Rooney Mara

Birthday: 17 April 1985, Bedford, New York, USA

Birth Name: Patricia Rooney Mara

Height: 160 cm

Actress and philanthropist Rooney Mara was born on April 17, 1985 in Bedford, New York. She made her screen debut in the slasher film Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005), went on to have a supporting role in the independent coming-of-age drama Tanner Hall (2009), and has since starred in the horror remake A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), the biographical drama The Social Network (2010), the thriller remake The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), and the romantic drama Carol (2015).Patricia Rooney Mara is one of four children of Kathleen McNulty (née Rooney) and NFL football team New York Giants executive Timothy Christopher Mara. Her grandfathers were Wellington Mara, co-owner of the Giants, and Timothy Rooney, owner of Yonkers Raceway, and her grand-uncle is Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney, the former Ambassador to Ireland. She is the great-granddaughter of Art Rooney, the founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers football franchise. Her father has Irish, German, and French-Canadian ancestry, and her mother is of Irish and Italian descent.After graduating from Bedford's Fox Lane High School, she went to Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia in South America for four months as part of the Traveling School, an open learning environment. She attended George Washington University for a year and then transferred to New York University, where she studied international social policy psychology and nonprofits. She took her degree from New York University in 2010. Her studies focused on non-profit organizations, as her family has a tradition of involvement in philanthropic causes.She had thought of acting after watching old movies and attending musical theater, but did not think of it as a serious vocation and was afraid she might fail at this. As a result of her reservations, she appeared in only one play while in high school.She began seriously focusing on acting when she was at New York University, appearing in student films. Inspired by her older sister, actress Kate Mara, she began to pursue the craft, auditioning for acting jobs at age 19. She appeared with her sister Kate in the video horror movie Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005), billing herself as "Patricia Mara". As "Tricia Mara", she had guest roles on television and won her first lead in the movie Tanner Hall (2009), which was shot in the fall of 2007.She originally auditioned for the supporting role of Lucasta in "Tanner Hall", a $3-million independent film, but director Tatiana von Furstenberg was so impressed by the young actress, she had her return to audition for the lead role of Fernanda, which Mara won. Furstenberg was delighted with her nuanced performance, saying, "Still waters run deep".Continuing to call herself Tricia Mara, this was during the making of "Tanner Hall" that she considered changing her professional name to Rooney Mara, soliciting the advice of the cast and crew. After premiering at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, her performance in "Tanner Hall" brought the rechristened Rooney Mara a "Rising Star" award at the 2009 Hamptons Film Festival and a "Stargazer Award" at the 2010 Gen Art Film Festival.She received her first lead role in a major feature, in the $35 million remake A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010). The movie proved disappointing at the box office, grossing only $63 million domestically and racking up a worldwide gross of just under $116 million. However, she was noticed by critics in the small but pivotal role of the Boston University undergrad Erica Albright who dumps Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network (2010). Director David Fincher subsequently cast her as the lead, Lisbeth Salander, in his thriller remake, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), based on Stieg Larsson's Millennium book series. She received critical acclaim for her performance, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama.She starred in the thriller film Side Effects (2013), the independent drama Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013), and the acclaimed sci-fi romantic drama Her (2013). The following year, she starred in the adventure drama Trash (2014). She garnered further critical acclaim for her performance in Todd Haynes' romantic drama Carol (2015), for which she won the Best Actress Award at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama and the SAG, BAFTA, and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.In the spirit of her family's philanthropic endeavors, Rooney created Faces of Kibera, a charity that provides food, medical care and housing to orphans in Nairobi, Kenya's Kibra district, a small slum that houses a million people. There are many orphans as AIDS is rampant in the slum. Hide

I refuse to engage in anything until I'm fully sure that I'm capable of it. I refuse to engage in anything until I'm fully sure that I'm capable of it.

[on Lisbeth Salander] There aren't many interesting and diverse parts out there for women. There see Show more [on Lisbeth Salander] There aren't many interesting and diverse parts out there for women. There seem to be a few different stereotypical roles that get recycled, so it was refreshing to have this complex character for a woman; very rare. Hide

I think that I have a pretty vivid imagination despite my stable household. Everyone's family has th Show more I think that I have a pretty vivid imagination despite my stable household. Everyone's family has their quirks. No one is perfect. Hide

I pick up energy really easily. Even if I go to the grocery store and no one is paying attention to Show more I pick up energy really easily. Even if I go to the grocery store and no one is paying attention to me, I can pick up other people's moods and it's really intense. Hide

[on portraying Lisbeth Salander] I spent over a year with the character and there are so many differ Show more [on portraying Lisbeth Salander] I spent over a year with the character and there are so many different things that I love about her. I think the thing that makes her such a compelling character is that you do sort of fall instantly in love with her, but at the same time you don't always agree with what she's doing and you also question her and you get frustrated by her. She's just an incredibly multi-layered character. Hide

My favorite thing about acting isn't necessarily the acting part. It's that you never stop learning, Show more My favorite thing about acting isn't necessarily the acting part. It's that you never stop learning, you're constantly learning new skills and new things about people. To me that's really interesting and fun. Hide

Sometimes, you read a review to see if anyone else picked up on something bad that you already picke Show more Sometimes, you read a review to see if anyone else picked up on something bad that you already picked up on yourself... In fact, rarely do you believe it when someone says something nice. Hide

[on the award season campaign placed on her for the romance drama Carol (2015)] It's such a weird pr Show more [on the award season campaign placed on her for the romance drama Carol (2015)] It's such a weird process... The whole thing feels kind of gross to me. If [Cate and I] were male and female, there probably would be no question. Getting nominated means something. You will get better parts, and I really do want people to see the film. But I don't feel like it's something I'm desperate for. I would forgo it all to keep my integrity. Hide

I don't think the human body is something to be ashamed of. Every other person on the planet has the Show more I don't think the human body is something to be ashamed of. Every other person on the planet has the same parts as I do. So seeing them shouldn't be a huge shock to most people. Hide

I'm probably more insane than most people, and less than a lot of others. I'm somewhere in the middl Show more I'm probably more insane than most people, and less than a lot of others. I'm somewhere in the middle. Hide

When I was much younger I'd become friends with everyone. I was so enthusiastic. And then, the older Show more When I was much younger I'd become friends with everyone. I was so enthusiastic. And then, the older you get, it's like you're friends during the day, but you know this isn't real life, you have better boundaries. Hide

[on if there is anyone currently working in Hollywood who has a career that she admires - Indiewire, Show more [on if there is anyone currently working in Hollywood who has a career that she admires - Indiewire, November 2015] Cate Blanchett. I think Cate is kind of everybody's benchmark with everything she does. She does incredible work and always has. Definitely her. There's a lot of people. Daniel Day-Lewis - he's a man obviously, but I really admire his work. Marion Cotillard is one of my favorite actresses. Hide

It's not that different than when you're 4 years old playing house. I'm really good at playing house Show more It's not that different than when you're 4 years old playing house. I'm really good at playing house. I love playing house. Hide

[on Christmas, 2015] Last year, me and my siblings and even my parents were like, "No, I don't want Show more [on Christmas, 2015] Last year, me and my siblings and even my parents were like, "No, I don't want a gift. I'm not getting you a gift. We're going to donate." Now I give everyone Oxfam - I get everyone goats and pigs and cows. Hide

My sister was really upset when my mom brought her home a training bra. She didn't want it, so I mos Show more My sister was really upset when my mom brought her home a training bra. She didn't want it, so I moseyed on over and picked it up. I was very eager to get boobs. Hide

[on the poster for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)] There's a certain way people are used to Show more [on the poster for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)] There's a certain way people are used to seeing nude women, and that's in a submissive, coy pose, not looking at the camera. And in this poster, I'm looking dead into the camera with no expression on my face. I think it freaks a lot of people out. Hide

[on her The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) character] She's unlike any character I've read befor Show more [on her The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) character] She's unlike any character I've read before, and I think there's a reason the whole world has fallen in love with her. It's hard not to. I felt like I really understood her. I went in for Erica Albright never thinking I'd get it because I couldn't really relate to her. Playing that character was actually much more foreign to me than playing Salander, but they loved me, which was a shock. Hide

When I was at college, my nickname was Keds, because I wore Keds. I guess it wasn't really a nicknam Show more When I was at college, my nickname was Keds, because I wore Keds. I guess it wasn't really a nickname, because nicknames are usually given to you by people who are your friends and who know you. But I didn't know the people who called me Keds. I think that they didn't like me because I didn't want to join a sorority. I left that school. Hide

I like being alone. I need a lot of alone time as a human. I like being alone. I need a lot of alone time as a human.

I don't know if it's so much a movie that has a lot of money versus a movie that has no money. I thi Show more I don't know if it's so much a movie that has a lot of money versus a movie that has no money. I think every film you do has its differences. It's about the combination of people that you're with. Hide

You kind of forget that it's me on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). It doesn't look like me. Show more You kind of forget that it's me on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). It doesn't look like me. It doesn't walk like me or talk like me. And so I think it was easier for my family to get lost in it than maybe any other part. Hide

Everyone on set is also a gypsy. We're all like carnie folk. We're all freaks. We're all insane. But Show more Everyone on set is also a gypsy. We're all like carnie folk. We're all freaks. We're all insane. But there is an understanding there. Hide

[on her The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) character] It's certainly hard to sort of embody such Show more [on her The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) character] It's certainly hard to sort of embody such a dark place for that amount of time. I felt as though it was much harder to come out of it than it was to go into it. Going into it was really easy for me. Hide

Rooney Mara's FILMOGRAPHY

as Actor (60)

ER - Season 1 (1994)

Trash

Urban Legends: Bloody Mary

Dream Boy