Mischa Anne Marsden Barton (born 24 January 1986) is a British and American film, television, and stage actress. She began her career on the stage, appearing in Tony Kushner's Slavs! and took the lead in James Lapine's Twelve Dreams at New York City's Lincoln Center. She made her screen debut with a guest appearance on the American soap opera All My Children (1995), and voicing Betty Ann Bongo on the Nickelodeon cartoon series KaBlam! (1996–97). Her first major film role was as the protagonist of Lawn Dogs (1997), a drama co-starring Sam Rockwell. She appeared in major pictures such as the romantic comedy Notting Hill (1999) and M. Night Shyamalan's psychological thriller The Sixth Sense (1999). She also starred in the indie crime drama Pups (1999).
Barton later appeared in the independent drama Lost and Delirious (2001) and guest-starred as Evan Rachel Wood's girlfriend on ABC's Once and Again (2001–02). She played Marissa Cooper in the Fox television series The O.C. (2003–2006), for which she received two Teen Choice Awards. The role brought Barton into mainstream fame, and Entertainment Weekly named her the "It Girl" of 2003.
Barton has since appeared in the comedy remake St Trinian's (2007), the Richard Attenborough–directed drama Closing the Ring (2007) and Assassination of a High School President (2008). She returned to television, starring in the short-lived Ashton Kutcher-produced CW series The Beautiful Life (2009).
In 2012, she returned to the stage, performing in the Irish production of Steel Magnolias. She also appeared alongside Martin Sheen in Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain (2014). She has garnered critical praise for her roles in independent films, with the Los Angeles Times praising her "standout" performance in Starcrossed (2014). Barton was cast in the first season of the MTV series The Hills: New Beginnings (2019–2021), a reboot of The Hills. In 2023, she was cast in an extended guest role for the rebooted Australian soap opera, Neighbours on Amazon Freevee and Network 10.
Early life Barton was born at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in Hammersmith, London, to an Irish mother, Nuala Quinn-Barton, a producer, and an English father, Paul Marsden Barton, a foreign exchange broker from Manchester.
Her maternal grandfather was an Irish language professor at Queen's University Belfast. She has two sisters, Hania (younger) and Zoë (older), the latter a barrister (KC) in London. Barton has stated that she briefly attended St. Paul's Girls' School in Hammersmith,Mischa Barton – Fearne and Mischa Barton. ITV2, 8 September 2010. but her father's work took the family to New York City when Barton was five years old. In 2006, she became a naturalised citizen of the United States, but retained her British citizenship. She is also eligible for Irish citizenship through her mother.
Barton attended East Side Middle School in New York City during the period where she was on screen in "The Sixth Sense". She graduated from the Professional Children's School in Manhattan in 2004, and took a summer short course called Acting Shakespeare at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, in June and July 2006, at Sir Richard Attenborough's urging, after he directed her in Closing the Ring.
Career
1994–1997: Stage roles Barton began acting at the age of eight, co-starring in the off-Broadway premiere of the 1994 play, Slavs!, written by Tony Kushner. Vincent Canby of The New York Times praised Barton's "so fine" and "chillingly authoritative" performance. New York magazine also praised her as "a darling little girl, [that] exhibits consummate charm".Simon, John. "From "Slavs!" to Slavonia". New York. 9 January 1995 She appeared in several other Off-Broadway productions, taking a lead role in James Lapine's Twelve Dreams alongside Marisa Tomei at Lincoln Center. Canby again praised Barton, noting that she "has a sweet gravity as the doomed Emma". In 1996 Barton had a supporting role in Catherine Butterfield's Where the Truth Lies which opened at New York's Irish Repertory Theatre. The New York Times also remarked that "the winning child actresses Brittany Boyd and Mischa Barton are already smart enough not to overplay the naivete and precocity of their respective characters." In 1997, she appeared alongside Dianne Wiest at The Public Theater in Naomi Wallace's One Flea Spare. The New York production went on to win the Obie Award for Best Play.
1997–2003: Feature films and television She made her film debut in Lawn Dogs, which won awards at film festivals around the world. Barton won critical favour for her role, with Janet Maslin of The New York Times praising her "poised" performanceLawn Dogs (1997) FILM REVIEW; What's Green, Newly Mown And Irksome? The New York Times. 15 May 1998 and Empire celebrating her "hypnotic central performance".Lawn Dogs Empire. 1 January 2000 Barton then appeared in Notting Hill (1999) and The Sixth Sense (1999). Both films were critically and commercially successful, respectively earning $363,889,700 and $672,806,292. She also starred in Pups, a "Dog Day Afternoon for the MTV generation",FILM REVIEW; They've Got Hostages, and They Want Their MTV The New York Times. 14 February 2000 alongside Burt Reynolds; along with her co-star Cameron Van Hoy, film critic Roger Ebert called their work in the film "two of the most natural and freed performances I have seen by actors of any age."
Barton first appeared on television in 1994, playing a young Corvina Lang in flashbacks in the soap opera All My Children. In 1996, she returned to the show, replacing Michelle Trachtenberg in the role of Lily Benton Montgomery. She guest-starred in eight episodes of the television series Once and Again as Jessie Sammler's (Evan Rachel Wood) girlfriend, Katie Singer. In 2001, she returned to film and starred in the independent Canadian drama, Lost and Delirious, based on the novel The Wives of Bath by Susan Swan. The film was met with mixed reviews, but the performances of Barton and her co-stars Piper Perabo and Jessica Paré were widely praised. She also starred in Julie Johnson (2001) alongside Lili Taylor and Courtney Love, playing the daughter of a woman in a lesbian relationship. Barton also had a supporting role in the independent teen drama Tart (2001) with Brad Renfro and Dominique Swain.
Other television appearances include an episode of the Fox series Fastlane (2003). She also appears as the love interest in James Blunt's music video "Goodbye My Lover" (2005) and in Enrique Iglesias' music video "Addicted" (2003).
2003–2007: The O.C. In August 2003, Fox premiered the television series The O.C., about affluent teenagers with stormy personal lives who reside in scenic Orange County, California. The show became an overnight success due to its large fanbase, and resulted in Barton's fame being increased through her role as Marissa Cooper. Barton departed from the show in the third-season finale in May 2006. During her time on the show, Barton garnered several Teen Choice Awards. She was also celebrated by Glamour as the "Next Big Thing".Teens to Watch CPYU. Retrieved 29 December 2011 The O.C. dropped in ratings dramatically during its third and fourth seasons, and ended in early 2007.The O.C.' Cancelled Due to Poor Ratings" . Fox News Channel.
In July 2006, Barton appeared on the British comedy variety show The Friday Night Project as a guest host. In 2007, Barton appeared in the films The Oh in Ohio and the comedy film Virgin Territory with Hayden Christensen. She also joined Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer in Richard Attenborough's war drama Closing the Ring. Attenborough praised her, saying "her ability to convey pain and sadness, hopefulness and fear, is riveting". The Independent also noted that "she lends her character a beguiling vulnerability." She also appeared in the British comedy St Trinians (2007), appearing as a former head girl of that school advising current senior pupils on fashion and style. Later in 2007, Barton was cast in the international film produced by the Russian band t.A.T.u., called You and I. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008 and was released theatrically in Russia in 2011.
2008–2018: Independent films She appeared in Assassination of a High School President (2008), co-starring Bruce Willis, which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. The Hollywood Reporter praised Barton's "captivating" performance. She also starred in the horror film Walled In, which was released straight-to-DVD in March 2009. It received mixed reviews, but her performance was praised, with IGN calling her performance "terrific"."Walled In DVD Review" IGN. 16 March 2009 Her next horror project, Homecoming, received a limited release in July 2009. Barton did not attend the premiere of the psychological thriller due to a medical issue. She also starred in the 2009 film Don't Fade Away. In early 2009 she began filming alongside Martin Sheen in Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain a biopic of the Bhopal gas tragedy.
In a December 2007 interview, she indicated she would return to television for the right project; "It's not that I dislike doing television at all. It would be interesting having more creative control over where the storylines go or the characters. But for the right thing, of course." In 2009 she starred as one of the main characters on The Beautiful Life a new series on The CW."Mischa Barton opts for 'A Beautiful Life Reuters. 13 March 2009"Pilot News: Mischa Barton Lands 'Bitchy' Beautiful Role" TV Guide. 13 March 2009 The series was subsequently cancelled on 25 September 2009 after broadcasting two episodes."First fall TV casualty: 'The Beautiful Life MSNBC. 25 September 2009 In December 2009, the technology company HP became the show's sponsor, airing the show's five episodes on YouTube."HP To Sponsor 'Beautiful Life' On YouTube" Media Post. 19 December 2009"Ashton Kutcher Brings 'Beautiful Life' Back to Life" Parade. 18 December 2009 She guest starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, played an endangered prostitute in an episode that aired on 3 March 2010."Mischa Barton To Hook It Up on SVU" TV Guide. 4 January 2010 She has since mainly filmed horror and thriller projects, taking roles in The Sibling,"Mischa Barton filming 'Sibling' in Pittsburgh" On Location Vacation. 9 December 2010. Cyberstalker, a Lifetime television film"Mischa Barton in town to film made-for-TV thriller" Ottawa Citizen. 14 June 2011 and Apartment 1303 3D, the English-language remake of the Japanese horror film, Apartment 1303."Mischa Barton and Rebecca De Mornay Check into 'Apartment 1303 FearNet. 5 November 2011 Barton also appeared alongside Ryan Eggold in Mark Edwin Robinson's supernatural romance thriller, Into the Dark.Castings RPT Entertainment. 30 November 2011