Hollywood Celebrities Biography: Julia Stiles Biography

Julia Stiles Biography

Name:Julia O'Hara Stiles

Date of Birth:March 28, 1981

Place of Birth:New York,U.S.

Julia O'Hara Stiles is an American actress.After beginning her career in small parts in a New York City theatre troupe, she has moved on to leading roles in plays by writers as diverse as William Shakespeare and David Mamet. Julia Stiles film career has included both commercial and critical successes, ranging from teen romantic comedies such as 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) to dark art house pictures such as The Business of Strangers (2001). Julia Stiles is also known for playing the supporting character Nicky Parsons in the Bourne film series and the leading role in Save the Last Dance, and for her role in Mona Lisa Smile. Julia Stiles guest starred as Lumen Pierce in the fifth season of the Showtime series Dexter, a role that earned her Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations.

Early Life

Stiles was born in New York City, the eldest of three children. Julia Stiles mother, Judith Newcomb Stiles, is a potter, and her father, John O'Hara, is a businessman. Stiles has English, Irish, and Italian ancestry. Julia Stiles started acting at age eleven, performing with New York's La MaMa Theatre Company.

Career

Film Career

Stiles' first film was a non-speaking part in I Love You, I Love You Not (1996), with Claire Danes and Jude Law. Julia Stiles also had small roles as Harrison Ford's daughter in Alan J. Pakula's The Devil's Own (1997) and in M. Night Shyamalan's Wide Awake (1998). Julia Stiles first lead was in Wicked (1998), playing a teenage girl who might have murdered her mother so she could have her father all to herself. Critic Joe Balthai wrote she was "the darling of the 1998 Sundance Film Festival"and Internet movie writer Harry Knowles said she was the "discovery of the fest", but the film was not commercially released in the U.S. and went direct-to-video.

In 1999, she portrayed Kat Stratford, opposite Heath Ledger, in Gil Junger's 10 Things I Hate About You, an adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew set in a high school in Tacoma, Washington. Julia Stiles won an MTV Movie Award for "Breakthrough Female Performance" for the role, and the Chicago Film Critics voted her the most promising new actress of the year. Foreign critics applauded her work as well, including Adina Hoffman, who praised her as "a young, serious looking Diane Lane"and Martin Hoyle, who commented that Stiles played Kat "with bloody-minded independent charm from the beginning with hints of wistfulness beneath the determination."

Personal Life

Stiles is a graduate of Columbia University and holds a degree in English literature. Julia Stiles received a John Jay Award in 2010, the annual honorary award given to five alumni by the Columbia College Alumni Association for professional achievements.

Stiles has also worked for Habitat for Humanity, building housing in Costa Rica, and has worked with Amnesty International to raise awareness of the harsh conditions of immigration detention of unaccompanied juveniles; Marie Claire, in January 2004, featured Stiles' trip to see conditions at the Berks County Youth Center in Leesport, Pennsylvania.

Julia Stiles is an ex-vegan, occasionally eating red meat. Julia Stiles says she gave up veganism after she developed anemia and found it difficult to get proper nutrition while traveling. Stiles has described herself as a feminist and wrote on the subject in The Guardian.

An avid baseball fan, she supports the New York Mets. Julia Stiles threw the ceremonial first pitch before their May 29, 2006 game. Julia Stiles is also an avid soccer fan and supports the New York Red Bulls.

Julia Stiles's currently in a relationship with actor David Harbour.

Julia Stiles