Anna Kay Faris (born November 29, 1976) is an American actress and singer known for her comic roles. Faris has appeared in the Scary Movie series of films, The Hot Chick (2002),
Lost in Translation (2003), and My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006). In 2008, she had a starring role in The House Bunny, for which she earned an
MTV Movie Awards nomination.
Her recent and upcoming films include Young Americans, Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel, Yogi Bear, and Observe and Report. She also provided voice acting in the animated film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.
Early life
Faris was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Karen, a former special education instructor, and Jack Faris, a sociologist who worked at the University of Washington and headed the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association. She has a brother, Robert, who is also a sociologist and teaches at the University of California. Faris grew up in Edmonds, Washington. Her parents encouraged her to pursue acting when she was young, and she gave her first professional acting performance at age 9, at the Seattle Repertory Theater. After attending Edmonds Woodway High School, she studied English literature at the University of Washington.
Film career
Her first significant film role was in the independent production Lovers Lane (1999). Her breakout role was in the horror film parody Scary Movie (2000). The 5'5" Faris, a natural blonde, dyed her hair black for the filming of Scary Movie and Scary Movie 2, so that her character more closely resembled Neve Campbell, who played the corresponding character in
Scream, one of the films that Scary Movie parodied.
Faris gained further popularity after she received the role of the recurring character Erica, the surrogate mother for Chandler and Monica Bing, in the final season of the American sitcom
Friends. She also appeared in the critically acclaimed film Lost in Translation, in which she plays an actress promoting an action movie.
Faris appeared in the film Waiting..., with
Ryan Reynolds and
Justin Long. In 2005, she appeared again with Reynolds in Just Friends, playing a supporting role as a pop-diva singer named Samantha James. Faris's role as LaShawn Malone in Brokeback Mountain (2005) brought her to the attention of a much wider audience. Faris starred with
Uma Thurman and Luke Wilson in the feature film My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006). In 2008, she appeared in the comedy Young Americans, playing
Topher Grace's twin sister, in addition to, Mama's Boy, with
Jon Heder, Jeff Daniels and
Diane Keaton and in Smiley Face, with
Adam Brody and John Cho. In 2007, she produced and starred in The House Bunny, a film with Happy Madison Productions about a retired Playboy bunny. In the summer 2007 season of HBO's
Entourage, Faris guest-starred as herself. She also made an appearance as herself in a video on eatdrinkordie.com with Internet wine guru Gary Vaynerchuk.
Recently, Faris co-starred as Seth Rogen's cosmetic counter girlfriend in Jody Hill's 2009 comedy, Observe and Report.
Faris won the "Stonette of the Year" award at High Times magazine's Stony Awards, in Los Angeles, on October 13, 2007, for her role in Smiley Face.
In 2009, she was nominated in MTV's Movie Awards for Best Comedic Performance for her movie, "The House Bunny."
Personal life
In 2004, Faris married actor Ben Indra, whom she met while working on Lovers Lane and whom she had dated since 1999. She filed for divorce on April 3, 2007, citing irreconcilable differences. Faris married actor Chris Pratt, on July 9, 2009, in Bali.
Biography courtesy of
Wikipedia
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