Rooney Mara
Patricia Rooney Mara (/ˈmɛərə/ MAIR-ə;[1] born April 17, 1985) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.
Rooney Mara
Tricia Mara
New York University (BA)
Actress
2005–present
Joaquin Phoenix (2016–present)
2
Kate Mara (sister)
Born into the Rooney and Mara families, Mara began her career acting in television and independent films, such as the coming-of-age drama Tanner Hall (2009). She first gained recognition for her supporting role in David Fincher's drama film The Social Network (2010).
Mara had a career breakthrough when she starred as Lisbeth Salander in Fincher's thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her career progressed with leading roles in the thriller Side Effects (2013), the science fiction romance Her (2013), and the romantic drama Carol (2015), all of which were critical and commercial successes. For the latter, she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has since appeared in the biographical drama Lion (2016), the supernatural drama A Ghost Story (2017), and portrayed Mary Magdalene in the biblical drama Mary Magdalene (2018). Following a brief hiatus, Mara starred in the psychological thriller Nightmare Alley (2021) and the drama Women Talking (2022).
Mara is known for her charity work and oversees the Uweza Foundation, which supports empowerment programs for children and families in the Kibera slum of Nairobi. She is also the founder of the vegan clothing line Hiraeth Collective. Mara is in a relationship with actor Joaquin Phoenix, with whom she has two children.
Early life and education[edit]
Mara was born on April 17, 1985,[2] and raised in Bedford, New York, a town in Westchester County about 40 miles (64 km) north of New York City.[3] Mara's mother's family founded the Pittsburgh Steelers and her father's family founded the New York Giants. Her father, Timothy Christopher Mara, is the senior vice president of player personnel for the New York Giants; and her mother, Kathleen McNulty (née Rooney), is a part-time real estate agent.[4] She is the third of four children: she has an older brother, Daniel; an older sister, Kate, who is also an actress; and a younger brother, Conor.[5]
Mara's father has Irish, German, and French-Canadian ancestry, and her mother is of Irish and Italian descent.[6][7] Her Rooney ancestors originated in Newry, County Down.[8] Her paternal grandparents were Wellington Mara and Ann Mara. Wellington was the long-time co-owner of the Giants, who was succeeded in that position by his son (Rooney Mara's uncle), John Mara. Rooney Mara's maternal grandfather, Timothy James "Tim" Rooney, has run Yonkers Raceway & Empire City Casino in Yonkers, New York since 1972.[9][10] Mara is the great-granddaughter of both New York Giants founder Tim Mara and Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney, Sr., as well as of Kathleen McNulty Rooney.[11] Her granduncle, Dan Rooney, was chairman of the Steelers, the former United States Ambassador to Ireland, the co-founder of The Ireland Funds charitable organization, and the architect of American Football's Rooney Rule. U.S. Representative Tom Rooney and former Florida State Representative Patrick Rooney Jr. are her cousins.[12]
After graduating from Fox Lane High School in 2003,[13] Mara went to Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia in South America for four months as part of the Traveling School, an open learning environment. She attended George Washington University for a year before transferring to New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where she studied psychology, international social policy and nonprofits,[5][14] graduating in 2010.[15]
Mara was inspired to act by seeing musical theatre and classic movies, like Gone with the Wind (1939), Rebecca (1940), and Bringing Up Baby (1938), with her mother.[16] She also wanted to be like her sister, Kate Mara, a professional actress. Mara resisted pursuing acting as a child, stating to The Journal News that "it never seemed that honorable to me, and I guess I was always afraid that I might fail."[3] Her first and only role in high school was Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, which she got after being signed up to audition by a friend.[17] Mara acted in a few student films while at NYU, and then began her career in acting,[3] first auditioning at the age of nineteen.[5]
Career[edit]
2005–2009: Early work[edit]
Mara first appeared as an extra in films which starred her sister, including a bit-part in the 2005 direct-to-video horror film Urban Legends: Bloody Mary. She found work in television, making her professional debut in a 2006 episode of the drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as a girl who bullies overweight children.[18] She guest-starred on the legal drama Women's Murder Club and played a drug addict in an episode of The Cleaner.[19] Mara made her feature film debut Dream Boy (2008) and guest-starred as Megan for two episodes of NBC's ER.
Other work[edit]
In February 2018, it was announced Mara, Sara Schloat, and Chrys Wong had started a vegan clothing line named Hiraeth Collective, consisting of clothing, shoes, and accessories, designed by themselves. The clothing line is produced in Los Angeles, California.[89][90][91] The clothing line was made available in select Barneys New York stores and online, beginning in August 2018.[92][93][94]
Mara founded the charity Faces of Kibera, which aimed to provide housing, food, and medical care for orphans in Kibera, a slum in Nairobi, Kenya. The charity's goal was to build an orphanage in the region, for which 6 acres of land have been purchased.[3] The charity auctioned memorabilia from the Steelers and Giants, as well as training camp events on eBay to raise money.[11] She visited the area as a volunteer in 2006 and was moved to help the orphans, many of whom lost parents to AIDS and HIV-related illnesses. She began the charity due to her frustration with the growing number of nonprofits that are just business opportunities. "The people who need help aren't really getting it. So I started my own", she told Interview magazine in 2009.[25] Mara later found it challenging to balance her charity work and acting career. "I need to do both; I can't just do acting," she stated to The Journal News.[3] In January 2011, Faces of Kibera merged with Uweza Foundation which runs community-based empowerment programs in Kibera, including soccer leagues and after-school tutoring. Uweza is a Swahili word meaning opportunity, ability, and power.[95] Mara serves as the president of the board of directors for the foundation.[96]
Personal life[edit]
Mara moved to Los Angeles in early 2007 and lived with her sister temporarily.[97][98] Although they do not live together anymore, Mara felt that the experience brought them closer together, and as of 2010 were regularly discussing the film business and movie scripts.[3] As of January 2012, Mara lived in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles.[99] She includes Gena Rowlands among the actresses who inspire her, especially her performances in A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Opening Night (1977).[16]
Since late 2016, she has been in a relationship with American actor Joaquin Phoenix, her co-star in Her (2013), Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018), and Mary Magdalene (2018).[100] Like Phoenix, Mara is vegan.[101] As of September 2017, they reside in the Hollywood Hills with their two dogs, Soda and Oskar.[102] They announced their engagement in 2019, but a ceremony has not taken place.[103] Mara gave birth to their first child, a son, in August 2020.[104][105] In June 2024, they welcomed their second child.[106]