Vera Farmiga
Vera Farmiga (born
August 6,
1973) is an
American actress.
Farmiga, the second oldest of seven children, was born in
Passaic County, New Jersey to Michael and Luba Farmiga,
Ukrainian immigrants. She was raised in an insular Ukrainian American community, not speaking
English until the age of six. During her teen years, she attended a
Ukrainian Catholic school and toured with a
Ukrainian folk-dancing company.
Although she originally intended to become an
optometrist, Farmiga attended
Syracuse University's School of Visual and Performing Arts. She made her
Broadway debut in 1996, as an understudy in the play
Taking Sides. The same year, she starred as "Miranda" in the
American Conservatory Theater production of
The Tempest. Throughout the late
1990s, she continued appearing in both stage, television and film roles, including a part in the
1998 film,
Return to Paradise.
Farmiga appeared in several high-profile films in the early
2000s, including
Autumn in New York and
15 Minutes. Her lead performance in the
2005 independent film,
Down to the Bone, received a "Best Actress" award from the
Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Farmiga subsequently co-starred with
Paul Walker in the
2006 action-thriller,
Running Scared.
Farmiga is married to actor Sebastian Roache, who co-starred with her in the
television series,
Roar. The two eloped to the
Bahamas after the series' end.
*
Buzzline interview (February, 2006)
*
Dateline New York article (December 10, 2000)
*
interview (September, 2000)
