Abigail Breslin Biography

Abigail Kathleen Breslin (born April 14, 1996) is an American actress and singer. She appeared in her first commercial when she was three years old, and in her first film, Signs (2002), at the age of five. Her other film roles include Little Miss Sunshine (2006), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, No Reservations (2007), Nim's Island (2008), Definitely, Maybe (2008), My Sister's Keeper (2009), Zombieland (2009), and Rango (2011). In September 2015, she began acting in the horror-comedy Scream Queens on Fox, in which she has her first regular role on a television series.

Early life

Breslin was born in New York City, the daughter of Kim (ne Walsh) and Michael Breslin, a telecommunications expert, computer programmer, and consultant. She has two older brothers, Ryan and Spencer, who are also actors. The Breslin siblings live in New York in a "very close-knit" family. Her maternal grandmother, Catherine, died in June 2015. She is named after Abigail Adams, the second First Lady of the United States.

Career

Breslin's career began at the age of three when she appeared in a Toys "R" Us commercial. Her first acting role was in Signs (2002), directed by M. Night Shyamalan, where she played Bo Hess, the daughter of the main character, Graham Hess (Mel Gibson). Signs garnered mostly positive reviews and was a box office success, grossing $408 million worldwide. Breslin's performance in the film was praised by critics. David Ansen of Newsweek wrote that she and co-star Rory Culkin gave "terrifically natural, nuanced performances". In 2004, she appeared in Raising Helen, in which she and her brother Spencer played siblings, but the film fared poorly.

Breslin had a small role in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. In the independent film Keane, she played Kira Bedik, a young girl who reminds the mentally disturbed protagonist William Keane (Damian Lewis) of his missing, abducted daughter. Keane had a limited theatrical release and grossed only $394,390 worldwide but it received positive reviews and Breslin's performance was praised by critics. Meghan Keane of The New York Sun wrote that "the scenes between Mr. Lewis and the charmingly fragile Kira, winningly played by Ms. Breslin, bring a captivating humanity to the film".

Breslin's breakthrough role was in the 2006 comedy-drama Little Miss Sunshine, where she played Olive Hoover, a beauty pageant contestant, the youngest in a dysfunctional family on a road trip. She was cast at the age of six, years before filming was started. Her co-stars, Greg Kinnear and Alan Arkin, both stated that they were "astounded by her seriousness of purpose during shooting." Little Miss Sunshine was a critical and commercial success, grossing $100 million worldwide. Her performance was highly praised; Claudia Puig of USA Today wrote that, "If Olive had been played by any other little girl, she would not have affected us as mightily as [she] did." She received nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the fourth youngest actress to be nominated in that category.

Although Jennifer Hudson won the Oscar, Breslin co-presented with actor Jaden Smith at the 79th Academy Awards on February 25, 2007. Breslin was part of the Disney Year of a Million Dreams celebration. Annie Leibovitz photographed her as Fira from Disney Fairies with Dame Julie Andrews as the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio.

On October 27, 2007, Breslin made her stage debut in the play Right You Are (If You Think You Are) in New York City at the Guggenheim Museum starring in an ensemble cast, including Cate Blanchett, Dianne Wiest, Natalie Portman and Peter Sarsgaard. In 2007, Breslin was ranked #8 in Forbes Magazine's list of "Young Hollywood's Top-Earning Stars", having earned $1.5 million in 2006.

Breslin next appeared in the 2007 romantic comedy No Reservations, playing the niece of master chef Kate Armstrong (Catherine Zeta-Jones). The film garnered mostly negative reviews but was successful at the box office, grossing $92 million worldwide. Roger Ebert wrote that Breslin "has the stuff to emerge as a three-dimensional kid, if she weren't employed so resolutely as a pawn." In 2007, she also starred in Definitely, Maybe, as the daughter of a recently divorced father (played by Ryan Reynolds); the film garnered generally favorable reviews, with Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer writing that Breslin is "alarmingly cute - but she backs the cuteness up with serious acting instinct."

In 2008, Breslin starred with Jodie Foster in the film Nim's Island as Nim Rusoe, a young girl who lives on a remote tropical island. Nim's Island received mixed reviews but was successful financially, grossing $100 million worldwide.

In 2008, she appeared in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl as the title character. The film was based on the American Girl line of dolls, books, and accessories of which Breslin is a fan. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl garnered favorable reviews and grossed $17 million at the box office. Breslin's performance in the film was praised by critics; Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal wrote that she "carries the event-stuffed story with unflagging grace."

In 2009, Breslin appeared in My Sister's Keeper, where she played the role of Anna Fitzgerald, a young girl who was conceived to be a donor for her sister, Kate, who suffers from leukemia. Elle and Dakota Fanning were slated to play the roles of Anna and Kate respectively; however, Dakota refused to shave her head for the role, so she and Elle were replaced by Sofia Vassilieva and Breslin. My Sister's Keeper received mixed reviews but was a financial success, grossing $95 million worldwide. James Berardinelli wrote that Breslin and Vassilieva "display a natural bond one might expect from sisters, and there's no hint of artifice or overacting in either performance." Also in 2009, Breslin appeared in the horror comedy Zombieland as Little Rock. Director Ruben Fleischer said that "the dream was always to get Abigail Breslin" for the role. The film received positive reviews and was successful at the box office, grossing $102 million worldwide.

With previews beginning in February 2010, she made her Broadway debut as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker at the Circle in the Square Theatre. Breslin has said that she was honored to play Keller, who is one of her "biggest heroes". The Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, an advocacy group for blind and deaf actors, criticized the play's producers for not casting a deaf or blind actor in the role. Lead producer David Richenthal defended the decision, stating that he needed a well-known actress: "It's simply nave to think that in this day and age, you'll be able to sell tickets to a play revival solely on the potential of the production to be a great show or on the potential for an unknown actress to give a breakthrough performance." Vision-impaired actress Kyra Siegel was cast as Breslin's understudy. Breslin's performance was praised by critics; Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that she "well portrays Helen's feral rebelliousness in the play's early sections and is deeply touching as her character's bond with her teacher grows." Ticket sales for the play, however, were considered disappointing, and the show closed in April 2010.

In September 2009, Breslin filmed in Des Moines, Iowa, playing the title character in the film Janie Jones: a 13-year-old girl who is abandoned by her former-groupie mother (Elisabeth Shue), and informs Ethan Brand (Alessandro Nivola), a fading rock star, that she is his daughter. The film premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. In 2011, Breslin voiced Priscilla, a cactus mouse in the animated comedy Rango, and appeared in the romantic comedy New Year's Eve.

In 2013, she appeared in the thriller The Call. The film received mixed reviews from critics. Andrew Barker of Variety wrote that Breslin "acquits herself well enough for a problematic role in which she's forced to cry and scream nearly continuously." The Call grossed $68 million worldwide. In 2013, Breslin also appeared in Haunter in the role of Lisa, a ghost who bonds with a future girl living in her house to stop an evil killing spirit with the help of his many victims.

Breslin also starred in the film adaptation of Orson Scott Card's novel, Ender's Game The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics but it was a disappointment at the box office, grossing only $125 million worldwide from a $110 million budget. In July 2012, she was cast in August: Osage County, the film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, alongside Julia Roberts, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Meryl Streep. August: Osage County received mostly positive reviews. In 2014, Breslin appeared in the crime drama Perfect Sisters. In January 2015, she was cast in the first season of Fox's horror-comedy anthology series Scream Queens.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	Signs	Bo Hess
2004	Raising Helen	Sarah Davis
2004	The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement	Parade Girl Carolina
2004	Chestnut: Hero of Central Park	Ray
2004	Keane	Kira Bedik
2006	Air Buddies	Rosebud / Alice	Voice
2006	The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause	Trish
2006	The Ultimate Gift	Emily Rose
2006	Little Miss Sunshine	Olive Hoover
2007	No Reservations	Zoe Armstrong
2008	Definitely, Maybe	Maya Hayes
2008	Nim's Island	Nim Rusoe
2008	Kit Kittredge: An American Girl	Kit Kittredge
2009	My Sister's Keeper	Anna Fitzgerald
2009	Zombieland	Little Rock
2010	Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey	Jeana	Voice
2010	Janie Jones	Janie Jones
2011	Rango	Priscilla	Voice
2011	New Year's Eve	Hailey Doyle
2011	Zambezia	Zoe	Voice
2013	The Call	Casey Welson
2013	Haunter	Lisa Johnson
2013	Ender's Game	Valentine Wiggin
2013	August: Osage County	Jean Fordham
2014	Wicked Blood	Hannah Lee	Direct-to-video
2014	Perfect Sisters	Sandra Andersen	Based on a true story/book
2015	Maggie	Maggie Vogel
2015	Final Girl	Veronica
2017	Freak Show	Lynette
2017	All The Fine Boys	Jenny	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	What I Like About You	Josie	Episode: "The Teddy Bear"
2002	Hack	Kayla Adams	Episode: "Domestic Disturbance"
2004	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Patty Branson	Episode: "Birthright"
2004	NCIS	Sandy Watson	Episode: "See No Evil"
2005	Family Plan	Nicole	TV movie
2006	Ghost Whisperer	Sarah Applewhite	Episode: "Melinda's First Ghost"
2006	Grey's Anatomy	Megan Clover	Episode: "Sometimes a Fantasy"
2015-present	Scream Queens	Libby Putney/Chanel #5	Main cast (23 episodes)
2017	Dirty Dancing	Frances "Baby" Houseman	TV movie

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures, and certifications

Title	Album details	Sales	Certifications
The World Now	Released June 15, 2015 Format: Digital download, CD Label: Digital Launch Records

Singles

Year	Song	Peak chart positions	Album
		U.S.
2011	"Fight For Me"	"?	Janie Jones
2013	"Christmas In New York"	"?	TBA
2014	"You Suck"	"?

Other appearances

Year	Song	Other Artist(s)	Album
2011	"Hurricane"		Janie Jones
	"Find Love"	Alessandro Nivola
	"Just A Game"
	"House of the Rising Sun"
2014	"The Worst Part / Auld Lang Syne"	Cassidy Reiff	Perfect Sisters
	"Within Me A Lunatic Sings"	Stargroves	Stargroves

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
Year	Award / Film Festival	Category	Work	Result
2003	Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film Young Actress Age Ten or Under	Signs
2007	Academy Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Little Miss Sunshine
	Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	Best Supporting Actress
	Empire Awards	Best Female Newcomer
	Gotham Awards	Breakthrough Actor
	Iowa Film Critics	Best Supporting Actress
	Satellite Awards	Best Actress in a Supporting Role
	Tokyo International Film Festival	Best Actress
	BAFTA Awards	Best Actress in a Supporting Role
	Critics Choice Awards	Best Young Actress
	Critics Choice Awards	Best Ensemble Cast (Shared with cast)
	MTV Movie Awards	Best Breakthrough Performance
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Supporting Actress
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture (Shared with cast)
	St. Louis Film Critics	Best Supporting Actress
	Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film Young Actress Age Ten or Under
2008	Critics Choice Awards	Best Young Actress	No Reservations
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actress: Action Adventure	Nim's Island
	Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film Leading Young Actress	No Reservations
2009	Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film Leading Young Actress	Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
2010	Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film Leading Young Actress	My Sister's Keeper
2012	Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Voice-over Role, Young Actress	Rango
2013	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture (Shared with cast)	August: Osage County
2016	Fangoria Chainsaw Award	Best Actress	Maggie