Anna Faris
Born 1976 · Age 49
American actress, voice artist, producer, podcaster and author, known for comedic lead roles (Scary Movie franchise), co-lead on CBS sitcom Mom, host/creator of the Unqualified podcast and author of the memoir Unqualified.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Baltimore, Maryland
Anna Kay Faris is born to Jack (sociology professor) and Karen Faris (special education teacher).
Early theatre roles in youth
Played Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, the title role in Heidi and Rebecca in Our Town and appeared in other local productions during childhood/teens.
Family moved to Edmonds, Washington
Faris' family relocates from Baltimore to Edmonds, WA, where her parents are originally from and where she is raised.
First professional stage role — Danger: Memory!
Gave her first paid professional performance in Arthur Miller's Danger: Memory! at the Seattle Repertory Theater; earned US$250.
Graduated Edmonds-Woodway High School
Completed high school; participated in theater and radio plays while a student.
Appeared in Microsoft's MSN Preview CD-ROM
While at University of Washington, appeared as presenter for Channel 5 in the MSN 2.0 promotional interactive CD-ROM filmed at Paramount Theatre in Seattle.
Small film roles — Deception and Eden (Sundance)
Played brief parts in made-for-TV Deception: A Mother's Secret and the indie drama Eden, which screened at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival.
Graduated University of Washington (BA English Literature)
Earned a bachelor's degree in English literature; initially planned to travel to London but instead moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting.
First major film role — Lovers Lane
Appeared as an ill-fated cheerleader in the independent slasher Lovers Lane (straight-to-video B-movie); her first notable film credit.
Relocated to Los Angeles and lived in Hancock Park studio
Moved to LA to pursue acting full-time; lived in a studio apartment at The Ravenswood in Hancock Park at age 22.
Breakout starring role — Scary Movie (Cindy Campbell)
Cast in the lead comedic role of Cindy Campbell in Scary Movie; marked her first starring credit and breakout performance.
Scary Movie box office opening weekend
Scary Movie opened at US$42 million on its opening weekend, becoming a major commercial success.
MTV Movie Award nominations for Scary Movie
Received nominations for Breakthrough Female Performance and Best Kiss at the 2001 MTV Movie Awards.
Scary Movie 2 released
Reprised role of Cindy Campbell in the sequel released July 4, 2001.
Independent film May premieres at Sundance
Appeared as the lesbian colleague in the psychological thriller May, which premiered at Sundance and received festival acclaim.
Starred in The Hot Chick
Co-starred with Rob Schneider and Rachel McAdams in The Hot Chick; the comedy grossed US$54 million worldwide.
Cast in Lost in Translation (last-minute)
Played a 'bubbly' actress in Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation (budget US$4M; gross US$119.7M); credited with helping broaden perception of her work.
Scary Movie 3 released — third time as Cindy
Reprised Cindy Campbell in Scary Movie 3.
Recurring role on Friends (season 10)
Appeared as Erica, the birth mother whose babies are adopted by Monica and Chandler, in Friends' final season.
Listed in Maxim 'Hot 100' (No. 57)
Featured on Maxim's Hot 100 list (various rankings across years: No.57 in 2004, No.39 in 2009, No.42 in 2010, No.44 in 2011).
Married Ben Indra
Married actor Ben Indra after meeting on Lovers Lane set.
Starred in Waiting... and Just Friends
Appeared in Waiting... (budget US$3M; gross US$18.6M) and Just Friends (gross US$50.9M); Just Friends earned MTV and Teen Choice nominations.
Small part in Brokeback Mountain
Filmed a one-scene role; spent two days on set. The film's ensemble received a SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Appeared in My Super Ex-Girlfriend
Co-starred opposite Uma Thurman and Luke Wilson; film grossed US$61M and earned MTV nomination for Best Fight.
Scary Movie 4 premiere (final Cindy appearance)
Played Cindy Campbell for the fourth and (for her) final time in Scary Movie 4.
Starred in Smiley Face; Sundance premiere
Played lead Jane F in Gregg Araki's stoner comedy Smiley Face; film premiered at Sundance and Faris won High Times 'Stonette of the Year'.
Filed for divorce from Ben Indra
Filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences (divorce later finalized 2008).
Mama's Boy limited release
Appeared opposite Diane Keaton and Jon Heder in the independent comedy Mama's Boy; limited release and modest reception.
Divorce finalized with Ben Indra; settlement payment
As part of divorce settlement with first husband Ben Indra, Faris agreed to pay $900,000 plus property and royalties.
Released and produced The House Bunny
Produced and starred as Shelley in The House Bunny; film earned US$70 million worldwide and critics praised Faris's performance.
Voice roles in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Voiced key parts in two major family/comedy franchises; both films were box-office successes and expanded her voice-role resume.
Observe and Report released; controversy
Co-starred with Seth Rogen in Observe and Report (budget US$18M; gross US$26M); a scene provoked date-rape controversy in public discussion.
Married Chris Pratt
Married actor Chris Pratt in July 2009; later had one child together.
Named Cosmopolitan 'Fun Fearless Female of the Year'
Recognized by Cosmopolitan magazine in 2010 as 'Cosmo's Fun Fearless Female of the Year.'
Yogi Bear theatrical release
Appeared as a nature documentary filmmaker in Yogi Bear; film grossed US$201M worldwide despite negative reviews.
Reported feature salary — What's Your Number?
Industry-reported salary for What's Your Number? listed on IMDb as US$1,750,000 (indicative of mainstream feature pay by 2011).
Take Me Home Tonight released (filmed 2007)
Retro 1980s-set comedy filmed in 2007 and finally released in 2011; poor box office reception but Faris got a Teen Choice Award nomination.
What's Your Number — starring and executive producer
Starred opposite Chris Evans and served as executive producer; the film grossed about US$30 million worldwide.
Appeared in The Dictator; earned Star of the Year award
Co-starred with Sacha Baron Cohen in The Dictator (gross US$179M globally); she received the National Association of Theatre Owners' Star of the Year Award.
Birth of son Jack
Welcomed son Jack (born nine weeks premature, ~3 pounds at birth).
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 released
Reprised voice role; film grossed about US$274.3 million worldwide.
Premiered as co-lead on CBS sitcom Mom
Began starring as Christy Plunkett on Mom, her first full-time TV series role; the show became one of the highest-rated comedies.
Voice — Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip
Reprised voice role in the fourth installment of the Alvin and the Chipmunks series.
Unqualified podcast reaches significant output
By May 2021 the podcast had released 249 episodes; the program launched in November 2015 and steadily grew audience and cultural profile.
Hosted People's Choice Awards (with Allison Janney)
Co-hosted the 41st People's Choice Awards, increasing visibility outside of scripted roles.
Launched Unqualified podcast
Created and began hosting the free-form advice podcast Unqualified with producer Sim Sarna; format includes celebrity interviews and listener calls.
Cameo in Keanu and appeared in music video
Brief appearance as herself in Keanu and starred in Mondo Cozmo's 'Hold On to Me' music video.
Voiced 'Jailbreak' in The Emoji Movie
Voiced one of the lead characters in The Emoji Movie (critically panned).
Announced separation from Chris Pratt
Faris and Chris Pratt separated in 2017; later divorced in 2018.
Published memoir 'Unqualified' (NYT Best Seller)
Released her first book Unqualified (tie-in to her podcast); became a New York Times Best Seller and an Amazon top-20 autumn book.
Divorced Chris Pratt
Divorce from Chris Pratt finalized (public reports indicate November 2018).
Led remake 'Overboard' (first leading role since 2011)
Starred in Overboard (romantic comedy remake); film grossed over US$91.2M worldwide.
Left CBS sitcom Mom
Departed Mom after seven seasons (the show continued without her).
Married Michael Barrett
Married cinematographer Michael Barrett in July 2021.
Starred in The Estate
Co-starred with Toni Collette in the black comedy The Estate (2022).
Upcoming film projects announced
Attached to upcoming features I, Object (replacing Melanie Lynskey) and Spa Weekend (comedy by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore).
Supporting role in My Spy: The Eternal City
Played a supporting role in the sequel My Spy: The Eternal City (2024).
Cast in Toy Story 5 (voice role announced)
Announced to play an undisclosed voice role in Toy Story 5 (scheduled 2026).
Key Achievement Ages
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