly that
this was no easy feat, she worked for almost 3 years as a
struggling actress and spent the rest of her free time
working as a waitress in the city.
In order to prove herself and stay true to her independent
ways, Mira refused to use her father's connections in show
business. Her initial step into the industry came in 1992,
when she landed a job as a production assistant in Robert De
Niro's film company, Tribeca. From this point on, she
managed to work her way up to the casting director's
position on the set of Rob Weiss film, Amongst Friends.
Then the biggest break of them all came for Mira. She
managed to land a role as the film's female lead character.
At this point, Mira was beginning to receive some
well-deserved recognition for her acting abilities,
especially from people within the film festival circuit.
Things were finally starting to pick up for her.
Mira's screen presence in 1993's Amongst Friends was enough
to attract the attention of prominent film directors Whit
Stillman and Robert Redford. As a result, in 1994, she
landed her first big screen role in Quiz Show, which was
directed by Redford. Shortly thereafter, Mira found herself
starring in an increasing number of films including Woody
Allen's Mighty Aphrodite (for which she won a Best
Supporting Actress Oscar and Golden Globe in 1995),
Beautiful Girls, co-starring Uma Thurman and Natalie
Portman, as well as Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.
Each role challenged Mira's acting abilities according to
the respective movie genre, whether being comedic, dramatic,
etc. However, regardless of the type of role in which she
was cast, Mira excelled in her performances, nonetheless.
She also starred in the box-office horror flick, Mimic, and
hit the $2 million payroll mark when she acted alongside
Asian action hero, Chow Yun-Fat in the 1998 thriller The
Replacement Killers.
In 1999, Mira starred in the romantic drama At First Sight,
alongside Val Kilmer, and later that year she landed yet
another lead role in Spike Lee's Summer of Sam.
As for Mira's future film projects, she will be starring
alongside Harvey Keitel in the holocaust-theme based The
Grey Zone, as well as in The Triumph of Love, both slated
for a 2001 release date. We also can't wait to see her
co-starring role with Mariah Carey in Wise Girls, which
prompted false rumors that her and Mariah were involved in a
catfight. |
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Other
Information |
Graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1989,
with a BA in Chinese (East Asian Languages and
Civilizations). Her honors thesis: "Anti-Africanism in the
People's Republic of China" about the Nanjing Anti-African
protests, which won the Harvard Hoopes Prize for writing.
Dated Olivier Martinez. [1999-2002]
Dated Quentin Tarantino. [1996 - February 1998]
Chosen by People (USA) magazine as one of the 50 most
beautiful people in the world [1996]
Speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese.
Attended Dwight Englewood High School in Englewood, New
Jersey.
Is fluent in French.
Measurements: 34 1/2-24-35 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth
magazine)
She has a beautiful singing voice. While an undergraduate at
Harvard, she appeared as Dulcinea in a 1986 student
production of "Man of La Mancha" at the Loeb Experimental
Theatre. The show was directed by Peter Sagal.
Unfortunately, she came down with a cold during the one week
the show ran, and performed with a mug of tea in hand.
Parents names are Lorraine Davis and Paul Sorvino.
Has a brother named Michael and a sister named Amanda.
Childhood friend of Hope Davis; they performed plays for the
neighbors.
Was a founding member of the Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones,
Harvard's premier co-ed a cappella group. [1985]
Married actor Christopher Backus on June 11th 2004 in a
civil service in Santa Monica and then had their formal
ceremony on the island of Capri in Italy since Mira is
Italian and this was to honor her Italian roots. She wore a
gown designed by Giorgio Armani.
Met her husband when he waited on her at a restaurant called
Sur Restaurant & Grill in West Hollywood. [Spring 2003]
Gave birth to daughter Mattea Angel, with husband
Christopher Backus, on November 3, 2004 in Los Angeles.
Member of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997
Mira and her husband, Christopher Backus, are expecting
their second child, due in Summer, 2006.
She and her husband, Christopher Backus, have both
guest-starred on the TV-show "Will & Grace" (1998), though
not in the same episode.
Made her acting debut on an episode of "Law & Order" (1990)
(which at that time starred her father, Paul Sorvino).
Although her scene was cut, she still earned a Screen Actors
Guild Card for her trouble.
Son, Johnny, born 29 May 2006 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
in Los Angeles, California. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 14 oz.
and was 21 inches long. |
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