Biography

Abigail Kathleen Breslin is an American teen actress. The fourth youngest actress ever to be nominated for a competitive Academy Award, Breslin is best known for portraying Bo Hess in M. Night Shyamalan's Signs, Olive Hoover in the film Little Miss Sunshine, Anna Fitzgerald in My Sister's Keeper, and most recently, Little Rock in Zombieland.

Personal life

Breslin was born in New York City, the daughter of Kim, who manages Abigail's career, and Michael Breslin, a telecommunications expert, computer programmer and consultant. Her maternal grandparents, Catherine and Lynn Blecker, are from New Jersey, and now live in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. She has two older brothers, Ryan and Spencer Breslin, who is also an actor. Breslin lives in New York with her family, which her maternal grandparents have described as "very close-knit". She is named after First Lady of the United States Abigail Adams and collects American Girl dolls, stuffed animals, Webkinz, and Hot wheels car models.

Career

Prior to her star-making turn in Little Miss Sunshine, Breslin appeared in the films Signs , Raising Helen , The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement , Keane, Chestnut: Hero of Central Park, and The Family Plan. In 2004 she made a guest appearance on the television show NCIS, playing the role of a Navy Captain's blind daughter. In 2006, she starred in the comedy-drama Little Miss Sunshine, playing a beauty pageant contestant, the youngest in a dysfunctional family on a road trip. Her co-stars, Greg Kinnear and Alan Arkin, both mentioned that they were "astounded by her seriousness of purpose during shooting". For her performance, Breslin received nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress . At the time of her nomination and at the age of ten years old, Breslin became the fourth youngest actress to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The three actresses younger than Breslin to receive the nomination were Tatum O'Neal, Mary Badham, and Quinn Cummings. Breslin's co-star, Alan Arkin, did not want her to win the award, specifying that he thought that she has "had enough attention" and "needs to have a childhood".

Although Breslin did not win the Oscar, she co-presented with Jaden Smith at the 79th Academy Awards on February 25, 2007. Breslin was part of the Disney Year of a Million Dreams celebration. Annie Leibovitz photographed her as Fira from Disney Fairies with Julie Andrews as the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio. On October 27, 2007, Breslin made her stage debut in the play Right You Are in New York City at the Guggenheim Museum starring in an ensemble cast alongside Cate Blanchett, Dianne Wiest, Natalie Portman and Peter Sarsgaard. In 2007, Breslin was ranked #8 in Forbes Magazine's list of "Young Hollywood's Top-Earning Stars", having earned $1.5 million in 2006.

Breslin next appeared in the romantic comedies No Reservations, playing the niece of a chef, and Definitely, Maybe, in which her character is the daughter of a recently divorced father . In 2008, Breslin starred with Jodie Foster in the film Nim's Island and also headlined Kit Kittredge: An American Girl as the title character.

In 2009, Breslin starred in My Sister's Keeper, where she played Anna Fitzgerald alongside Cameron Diaz, and also starred in Zombieland.

In September 2009, Breslin was spotted filming in Des Moines, IA as the title character in the film Janie Jones. "I can’t say too much about it, but it is a drama,” Breslin said. “It has some funny parts in it, but for the most part it’s drama.” The film is surrounded by a fair amount of secrets, and Breslin is one of the first main roles to be cast.

Beginning in February 2010, she will be making her Broadway theatre debut as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker at the Circle in the Square Theatre.