Anna Kendrick biography

Synopsis

Early Career

Actress Anna Kendrick was born on August 9, 1985, in Portland, Maine. A promising young actress, Kendrick started her career in her early teens. She received a Tony Award nomination for her work in the Broadway musical High Society in 1998. Kendrick then made her film debut in 2003's Camp. This independent comedy followed the misadventures of a songwriter who works at a summer musical theater program for young people.

In 2007's independent coming-of-age comedy Rocket Science, Kendrick played a popular girl and a skilled debater who lures a boy with a stutter to join the debate team. She also had a chance to showcase her vocal talents on television with an appearance on Viva Laughlin, a musical drama that only lasted a few episodes.

Career Highlights

With a supporting role in Twilight (2008), Kendrick became part of the international sensation surrounding the big-screen adaptation of Stephanie Meyer's teenage vampire novels. She played the friend of Bella (Kristen Stewart), a girl who falls for a vampire named Edward (Robert Pattinson). Reprising her role, Kendrick appeared in the sequels New Moon (2009) and Eclipse (2010).

Graduating to more mature roles, Kendrick played Natalie, a young businesswoman, in 2009's Up in the Air (2009). The film follows a cross-country trek taken by Natalie and Ryan Bingham (played by George Clooney), a human resources professional who is hired by companies to fire unwanted employees. Ryan insists that his work requires face-to-face interaction while Natalie insists that the job can be done via video-conferencing over a computer. The two travel together so that Ryan can show Natalie the particulars of terminating employees. For her work on the film, Kendrick nabbed an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her co-star, Vera Farmiga, who plays Clooney's love interest, was also nominated in the same category.

With her career on the rise, Kendrick starred in the fantasy comedy Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) with Michael Cera. The following year, she appeared in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1.

Recent Projects

An in-demand actress these days, Kendrick starred a number of films in 2012. She co-starred with Chance Crawford as a couple expecting their first child in the romantic comedy in What to Expect When You're Expecting. In the musical comedy Pitch Perfect (2012) with Rebel Wilson and Brittany Snow, Kendrick led a college singing group.