Alison Marion Lohman (born September 18, 1979) is a retired American actress. She began her career with small roles in short and independent films, and starred in the sitcom Tucker (2000–2001) and the soap opera Pasadena (2001). She received critical attention for her roles in White Oleander (2002), Big Fish and Matchstick Men (both 2003), winning accolades at the Hollywood Film and Young Hollywood Awards. She also lent her voice to the 2005 redub of the animated film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. After appearing in Beowulf and Things We Lost in the Fire (both 2007), her highest-grossing release came with the horror film Drag Me to Hell (2009), which earned her nominations at the Detroit Film Critics Society, MTV Movie and Saturn Awards.

In 2009, Lohman retired from acting after marrying filmmaker Mark Neveldine, choosing to focus on her personal life; she has since worked as an acting coach. Though she no longer professionally acts, she appeared in three of Neveldine's films: The Vatican Tapes (2015), Urge and Officer Downe (both 2016).

In July 2026, Lohman posted to her X account that she was working on a new film, and included a picture of her on set.

Early life Alison Marion Lohman was born in Palm Springs, California, on September 18, 1979."Alison Lohman's pixie face masks the inner adult", By Ron Dicker, The Baltimore Sun, September 18, 2003"Alison Lohman Biography" By Rebecca Murray, About.com. She has a younger brother named Robert. She excelled in high school, obtaining top grades in all subjects except drama because she suffered from shyness. During her senior year, she won an award from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. She was offered a full scholarship to attend New York University but declined, opting instead to directly pursue an acting career.

Career

At age nine, Lohman played Gretl in The Sound of Music at the Palm Desert's McCallum Theater. Two years later, she won the Desert Theater League's award for Most Outstanding Actress in a Musical for the title role in Annie. She went on to perform locally as a child singer, which included alongside Frank Sinatra at a benefit event in Palm Springs. She moved to Los Angeles in 1997 to pursue an acting career, beginning with minor roles in independent films and B movies. She was set to play a cancer patient in Tom Shadyac's 2002 film Dragonfly, for which Lohman shaved her hair. Her scenes were later removed.

Lohman was subsequently cast in White Oleander, an adaptation of Janet Fitch's novel, directed by Peter Kosminsky. Due to her previous haircut, she had to wear a wig during filming. Released in 2002, White Oleander earned positive reviews, and Lohman's performance was met with widespread acclaim. It was described as her "breakthrough role" by media sources, with the New York Times describing her work as "the year's most auspicious screen acting début". She additionally earned praise for her roles in Matchstick Men, released in 2003, and Big Fish, also released in 2003. Matchstick Men earned Lohman's performance as an adolescent con-artist acclaim over her co-star Nicolas Cage, while Big Fish saw her playing the younger version of Jessica Lange's character, for which USA Today wrote that "equally delightful is the Alison Lohman character's evolution into an older woman. It's a metamorphosis to equal any in screen history."

In 2005, Lohman appeared in Atom Egoyan's Where the Truth Lies, which originally received an NC-17 rating for its graphic sexual content, and emerged as a critical and commercial failure.Where the Truth Lies (2005), Box Office Mojo Some critics felt that Lohman was miscast; however, Roger Ebert spoke positively of her performance."Where the Truth Lies " , Roger Ebert review, October 28, 2005. Her next feature of that year, The Big White, was also panned by critics. Better received was the English language dubbing of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, also released in 2005, in which she voiced the titular character. Lohman beat out actress Natalie Portman for the role. The film was lauded by critics and audiences alike, and had a considerable impact on popular culture.

Lohman's next film was the drama Flicka, released in 2006. At the age of 25, she played a 14-year-old girl who befriends a wild mustang in the film. She had trained rigorously in horse-riding for the role, stating she was "constantly thrown emotionally and physically" while working with the horses for this role. She next played a recovering heroin addict in Things We Lost in the Fire, released in 2007 to mostly positive reviews.

Lohman starred in Sam Raimi's 2009 horror film Drag Me to Hell, taking the role after Elliot Page dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Lohman enjoyed her stunts during filming, despite not being particularly fond of horror films. The film grossed $90 million worldwide, becoming her highest-grossing role and garnering praise for her performance. In his review of the film, Roger Ebert wrote that she "greatly assisted" in the film's success and labeled her a scream queen: "It is essential that the heroine be a good screamer, and man, can that Alison Lohman scream. Stanley Kubrick would have needed only a day with her on The Shining." She received nominations for the Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress, the Saturn Award for Best Actress and the MTV Movie Award for Best Scared-As-Shit Performance.

Also in 2009, Lohman had a role in the film Gamer, which was panned by critics. After the release of Gamer, Lohman retired from acting to focus on her marriage to filmmaker Mark Neveldine and her desire to focus on raising their three children. She has since taught online acting classes and had small roles in three of Neveldine's films released between 2015 and 2016.

Personal life

In 2009, when she was 29, Lohman married filmmaker Mark Neveldine at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Watertown, New York. They have three children. She endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 United States presidential election.

Acting credits Film Year Title Role Notes 1998 Kraa! The Sea Monster Curtis1999 Planet Patrol Patrolman Curtis The Auteur Theory Teen Rosemary The Thirteenth Floor Honey Bear Girl2000 Sharing the Secret Beth Moss The Million Dollar Kid Courtney Hunter2001 Alex in Wonder Camelia Delivering Milo Ms. Madeline2002Dragonfly Cancer patientScenes deleted White Oleander Astrid Magnussen White Boy Amy2003 Big Fish Sandra Bloom (young), née Templeton Matchstick Men Angela2005Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Nausicaä Voice role; English dub The Big White Tiffany Where the Truth Lies Karen O'Connor2006 Delirious K'harma Leeds Flicka Katy McLaughlin2007 Beowulf Ursula Things We Lost in the Fire Kelly2009 Drag Me to Hell Christine Brown Gamer Trace 2015 The Vatican Tapes Psych Patient 2016 Urge MotherOfficer Downe Sister Blister

Television Year Title Role Notes1998 Pacific Blue Molly Episode: "Seduced" 7th Heaven Barbara Episode: "Let's Talk About Sex"1999 Crusade Claire Episode: "The Long Road" Safe Harbor Hayley Recurring role; 4 episodes 2000 Sharing the Secret Beth Moss Television film 2000–2001 Tucker McKenna Reid Main role 2001 Pasadena Lily McAllister Main role

Stage Year Title Role Notes 1988 The Sound of Music Gretl 1990 Annie Annie

Awards and nominations Year Award Category WorkResult 1991 Desert Theater League Most Outstanding Actress in a MusicalAnnie1997National YoungArts Foundation Advancement in the ArtsHerself2003Golden Schmoes AwardsBest Supporting Actress of the YearMatchstick MenHollywood Film AwardsBest Supporting ActressPhoenix Film Critics Society AwardsBest NewcomerWhite OleanderShoWest AwardsFemale Star of TomorrowYoung Hollywood AwardsBest Superstar 2004Central Ohio Film Critics AssociationBest Supporting ActressMatchstick Men2009Detroit Film Critics Society AwardsBest ActressDrag Me to HellFright Meter AwardsBest ActressScream AwardsBest Horror ActressScream AwardsFight Scene of the Year2010Saturn AwardsBest ActressMTV Movie & TV AwardsBest Scared-As-Shit Performance

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