Abigail Breslin Biography

NAME: Abigail Kathleen Breslin

OCCUPATION: Film Actress, Television Actress

BIRTH DATE: April 14, 1996 (Age: 15)

PLACE OF BIRTH: New York, New York

ZODIAC SIGN: Aries

Abigail Breslin Relationships:

Kim Breslin - Mother

Michael Breslin - Father

Ryan Breslin - Brother

Spencer Breslin - Brother

Actress Abigail Breslin was born on April 14, 1996 in New York City. Abigail got her start in television commercials before M. Night Shyamalan cast her as Mel Gibson's daughter in 2002's Signs. Since then, she has had supporting roles in several films, including 2006's sleeper hit Little Miss Sunshine, which earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Breslin plays Bo Hess, Gibson's asthma-ridden, paranoiac daughter who is racked by the delusion that she must never drink water, for every glass in the house is now contaminated. The terror evident in this characterization was not unique. From an early age, the pint-sized Breslin became notorious for her preternatural ability to pour an extraordinary amount of emotional intensity into each role, which led to several challenging parts that Breslin pulled off with ease. The first of these turns, 2004's sadly overlooked Keane, is a harrowing drama about a drug- and alcohol-riddled schizophrenic named William Keane (Damian Lewis), obsessed with attempting to find his young daughter, who may never have even existed. Amy Ryan and Breslin play, respectively, Lynn Bedik and Kira Bedik, a mother and daughter who wander into William's life and concurrently raise, within him, a towering fear of himself and the capacity for emotional connection. The New York Post's V.A. Musetto called Breslin "a revelation."

After light-hearted turns in Garry Marshall's terribly received Raising Helen (which marked the first onscreen pairing of Breslin and her older brother) and David S. Cass' little-seen domestic comedy Family Plan (2005), Breslin signed on as the central character in Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton's Little Miss Sunshine. This road comedy -- about a severely dysfunctional family that bands together and treks off to the titular children's beauty pageant in which young Olive (Breslin) is participating -- unexpectedly dazzled viewers with its acerbic wit, flashes of wild humor.

More TV and a direct-to-video feature - the kids' movie "Chestnut: Hero of Central Park," (2006) - followed, but "Little Miss Sunshine" was primed and sitting in the wings. Breslin found herself once again the subject of critical praise and movie audiences' adoration. Her entrancing, star-making performance - which stood out in a cast peopled by such top talent as Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carrell, and the esteemed Alan Arkin, with whom she shared some of the film's funniest scenes - was recognized by the Gotham Awards, who nominated her for Breakthrough Performance and as part of the Best Ensemble Cast. She also got a nod from the Screen Actors Guild Awards, earning a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role - Theatrical Motion Pictures. The ultimate recognition came with an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actress, making her the fourth-youngest actress ever nominated.

Following her summer triumph in "Sunshine," Breslin was besieged with offers for both film and television. She landed a guest-starring turn on "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC, 2005- ) as a child who cannot experience physical pain, and added some zest to the predictable Vince Vaughn holiday comedy "Fred Claus" (2007). In the romantic comedy "No Reservations" (2007), she was again tapped to provide precocious charm as a nine-year-old entrusted to the care of an exacting and ambitious chef (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who has a love/hate relationship with co-worker Aaron Eckhart. The independent romantic comedy "Definitely, Maybe" (2008) fared better with critics, and gave Breslin a little more to work with in her role as the daughter of a divorcé (Ryan Reynolds) who tells her the story of his early romances.

Next up for the busy actress, Breslin co-starred alongside former child star Jodie Foster in the family adventure "Nim's Island" (2008), and gave younger audiences another offering with "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" (2008), based on the popular series of historic dolls and books. Taking a more serious turn, she starred as the sister of a cancer patient (Sofia Vassilieva) who sues over the right to decide whether or not to donate an organ to her sister in "My Sister's Keeper" (2009). In the fall of that year she returned to comedy with the tongue-in-cheek horror movie, "Zombieland" (2009).