Julia Stiles- Biography
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Julia Stiles is an American actress who began her career at the age of eleven. Beginning her career in theatre and television, she quickly obtained important roles in adolescent classic films. ‘La MaMa Theatre Company’ was where she made her acting debut. She went on to work on several other stage productions, portraying significant characters in plays such as ‘The Vagina Monologues,’ ‘Twelfth Night,’ and ‘Oleanna.’ In the early 1990s, she appeared on television in the series ‘Ghostwriter,’ playing the role of ‘Erica Dansby.’
She went on to participate in single episodes of various more programs and was nominated for a ‘Primetime Emmy Award’ and a ‘Golden Globe Award’ for her role as ‘Lumen Pierce’ in the TV series ‘Dexter.’ She made her film debut in 1996 with a little part in the film ‘I Love You, I Love You Not.’ Her major break came in 1999, when she landed the role of ‘Kat Stratford’ in the film ’10 Things I Hate About You.’ Her acting career advanced as she landed lead roles in films such as ‘Save the Last Dance,’ ‘The Business of Strangers,’ ‘Mona Lisa Smile,’ and ‘The Omen.’
Julia Stiles- Birth, Age, Ethnicity, Siblings, Education
Julia Stiles was born to John O’Hara and Judith Newcomb Stiles on March 28, 1981, in New York City, New York, USA. She has two younger brothers and sisters. Her mother is a potter, and her parents used to operate a ceramic shop in Greenwich Village. She was a brilliant young lady. She helped her family’s business by handling the register and dealing with clients when she was six years old. Her interest in theatre grew as she joined her parents to see performances. Shakespeare’s plays captivated her in particular.
During her childhood, she also developed a love of writing, and she would frequently send letters to her parents outlining her needs. She addressed a letter to Ed Koch, the then-mayor of New York City, when she was 11 years old, demanding that additional trash cans be placed on the streets. She also submitted a letter to the director of the ‘La MaMa Theatre Company,’ which resulted in her landing a role in one of the company’s shows when she was only 11 years old. Though she did not continue her academic education, she enrolled in ‘New York’s Professional Children School’ and began taking modern dance training in order to hone her creative skills in preparation for a career in the entertainment industry.
She enrolled at ‘Columbia University in 2000 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English in 2005. The ‘Columbia College Alumni Association awarded her and four other alumni with the ‘John Jay Award’ for their professional accomplishments in 2010.
Julia Stiles- Relationship, Married Life
She was in a relationship with actor, director, and filmmaker Joseph Gordon-Levitt. She was also romantically involved with artist Jonathan Cramer. Stiles began dating actor David Harbour in July 2011. She is a self-described feminist who has written several essays on the issue for the British publication ‘The Guardian.’
Julia Stiles confirmed her engagement to Preston J. Cook in January 2016. They married in September of this year and had a son.
Julia Stiles- Professional Career
At the age of 11, she began her acting career on stage with the ‘La MaMa Theatre Company.’ She began working with ‘Kitchen Theatre’ at the age of 12 and appeared in productions such as ‘The Sandlewood Box’ and ‘Matthew: School of Life.’ She also appeared in various ads.
Her early works, from 1993 to 1998, included plays performed at the ‘Ridge Theatre,’ where she enacted John Moran’s works.
She made her television debut in 1993 with the series Ghostwriter,’ in which she played ‘Erica Dansby for six episodes. From the mid-1990s through the early 2000s, she appeared in single episodes of various TV shows, including ‘Promised Land (1996), ‘Chicago Hope’ (1997), ‘Punk’d’ (2004), and ‘The City (2006). (2009). She also appeared on two episodes of “Saturday Night Live” (2001).
She made her film debut in the film ‘I Love You, I Love You Not,’ where she played a minor role (1996). Julia then starred in ‘The Devil’s Own’ (1997) as ‘Bridget O’Meara,’ alongside Harrison Ford. She acquired the major part of ‘Ellie Christianson’ in the 1998 picture ‘Wicked,’ earning the ‘Best Actress Award’ at the ‘Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.’ Despite the fact that the film was never released in theaters, she garnered excellent feedback from reviewers and was discovered by casting agents.
Her major break came in 1999 with the film ’10 Things I Hate About You,’ an adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of the Shrew.’ The film was a success, and Stiles received the ‘MTV Movie Award and the ‘Chicago Film Critics Association Award,’ in addition to several other nominations. She later participated in the comedy picture ‘Down To You’ (2000), which was a flop. However, the picture garnered her a ‘Teen Choice Award’ for ‘Choice Movie Chemistry,’ which she shared with co-star Freddie Prinze Junior.
Her next important film was ‘Save the Last Dance,’ in which she played ‘Sara Johnson.’ Her portrayal of ‘Sara’ is widely regarded as her most outstanding performance to date. The film was a box office triumph, earning her two ‘Teen Choice Awards as well as an ‘MTV Movie Award’ for ‘Best Kiss,’ which she shared with Sean Patrick Thomas. She also featured in ‘The Business of Strangers’ in 2001, when she portrayed the difficult part of ‘Paula Murphy,’ for which she received a nomination for a ‘Satellite Award’ for ‘Best Supporting Actress.’
She continues to perform in the theatre in addition to her roles in films and TV shows.
Stiles featured in Eve Ensler’s production ‘The Vagina Monologues’ from July to August 2002. She also played the lead part of ‘Viola’ in a ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ performance of ‘Twelfth Night.’ Julia Stiles had a minor but significant role as ‘Nicky Parsons’ in ‘The Bourne Identity,’ the first film in the ‘Bourne’ film series, in 2002. She went on to appear in further ‘Bourne’ films, including ‘The Bourne Supremacy’ (2004) and ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ (2006). (2007). Her highest-grossing film to date is the latter. In the 2000s, she advanced her career by showcasing her versatility in films such as ‘Mona Lisa Smile’ (2003), ‘The Prince and Me’ (2004), ‘The Omen’ (2006), and ‘The Cry of the Owl’ (2007). (2009).
In 2004, she played ‘Carol’ in David Mamet’s play ‘Oleanna,’ at the ‘Garrick Theatre.’ It was her first time on stage in London. In 2009, she returned to the ‘Mark Taper Forum’ as ‘Carol,’ directed by Doug Hughes. She made her directing debut with the short film Raving,’ which she wrote and directed. The film, starring Zooey Deschanel and Bill Irwin, premiered at the ‘Tribeca Film Festival’ and is now available on the website of ‘Elle’ magazine.
She was nominated for a ‘Primetime Emmy Award’ and a ‘Golden Globe Award’ for her role as ‘Lumen Pierce’ in 10 episodes of the hit TV show ‘Dexter.’ She starred in the web drama series ‘Blue,’ which was also broadcast on television, from 2012 until 2015.
Meanwhile, she portrayed ‘Jessica Lieberstein in the television comedy series ‘The Mindy Project’ in 2014. Julia Stiles also acted in films such as ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ (2012), ‘Between Us’ (2013), ‘Out of the Dark’ (2014), and ‘Go with Me’ (2015) between 2012 and 2015. (2015).
In 2015, Stiles reprised her role as ‘Nicky Parsons’ in ‘Jason Bourne,’ the fifth edition of the ‘Bourne’ trilogy. She was then cast as ‘Courtney Rutherford Hopkins,’ the wayward mother of ‘Gilly Hopkins,’ played by Sophie Nélisse, in the 2016 comedy-drama film ‘The Great Gilly Hopkins.’ Stiles appears in the 2019 film ‘Hustlers,’ as a journalist named ‘Elizabeth.’ She was cast as ‘Dr. Jordan Taylor’ in Austin Stark’s drama film ‘The God Committee’ the same year.
Humanitarian Service
Julia Stiles has been a social and political activist for many years. She supports the non-profit group ‘Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI). Julia assisted in the construction of housing in Costa Rica as part of her work with the organization.
She has also collaborated with ‘Amnesty International’ to raise awareness of the harsh conditions that unaccompanied minors experience in immigration detention. Her visit to Leesport, Pennsylvania, to witness the condition at the ‘Berks County Youth Center,’ was covered in the January 2004 issue of ‘Marie Claire.’
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