Vera Farmiga

Grew up in a Ukrainian-speaking enclave in New Jersey.

On "Late Night with Conan OBrien" (July 19, 2007), Vera stated that she has had Lasik eye surgery.

Graduated from Syracuse University, class of 1995.

Did not learn English until she was six.

Daughter of Ukrainian immigrants, and the second of seven children.

Last name is pronounced far-MEE-guh.

Attended Syracuse University with actor Taye Diggs and producer Terry Dinan.

Graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School, class of 1991.

Was member of the dramatic jury at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005.

Gave birth to her 1st child at age 35, son Fynn Hawkey (Fynn McDonnell Hawkey) on January 13, 2009. Childs father is her 2nd husband, Renn Hawkey.

Returned to work 2 months after giving birth to her son Fynn in order to begin filming Up in the Air .

Auditioned for the role of Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale , but Eva Green was cast instead.

Used a body double for her nude scene in Up in the Air as she had just recently given birth. However, she has appeared nude herself in Down to the Bone , Iron Jawed Angels , Never Forever , In Transit , and The Vintners Luck .

Was originally cast as Wallis Simpson in W.E. . She met with Madonna for tea to discuss the role, but ultimately dropped out due to her second pregnancy. Andrea Riseborough was then cast instead.

Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 37, daughter Gytta Hawkey (Gytta Lubov Hawkey) on November 4, 2010. Childs father is her 2nd husband, Renn Hawkey.

Was 5 months pregnant with her daughter Gytta when she completed filming on Higher Ground .

Returned to work 3 months after giving birth to her daughter Gytta in order to begin filming Goats .

Older sister of Taissa Farmiga.

Good friends with George Clooney.

Delivered her children Fynn and Gytta via Caesarean section.

Turned down the offer to portray Milada Horkov in Milada , eventually played by Ayelet Zurer.

Good friends with Dagmara Dominczyk and Patrick Wilson.

Sister-in-law of Adam Hawkey and Molly Hawkey.

First wife of Sebastian Roch.

Turned down the role of Lynn Childers in Machine Gun Preacher as she had become pregnant with her daughter Gytta.

Has worked with directors James Wan , Jaume Collet-Serra , and Jason Reitman twice each.

Good friends with "Bates Motel" co-stars Freddie Highmore , Nestor Carbonell , and Max Thieriot.

Drives a black Chevrolet Corvette (December 2013).

Counts boxing and knitting among her hobbies.

Plays the guitar and piano.

Has made two films with sister Taissa Farmiga : Higher Ground and At Middleton .

Practices the Japanese martial art of Jujitsu, in which she has earned an orange belt (March 2017).

Is a highly skilled pianist. She has played the piano for many of her acting roles, including Orphan , At Middleton , and "Bates Motel" .

Had never acted in a sequel until The Conjuring 2 .

Has starred in two films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: The Departed (which won) and Up in the Air .

Made her Broadway debut as an understudy for the role of Emmi Straube in "Taking Sides" (October 1996).

Is a fan of the novels "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian" by Marina Lewycka, "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" by Annie Dillard, "Identity" by Milan Kundera, and "Wildlife" by Richard Ford.

Was considered for a role in The Dark Knight Rises .

Before acting professionally, she worked in customer service for an air conditioning company.

Is referred to as a "Scream Queen" after her starring roles in Joshua , Orphan , "Bates Motel" , The Conjuring , and The Conjuring 2 .

Is an alumnus of the prestigious Barrow Group theatre company.

Was a semi-professional Ukrainian folk dancer in the troupe Syzokryli, instructed by dancer and choreographer Roma Pryma-Bohachevsky.

Owns three angora goats named Zoshya, Fruzia and Sofika, and a dog named Muppet.

Is a fan of the Roman Polanski films Repulsion and Rosemarys Baby .

Though both her parents are Ukrainian-born, her mother grew up in the United States from infancy and her father was raised in Argentina.

Found her love of acting after being benched during a high school soccer match. She auditioned for the drama departments production of "The Vampire" and won the lead role.

Owns homes in Hudson Valley, New York and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Can speak some French and Spanish, in addition to being fluent in English and Ukrainian.

Began studying Muay Thai boxing during the second season of "Bates Motel" . She previously studied the sport as a 20-year-old.

Attended St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic School.

Met her 2nd husband, Renn Hawkey , on the set of "Touching Evil" in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Auditioned, and was closely considered, for the role of Jude Quinn in Im Not There. , but Cate Blanchett was cast instead.

Earlier in her career, Farmiga would send self-taped auditions to casting directors instead of auditioning in person.

Her six siblings are named Victor, Stephan, Nadia, Alexander, Laryssa, and Taissa. They all share the same parents.

Played the older version of her sister Taissa Farmiga s character in Higher Ground , and her mother in At Middleton .

Was born in Passaic County and grew up in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.

Her sister Laryssa was born with spina bifida.

Her father was a soccer player in his youth and was scouted for Argentinas national team.

Her role in "Roar" paid off her college student loans.

Is often cast in the role of a mother.

Has sung in four of her projects: Iron Jawed Angels , Higher Ground , "Bates Motel" , and Special Correspondents .

The set of The Conjuring was allegedly haunted. Farmiga apparently received an unexplained claw-shaped scratch on her thigh, and a similarly-shaped mark also appeared on her laptop screen.

Was introduced to her 2nd husband, Renn Hawkey , by their mutual friend, director Allen Hughes.

Once played her agent, Tracy Brennan , in a video for CAA. She was so good in the role that other agents began recommending her to casting directors for roles.

Landed her first agent immediately after graduating from Syracuse University.

Counts Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball among her idols.

Met with Darren Aronofsky to discuss her taking a role in The Wrestler . Farmiga could not envision herself coupled with Mickey Rourke and passed on the project. Marisa Tomei was eventually cast.

Placed the Peoples Choice Award she won for "Bates Motel" in a scene in the series finale, as an "Easter egg" for the supportive fans of the show.

Had to go to the emergency room after sustaining an injury during the filming of "Bates Motel" s third season finale.

Flashed Jude Law on the set of Breaking and Entering . She said, "It was just me and Anthony Minghella messing with Jude and his reaction [was] priceless -- embarrassed and amused and giddy".

Is good friends with Peter Sarsgaard , who shares the same manager, and his wife Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Freddie Highmore is godfather to her son, Fynn Hawkey.

Anthony Minghella sought Farmiga for a lead role in Breaking and Entering , but due to scheduling conflicts with The Departed , she instead took the supporting role of Oana.

Was a member of the Breakthrough Actor award jury at the Gotham Awards in 2017.

There are some times when I think acting can be a noble profession.

What happened is that I ended up getting benched in soccer in high,school so I tried out for the school play and I got the lead role. Then,I just stuck with it.

Doubt is the middle position between knowledge and ignorance. It,encompasses cynicism but also genuine questioning.

My culture is very rich in the art; singing and dance were so much a,part of my childhood. I was in a traveling professional dance troupe,called Syzokryli, and I was very serious about the piano. So I was,always performing.

Sometimes I attract roles that are necessary either for personal growth,or enlightenment.

Normally, I rely heavily on my director to massage me out of my actor,comfort zones.

The more people know about you, the more face-time you get in the media,the harder your job becomes to create a character in whom people,suspend disbelief.

I think the worst thing that can happen to a good actor is fame.

[on her first Emmy Award nomination] It is such an honor to be,recognized by the academy and in the company of such brilliant women.

A franchise, for me, is the chance to explore deeper characterization,and, potentially, a slightly bigger paycheck, which is very alluring.

I think God gave us senses of humor, and we should use them.

Someone once told me that religion is like a knife: You can stab someone with it, or you can slice bread with it.

I have tender, romantic associations with upstate New York. .