Mae Whitman

Mae Margaret Whitman is an American actor born on June 9, 1988, in Los Angeles, California. She began her career as a child actor in the 1990s, appearing in films such as When a Man Loves a Woman, One Fine Day, Independence Day, and Hope Floats, along with television series including Chicago Hope and JAG. She later earned mainstream recognition for her television roles in the Fox sitcom Arrested Development, the NBC drama series Parenthood, and the NBC crime comedy series Good Girls.

Whitman is the only child of voice actress Pat Musick and personal manager and set construction coordinator Jeffrey Whitman. She attended Ribét Academy. Whitman began her career at age two in 1990 by providing a voice-over for a Tyson Chicken commercial, memorizing her lines with the assistance of acting coach Andrew Magarian.

At age five, Whitman made her feature film debut in When a Man Loves a Woman (1994) as Casey Green, a role chosen from over 700 auditioning actors. In 1996, she played Patricia Whitmore in Independence Day and Maggie Taylor in One Fine Day, in addition to guest-starring on Friends. Between 1996 and 1998, she appeared in 17 episodes of Chicago Hope, before playing Bernice Pruitt in Hope Floats (1998) and Chloe Madison on JAG from 1998 to 2001. She subsequently starred as Grace in the Fox Family series State of Grace.

From 2004 to 2006, Whitman played the recurring role of Ann Veal on Arrested Development, a role she reprised in 2013. She appeared in the 2006 FX series Thief, guest-starred on Desperate Housewives, and had roles in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and HBO's In Treatment. In 2010, she was cast as Amber Holt in NBC's Parenthood (2010–2015), earning a nomination for a Critics' Choice Television Award. Her notable film work during this era included playing Roxy Richter in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), a supporting role in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), and the lead role in The DUFF (2015), which earned her a Teen Choice Award nomination.

Whitman has built an extensive career as a voice actor across film and television. Her notable voice roles include Little Suzy in Johnny Bravo (1997–2004), Shanti in The Jungle Book 2 (2003), Katara in Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008), Rose / Huntsgirl in American Dragon: Jake Long (2005–2007), and Tinker Bell in the eponymous Disney film series (2008–2015). She also voiced Cassie Sandsmark / Wonder Girl in Young Justice (2012–2022), April O'Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012–2017), Amity Blight in The Owl House (2020–2023), Annie in Skull Island (2023), and reprised her role as Roxie Richter in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023).

From 2018 to 2021, Whitman starred in the NBC dramedy Good Girls. She subsequently appeared in the 2020 musical film Valley Girl and held a leading role in the 2023 Hulu original series Up Here. In her personal life, Whitman came out as pansexual in 2021 and has spoken publicly about her diagnosis of endometriosis. In August 2024, she gave birth to her first child, a son with actor and singer Carlos Valdes.