Elle Fanning

Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. Her accolades include nominations for an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. She began her career as a prolific child actress before transitioning into acclaimed leading roles across film, television, and stage productions.

Fanning was born in Conyers, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, to Heather Joy (née Arrington) and Steven J. Fanning, a former Minor League Baseball player. Her family background includes her maternal grandfather, football player Rick Arrington, her aunt, ESPN reporter Jill Arrington, and her older sister, actress Dakota Fanning. The sisters were raised in the Southern Baptist Convention and use their middle names as given names per family tradition. As a child, Fanning took part in physical activities such as dance. Her family relocated to Los Angeles as her sister's career launched, and she later graduated from Campbell Hall School in 2016.

Fanning made her acting debut at age three, portraying the younger version of her sister's character in the miniseries Taken and the film I Am Sam (2001). At age four, she landed her first independent role in the comedy Daddy Day Care (2003). She subsequently appeared in feature films such as The Door in the Floor (2004), Babel (2006), Reservation Road (2006), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), and Phoebe in Wonderland (2008). Fanning earned wider recognition with leading performances in Sofia Coppola's Somewhere (2010), J. J. Abrams' science fiction film Super 8 (2011), We Bought a Zoo (2011), and Sally Potter's Ginger & Rosa (2012).

Fanning achieved international prominence playing Princess Aurora in Disney's Maleficent (2014), a role she reprised in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019). Her career expanded through roles in independent films, including voice work in The Boxtrolls (2014), Low Down (2014), 3 Generations (2015), Nicolas Winding Refn's The Neon Demon (2016), Mike Mills' 20th Century Women (2016), Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled (2017), Mary Shelley (2017), Teen Spirit (2018), and Woody Allen's A Rainy Day in New York (2019). In May 2019, she served on the main competition jury at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, becoming the youngest juror in the festival's history.

On television, Fanning starred as Catherine the Great in the historical satire series The Great (2020–2023), which she also executive produced. Her performance earned nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. She played Michelle Carter in the miniseries The Girl from Plainville (2022) and starred in and executive produced the comedy series Margo's Got Money Troubles (2026–present), earning two Primetime Emmy nominations. In December 2023, she made her Broadway acting debut in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' play Appropriate.

Fanning's recent feature film projects include playing Sylvie Russo in James Mangold's A Complete Unknown (2024), android twin sisters Thia and Tessa in Predator: Badlands (2025), and Rachel Kemp in Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value (2025), the latter of which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also portrayed the character Tomorrow in Hideo Kojima's 2025 video game Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and co-founded the production company Lewellen Pictures alongside her sister.