Quvenzhané Wallis

Quvenzhané Wallis
Wallis at the 6th Annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood in 2013
Born (2003-08-28) August 28, 2003 (age 20)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • author
Years active2012–present

Quvenzhané Wallis (/kwəˈvɛnʒəneɪ/ kwə-VEN-zhə-nay; born August 28, 2003) is an American actress and author. In 2012, she starred as Hushpuppy in the drama film Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the youngest actress to be nominated in the category, as well as the first person born in the 21st century nominated for an Oscar. She starred as Annie Bennett in the 2014 adaptation of Annie, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.

In 2017, Wallis published two books, Shai & Emmie Star in Break an Egg! and A Night Out with Mama. She has published two more books: Shai & Emmie Star in Dancy Pants! and Shai & Emmie Star in To the Rescue!

Early life

Wallis was born in Houma, Louisiana, to Qulyndreia Wallis (née Jackson), a teacher, and Venjie Wallis Sr., a truck driver. She has one sister, Qunyquekya, and two brothers, Vejon and Venjie Jr. Her name "Quvenzhané" combines the first syllables of her parents' first names in "Quven", and an alteration of the Swahili word jini meaning 'sprite' or 'fairy'.

Career

At age five, Wallis lied about her age to audition for Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), which had a minimum tryout age of 6. She was chosen out of 4,000 to play Hushpuppy, an indomitable child prodigy and survivalist who lives with her dying father in the backwoods bayou squalor of Louisiana. Director Benh Zeitlin told The Daily Beast that when he auditioned Wallis, he immediately realized he had discovered what he was looking for, and changed the Beasts of the Southern Wild script to accommodate her strong-willed personality. Her reading prowess, loud screaming voice, and ability to burp on command impressed the director and won her the part. Zeitlin has stated that "it was just the feeling behind her eyes".

The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January 2012 to rave reviews, winning the Grand Jury Prize. In May 2012, Wallis flew to France for the premiere of the film at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Wallis's performance drew widespread acclaim and Zeitlin won the Caméra d'Or, the festival's award for best first feature film. On January 10, 2013, at age nine, Wallis was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Wallis, who was 6 when she filmed Beasts of the Southern Wild, is the all-time youngest nominee for Best Actress and the third-youngest nominee in any category. Wallis is the first African-American child actor and the first person born in the 21st century to earn an Oscar nomination.

Wallis had a role in the film 12 Years a Slave (2013), and collaborated with the Sundance Film Festival on a short film called Boneshaker. In 2014, she played the title character in Annie, the first African American to do so. For this, she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical and received praise from most reviewers.[citation needed] In May 2014, Wallis became the first child celebrity to be named the face of a luxury brand when she was signed by Armani Junior, Giorgio Armani's fashion line for children and teens.

Wallis appeared in Beyoncé's 2016 music video for "All Night". In October 2017, she released two children's books: the friendship-centric Shai & Emmie Star in Break an Egg! and A Night Out With Mama, which is about her night at the Oscars with her mother. She published two more books, Shai & Emmie Star in To the Rescue! and Shai & Emmie Star in Dancy Pants!, in 2018.

She became a member of the Actors Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2018.

Filmography

Film and television roles
Year Title Role Notes
2012
Beasts of the Southern Wild Hushpuppy
2013
12 Years a Slave Margaret Northup
2014
Annie Annie Bennett
Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet Almitra Voice role
2015
Fathers and Daughters Lucy
2016
Lemonade Herself
Trolls Harper Voice role
2019
Black-ish Kyra Recurring role, 5 episodes
2021
Swagger Crystal Main role
2022
American Horror Stories Bianca Episode: "Bloody Mary"
TBA Breathe Zora Post-production

Awards and nominations

Award Year Category Work Result Ref.
Academy Awards
2013
Best Actress Beasts of the Southern Wild Nominated
Alliance of Women Film Journalists
2013
Best Breakthrough Performance Won
Austin Film Critics Association
2012
Breakthrough Artist Award Won
Awards Circuit Community
2012
Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated
Black Reel Awards
2013
Best Actress Won
Best Breakthrough Performance Won
Central Ohio Film Critics Association
2013
Best Actress Nominated
Breakthrough Film Artist (acting) Runner-up
Chicago Film Critics Association
2012
Best Actress Nominated
Most Promising Performer Won
Chlotrudis Awards
2013
Best Actress Nominated
Critics' Choice Movie Awards
2013
Best Actress Nominated
Best Young Actor/Actress Won
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association
2012
Best Actress 5th place
Denver Film Critics Society
2013
Best Actress Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle
2012
Pauline Kael Breakout Award Won
Georgia Film Critics Association
2013
Best Actress Nominated
Breakthrough Award Nominated
Gold Derby Film Awards
2013
Best Lead Actress Nominated
Best Breakthrough Performer Won
Gotham Independent Film Awards
2012
Breakthrough Actor Nominated
Hollywood Film Awards
2012
New Hollywood Award Won
Houston Film Critics Society
2013
Best Actress Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards
2013
Best Female Lead Nominated
IndieWire Critics Poll
2012
Best Lead Performance 8th place
International Online Cinema Awards
2013
Best Actress Nominated
International Online Film Critics' Poll
2012
Best Actress Nominated
NAACP Image Awards
2013
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Nominated
National Board of Review
2012
Best Breakthrough Actress Won
New York Film Critics Online
2012
Best Breakthrough Performer Won
North Carolina Film Critics Association
2013
Best Actress Nominated
Online Film Critics Society
2013
Best Actress Nominated
Online Film and Television Association
2013
Best Actress Nominated
Best Youth Performance Nominated
Breakout Performance (female) Won
Phoenix Film Critics Society
2012
Best Actress Nominated
Best Female Youth Performance Won
Breakout Performance (on screen) Won
Satellite Awards
2012
Outstanding New Talent Won
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association
2012
Best Actress Nominated
Utah Film Critics Association
2012
Best Actress Nominated
Village Voice Film Poll
2012
Best Actress 5th place
Breakthrough Artist Award Won
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association
2012
Best Youth Performance Won
Women Film Critics Circle
2012
Best Young Actress Won
Phoenix Film Critics Society
2013
Best Acting Ensemble 12 Years a Slave Nominated
Black Reel Awards 2015 Outstanding Actress, Motion Picture Annie Nominated
Critics' Choice Movie Awards
2015
Best Young Actor/Actress Nominated
Golden Globe Awards
2015
Best Actress – Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical Nominated
NAACP Image Awards
2015
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Nominated
Women Film Critics Circle 2014 Best Young Actress Nominated
Black Reel Awards
2016
Outstanding Voice Performance The Prophet Nominated

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-10-28 11:15 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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