Background

Vara Farmiga was born on August 6, 1973, in Irvington, New Jersey, the United States. Her parents are Ukrainians: Lubomyra "Luba" (née Spas), a schoolteacher, and Michael Farmiga, a systems analyst-turned-landscaper. She has one older brother, Victor, and five younger siblings: Stephan, Nadia, Alexander, Laryssa (who was born with spina bifida), and Taissa (also a famous actress) Her maternal grandparents, Nadia (née Pletenciw; 1925-2014) and Theodor Spas (1921-1990), met at a displaced persons camp in Karlsfeld during World War II.

Farmiga considers herself to be "100% Ukrainian American". Belonging to a strict Ukrainian Catholic family, she couldn’t speak English till she began kindergarten at the age of six. At the age of 12, the family moved from Irvington to Whitehouse Station. Her childhood was full of folk stories, singing, and dancing. She was a shy, spectacled girl, trained as a folk dancer and classical pianist. As a teenager, she toured with a Ukrainian folk-dancing group, Syzokryli and was also a member of the Ukrainian Girl Scouts group, Plast.

Speaking of her upbringing and education, Farmiga shared, “I went to Ukrainian Girl Scouts, which is called Plast, and Ukrainian Catholic school. I did Ukrainian folk dancing. My piano teacher was Ukrainian. I used to think and dream in Ukrainian. My exposure to the English language mostly came from preschool, Saturday morning cartoons and television - The Little Rascals (1982), Little House on the Prairie(1974), Gilligan's Island (1964).”

Education

Farmiga attended St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic School. Later, she graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School in 1991. It was there in junior school, that she discovered her talent for acting. Farmiga went on to study performing arts at Syracuse University and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1995.

Career

Vera Farmiga began acting in school dramas at age 16. Despite dabbling in acting as a child, her initial dream was to become an optometrist. Farmiga instead ventured off in the opposite direction by enrolling as an undergraduate at Syracuse University's School of Visual and Performing Arts. In her final year at Syracuse, she portrayed Nina Zarechnaya in The Seagull at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, and the production won the top prize. Her drama professor, Gerardine Clark, stated: "We'd never have won had she not nailed the fourth act. A number of the judges told me that."

Vera Farmiga’s stage career took off in 1996 when she starred as Miranda in the American Conservatory Theatre’s production of The Tempest. She also performed as a member of The Barrow Group, the prestigious theatre company, in New York City. She made her Broadway debut on October 17, 1996, as an understudy for the role of Emmi Straube in Ronald Harwood play Taking Sides. This was followed by her role as Emily Elliot in the Hallmark Hall of Fame television Western film Rose Hill (1997). In 1997, she also starred as former slave Catlin, opposite a then-unknown Heath Ledger, in the Fox fantasy adventure series Roar. The show was aired for a single season.

Television work ensued, with spots in such series as Law & Order, Trinity, UC: Undercover, and Touching Evil. At about the same time (around 1998), Farmiga made her rather modest cinematic debut in Sleeping With the Enemy and in Joseph Ruben's little-seen Return to Paradise, starring Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche. In 2000, she featured in a supporting role in the commercially successful romantic drama film Autumn in New York, alongside lead actors Richard Gere and Winona Ryder. The same year, she also featured as the daughter of Christopher Walken in the crime-drama, The Opportunists.

In 2001, Farmiga starred in a supporting role in an action thriller called 15 Minutes which achieved considerable box office success. She also starred in the British-Macedonian Western drama film Dust, which premiered at the 2001 Venice Film Festival. The same year she appeared in NBC's procedural drama UC: Undercover as Alex Cross. The series aired for a single season following which she appeared as Queen Josephine in Hallmark fantasy television film Snow White: The Fairest of Them All.

Farmiga starred in a lead role in the romantic drama film Love in the Time of Money which premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. She also portrayed Helen in the John Erman directed a stage production of Under the Blue Sky at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. She also appeared as Lorena Fanchetti in the comedy-drama Dummy. The following year, she had her breakout role in the independent drama film Down to the Bone, which premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and won her a critics award.

Next in line was the HBO drama film Iron Jawed Angels alongside Hilary Swank, as the Polish-American suffragette Ruza Wenclawska, and an American adaptation of the British crime drama series Touching Evil. The series though aired for a single season, received appreciation from critics. Also in 2004, she had a supporting role in the critically acclaimed and commercially successful political thriller The Manchurian Candidate. In 2005, she played the role of Eleanna in Neverwas. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2006, she appeared in a supporting role in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed. The film was a worldwide hit and won four Academy Awards. The same year, she also starred in Wayne Kramer's crime thriller Running Scared,

She landed the lead role in Gina Kim's Korean-American romantic drama Never Forever which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. She next appeared in the psychological thriller Joshua (2007) and the drama film Quid Pro Quo, which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

In September 2008, Vera Farmiga appeared in the critically acclaimed British historical drama The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and also starred in the British-Russian war drama In Transit and political thriller Nothing but the Truth. In 2009, she starred in Jaume Collet-Serra's worldwide blockbuster Orphan, portraying a mother who adopts a strange nine-year-old girl after suffering a stillbirth. Following this, she appeared in Niki Caro's romantic drama A Heavenly Vintage which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

In 2009, Farmiga appeared opposite George Clooney in the universal blockbuster Up in the Air. For her performance, she received several award nominations and was inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2009, she also featured in the romantic comedy Henry's Crime. The film was screened at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. In 2011, she played Capt. Colleen Goodwin in ‘Source Code’, a science fiction action thriller film. She also appeared in a short art film titled ‘Suite for Pong’.

Farmiga shot her directorial debut, the religious drama film Higher Ground in 2011. The film received critical acclaim following its premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Many of her family members like younger sister Taissa Farmiga, husband Renn Hawkey, and her cousin Adriana Farmiga were part of the production team. In 2012, she appeared in an independent comedy-drama film Goats which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The same year, she portrayed CIA agent Catherine Linklater in Daniel Espinosa's commercially successful action thriller Safe House.

Since March 2013, Vera Farmiga has acted in the lead role of Norma Louise Bates in the A&E drama-thriller series Bates Motel. The series is a contemporary reboot of Alfred Hitchcock's classic horror film Psycho (1960). Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter called Farmiga's performance "superb" and Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times identified her as "the main reason [the series] is surprisingly good". Apart from receiving several award nominations, she has served as a producer of the show since its second season.

In 2013, Farmiga appeared as the renowned mystical researcher, Lorraine Warren in James Wan's film The Conjuring; one of the highest grossing horror movies ever. She appeared in the romantic comedy film At Middleton as Edith Martin. The film premiered at the 2013 Seattle International Film Festival. She next featured in the Romanian-American comedy-drama Closer to the Moon and David Dobkin's drama The Judge (2014), alongside Robert Downey Jr., which were mild box office successes.

Vera went on to reprise her role as real-life paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the 2016 sequel The Conjuring 2. Her latest roles have been opposite Liam Neeson in the heart-pounding drama The Commuter (2018), alongside Christopher Plummer in Boundaries (2018) and with Hugh Jackman in the political drama The Front Runner (2018).

Next, in 2018, Farmiga starred as neo-Nazi group leader Shareen Krager in Guy Nattiv's racial drama Skin, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, and portrayed Oletha "Lee" Hart in Jason Reitman's Gary Hart biopic The Front Runner, opposite Hugh Jackman, which was released in November 2018.

In March 2019, Farmiga starred alongside John Goodman in Rupert Wyatt's science fiction thriller Captive State. In May 2019, she will portray Dr. Emma Russell in the third installment of the MonsterVerse film franchise, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, directed by Michael Dougherty. Also in May 2019, Farmiga will portray prosecutor Elizabeth Lederer in Ava DuVernay's Netflix crime drama miniseries When They See Us, based on the Central Park jogger case. She will reprise her role as Lorraine Warren in the upcoming sequels Annabelle Comes Home, set for release in June 2019, and The Conjuring 3, set for release in September 2020. Farmiga has also been cast in an undisclosed role in the upcoming film prequel to The Sopranos, titled Newark, to be directed by Alan Taylor and scheduled for release in September 2020.

Achievements

• For her astounding work in films, Vera Farmiga has been nominated and awarded numerous awards. Farmiga gained critical acclaim following her work in the 2009 comedy-drama Up in the Air, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Guild Actors Award. For her directorial debut, Higher Ground (2011), she received a Gotham Award for Best Breakthrough Director nomination. Farmiga won a Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television and received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and a TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama for her role in Bates Motel (2013–2017).

Works

More photos

• movie

  • Up in the Air

    (From Jason Reitman, the Oscar nominated director of "Juno...)

    2009
  • Love in the Time of Money

    (In the provocative style of Sex, Lies and Videotape, Love...)

    2002
  • Autumn in New York

    (Autumn in New York follows the sexual exploits of Will Ke...)

    2000
  • In Tranzit

    (In 1946, a group of German POWs are mistakenly sent to a ...)

    2008
  • The Manchurian Candidate

    (As the entire nation watches the presidential campaign hu...)

    2004
  • The Commuter

    (Liam Neeson stars as a man who gets caught up in a crimin...)

    2018
  • Breaking and Entering

    (A story about criminal and emotional theft, "Breaking & E...)

  • At Middleton

    (Oscar-nominees Andy Garcia and Vera Farmiga shine as Geor...)

    2013
  • 15 Minutes

    (When a celebrity homicide detective and a brash, young fi...)

    2001
  • Goats

    (Fifteen-year-old Ellis decides to leave his self-absorbed...)

    2012
  • Safe House

    (Oscar-winner Denzel Washington stars in this high tension...)

    2012
  • Neverwas

    (A stellar cast - Aaron Eckhart, Nick Nolte, Ian McKellen,...)

    2005
  • Higher Ground

    (Vera Farmiga's directorial debut, Higher Ground, depicts ...)

    2011
  • Captive State

    (An extraterrestrial force has occupied Earth, deceiving h...)

    2019
  • Watch The Departed | Prime Video

    (Martin Scorsese's crime drama "The Departed" is set in So...)

    2006
  • The Front Runner

    (Oscar nominee Hugh Jackman stars as the charismatic polit...)

    2018
  • Source Code

    (Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the mind-bending action thriller...)

    2011
  • The Conjuring 2

    (Renowned demonologists Lorraine and Ed Warren travel to n...)

    206
  • Boundaries

    (Laura's criminally-minded father Jack convinces her son H...)

    2018
  • Quid Pro Quo

    (A semi-paralyzed radio reporter is sent out to investigat...)

    2008
  • The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

    (Set during World War II, this remarkable and inspiring st...)

    2008
  • Dummy

    (Steven, a socially inept young man who struggles to expre...)

    2002
  • Never Forever

    (An American woman (Vera Farmiga) hires an undocumented Ko...)

    2007
  • Running Scared

    (Slick, fast-paced and brutally shocking, this gritty acti...)

    2006
  • The Hard Easy

    (In Los Angeles, the gambler Paul Weston (Henry Thomas) is...)

    2006
  • Joshua

    (A smart, bone-chilling psychological thriller about an up...)

    2007
  • Orphan

    (A husband and wife who recently lost their baby adopt a 9...)

    2009
  • Closer to the Moon

    (A band of former WWII freedom fighters pull the crime of ...)

    2013
  • The Opportunist

    (Vic (Christopher Walken) is a struggling auto mechanic an...)

    2000
  • Henry's Crime

    (Released from prison for a crime he didn't commit, an ex-...)

    2010
  • The Conjuring

    (Based on a true story, ghost hunters Lorraine and Ed Warr...)

    2013
  • Down To The Bone

    (A woman stuck in a stale marriage struggles to raise her ...)

    2004
  • A Heavenly Vintage

    (In 19th-century France, a peasant winemaker endeavors to ...)

    2009
  • Return to Paradise

    (They had been three buddies living the high life in a for...)

    1998
  • The Judge

    (Big city lawyer Hank Palmer (Downey Jr.) returns to his c...)

    2014
  • Nothing But The Truth

    (Inspired by true events. A Washington, D.C. reporter writ...)

    2008

• TV series

  • Roar

    (Academy Award nominee Heath Ledger stars in Roar, one of ...)

    1997
  • Bates Motel

    (From Executive Producers Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Eh...)

    2013

Religion

As a child, Farmiga converted with her family from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to Pentecostalism. Nowadays Farmiga is a nondenominational Christian; in a 2011 interview with Christianity Today, Farmiga said: "I grew up in a Ukrainian Catholic-turned-Christian household, and that is my family's faith. My father instilled in me... to define God, to define holiness for myself. That was my parents' number one lesson for us. I don't belong to any particular church, but I'm someone who will be able to walk into any place of worship, any house of worship, and have a direct correspondence." She says that whilst she has her religious beliefs that she’s not often home enough to regularly attend a church, so to her “God is in temples and in churches and on park benches. I don’t belong to any particular church, but I’m someone who will be able to walk into any place of worship, any house of worship, and have a direct correspondence.”

Views

Farmiga attended the 2017 Women's March in Vancouver with her daughter, husband, and close friend Brooke Smith. She was one of over 300 women working in the entertainment industry to lend her name to Time's Up, a movement to end sexual harassment and inequality in the workplace.

Quotations: "I've gravitated towards independent cinema because you have to work harder in studio scripts to flesh out characters, particularly female ones. They are not as sharply edged, they tend to be quite watery. They are not renderings of women as I know them."

"As an actor, you're sort of the court-appointed lawyer for the character. And that's what used to draw me to scripts - something in a woman that I wanted to defend, something that I recognized or wanted to understand, something that turned my head."

Personality

Physical Characteristics: Farmiga has a height of 5 feet 7 inches (1.7 m). Additionally, she weighs around 132 lbs or 60 kg. She has a measurement of 34-24-36 inches or 87-61-91.5 cm. Furthermore, her hair color is light brown and her eye color is blue.

Interests

• knitting, playing the guitar and the piano, dancing, Muay Thai, Juijitsu

• Writers

  "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian" by Marina Lewycka, "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" by Annie Dillard, "Identity" by Milan Kundera, and "Wildlife" by Richard Ford.

• Sport & Clubs

  boxing, football, soccer

Connections

Farmiga met actor Sebastian Roché while starring together in the TV series Roar; they eloped to the Bahamas after it ended in 1997, and were divorced in 2004. She began dating Deadsy musician Renn Hawkey, after being introduced by mutual friend Allen Hughes on the set of Touching Evil. They married on September 13, 2008, when Farmiga was five months pregnant with their first child. She gave birth to a son in January 2009 in Rhinebeck, New York. Farmiga welcomed their second child, a daughter in November 2010. The family owns homes in Hudson Valley, New York and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Farmiga's sister-in-law is actress and photographer Molly Hawkey. She has a close friendship with Bates Motel co-star Freddie Highmore, who is godfather to her son.

Father:

Michael Farmiga

Mother:

Lubomyra "Luba" (née Spas) Farmiga

Spouse:

Renn Hawkey

Brother:

Victor Farmiga

Brother:

Stephan Farmiga

Sister:

Nadia Farmiga

Brother:

Alexander Farmiga

Sister:

Laryssa Farmiga

Sister:

Taissa Farmiga

Although Farmiga initially planned to become an accountant, she was persuaded to appear in her sister Vera Farmiga's directorial debut drama Higher Ground, playing the 16-year-old version of the lead character Corinne Walker and became a full-time actress soon after.

Ex-husband:

Sebastian Roché

Son:

Fynn Hawkey

Daughter:

Gytta Lubov Hawkey

Cousin:

Adriana Farmiga

In 2011, Farmiga worked as a curator and artist for her cousin Vera Farmiga's directorial debut film Higher Ground.

colleague:

Keanu Reeves

Friend:

George Clooney

Friend:

Freddie Highmore

Freddie Highmore is godfather to Farmiga's son.

References

• Vera Farmiga