Detailed Biography

Morena Baccarin is a Brazilian-American actress best known for her roles as Inara Serra in the sci-fi television series Firefly, Adria in Stargate SG-1, and as Anna in V. Morena was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her mother is Brazilian stage and TV actress Vera Setta, and her father is the Brazilian Record TV News Coordinator in Rio de Janeiro, Fernando Baccarin. She lives in the United States.

Biography

Early life

When she was 7, Baccarin moved with her family to Greenwich Village, New York, in the United States. Baccarin attended Public School 41 and New York City Lab School for Collaborative Studies, where she and Claire Danes were classmates. She later attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts before she entered the theater program at Juilliard. Wes Bentley and Glenn Howerton were both classmates there.

Acting

Baccarin landed her first movie role in the improvised fashion world comedy Perfume . This was followed by a lead role in the film festival hit Way Off Broadway . Shortly before moving to Los Angeles, Baccarin appeared with Natalie Portman and understudied for her role in the acclaimed Central Park production of The Seagull. The science fiction drama Firefly was Baccarin's first television show, and she reprised her role in the 2005 film Serenity.

In February 2005, Baccarin provided the voice for Black Canary in multiple episodes of the animated series Justice League Unlimited. She also guest starred in two episodes of the television series The O.C. in 2006. Morena also acted in an unaired pilot episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, playing Carmen, a male-to-female transsexual. The episode was never aired on television, as it was used simply to pitch the show to FX executives. The scene is available on the Seasons 1 & 2 DVD release of the show. Interestingly, Glenn Howerton of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame, would later appear in a minor role in the Joss Whedon film, Serenity, also starring Baccarin.

In April 2006, it was announced that Morena would be playing the adult version of Adria, a recurring villain in the tenth season of Stargate SG-1. She first appeared in season 10 episode "Counterstrike" as adult Adria . She appeared on the November 6, 2006, broadcast of How I Met Your Mother; Barney, whom she mistakenly calls "Swarley" , commented that her character had "crazy eyes." On December 22, 2006, she appeared in a supporting role as Lisa Cruz on Justice, the FOX network television show. On February 16, 2007, she appeared in an episode of Las Vegas as Sara Samari. On April 6, 2008, Baccarin appeared in an episode of Dirt as a Hollywood actress.

Morena reprises her role as Adria in the movie Stargate: The Ark of Truth.

When asked in an interview "if she's up for the role of Wonder Woman, " Baccarin replied: "I’m not going to say no to a superhero but it's not up to me."

Baccarin has landed a lead role in ABC's remake of V, playing Anna, who is the leader of the Visitors.

In May 2009, Baccarin made her off-Broadway debut in Theresa Rebeck's television satire Our House at Playwrights Horizons in New York City where she played a news reporter whose affair with a television executive lands her a gig as the host of a hit reality show.

She had a small role in the independent film Death in Love.