Rooney Mara

Patricia Rooney Mara, born April 17, 1985, is an American actress. She is known for her work in television, independent films, and major studio features. Over the course of her career, Mara has received critical recognition and accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a British Academy Film Award.

Mara was born and raised in Bedford, New York, within Westchester County. Her mother's family founded the Pittsburgh Steelers, and her father's family founded the New York Giants. She graduated from Fox Lane High School in 2003 and spent four months in South America as part of an open learning environment program. After attending George Washington University for a year, she transferred to New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, graduating in 2010 with a degree focusing on psychology, international social policy, and nonprofits. Inspired by classic films and her sister Kate Mara's career, she began auditioning for acting roles at age nineteen.

Mara made her professional acting debut in a 2006 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and subsequently appeared on shows such as Women's Murder Club, The Cleaner, and ER. She made her feature film debut in Dream Boy (2008) and landed her first lead role in the coming-of-age drama Tanner Hall (2009). That same year, she appeared in independent films including Youth in Revolt, Dare, and The Winning Season, and later starred as Nancy Holbrook in a 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Mara gained broader recognition in 2010 for her supporting role as Erica Albright in David Fincher's The Social Network. Her career breakthrough came when she starred as Lisbeth Salander in Fincher's 2011 film adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Her performance earned widespread critical acclaim and nominated her for the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe Award. Following this success, she appeared in the psychological thriller Side Effects, the science fiction romance Her, and the romantic crime drama Ain't Them Bodies Saints, all released in 2013.

In 2015, Mara starred opposite Cate Blanchett in the romantic drama Carol. For her role, she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and earned nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and a SAG Award. She also played Tiger Lily in the fantasy film Pan (2015). In 2016, she voiced a character in the animated film Kubo and the Two Strings and appeared in the dramas Una, The Secret Scripture, and Lion, the latter of which received six Academy Award nominations.

Mara continued acting with roles in several 2017 releases, including The Discovery, A Ghost Story, and Song to Song. In 2018, she appeared in Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot and played the title character in the biblical drama Mary Magdalene. That year, she also narrated the animal rights documentary Dominion, earning the Award of Excellence for Narration from the Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards.

Following a brief hiatus, Mara returned to film in Guillermo del Toro's psychological thriller Nightmare Alley (2021) and Sarah Polley's drama Women Talking (2022). In 2024, she starred in La cocina. Outside of acting, Mara oversees the Uweza Foundation, which supports empowerment programs for children and families in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, and is the founder of the vegan clothing line Hiraeth Collective.