Dakota Fanning - Biography

Last Editor: prodg_inc				Dakota Fanning Biography -   Name : Dakota Fanning Birth Date : February 23, 1994 Birth Place : Conyers, Georgia, USA Occupation(s) : Actress

Dakota Fanning Trivia -

Learned to read at age 2. At the age of 8, became the youngest person to be nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, for her supporting performance in I Am Sam (2001). When she received the Best Young Actor/Actress award from the Broadcast Film Critics Association for her performance in I Am Sam (2001), she was too short to reach the microphone to give her acceptance speech. Presenter Orlando Bloom held her up to the mike for the duration of her speech, which turned out to be quite long. Began her acting career at 5 when she was picked for a Tide commercial. Older sister of Elle Fanning. Her father named her Dakota, her mother named her Hannah. She then was named Hannah Dakota Fanning. Dakota is one of 14 grandchildren. Parents: Joy and Steve Fanning. Her favourite films include Gone with the Wind (1939), Titanic (1997) and Steel Magnolias (1989). Collects dolls. Home-schooled. Looks up to Meryl Streep and Hilary Swank, "not just because they're great actresses, but because they are amazing people". Her last name "Fanning" is of Irish origin. Also, she is of half-German descent. She donated many signed items to Rocky Stone to be given away as prizes in a Dakota Fanning Contest to benefit less fortunate kids as part of the Toy Mountain Campaign 2005 and Toy Mountain Campaign 2006. First time she visited England was on the 19th June 2005 with Tom Cruise, to attend the premiere of War of the Worlds (2005) at London's Leicester Square. Loves to knit and has knitted scarfs for Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro, Denzel Washington, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Tim Robbins. For the 'sad' scenes in I Am Sam (2001), she thought of her pet goldfish, Flounder, dying. Carries a book of baby names with her wherever she goes. Has been to Mexico, New Zealand, Japan, Australia, England, France and Canada. Is a member of the Red Cross. On her eleventh birthday, Tom Cruise gave her a cell phone. Is friends with Daveigh Chase. Can play the violin. Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2004 Razzie Award nominating ballot. She was suggested in the Worst Supporting Actress category for her role in The Cat in the Hat (2003). She was also suggested in the Worst Screen Couple couple category with co-star Spencer Breslin in the The Cat in the Hat (2003). She failed to receive either nomination. Is a member of the Girl Scouts USA, and her sister Elle Fanning is a Brownie. Is learning to speak French. She also learned to speak some Spanish for her role in Man on Fire (2004). Missed the premiere of Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005) (V) to go to Mexico while her sister Elle Fanning filmed Babel (2006). Started kindergarten at age 4½ and will start her freshman year of high school (9th grade) in the fall of 2007.  During filming of War of the Worlds (2005), Tom Cruise gave her an iPod.  Is now a Girl Scout [Oct. 2005].  After filming Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story (2005), Kurt Russell, who plays her father, bought her a palomino horse, whom she named Goldie. Goldie lives on a ranch near Dakota's home where she can visit him often. Tutor is Jan Cerwonka. Her scene in Nine Lives (2005) was done in one take. She got to work on the movie only for one day. Has said she would love to be a director. On her 10th birthday, Robert De Niro gave her a doll that looked like Dakota's character in Hide and Seek (2005), with the brown hair and blue eyes. Plays the piano, knits, collects dolls, ride horses and dances ballet. Niece of Jill Arrington. Is the youngest member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences (she joined in 2006). Was ranked #9 in E's most cutest child stars all grown-up even if she still is a child.(2005) Has been in three productions with her sister Elle Fanning, yet they have never shared scenes. Elle played the younger version of Dakota's characters in I Am Sam (2001) and "Taken" (2002), and the two girls voiced sisters in a dub for Tonari no Totoro (1988). While she was filming Man on Fire (2004) in Mexico, her sister Elle Fanning was filming The Door in the Floor (2004), so their parents had to go to and from their daughters' destinations. Her first word was "Momo," which was the family cat's name. Has mentioned in numerous interviews that she would love to work with her sister, Elle Fanning. For her, the hardest thing at the end of a movie is saying goodbye to the cast. A doll was made of her (as her character, Cale) for the movie Dreamer (2005). Friends with her Uptown Girls (2003) co-star Brittany Murphy. Is a fan of US designer Belle of the Ball. She has worn many Belle of the Ball dresses to events such as the Hide and Seek (2005) premiere. Was originally offered the part of Leslie in Bridge to Terabithia (2007), but turned it down because of conflicting schedules. AnnaSophia Robb was later given the part. Has naturally curly hair. Whilst in Georgia, she attended a Montessori school. Was ranked #14 on Forbes List of The 20 Top-Earning Young Superstars (2007). Was ranked #94 on Forbes List of The Celebrity 100 (2007). In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated her earnings for the year to be $4 million. Ranked #6 on interview magazines Hollywood faces to watch "Future Stars of Tomorrow". Was ranked #19 alongside her sister Elle on Entertainment Weekly's '30 Under 30' actress list (2008). Was ranked #8 alongside Abigail Breslin on TV Guide Top 10 Teen Star Countdown (2008). Was ranked #4 on Moviefone's 'The 25 Hottest Actors Under 25'(2008). Is German/Irish. For the 2008-2009 school year she is a cheerleader for Campbell Hall, a private Episcopal college-preparatory school in North Hollywood, California, which fields a number of sports teams under the nickname "The Vikings". Her favorite scary movie as a child, was The Wizard of Oz (1939). Hadn't read all the books from the "Twilight" series by Stephenie Meyer before she was cast in The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) but she wanted to do it, because she loved the cast, and the movie. Started voicing Coraline (2009) when she was 10 years old. However the movie was released when she was 15. She chose her costumes and looks in Push (2009). Some of the clothes were actually her own. When the production of Coraline (2009) started, it was originally going to be a live action, still with Dakota in the lead. While filming Push (2009) in Hong Kong, she wasn't recognized. Because of her rape scenes, her movie Hounddog (2007) was banned in a lot of cities. Has the rare distinction of being in two movies that opened on the same day in the U.S. - Coraline (2009) and Push (2009) (February 6, 2009).

Dakota Fanning Detailed Biography -

Hannah Dakota Fanning was born on February 23, 1994 in Conyers, Georgia where her parents lived. She has a younger sister named Elle who was born April 9, 1998. Their father, Steve Fanning, was a baseball player for several minor league teams in the 1990's, but now works as an electrician. At a very young age Dakota showed an interest in acting and as she says she "got with a playhouse" which was her first contact with the world of professional acting. Soon after that she was featured in a Tide commercial and then made a television appearance on the hit TV series "ER" at the age of six, followed soon after that with an appearance on the Ally McBeal show as 5-year old Ally. Because of all the work that young Dakota was getting in the Los Angeles area, her family moved there from Georgia to live close to a relative who lived in the L.A. area. Appearances on the TV series Strong Medicine and C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigations. Dakota got her first role in a feature film in the year 2000 as the daughter of a mentally handicapped man played by Sean Pean in the movie I Am Sam, and her performance was unanimously praised by the critics. After her roles in I Am Sam and the teenager film Tomcats, she has appeared in such films as Trapped, Sweet Home Alabama, 24 Hours, Hansel and Gretl. She is featured in the 20 hour Sci-Fi Channel miniseries Taken, both as the narrator in all 10 episodes, but also in the pivotal role of the part alen part human child Allie Keys. Future roles are scheduled in The Cat in the Hat, Uptown Girls and Man on Fire. Dakota's recent televison appearances, besides Taken, are in The Ellen Show, Malcolm in the Middle, and Spin City. Dakota is home schooled and has a teacher who goes with her to all the movie and TV sets, and Dakota says that her teacher has taught her everything that she knows. Dakota is currently represented by the Osbrink Talent Agency of Universal City, California.