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Mena Alexandra Suvari (born February
13, 1979) is an American actress, model, fashion designer and spokeswoman,
best known for her role as Angela in American Beauty (1999), as well as
the comedies American Pie (1999) and its sequel American Pie 2 (2001), and
Day of the Dead (2008) as Sarah Bowman.
Suvari was born in Newport, Rhode Island, the daughter of Candice, a Greek
American nurse, and Ando Süvari, an Estonian American psychiatrist. She
has three older brothers, one of them in the United States Army. She began
modeling as a preteen and soon after starred in a Rice-A-Roni commercial.
The family later relocated to Charleston, South Carolina, where her three
older brothers attended The Citadel. Meanwhile, Mena was entertaining
dreams of becoming an archaeologist, astronaut or doctor, when a modeling
agency stopped by her all-girls school, Ashley Hall, to offer classes. By
the time she started acting, she had been modeling for the New York-based
Wilhelmina agency for five years.
Suvari made appearances in television shows such as Boy Meets World and ER
at the age of fifteen and sixteen respectively. In 1999, she starred in
the Oscar-winning American Beauty and the popular teen comedy American
Pie. Suvari was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Performance by an Actress
in a Supporting Role, for her role in American Beauty, and a Blockbuster
Entertainment Award for "Favorite Actress - Newcomer" in 2000 for American
Pie.
She followed these movies with roles in Loser (2000), The Musketeer
(2001), and Spun (2002). Suvari also starred in the music video for the
Wheatus song "Teenage Dirtbag" in 2001, with her Loser co-star Jason
Biggs.
Suvari became a recurring character in the fourth season of the critically
acclaimed HBO serial Six Feet Under in 2004, as lesbian performance poet
and artist, Edie. Suvari was nominated for a
In 2006, Suvari performed the voice role of Aerith Gainsborough in the
Square Enix/Disney video game Kingdom Hearts II and the English-language
version of Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII Advent Children.
She has lead roles in the remake of the zombie movie Day of the Dead as
well as Stuart Gordon's controversial film Stuck.
Suvari is a model for Lancôme cosmetics and print ads for Lancôme Paris
Adaptîve. She has been featured in fashion magazines such as Vogue.
Suvari has collaborated with Echo Design to launch a limited-edition three
scarf collection. The project features her own nature-inspired
photography, digitally screened on silk and silk chiffon as wearable art.
The collection depicts trees in three stages of foliage from fall to
winter; a portion of the proceeds from sales will go to the Natural
Resources Defense Council.
In June 2007, Suvari shaved her head for her lead role in the forthcoming
movie adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's The Garden of Eden; photos appeared
on the Internet rapidly.
Her first name is that of a hotel in Egypt, given to her by her godmother.
Suvari married German-born cinematographer Robert Brinkmann on March 4,
2000. Brinkmann is seventeen years her senior. On April 24, 2005, Suvari
filed for legal separation, citing irreconcilable differences; the divorce
was finalized in May 2005. After her divorce she began dating dancer Mike
"Murda" Carrasco, but they broke up after dating for several months. In
2007, Suvari began dating Italian-Canadian concert promoter, Simone
Sestito. Suvari and Sestito became engaged in July of 2008 during a
vacation to Jamaica. Will getting married producer Simone Sestito in Rome
2010.
Suvari plays on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home games for the
Starlight Children's Foundation.
She is also active in female empowerment issues. She is involved with
several charities whose cause is breast cancer, the "End Violence Against
Women" campaign, and tours high schools as a "Circle Of Friends"
spokesperson, encouraging teenagers to quit smoking. |
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"It's nice when people want
your autograph, but it's a little strange because I never expected
it. I still kind of think, 'Oh, who am I?'"
"I'm 26 years old. I don't need to be playing 16 anymore. Mentally
and emotionally, I'm in such a different place than those roles."
"One of the things you learn being in the public eye is that you
have the ability to raise awareness about serious issues, and, in
the process, really help people. I've chosen to get the word out to
women, especially young women, that tobacco is not glamorous - it's
addictive and smoking takes a serious toll on your health." |
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You May Not Kiss the Bride
(2010) .... Tonya
The Garden of Eden (2008) .... Catherine Bourne
Sex and Lies in Sin City (2008) (TV) .... Sandy Murphy
... aka Sex & Lies in Sin City (Australia)
Day of the Dead (2008) .... Sarah Bowman
... aka Day of the Dead: The Need to Feed (USA: DVD title)
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (2008) .... Phlox Lombardi
Stuck (2007) .... Brandi Boski
Brooklyn Rules (2007) .... Ellen
Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ (2007) (VG) (voice: English version)
.... Aerith Gainsborough
Factory Girl (2006) .... Richie Berlin
The Dog Problem (2006) .... Jules
Caffeine (2006/I) .... Vanessa
Orpheus (2006) (TV) .... Sue Ellen
Kingdom Hearts II (2005) (VG) (voice: English version) .... Aerith
Gainsborough
... aka Kingudamu hâtsu II (Japan)
Rumor Has It... (2005) .... Annie Huttinger
... aka Rumour Has It... (Australia) (Canada: English title) (New
Zealand: English title)
Domino (2005) .... Kimmie
... aka Domino (France)
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005) (voice: English version)
.... Aerith Gainsborough
Edmond (2005) .... Whore
Standing Still (2005/II) .... Lana
Beauty Shop (2005) .... Joanne
"Six Feet Under" .... Edie (7 episodes, 2004)
- The Black Forest (2004) TV episode .... Edie
- Coming and Going (2004) TV episode .... Edie
- The Dare (2004) TV episode .... Edie
- Terror Starts at Home (2004) TV episode .... Edie
- Can I Come Up Now? (2004) TV episode .... Edie
(2 more)
Trauma (2004/I) .... Charlotte
Sonny (2002) .... Carol
Spun (2002) .... Cookie
The Musketeer (2001) .... Francesca Bonacieux
American Pie 2 (2001) .... Heather
Sugar & Spice (2001) .... Kansas Hill
Loser (2000) .... Dora Diamond
... aka The Loser (USA: alternative title)
American Virgin (2000) .... Katrina
... aka Live Virgin (France) (UK) (USA: working title)
American Beauty (1999) .... Angela Hayes
American Pie (1999) .... Heather
Atomic Train (1999) (TV) .... Grace Seger
The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999) .... Lisa
Slums of Beverly Hills (1998) .... Rachel Hoffman
"413 Hope St." .... Crystal (1 episode, 1997)
- Thanksgiving (1997) TV episode .... Crystal
"Chicago Hope" .... Ivy Moore (1 episode, 1997)
- Sympathy for the Devil (1997) TV episode .... Ivy Moore
Kiss the Girls (1997) (as Mena A. Suvari) .... Coty Pierce
Snide and Prejudice (1997) .... Geli Raubal
Nowhere (1997) .... Zoe
"High Incident" .... Jill Marsh (2 episodes, 1996-1997)
- Camino High (1997) TV episode .... Jill Marsh
- Nobody Walks in El Camino (1996) TV episode .... Jill Marsh
"ER" .... Laura-Lee Armitage (1 episode, 1996)
- Last Call (1996) TV episode .... Laura-Lee Armitage
"Minor Adjustments" .... Emily (1 episode, 1996)
- A Fish Story (1996) TV episode .... Emily
"Boy Meets World" .... Hilary / ... (2 episodes, 1995-1996)
- The Grass Is Always Greener (1996) TV episode .... Hilary
- Danger Boy (1995) TV episode .... Laura |
