Anna Faris

Anna Kay Faris is an American actress, comedian, producer, writer, podcaster, and author who rose to prominence for her comedic roles, particularly as Cindy Campbell in the Scary Movie film franchise. Her leading film roles have grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide. Beyond feature films, her career spans work in television, voice-over acting, audio podcasting, and published writing.

Faris was born on November 29, 1976, in Baltimore, Maryland, to a sociology professor father and a special education teacher mother. Her family moved to Edmonds, Washington, when she was six years old. Raised alongside her older brother in a traditional household, she was enrolled in community drama classes as a child and began acting professionally at age nine. She attended Edmonds Woodway High School, graduating in 1994, and later earned a degree in English literature from the University of Washington in 1999.

Faris began her professional career performing in regional theater productions in Washington, including plays such as Danger: Memory!, To Kill a Mockingbird, Heidi, and Our Town. While in school, she appeared in commercials, training videos, and promotional media. Her early screen credits include minor roles in the television movie Deception: A Mother's Secret, the independent drama Eden, and her first major film role in the 1999 independent slasher movie Lovers Lane.

Her breakout role arrived in 2000 when she was cast as Cindy Campbell in the horror-comedy parody Scary Movie. The film was a major commercial success, grossing $278 million worldwide and establishing her screen career. Faris reprised the role in Scary Movie 2 (2001), Scary Movie 3 (2003), and Scary Movie 4 (2006). During this period, she expanded her film credits with roles in May (2002), The Hot Chick (2002), Lost in Translation (2003), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Just Friends (2005), Waiting... (2005), and My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006).

Faris continued to land leading comedic roles in independent and studio films, including Smiley Face (2007), Mama's Boy (2007), Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009), and Observe and Report (2009). In 2008, she produced and starred as Shelley in the comedy feature The House Bunny, which earned $70 million globally. She also built a voice-acting resume, providing voices for the animated film franchises Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009–2013) and Alvin and the Chipmunks (2009–2015), alongside appearing in Yogi Bear (2010), Take Me Home Tonight (2011), What's Your Number? (2011), The Dictator (2012), and Overboard (2018).

On television, Faris played the recurring role of Erica in the final season of the NBC sitcom Friends in 2004. She later co-starred as Christy Plunkett on the CBS sitcom Mom from 2013 to 2021. Outside of screen acting, she created and hosted the advice podcast Unqualified from 2015 to 2023 and authored a 2017 memoir of the same title, which became a New York Times Best Seller. Over her career, her performances have earned nominations for awards such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards, MTV Movie Awards, and Teen Choice Awards.