Alison Lohman

Alison Lohman
Lohman in 2024
Born	Alison Marion Lohman (1979-09-18) September 18, 1979 (age 45) Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1988–2009, 2015–present
Spouse	Mark Neveldine ​ ​ (m. 2009)​
Children	3

Alison Marion Lohman (born September 18, 1979) is an American actress. She began her career with small roles in short and independent films, and starred in the sitcom Tucker (2000–2001) and the soap opera Pasadena (2001). She received critical attention for the drama film White Oleander (2002), the fantasy film Big Fish, and the dark comedy film Matchstick Men (both 2003), winning accolades at the Hollywood Film and Young Hollywood Awards. She also lent her voice to the 2005 redub of the animated film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. After appearing in the action film Beowulf and the drama film Things We Lost in the Fire (both 2007), her highest-grossing release came with the horror film Drag Me to Hell (2009), which earned her nominations at the Detroit Film Critics Society, MTV Movie and Saturn Awards.

In 2009, Lohman retired from acting after marrying filmmaker Mark Neveldine, choosing to focus on her personal life; she has since worked as an acting coach. Though she no longer professionally acts, she appears in three of Neveldine's films: The Vatican Tapes (2015), Urge, and Officer Downe (both 2016).

Early life

Alison Marion Lohman was born in Palm Springs, California, on September 18, 1979,^[1][2][3] the daughter of pâtisserie owner Diane (née Dunham) and Minnesota-born architect Gary Lohman.^[3][4] She has a younger brother named Robert.^[5] She excelled in high school, obtaining top grades in all subjects except drama because she suffered from shyness.^[6] During her senior year, she won an award from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.^[7] She was offered a full scholarship to attend New York University but declined, opting instead to directly pursue an acting career.^[7]

Career

Lohman with the cast of Drag Me to Hell in 2008

At age nine, Lohman played Gretl in The Sound of Music at the Palm Desert's McCallum Theater. Two years later, she won the Desert Theater League's award for Most Outstanding Actress in a Musical for the title role in Annie. She went on to perform locally as a child singer, which included alongside Frank Sinatra at a benefit event in Palm Springs.^[8] She moved to Los Angeles in 1997 to pursue an acting career,^[9] beginning with minor roles in independent films and B movies. She was set to play a cancer patient in Tom Shadyac's 2002 film Dragonfly, for which Lohman shaved her hair.^[10][11] Her scenes were later removed.^[12]

Lohman was subsequently cast in White Oleander, an adaptation of Janet Fitch's novel, which was directed by Peter Kosminsky. Due to her previous haircut,^[13] she had to wear a wig during filming.^[12] Released in 2002, White Oleander earned positive reviews, and Lohman's performance was met with widespread acclaim.^[14] It was described as her "breakthrough role" by media sources,^[9] with the New York Times describing her work as "the year's most auspicious screen acting début".^[13] She additionally earned praise for her roles in Matchstick Men,^[15] released in 2003,^[16] and Big Fish, also released in 2003. Matchstick Men earned Lohman's performance as an adolescent con-artist acclaim over her co-star Nicolas Cage,^[16] while Big Fish saw her playing the younger version of Jessica Lange's character, for which USA Today wrote that "equally delightful is the Alison Lohman character's evolution into an older woman. It's a metamorphosis to equal any in screen history."^[17]

In 2005, Lohman appeared in Atom Egoyan's Where the Truth Lies which originally received an NC-17 rating for its graphic sexual content,^[18] and emerged as a critical and commercial failure.^[19] Some critics felt that Lohman was miscast, however Roger Ebert spoke positively of her performance.^[20] Her next feature of that year, The Big White, was also panned by critics. Better received was the English language dubbing of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, also released in 2005, in which she voiced the titular character.^[21] Lohman beat out actress Natalie Portman for the role.^[22] The film was lauded by critics and audiences alike, and had a considerable impact on popular culture.^[23][24][25]

Lohman's next film was the drama Flicka, which was released in 2006. At the age of 25, she played a 16-year-old girl who befriends a wild mustang in the film. She had trained rigorously in horse-riding for the role, stating she was "constantly thrown emotionally and physically" while working with the horses for this role.^[9] She next played a recovering heroin addict in Things We Lost in the Fire, which was released in 2007 to mostly positive reviews.^[26]

Lohman starred in Sam Raimi's 2009 horror film Drag Me to Hell, taking the role after Elliot Page dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.^[27] Lohman enjoyed her stunts during filming, despite not being particularly fond of horror films.^[28] The film grossed $90 million worldwide,^[29] becoming her highest-grossing role and garnering praise for her performance.^[30] In his review of the film, Roger Ebert wrote that she "greatly assisted" in the film's success and labeled her a scream queen: "It is essential that the heroine be a good screamer, and man, can that Alison Lohman scream. Stanley Kubrick would have needed only a day with her on The Shining."^[31] She received nominations for the Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress, the Saturn Award for Best Actress, and the MTV Movie Award for Best Scared-As-Shit Performance.

Also in 2009, Lohman had a role in the film Gamer, which was panned by critics.^[32] After the release of Gamer, Lohman retired from acting to focus on her marriage to filmmaker Mark Neveldine and her desire to focus on raising their three children.^[33] She has since taught online acting classes and had small roles in three of Neveldine's films released between 2015 and 2016.^[34][35]

Personal life

Lohman and her husband, Mark Neveldine, with a fan in 2011

In 2009, Lohman married filmmaker Mark Neveldine at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Watertown, New York.^[36][37] They have three children.^[38] She endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 United States presidential election.^[39]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Kraa! The Sea Monster	Curtis
1999	Planet Patrol	Patrolman Curtis
	The Auteur Theory	Teen Rosemary
	The Thirteenth Floor	Honey Bear Girl
2000	The Million Dollar Kid	Courtney Hunter
2001	Alex in Wonder	Camelia
	Delivering Milo	Ms. Madeline
2002	White Oleander	Astrid Magnussen
	White Boy	Amy
2003	Big Fish	Sandra Bloom (young), née Templeton
	Matchstick Men	Angela
2005	Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind	Nausicaä	Voice role; English dub
	The Big White	Tiffany
	Where the Truth Lies	Karen O'Connor
2006	Delirious	K'harma Leeds
	Flicka	Katy McLaughlin
2007	Beowulf	Ursula
	Things We Lost in the Fire	Kelly
2009	Drag Me to Hell	Christine Brown
	Gamer	Trace
2015	The Vatican Tapes	Psych Patient
2016	Urge	Mother
	Officer Downe	Sister Blister

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Pacific Blue	Molly	Episode: "Seduced"
	7th Heaven	Barbara	Episode: "Let's Talk About Sex"
1999	Crusade	Claire	Episode: "The Long Road"
	Safe Harbor	Hayley	Recurring role; 4 episodes
2000	Sharing the Secret	Beth Moss	Television film
2000–2001	Tucker	McKenna Reid	Main role
2001	Pasadena	Lily McAllister	Main role

Stage

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1988	The Sound of Music	Gretl
1990	Annie	Annie

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result
1991	Desert Theater League	Most Outstanding Actress in a Musical	Annie	Won
1997	National YoungArts Foundation	Advancement in the Arts	Herself	Won
2003	Golden Schmoes Awards	Best Supporting Actress of the Year	Matchstick Men	Nominated
	Hollywood Film Awards	Best Supporting Actress		Won
	Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards	Best Newcomer	White Oleander	Nominated
	ShoWest Awards	Female Star of Tomorrow		Won
	Young Hollywood Awards	Best Superstar		Won
2004	Central Ohio Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actress	Matchstick Men	Nominated
2009	Detroit Film Critics Society Awards	Best Actress	Drag Me to Hell	Nominated
	Fright Meter Awards	Best Actress		Nominated
	Scream Awards	Best Horror Actress		Nominated
	Scream Awards	Fight Scene of the Year		Nominated
2010	Saturn Awards	Best Actress		Nominated
	MTV Movie & TV Awards	Best Scared-As-Shit Performance		Nominated

References

1. "Alison Lohman's pixie face masks the inner adult", By Ron Dicker, The Baltimore Sun, September 18, 2003
2. "Alison Lohman Biography" Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine By Rebecca Murray, About.com.
3. Alison Lohman Biography (1979–), Film Reference
4. Lammers, Tim (September 11, 2003). "@ The Movies Interviews: Ridley Scott, Alison Lohman". Lifewhile.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
5. "Alison Lohman Biography – Yahoo! Movies".
6. "Improvising and the Brain". Psych Central.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
7. Neumeier, Joel (September 8, 2003). "SHE'S YOUNG BEYOND HER YEARS -- Alison Lohman, 24, plays troubled 14-year-olds with the wisdom of experience". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on January 14, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
8. Flynn, Gillian (August 26, 2003). "She's not 14 -- she just acts it around Nic Cage". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
9. Hart, Hugh (October 22, 2006). "Horse sense helps Lohman in 'Flicka'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 22, 2006.
10. Harvey, Amelia (July 18, 2013). "10 Actors Who Wasted Time On Parts You Never Got To See". WhatCulture.com. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
11. Synnot, Siobhan (May 28, 2009). "Drag Me To Hell star Alison Lohman on how she suffered at the hands of Sam Raimi". Daily Record. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
12. "Don't let her pigtails fool you". Christian Science Monitor. September 12, 2003. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
13. Holden, Stephen (October 11, 2002). "FILM REVIEW; Slowly, A Princess Turns Into An Urchin". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
14. Koehler, Robert (September 7, 2002). "White Oleander". Variety. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
15. Berardinelli, James. "Review: Matchstick Men". preview.reelviews.net. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
16. Graham, Renee (September 12, 2003). "Movie Details: Matchstick Men". Boston.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2003. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
17. Clark, Mike (December 24, 2003). "Fanciful 'Big Fish' swimming in visual delight". USA Today. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
18. "Movie & TV News @ IMDb.com – Studio Briefing – August 22, 2005". IMDb. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2006.
19. Where the Truth Lies (2005), Box Office Mojo
20. "Where the Truth Lies " Archived October 31, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Roger Ebert review, October 28, 2005.
21. Mays, Jonathan (October 17, 2003). "English Nausicaä dub in the works". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
22. "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (movie)". www.crystalacids.com. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
23. "文化庁メディア芸術祭10周年企画アンケート日本のメディア芸術100選 結果発表". plaza.bunka.go.jp (in Japanese). September 13, 2008. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
24. Hotes, Cathy Munroe. "Kinema Junpo Top 10 Animated Films (キネマ旬報ベストテン, 2010)". Retrieved September 19, 2021.
25. Peters, Megan (December 18, 2017). "Did You Notice This Hayao Miyazaki 'Star Wars' Connection?". Anime. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
26. Rosenblatt, Josh (October 19, 2007). "Movie Review: Things We Lost in the Fire". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
27. Gallagher, Brian (February 29, 2008). "Ellen Page Quits Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell". MovieWeb.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
28. "Drag Me to Hell Production Notes". dragmetohell.net. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
29. "2010 MTV Movie Awards Nominees Announced; New Category for Horror". Dread Central.
30. "00's Retrospect: Bloody Disgusting's Top 20 Films of the Decade…Part 2". Bloody Disgusting!. December 16, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
31. Ebert, Roger. "Drag Me to Hell movie review & film summary (2009) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
32. "Film Review: Gamer". RVA Mag. September 4, 2009. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
33. Reuben, Emily (2018). "Whatever happened to the star of Drag Me to Hell". Looper. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
34. Lee, Nick (May 16, 2022). "Whatever Happened To Alison Lohman? (2022 Update) - Ned Hardy".
35. Foster, Tom (September 7, 2021). "Whatever Happened to Alison Lohman?".
36. Weiner, Jonah (August 30, 2009). "The Fast and Furiously Lampooned". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
37. "Celebrity wedding in Watertown". MyABC50.com. August 19, 2009. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
38. Lohman, Alison (September 8, 2019). "Most of the time I'm just a mother of 3..." Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
39. Lohman, Alison (November 5, 2024). "i feel like we can live in a safer and healthier country with @RobertKennedyJr and @realDonaldTrump this is first time i'll be voting for a republican president. happy voting day everybody". Twitter.

External links

• Official website
• Alison Lohman at IMDb