Vera Farmiga is an American actress. She began her career on stage as an understudy in Ronald Harwood's 1996 play Taking Sides on Broadway. The following year, she starred in the Off-Broadway play Second-Hand Smoke (1997) by Mac Wellman. Farmiga made her film debut in the drama-thriller Return to Paradise (1998). She then had supporting roles in the romantic drama film Autumn in New York (2000), the crime drama film The Opportunists (2000), and the action thriller film 15 Minutes (2001). Farmiga's breakthrough role came in 2004, when she was cast in the drama film Down to the Bone. For her performance, she won the Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for Acting and was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. She then starred in the political thriller The Manchurian Candidate (2004) and the crime thriller Running Scared (2006).
Farmiga's role in The Departed (2006), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, brought her to worldwide prominence. She subsequently had a lead role in the romantic drama Never Forever (2007). In 2008, Farmiga starred in the historical drama The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, for which she won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress. That same year, she appeared in the political drama Nothing But the Truth, for which she was nominated for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress. She then starred in the psychological thriller Orphan (2009), and gained critical acclaim for her role in the comedy-drama Up in the Air (2009), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2011, Farmiga made her directorial debut with the drama Higher Ground, for which she was nominated for the Gotham Award for Best Breakthrough Director and the Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture. Also in 2011, she starred in the science fiction film Source Code. The following year, she appeared in the action thriller Safe House (2012) and the comedy-drama Goats (2012). In 2014, she starred in the drama The Judge. Two years later, she co-starred in the satirical comedy Special Correspondents (2016). In 2018, she appeared in the action thriller The Commuter and the biographical drama The Front Runner. The following year, Farmiga starred in the science fiction thriller Captive State and the monster blockbuster Godzilla: King of the Monsters. In 2021, she starred as Livia Soprano in the crime drama film The Many Saints of Newark.
In 2013, Farmiga starred as Lorraine Warren in the critically acclaimed horror film The Conjuring, for which she was nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Best Scared-As-Shit Performance; she has reprised her role multiple times in the franchise, including in The Conjuring 2 (2016), Annabelle Comes Home (2019), and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021).
From 2013 to 2017, she starred in the A&E drama-thriller series Bates Motel as Norma Louise Bates. Her performance in the role earned her the 2013 Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television, and nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (2013), the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series (2013–2015), and the TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama (2013). She also served as a producer on the series. In 2019, Farmiga starred in the miniseries When They See Us. For her performance, she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. Farmiga also portrayed Eleanor Bishop in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero miniseries Hawkeye (2021) and Dr. Anna Pou in the medical drama miniseries Five Days at Memorial (2022).
Film
Year Title Role Director Notes 1998 Return to Paradise Kerrie 2000 Autumn in New York 2001 15 Minutes Dust Amy 2002 Love in the Time of Money Greta Dummy 2004 Down to the Bone Mind the Gap 2005 Neverwas Eleanna 2006 Running Scared Breaking and Entering Oana 2007 Never Forever Korean film Joshua 2008 Quid Pro Quo In Transit Dr. Natalia Nothing But the Truth 2009 Orphan Up in the Air 2010 Henry's Crime 2011 Higher Ground Directorial debut Source Code 2012 Goats Safe House 2013 At Middleton Closer to the Moon 2014 2016 Special Correspondents Burn Your Maps Short film 2017 Unspoken , , & Documentary; Executive producer 2018 Joanna Boundaries Laura Jaconi Skin Shareen Krager 2019 Captive State Jane Doe Godzilla: King of the Monsters Annabelle Comes Home Gary Dauberman 2021 The Many Saints of Newark Livia Soprano Alan Taylor 2023 The Nun II Michael Chaves Cameo Origin Kate Medina Ava DuVernay Ezra Grace Tony Goldwyn 2025 The Conjuring: Last Rites Michael Chaves 2026 The Leader Bonnie Nettles Michael Gallagher Also executive producer TBA scope="row" Stephen Chbosky Post-production scope="row" Natasha Tolkachev Amma Asante Post-production
Television Year Title Role Notes 1997 Roar Catlin 13 episodes Rose Hill Emily Elliot Television film 1998 Law & Order Lindsay Carson Episode: "Expert" 2001 Snow White: The Fairest of Them All Queen Josephine Television film 20012002 UC: Undercover Alex Cross 13 episodes 2004 Iron Jawed Angels Ruza Wenclawska Television film Touching Evil 12 episodes 20132017 Bates Motel Norma Louise Bates 50 episodes; Also producer/executive producer; 40 episodes 2018 Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams The Candidate Episode: "Kill All Others" 2019 When They See Us Elizabeth Lederer 2 episodes 2021 Halston Adele Episode: "The Sweet Smell of Success" Hawkeye Eleanor Bishop 6 episodes 2022 Five Days at Memorial Dr. Anna Pou 8 episodes 2025 Boots Barbara Cope 8 episodes Gossamer Voice; upcoming animated series
Stage Year Title Role Location Notes 1996 The Tempest Princess Miranda American Conservatory Theater Good The Barrow Group, Off-Broadway Taking Sides Emmi Straube Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Broadway Understudy 1997 Second-Hand Smoke Linda Primary Stages, Off-Broadway 2002 Under the Blue Sky Helen Williamstown Theatre Festival
See also List of awards and nominations received by Vera Farmiga
References
External links