'Dakota Fanning' (born 'Hannah Dakota Fanning' on
February 23 1994) is an
American actress. She is the older sister of
Elle Fanning, also an actress.
Dakota Fanning's breakthrough performance was in ''
I Am Sam'' in 2001. As of 2007, her most well-known films have been ''
War of the Worlds'' and ''
Charlotte's Web''. She has won numerous awards, and is currently the youngest person ever to have been nominated for a
Screen Actors Guild Award.
Biography
Early life
Fanning was born in Conyers, Georgia, to Steven (a former
baseball player who now works as an electronics salesman in
Los Angeles) and Joy Fanning, who played
tennis professionally. Her mother had wanted to name her "Hannah" and her father wanted to name her "Dakota"; she has always used Dakota among her friends and family. Her younger sister,
Elle, is also an actress. Fanning is of half
German descent and her last name is of
Irish origin.
[1] Dakota and her family are
Baptists, members of the
Southern Baptist Convention.
[2]
Early career
Fanning began acting at the age of five after appearing with legendary musician
Ray Charles in a
television commercial for the state lottery
[3] and being chosen for a
Tide commercial. Her first significant acting job was a
guest-starring role in the
NBC prime-time drama, ''
ER'', which remains one of her favorite roles ("I played a car accident victim who has
leukemia. I got to wear a neck brace and nose tubes for the two days I worked.")
[4]
Fanning subsequently had several guest roles on established television series, including '', ''
Friends'', ''
The Practice'', ''
Spin City'' and ''
Malcolm in the Middle''. She also portrayed the title characters of ''
Ally McBeal'' and ''
The Ellen Show'' as young girls. In 2001, Fanning was chosen to star opposite
Sean Penn in ''
I Am Sam'', the story of a mentally impaired man who fights for the custody of his daughter (played by Fanning).
This role made Fanning the youngest person (in 2002, at age eight) ever to be nominated for a
Screen Actors Guild Award, for her supporting performance. When she won the Best Young Actor/Actress award from the
Broadcast Film Critics Association for the film, she was too short to reach the microphone; presenter
Orlando Bloom held her up for the duration of her acceptance speech.
2002–2003
In 2002, director
Steven Spielberg cast Fanning in the lead child role of Allison "Allie" Clarke/Keys in the
science fiction miniseries ''
Taken''. By this time, she had received positive notices by several film critics, including Tom Shales of ''
The Washington Post'', who wrote that Fanning "has the perfect sort of otherworldly look about her, an enchanting young actress called upon ... to carry a great weight."
[5]
In the same year, Fanning appeared in three films: As a kidnap victim who proves to be more than her abductors bargained for in ''
Trapped''; as the young version of
Reese Witherspoon's character in ''
Sweet Home Alabama'', and as Katie in the movie ''
Hansel and Gretel''.
Fanning was featured even more prominently in two films released in 2003: Playing the uptight child to
Brittany Murphy's immature nanny in ''
Uptown Girls'', and as Sally in ''
The Cat in the Hat''. She appeared on ''
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno'' on
November 10 2003, where she declared that she and her sister share a room, and described ''The Cat in the Hat'' co-star
Mike Myers as "very funny."
Fanning did
voice-over work for four
animated projects during this period: As Satsuki in
Disney's
English language release of ''
My Neighbor Totoro'', as Kim Possible in
preschool in the
Disney Channel series ''
Kim Possible'', as a little girl in the
Fox series ''
Family Guy'', and as young
Wonder Woman in an episode of
Cartoon Network's ''
Justice League''.
2004–2005
In 2004, Fanning appeared in ''
Man on Fire'' as Pita, a nine-year-old who wins over the heart of the retired
assassin (
Denzel Washington) hired to protect her from kidnappers.
Roger Ebert wrote that Fanning "is a pro at only 10 years old, and creates a heart-winning character."
[6]
''
Hide and Seek'', was her first release in 2005, opposite
Robert De Niro. The film was generally panned, and critic Chuck Wilson called it "a fascinating meeting of equals—if the child star [Fanning] challenged the master [De Niro] to a game of stare-down, the legend might very well blink first."
[7] Fanning voiced Lilo (succeeding
Daveigh Chase) in the
direct-to-video film ''. She also had a small part in the Rodrigo Garcia film ''
Nine Lives'' (released in October 2005), in which she shared an unbroken nine-minute scene with actress
Glenn Close, who had her own praise for Fanning: "She's definitely an old soul. She's one of those gifted people that come along every now and then."
[8]
Fanning in ''War of the Worlds''; Director Steven Spielberg praised her ability to show "how she would really react in a real situation".
Fanning completed filming on '' (opposite
Kurt Russell) in late October 2004. Russell declared he was astonished by his co-star's performance in the film. Russell, 54, who plays as Dakota's father in the movie, declared she is the best actress he worked with in his entire career and that he was astonished by her acting ability and well-rounded attitude. Russell says, "I guarantee you, (Dakota) is the best actress I will work with in my entire career."
[9]
Kris Kristofferson, who plays her character's grandfather in the movie, said that she's like
Bette Davis reincarnated.
[10]
While promoting her role in the movie '','' Dakota became a registered member of
Girl Scouts of the USA at a special ceremony, which was followed by a screening of the film for members of the Girl Scouts of the San Fernando Valley Council. Dakota is not a member of a troop, but rather registered as a "
Juliette" (
GSUSA's title for independently registered girls).
[11]
She then went directly to the set of ''
War of the Worlds'', starring alongside
Tom Cruise. Released in reverse order (''War'' in June of 2005 and ''Dreamer'' in the following October), both films were critical successes. ''War'' director
Steven Spielberg praised "how quickly she understands the situation in a sequence, how quickly she sizes it up, measures it up and how she would really react in a real situation."
[12]
After filming was completed on ''War of the Worlds'', Fanning moved straight to another film, without a break: ''
Charlotte's Web'', which she finished filming in May 2005, in
Australia. Released on December 15th, 2006, ''Web'' met generally warm critical acclaim. Producer Jordan Kerner said, "...when she was so caught up in ''War of the Worlds'', we had to end up going on a search for other young actresses. They would have been nothing compared to her."
[13] Fanning also provided voice work for ''
Coraline'', scheduled for release sometime in 2008.
[14]
2006–present
Over the summer of 2006, Fanning worked on the film ''
Hounddog'', described in press reports as a "dark story of abuse, violence and
Elvis Presley adulation in the rural South". Fanning's agent noted that the script is "challenging" to Fanning as an actress.
[15] Fanning's parents have been criticized for allowing her to film a scene in which her character is raped; Fanning called that an "attack". "It's not really happening," she told
Reuters. "It's a movie, and it's called acting."
[16] Director Deborah Kampmeier addressed the controversy in the January 2007 edition of ''Premiere'': "The assumption that [Dakota] was violated in order to give this performance denies her talent."
[17]
In November 2006, Dakota said she had a small break and wanted to get busy once again.
[18] During her ''
Charlotte's Web'' press run in December 2006, she mentioned ''
The Secret Life of Bees'' as a potential future film.
[19] Dakota detailed her involvement in ''Bees'' in the January 2007 edition of ''
Vanity Fair''. She said, "I think I'm going to do that next summer. It's something I definitely want to do and I'm attached to it."
[20]
In March and April of 2007, she filmed ''
Winged Creatures'', alongside
Kate Beckinsale,
Guy Pearce,
Josh Hutcherson, and
Academy Award winners
Forest Whitaker and
Jennifer Hudson. In September, Dakota will begin filming ''
Push'' which centers on a group of young American ex-pats with telekinetic and clairvoyant abilities who hide from a U.S. government agency in Hong Kong and band together to try to escape the control of the division."
[21]
Later in 2007, Dakota will provide voice over work for the movie ''
Hurricane Mary'' which will star her sister
Elle Fanning who will be portraying disabled twin sisters, with Dakota providing voice over work for one twin.
[22]
Other future films potentially include ''
The Secret Life of Bees'' as previously discussed and also ''
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle'' which
Danny DeVito will direct.
[23]
Personal life
Fanning is an avid reader, and includes among her hobbies
knitting, swimming,
piano,
violin,
ballet, and horseback riding.
[24]
Dakota also wears
ceramic orthodontic braces and a
palatal expander.
Fanning, like her sister
Elle Fanning, is a huge classical metal fan.
[25]
In 2006, she was invited to join the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as the youngest person ever at the age of 12.
[26]
Filmography
Notable TV guest appearances
Awards
'
Kids Choice Awards'
★ 2007 Favorite Movie Actress
'
Saturn Award'
★ 2006 Best Performance by a Younger Actor, ''
War of the Worlds''
'
BFCA Award'
★ 2006 Best Young Actress, ''
War of the Worlds''
★ 2002 Best Young Actor/Actress, ''
I Am Sam''
'
Sierra Award'
★ 2005 Youth in Film, ''
War of the Worlds''
★ 2002 Youth in Film, ''
I Am Sam''
'
Bronze Leopard'
★ 2005 Best Actress (shared with other cast members), ''
Nine Lives''
'
MTV Movie Award'
★ 2005 Best Frightened Performance, ''
Hide and Seek''
'
Satellite Award':Special Achievement Award
★ 2002 Outstanding New Talent, ''
I Am Sam''
'
Young Artist Award'
★ 2006 Best Performance in a Feature Film (Comedy or Drama) - Leading Young Actress, ''
★ 2002 Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Actress Age Ten or Under, ''
I Am Sam''
Parody
On ''
Saturday Night Live'', Dakota Fanning is portrayed by
Amy Poehler as a pretentious child whose overly intellectual interests are out of step with those of her child actor colleagues who appear on her talk show. She is also portrayed in ''
The DiCaprio Code'' by Scrapmation as a foulmouthed man trapped in the body of an "eternal child actress," possibly a nod to Baby Herman from ''
Who Framed Roger Rabbit''.
Footnotes
1. Dakota Fanning Lives Out Her Dreams
2. Interview: Dakota Fanning
3. Winning Numbers
4. Fanning the flames
5. Sci Fi's 'Taken' Grabs You and Doesn't Let Go
6. Man on Fire (review)
7. Hide and Seek review
8. Glenn Close raves about Dakota Fanning
9. Kurt Russell Says Dakota Fanning Is The Best Actress He Ever Played With
10. Dreamer: Inspired By a True Story (2005) DVD Review
11. Dakota Fanning, Movie Star and Girl Scout
12. War of the Worlds: Spielberg & Cruise - Part I
13. Exclusive Interview : Jordan Kerner
14. Dakota Fanning Signs on to "Coraline"
15. All shook up over Dakota's Hounddog
16. Dakota Fanning: 'It's called acting'
17. No More Kid Stuff
18. With 'Six Feet' over, he's back
19. NYC Premiere: Charlotte's Web
20. Cinderella in Sneakers
21. Fanning set to 'Push' for McGuigan
22. MTV Movie News
23. USA Today News
24. Dakota Fanning Chats About Dreamer
25. [1], ''Guitar Hero Forum''
26. Brokeback stars to join Academy
External links
★
★
★
★
Dakota Fanning's biography on filmbug
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