Mena Adrienne Suvari was born on February 9, 1979, in Newport, Rhode Island. Her father was Ando Suvari, an Estonian psychiatrist; and her mother Candice, a nurse. 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. Mena started modeling at age 12, and her acting career began when she did a Rice-a-Roni commercial at age 13. She was also a Wilhelmina model for a few years. Mena attended middle school at the Ashley Hall all-girls school in Charleston, South Carolina, and graduated from Providence High School in Burbank, California. Her nickname in high school was "bean".

Mena was a natural for movies: she is petite (5'4"), has blue eyes, and her natural hair color is red. 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. Mena married Robert Brinkmann, a cinematographer, on March 18, 2000. Mena's hobbies include: painting watercolors, playing the piano, and hiking. Her fans look forward to her new movies, in what promises to be a long and successful career.