Jessica Chastain

Jessica Michelle Chastain is an American actress and producer known for starring in projects with feminist themes. She has won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, alongside receiving nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, two Tony Awards, and two British Academy Film Awards. In 2012, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Chastain was born on March 24, 1977, in Sacramento, California, and was raised by her mother and stepfather. She developed an interest in acting at age seven and participated in the performing arts throughout her youth. She attended Sacramento City College and completed her studies at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1998. She subsequently attended the Juilliard School on a scholarship funded by Robin Williams, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2003.

Chastain made her professional stage debut in 1998 as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. After relocating to Los Angeles, she made her television debut in the 2004 pilot Dark Shadows and guest-starred in series such as ER, Veronica Mars, and Law & Order: Trial by Jury. Her early stage credits included The Cherry Orchard and Salome. She made her feature film debut starring in Jolene (2008), earning a Best Actress award at the Seattle International Film Festival, followed by roles in Stolen and The Debt.

Chastain achieved a career breakthrough in 2011 with six film releases, including Take Shelter, Coriolanus, and The Tree of Life. Her performance as Celia Foote in the period drama The Help earned her nominations for an Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Actor Award. She subsequently voiced a role in Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012), starred in Lawless (2012), and played a CIA analyst in Zero Dark Thirty (2012), receiving a second Academy Award nomination. In late 2012, she made her Broadway debut in a revival of The Heiress.

Chastain achieved further commercial success in science fiction films such as Interstellar (2014) and The Martian (2015), as well as the horror film It Chapter Two (2019). She earned acclaim for her performances in A Most Violent Year (2014), Miss Sloane (2016), Molly's Game (2017), and the miniseries Scenes from a Marriage (2021). In 2021, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for portraying Tammy Faye Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, followed by her role as Tammy Wynette in the miniseries George & Tammy (2022).

Chastain returned to Broadway in a 2023 revival of A Doll's House, earning a Tony Award nomination. She is the founder of the production company Freckle Films, which was created to promote diversity in film, and is an investor in Angel City FC. She advocates for mental health awareness, gender equality, and racial equality. She is married to fashion executive Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, with whom she has two children.