Anna Chlumsky is a well-known American actress who has achieved remarkable success in her career and made a name for herself worldwide. Known for her friendships with Anne Hathaway and Olivia Wilde, she is a role model for many, as reported by chicagovski.com.
Childhood and Early Life
The future actress was born on December 3, 1980, in Chicago to Catholic parents Frank and Nancy Chlumsky. She isn’t the only child in the family; she has a brother.
Anna’s mother, Nancy, was a talented singer and appeared in several popular films, including My Girl (1991) and Trading Mom (1994), among others. In addition to her entertainment work, Nancy was a flight attendant and later became her daughter’s agent.
Anna’s television career began thanks to her mother. A friend, whose child was in modeling, suggested Nancy enroll her three-month-old daughter in an agency. She did, and by ten months old, Anna was modeling in commercials and department store catalogs like Sears.
Anna’s father was a multifaceted individual, running a restaurant in Wisconsin, teaching culinary arts at a college, and playing the saxophone with skill.
At nine, Anna appeared in a small role in the comedy Uncle Buck. A few years later, she starred in My Girl alongside Macaulay Culkin. Her performance was well-received by critics and the public, giving her recognition and popularity. This success was followed by Trading Mom.
After high school, Anna attended the University of Chicago, graduating in 2002 with a degree in International Studies. She went on to work for Zagat Survey and later became an editorial assistant at HarperCollins Publishers LLC.
The corporate life didn’t bring her fulfillment, and after a chance encounter with Roberta Frank and other serendipitous events she saw as signs, she decided to return to acting and enrolled in courses at the Atlantic Acting School.
Acting Career
Anna returned to the screen in 2005, appearing in the short film Wait. Two years later, she appeared in the feature Blood Car and TV series like 30 Rock and Law & Order.
In 2012, she made her debut in In the Loop and soon joined the series Veep, where her role as Amy Brookheimer earned her multiple Emmy nominations.
From 2013 to 2014, she appeared periodically in Hannibal as FBI trainee Miriam Lass, who falls victim to a serial killer. In 2017, she joined the project Halt and Catch Fire.
Alongside her film career, Anna also found success in theater. In 2005, she starred in Balm in Gilead by Lanford Wilson at the American Theatre of Actors. In 2009, she appeared in the off-Broadway play Unconditional at The Public Theater. In 2012, she performed in the premiere of 3C at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater.
Personal Life
Anna is married to Sean So, an American of Chinese descent. The couple married in 2008.
In 2013, they welcomed their first child. Notably, Anna filmed Veep up to her fifth month of pregnancy and returned to filming just four months after giving birth. In 2016, the couple welcomed their second child.
Fun Facts
- Anna auditioned for the role of Lex Murphy in Jurassic Park and chose to turn down roles in Beethoven and Lassie.
- She cannot sleep peacefully without reading a bedtime prayer.
- The actress dreams of working with Winona Ryder and Robert Sean Leonard.
Anna Chlumsky continues to appear in various films, delighting her fans with each role in which she puts a part of her soul.