Stars Hailing from the Big Apple
As we all know, New York City is one of the most entertainment-heavy cities in the United States. It is a major portal for turning acting dreams into realities. Numerous famous actors and actresses have gotten their big breaks in New York City after moving there to make their dreams come true. However, there are also many people in the entertainment business who had the privilege of being born into such a big acting city. They all have different stories, but they all grew up in the city where entertainment runs wild: New York City.
Famous Child Stars from New York
Matthew Broderick
Macaulay Culkin and Abigail Breslin are two famous child stars that were born and raised in New York City. They both started acting at very young ages, and still continue to be in the entertainment industry today.
Macaulay Culkin was born on August 26, 1980 in New York City and was raised in Yorkville, Manhattan. He began acting at the ripe young age of four. He started acting in roles on stage, and eventually moved on to television and films. His first starring role was in 1980 when he played the role of Miles Russell” in Uncle Buck alongside John Candy. He rose to international fame for his role of Kevin McCallister in the blockbuster hits Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), in which he earned many awards and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. Another notable character played by Culkin was Thomas J. Sennett in the adorable child love story My Girl (1991). He won an MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss for this role. Nowadays, Culkin appears in little roles here and there, most recently a movie filmed entirely with an iPhone.
Abigail Breslin was born on April 14, 1996 in New York City. She is one of the youngest actresses ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for her role of “Olive Hoover” in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). Her career began at the age of three when she appeared in a Toys “R” Us commercial. Breslin’s first film role was in the 2002 sci-fi thriller Signs alongside Mel Gibson. Many critics praised her performance in the film. This kicked off her acting career. She had many small roles after Signs, including Raising Helen and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. However, Breslin’s breakthrough role was in Little Miss Sunshine. Since Little Miss Sunshine, Breslin has appeared in many movies with starring roles. Some popular films she has appeared in include No Reservations; Definitely, Maybe; and My Sister’s Keeper. Breslin is currently on set of a movie called New Year’s Eve, which is in production.
Famous Teen Stars from New York
Julia Stiles and Mischa Barton both rose to fame during their teenage years. They were both born in New York City and started their acting careers in the Big Apple.
Julia Stiles was born on March 28, 1981 in New York City. Although she didn’t start acting in films until 1996, she did start acting at age 11 in many stage performances with New York’s La MaMa Theatre Company. Her first appearance in film was a non-speaking role in I Love You, I Love You Not (1996) alongside Claire Danes and Jude Law. Her first lead role was in Wicked (1998), when she played a teenage girl who murders her mother so she could have her father all to herself. This role is what made her known to many directors, but it wasn’t until she played “Kat Stratford” in 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You that lead her to superstardom. She won and MTV award for “Breakthrough Female Performance” for the role and was also voted by the Chicago Film Critics as the most promising new actress of the year. Following her success with 10 Things I Hate About You, she appeared in many popular films such as Down to You, with Freddie Prinze, Jr.; and most notably Save the Last Dance (2001), in which she played an aspiring ballerina forced to move to downtown Illinois with her father following her mother’s death. She received two more MTV awards for her role in this film, including “Best Kiss” and Best Female Performance.” Stiles has also starred in all three “Jason Bourne” movies. Stiles began filming her latest project, Between Us, in May 2011 with co-stars Taye Diggs, David Harbour, and Melissa George. She is said to be dating her co-star David Harbour.
Mischa Barton was born January 24, 1986 in Hammersmith, West London to an Irish mother and an English father. Her father’s work brought her to New York City at the young age of 6 and began acting at the age of 8 in New York City. She started off co-starring in the Off Broadway premier of Slavs! and soon after took the lead role in Twelve Dreams at the Lincoln Center. Barton made her film debut in Lawn Dogs at age 11 and soon after appeared in many films such as The Sixth Sense, Closing the Ring, and Notting Hill, just to name a few. What set Barton off the fame charts, however, was her role of “Marissa Cooper” in the extremely popular teenage soap opera-esque television series The O.C. Barton received two Teen Choice Awards and three Teen Choice Awards nominations for her performance as Marissa Cooper, from the years 2003 to 2006. After Barton left the show in the third season, it’s ratings declined sharply. She has since appeared in many films and as a guest star in television shows. Barton began filming her latest project, a Lifetime movie called Offline, in June 2011. She will also soon start production of an English-language remake of a Japanese horror film Apartment 1303.
Famous Adult Stars from New York
Robert De Niro and Matthew Broderick have both been in many, many films. They have both been acting for a very long time and are also very successful in the acting industry. They, too, were born in the wonderful state of New York.
Robert De Niro was born on August 17, 1943 in New York City. He is not only an actor, but is a director and producer, as well. De Niro’s first movie role was in 1963’s The Wedding Party, at the age of 20. His first major film role in which he received recognition was in 1973’s Bang the Drum Slowly, and in 1974, he played the young “Vito Corleone” in The Godfather Part II. His role of Vito Corleone won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. De Niro has been in numerous blockbuster hits, including Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, and Cape Fear. De Niro has won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather Part II (1974) and for Best Actor in Raging Bull (1980). He has also received four Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for other films he starred in. Other notable films that De Niro has had a lead role in include all three Meet the Parents films, Analyze This, and Goodfellas. He is one of the most well-known and critically acclaimed actors of all time. De Niro has five films that are currently in post-production stages, one film that is currently being filmed, and one that is in pre-production. Cleary, Robert De Niro is going to keep fans entertained for a long, long time to come.
Matthew Broderick was born on March 21, 1962 in New York City. Broderick’s first film role was 1983’s Max Dugan Returns. His first big hit film was WarGames, a summer hit in 1983. Broderick’s most memorable role would be his role in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, in which he played the title character. The film remains a 1980s comedy favorite today. Another memorable Broderick role is when he voiced the adult lion, Simba, in Disney’s The Lion King. Other notable roles include the 1989 war film Glory and 2001’s The Producers. Although Broderick has never won any major awards, he has been nominated for many. Currently, Matthew Broderick is filming two movies, to be released in 2012.