Real Name: Mena Adrienne Suvari
Nationality: American
Height: 5'4"
Hair: Dark Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Born: February 9, 1979 in Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
Discovered: Mena dreamed of becoming famous and got a chance when a modeling agency stopped by her all-girls school to offer classes. At age 12, Mena attended a modeling convention and was signed up by the New York-based Wilhelmina agency.
She commuted up and down the East Coast for two years before her parents, Candice (a nurse) and Ando (a retired psychiatrist), decided to move their California. When she reached L.A., Mena started out with TV commercials at first, and soon got guest appearances roles on "Boy Meets World" (1993), "ER" (1994), and "Chicago Hope" (1994).
She launched her movie career in 1997, picking up small roles in Gregg Araki's Nowhere (1997) and the Morgan Freeman-Ashley Judd thriller Kiss the Girls (1997). She popped up again in the background of Slums of Beverly Hills (1998), then landed a slightly meatier role as the best friend of the telekinetic heroine in The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999).
Suvari's ticket to fame was the teen sex quest American Pie (1999), which cast her as a wholesome high-schooler who falls for a jock (Chris Klein). A few months later, she turned even more heads as the vampish cheerleader who captures Kevin Spacey's unwholesome imagination in American Beauty (1999). The sultry-but-fragile character earned Suvari a British Academy Award nomination, as well as a flurry of job offers and gushing fansites.
Resume: Trauma (2005)
Domino (2005)
Beauty Shop (2005)
Snide and Prejudice (2001)
The Musketeer (2001)
American Pie 2 (2001)
Sugar and Spice (2001)
American Virgin (2000)
Loser (2000)
Live Virgin (2000)
Atomic Train (1999)
American Pie (1999)
The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)
Kiss the Girls (1997)
Nowhere (1997)
Romance: Was married to cinematographer Robert Brinkmann (who is 18 years older than her) from March 18, 2000 - 2005.
Quotes: "It's nice when people want your autograph, but it's a little strange because I never expected it. I still kind of think, 'Oh, who am I?'" - Mena Suvari
"I'm 26 years old. I don't need to be playing 16 anymore. Mentally and emotionally, I'm in such a different place than those roles." - Mena Suvari
"One of the things you learn being in the public eye is that you have the ability to raise awareness about serious issues, and, in the process, really help people. I've chosen to get the word out to women, especially young women, that tobacco is not glamorous - it's addictive and smoking takes a serious toll on your health." - Mena Suvari
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