Vera Ann Farmiga ( far-MEE-gə; born August 6, 1973) is an American actress. Farmiga began her professional acting career on stage in the
Original Broadway production of Taking Sides (1996). After expanding to television and film, Farmiga's breakthrough came in 2004 with her starring role as a drug addict in the drama
Down to the Bone. She received praise for starring in the 2009 comedy-drama
Up in the Air, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Farmiga made her directorial debut in 2011 with the drama film
Higher Ground, in which she also had the leading role. She had starring roles in the political thriller
The Manchurian Candidate (2004), the crime drama
The Departed (2006), the historical drama
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