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Birth Name: Mena Adrienne Suvari
Nickname: Bean
Born: February 9 1979
Birth Place: Newport Rhode Island, USA
Height: 5'4"
Marital Status: married (Robert Brinkmann: cinematographer)March 18 2000
Parents: Ando and Candice Suvari
Siblings: 3 Brother (all older):AJ, Sulev (went to the Citadel and enlisted in the US Army) and Yuri (attends school in Florida)
Fan Mail:
C/O The Gersh Agency
PO Box 5617
Beverly Hills, CA
90209-5617 USA
tid bits:
� First name comes from her Egyptian godmother of the same name, and her last name is Estonian.
� Mena's religion is Episcopalian.
� During high school she used to be called "Bean"
� At her high school she was voted to "Most Likely To Be A Famous Actress"
� She has began making jewelry and selling it at select stores
� Did her own singing in American Pie
� Graduated from Providence High School in Burbank, California class of 1997.
� Is a natural red-haired.
� Last name "Suvari", pronounced "soo-VAHR-ee", is Estonian.
� First name "Mena", pronounced "MEE-nah".
� Has 3 older brothers, 2 of them in US army.
� Mena was raised in a Rhode Island home that was built in 1870 and which she and her brothers believed was haunted. They saw several apparitions over the years, all of which she believed was friendly.
� Her mother is of Greek descent.
� Mena and husband Robert Brinkmann have taken considerable flak because of their age differential - 16 years.
� Auditioned for the role of Mary Jane in Spider Man.
Biography:
Mena Adrienne Suvari was born on February 9, 1979, in Newport, Rhode Island. Mena's first name comes from her British Aunt named after the "House of Mena" Hotel (at the base of the pyramids in Egypt); her last name is Estonian. Mena has 3 older brothers: A.J., Sulev, and Yuri. Around the age of 10 Mena's family moved to Charleston, South Carolina, where 2 of her 3 brothers attended the Citadel, a military school.
A modeling agency stopped by her all-girls school to offer classes, and after receiving a few pointers on her runway strut, Suvari attended a modeling convention and was snapped up by the New York-based Wilhelmina agency. After lying about her age (she was 12 but claimed she was 13), Mena signed with the agency and worked as a model for the following 5 years. While modeling, she balanced her education by attending high school and finally receiving her high school degree. She moved to Los Angeles with her parents after she got a job in an ad for Rice-a-Roni. When she reached L.A., Suvari started in on TV work almost immediately--commercials at first, followed by guest appearances on "Boy Meets World" (1993), "ER" (1994), and "Chicago Hope" (1994).
Mena's movie career began slowly but surely, with small roles in a bunch of movies. She started with a bit part in Gregg Araki's Nowhere. After that, she did more minor parts in other films including Kiss The Girls and The Slums of Beverly Hills. She then had a fairly bigger role as the best friend of the main character in The Rage: Carrie 2.
Mena's breakout role was as a choir girl in the teen comedy American Pie (1999). This was followed by her great performance in American Beauty (1999), which won 5 Oscars, and a British Academy award nomination for Suvari, as well as a flurry of job offers and gushing fansites. In the midst of the hubbub surrounding the film, she slipped off with her boyfriend, cinematographer Robert Brinkmann, to tie the knot in a secret ceremony. The media was quick to point out the pair's 16-year age difference, but Suvari shrugged it off (her parents are separated by 24 years).
The year 2000 saw the 21-year-old graduate from high school roles to silver screen college in the big-budget Loser. She followed that up with the dark comedy Sugar & Spice, playing a hard talking cheerleader. In 2001, Mena reprised her role of Heather for American Pie 2, another big success, and did a period film called The Musketeer.
Lately Mena has been getting a little more serious with her acting, choosing grittier, more character driven roles. She stars as a druggie in the independent movie Spun, with John Leguizamo and Jason Schwartzman. She is also in the upcoming directoral debut of Nicolas Cage, Sonny. She stars alongside James Franco and Brenda Blethyn, as a prostitute who falls in love with Franco's character, who is also one. Every film role Mena has chosen seems to be different from the next. She is paving a very diverse film career and is one of the most promising young actresses out there. Her unique look and talent are sure to bring her far.
Critically acclaimed for a range that takes her characters from sweet to vulgar, innocent to criminal, Suvari has found her calling in acting. Only 21, she has hopes of future behind-the-camera work - directing, she says, writing or producing. In the meantime, it looks as if she'll have plenty to do before the camera.
Smart and stylish, Mena Suvari is poised to become one of the busiest leading ladies of Generation Y. The petite actress inched her way into film, only to rocket into the spotlight. Now, with scripts pouring in and gossipmongers nipping at her heels, there's no going back to life as the girl next door.
Filmography:
� Trauma (filming)..... (2004)
� Spun..... Cookie (2002)
� Sonny.....Carol (2002)
� Snide and Prejudice.....Geli (2001)
� The Musketeer.....Francesca bon Ansau (2001)
� American Pie 2.....Heather (2001)
� Sugar & Spice.....Kansas Hill (2001)
� Loser.....Dora Diamond (2000)
� American Virgin.....Katrina Bartalotti (2000)
� American Beauty.....Angela Hayes (1999)
� American Pie.....Heather (1999)
� Atomic train (TV).....Grace Seger (1999)
� The Rage: Carrie 2.....Lisa Parker (1999)
� Slums of Beverly Hills.....Rachel Hoffman (1998)
� Kiss the Girls.....Coty Pierce (1997)
� Nowhere.....Zoe (1997)