Farmiga was born in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey,[4] on August 17, 1994,[5] the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants Lubomyra (née Spas), a schoolteacher, and Michael Farmiga, a systems analyst.[6][7] She is the youngest of seven siblings: Victor, Vera, Stephan, Nadia, Alexander "Alex" and Laryssa, the last of whom was born with spina bifida.[8][9] Her maternal grandparents met at Karlsfeld, a sub-camp of the Dachau concentration camp system, during World War II.[10] Farmiga attended public school until the fourth grade, after which she began being homeschooled by her mother, alongside her two siblings Alex and Laryssa.[11] She has stated that she understands Ukrainian language but can only partially speak it. She is proficient in American Sign Language, having taken classes for four years.[11] Farmiga was raised Pentecostal as her sister Vera and the rest of the family had already been converts from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.[12]
Career
2011–2014: Early work and television breakthrough
Although Farmiga initially planned on becoming an accountant,[13] she was persuaded by her sister, Vera, to appear in her directorial debut drama Higher Ground, where she was cast as the 16-year-old version of the lead character, Corinne Walker.[14] Shortly after its premiere at the 2011 Sundance, where Farmiga garnered rave reviews for her performance, she was signed to talent agency ICM Partners.[15]
Farmiga returned to the American Horror Story franchise to star as Zoe Benson, a young witch afflicted with a dark and dangerous power in the third season, American Horror Story: Coven (2013–2014),[24] for which she received critical acclaim.[25] She had her first leading film role as Anna Greene in Jorge Dorado's psychological thriller Mindscape,[26] which premiered at the 2013 Sitges Film Festival. Her performance in Mindscape was lauded by critics; comparing her to a young Hannibal Lecter,[27] and La Razón calling her "hypnotic" in the role.[28] She next co-starred as Sarah, the main character's love interest, in the biographical crime drama Jamesy Boy (2014).[29]
Farmiga starred in three films that premiered at the 2015 South by Southwest: the first was Todd Strauss-Schulson's critically-acclaimed horror comedy The Final Girls,[30] in which she portrayed the lead role of final girl Max Cartwright,[31][32] which earned her a Fright Meter Award nomination.[33] The second was Hannah Fidell's heavily improvised romantic drama 6 Years, in which she starred as Melanie Clark.[34][35] The third and final film was Pippa Bianco's short drama Share, in which she played Krystal Williams, a teenager who returns to school after an explicit video of her sexual assault goes viral.[36] Her performances in all these films were acclaimed, and Farmiga was listed as one of the breakout stars of the festival.[37][38]
Farmiga next appeared as Karen McClaren, a young journalist who gets caught up in the hunt for a serial killer, in ABC's short-lived crime drama series Wicked City (2015).[39] On filming the series, she stated that, "There's neon lights and billboards and clubs, and it just feels so fun – even though there's a seedy underbelly to it."[40] The series received mixed reviews from critics,[41] and due to low ratings was cancelled after three episodes,[42] with the remaining unaired episodes later debuting on Hulu.[43]
In 2016, she made her stage debut as Shelly in the Off-Broadway revival of Sam Shepard's drama Buried Child,[44] also starring Ed Harris and Amy Madigan.[45] She then starred opposite Ethan Hawke and John Travolta in the Ti West-directed revenge Western film In a Valley of Violence, playing a motormouthed young innkeeper who befriends Hawke's character.[46] The film premiered at the 2016 South by Southwest, and was met with positive reviews.[47] Farmiga made her voice acting debut as the superhero Raven in DC Comics' Justice League vs. Teen Titans, directed by Sam Liu, which premiered at the 2016 WonderCon,[48] and thereafter returned to American Horror Story for the sixth season of the series, Roanoke, where she guest starred as Sophie Green in the November 2016 episode "Chapter 9".[49] Farmiga next co-starred as Sarah Bransford in Warren Beatty's ensemble romantic comedy-drama Rules Don't Apply, which premiered at the 2016 AFI Fest to mixed reviews.[50] The project reunited Farmiga with her Buried Child co-stars Harris and Madigan, who portray her character's parents in the film.[51]
In August 2018, it was confirmed that Farmiga would return to American Horror Story for the eighth season of the series, American Horror Story: Apocalypse,[57] portraying both her Murder House and Coven characters, Violet Harmon and Zoe Benson.
2022–present: The Gilded Age and further film roles
In 2022, Farmiga began starring in the HBO period drama series The Gilded Age as socialite Gladys Russell, the daughter of Carrie Coon’s character.[62] The following year, she reprised her role as Sister Irene in the supernatural horror sequel The Nun II.[63]
Farmiga next starred in the independent romantic drama film She Taught Love in the supporting role of Samantha Miron, which was released by Hulu on September 27, 2024.[64]
Personal life
Farmiga owns a home in Los Feliz, Los Angeles.[65] In May 2019, she was reported to be engaged to screenwriter and director Hadley Klein.[66] They were married in an intimate ceremony at their home on August 8, 2020.[67]
^Montoya, Por Àlex (November 28, 2013). "Mindscape". Fotogramas (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
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