Abigail Breslin
Abigail Breslin (born April 14, 1996)[1] is an American actress. She rose to prominence with the comedy-drama film Little Miss Sunshine (2006), for which she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 10.[2] Breslin went on to establish herself as a mainstream actress with roles in the films No Reservations (2007), Nim's Island (2008), Definitely, Maybe (2008), My Sister's Keeper (2009), Zombieland (2009), Rango (2011), The Call (2013), August: Osage County (2013), Maggie (2015), Freak Show (2017), Zombieland: Double Tap (2019), and Stillwater (2021). Between 2015 and 2016, she had a starring role in the horror-comedy series Scream Queens on Fox, her first regular role in a television series.
Abigail Breslin
April 14, 1996
Actress
1999–present
Spencer Breslin (brother)
Early life[edit]
She was born in New York City, the daughter of Kim (née Walsh), a talent manager, and Michael Breslin,[3] a telecommunications expert, computer programmer, and consultant.[4] She has two older brothers, Ryan Breslin (b. 1985) and Spencer Breslin (b. 1992), who are also actors. The Breslin siblings were raised in New York in a "very close-knit" household; her father was of Jewish heritage.[5][6]
Breslin is named after Abigail Adams, the first Second Lady and second First Lady of the United States.[7]
Career[edit]
Early roles[edit]
Breslin's career began at the age of three when she appeared in a Toys "R" Us commercial.[8] Her first acting role was in Signs (2002), directed by M. Night Shyamalan, where she played Bo Hess, the daughter of the main character, Graham Hess (Mel Gibson). Signs garnered mostly positive reviews[9] and was a box office success, grossing $408 million worldwide.[10] Breslin's performance in the film was praised by critics.[11][12] David Ansen of Newsweek wrote that she and co-star Rory Culkin gave "terrifically natural, nuanced performances".[13] In 2004, she appeared in Raising Helen, in which she and her brother Spencer played siblings, but the film fared poorly.[14]
Breslin had a small role in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. In the independent film Keane, she played Kira Bedik, a young girl who reminds the mentally disturbed protagonist William Keane (Damian Lewis) of his missing, abducted daughter. Keane had a limited theatrical release and grossed only $394,390 worldwide[15] but it received positive reviews and Breslin's performance was praised by critics.[16][17] Meghan Keane of The New York Sun wrote that "the scenes between Mr. Lewis and the charmingly fragile Kira, winningly played by Ms. Breslin, bring a captivating humanity to the film".[18]
Personal life[edit]
In April 2017, Breslin stated that an ex-boyfriend had raped her, and she had since been diagnosed with PTSD.[83][84] She explained that she did not report being raped at the time because she "was in complete shock and total denial", "feared not being believed" by the police, worried about revenge by the assailant if he found out and concerned about him hurting her family.[85][86] She continues to advocate against sexual assault.[87]
Her father, Michael, died at age 78 on February 26, 2021, of complications related to COVID-19.[3]
In February 2022, Breslin revealed on Instagram that she was engaged to her longtime boyfriend Ira Kunyansky.[88] They married on January 28, 2023.[89]