Emma Stone biography

Synopsis

Childhood

Emily Jean "Emma" Stone was born on November 6, 1988 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her family's surname was anglicized to Stone when her grandfather, who is of Swedish descent, immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island. Stone began acting when she was 11, with her first stage role in a youth theater production of The Wind in the Willows. Throughout middle school, she appeared in 16 productions with the theater, some of which included The Princess and the Pea, Alice in Wonderland, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She also performed with the theater's improvisational comedy troupe.

After attending an all-girl Catholic high school for one semester, Stone dropped out in order to focus on an acting career. To convince her parents to let her move to Los Angeles, the witty actress put together a PowerPoint presentation aptly titled "Project Hollywood," set to Madonna's song, "Hollywood." Her tactic proved successful, and in January 2004, at the age of 15, Stone moved with her mother to a Los Angeles apartment.

Early Career

Stone soon began auditioning for roles, often standing out for her signature raspy voice. The fiery young actress was so dedicated that she dyed her childhood blonde locks a dark brown, hoping that the change would help her land more serious roles.

Stone got her first break as the winner of the VH1 reality show In Search of the New Partridge Family (2004). The reality competition featured eight aspiring young actresses, all competing for the role of Laurie Partridge for the revival of the 1970s classic sitcom. Contestants were judged on their singing, acting and resemblance to the original Laurie. The young actress, who went by Emily Stone at the time, won over the crowd with a cover of Pat Benatar's "We Belong," and landed the role. Although the resulting show never made it past the pilot, it served as a starting point for Stone's career, and led her to future manager Doug Wald.

After her run with reality TV, Stone began making appearances on several hit programs, including Malcolm in the Middle and NBC's Medium. She soon landed a regular role as 17-year-old Violet Trimble on the FOX drama Drive (2007), which lasted only one season. Around this time, Stone auditioned for a role on the hit science-fiction show Heroes (2006), ultimately losing the part to young actress Hayden Panettiere.