 | Dakota Fanning: Encyclopedia - Dakota Fanning
Dakota Fanning
Hannah Dakota Fanning (born February 23, 1994) is an American child actress. Known professionally as Dakota Fanning, she is one of the first major stars among the youngest members of Generation Y.
Dakota Fanning - Television
Fanning, born in Conyers, Georgia, to Steven and Joy Fanning, began her quick rise to stardom at age five, when she was chosen for a Tide commercial. Her first significant acting job was a guest-starring role in the NBC prime-time drama, ER, which remains one of her favorite characters ("I played a car accident victim who has leukemia. I got to wear a neck brace and nose tubes for the two days I worked." [1]).
Several guest roles in established series would follow, including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Friends, The Practice, Spin City and Malcolm in the Middle. She also portrayed the title characters of Ally McBeal and The Ellen Show as young girls.
In 2002, Steven Spielberg gave Fanning the lead child role in the science fiction miniseries Taken as Allison "Allie" Clarke/Keys. By this time, critics were starting to sit up and take notice; Tom Shales of The Washington Post wrote that Fanning "has the perfect sort of otherworldly look about her, an enchanting young actress called upon ... to carry a great weight.". [2]
Dakota Fanning - Film
In 2001, at age seven, Fanning was chosen to star opposite Sean Penn in I am Sam, the story of a mentally challenged man who fights for the custody of his daughter. This role made Fanning the youngest person (in 2002, at age eight) ever to be nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, for her supporting performance. When she won the Best Young Actor/Actress award from the Broadcast Film Critics Association for I am Sam, she was too short to reach the microphone; presenter Orlando Bloom held her up for the duration of her acceptance speech (which turned out to be quite long).
In 2002, Fanning appeared in three films: As a kidnap victim who is more than the crooks bargained for in Trapped; as the young version of Reese Witherspoon's character in Sweet Home Alabama; and, as Katie in Hansel & Gretel.
Fanning was featured even more prominently in two films released in 2003: Playing the uptight child to Brittany Murphy's childish nanny in Uptown Girls, and one of two children "babysat" by Mike Myers as The Cat in the Hat.
In 2004, Dakota starred in Man on Fire as Pita, a kidnapped nine-year-old who wins over the heart of a retired assassin (played by Denzel Washington). Fanning also won raves from critics: Roger Ebert wrote that Fanning "is a pro at only 10 years old, and creates a heart-winning character." [3] More critical praise followed Hide and Seek, her first release in 2005, opposite Robert De Niro. Though the film was panned, critic Chuck Wilson called it "a fascinating meeting of equals—if the child star [Fanning] challenged the master [De Niro] to a game of stare-down, the legend might very well blink first." [4] She also had a small part in the Rodrigo Garcia film Nine Lives, in which she shared a nine-minute unbroken scene with Glenn Close, who had her own praise for Fanning: "She's definitely an old soul. She's one of those gifted people that come along every now and then."
Fanning completed filming on Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story (with Kurt Russell) in late October, 2004, from which she then went directly to the set of War of the Worlds, starring alongside Tom Cruise. Released in reverse order, both films were critical successes. Of Fanning's performance in War of the Worlds, critic Kenneth Turan calls her "as good an actress as we have today. Fanning has a gift for naturalness and empathy that makes her the perfect audience surrogate." [5].
Again, she moved straight to another film without a break: In May, 2005, she finished filming Charlotte's Web with Julia Roberts in Australia. The film is slated for release in December, 2006.
As of mid-December, 2005, Dakota was listed in the credits of three films: Coraline, The Secret Life of Bees, and Hounddog. She is rumored to be starring in a remake of the classic novel Alice In Wonderland, as well as auditioning for the part of Susie from Peter Jackson's film version of Alice Sebold's book The Lovely Bones. [6]
Dakota Fanning - Voice work
Fanning has done voice-over work for five animated projects: As Satsuki in Disney's English-language release of My Neighbor Totoro; as Lilo (succeeding Daveigh Chase) in the direct-to-video film, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch; as Kim Possible in preschool in the Disney Channel series, Kim Possible; as a little girl in the Fox series, Family Guy; and, as young Wonder Woman in Cartoon Network's Justice League.
Dakota Fanning - Trivia
Dakota Fanning's sister, Elle Fanning, is a budding actress. Elle began her career by playing younger versions of Dakota's characters in I am Sam and Taken.
At age five, Dakota appeared with legendary musician Ray Charles in a television commercial for the Georgia State Lottery. [7]
Dakota appeared on The Tonight Show on November 10, 2003, where she declared that she and her sister shared a room, and described The Cat in the Hat co-star Mike Myers as "very funny". In a subsequent Tonight Show interview on July 12, 2005, she revealed that she received a cell phone from War of the Worlds co-star Tom Cruise for her birthday, much to her parents' chagrin. She made a third appearance on The Tonight Show on October 19, 2005, in which she demonstrated her technique for selling Girl Scout cookies.
Tony Scott, director of Man on Fire, and Steven Spielberg, director of War of the Worlds, had very similar things to say about Fanning. Says Scott: "The kid is extraordinary—not just in terms of her acting ability, just her instincts about moments in time." Spielberg marveled at "how quickly she understands the situation in a sequence, how quickly she sizes it up, measures it up and how she would really react in a real situation ... pure, unadulterated honesty."
When Dreamer opened in October, 2005, critics were not only impressed with her performance, but with the ability to headline her own film when it debuted at #2 at the box office.
Dakota Fanning - Filmography
Dakota Fanning - Awards
Fanning has won and been nominated for numerous awards; an updated list is here.
Other related archives1994, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, Alice In Wonderland, Alice Sebold, Ally McBeal, American, Australia, Brittany Murphy, Broadcast Film Critics Association, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Cartoon Network, Charlotte's Web, Conyers, Georgia, Coraline, Daveigh Chase, December, Denzel Washington, Disney Channel, Disney's, Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story, ER, Elle Fanning, English, Family Guy, February 23, Fox, Friends, Generation Y, Georgia, Girl Scout cookies, Glenn Close, Hide and Seek, I am Sam, Julia Roberts, July 12, Justice League, Kim Possible, Kurt Russell, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, Lottery, Malcolm in the Middle, Man on Fire, May, Mike Myers, My Neighbor Totoro, NBC, November 10, October, October 19, Orlando Bloom, Peter Jackson, Ray Charles, Reese Witherspoon, Robert De Niro, Roger Ebert, Screen Actors Guild, Sean Penn, Spin City, Steven Spielberg, Sweet Home Alabama, Taken, The Cat in the Hat, The Ellen Show, The Lovely Bones, The Practice, The Tonight Show, The Washington Post, Tide, Tom Cruise, Tony Scott, Trapped, Uptown Girls, War of the Worlds, Wonder Woman, animated, assassin, awards, cell phone, child actress, commercial, critics, crooks, direct-to-video, drama, film version, guest-starring, miniseries, preschool, prime-time, science fiction, stars, television commercial, voice-over
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