Abigail Breslin At only ten years old, Abigail Breslin has accomplished more than most actors twice her age. In fact, with her recent Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, she has accomplished more than most actors ever do. Abigail Kathleen Breslin was born April 14, 1996, in New York, New York. However, she isn’t the only talent in the Breslin household. Her brother is child star Spencer Breslin who can be seen in such films as The Cat in the Hat, The Santa Clause 2, and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. Breslin began her acting career at three years old, shooting various commercials. She was quickly noted for her professional demeanor even at such a young age. The most important figure she caught the attention of was M. Night Shyamalan. He subsequently cast her in his new film Signs starring Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, and Rory Culkin. Playing the precocious and eccentric Bo Hess, Breslin garnered significant critical acclaim. Her breakthrough debut would soon prove to open many more doors for her in Hollywood.
She appeared in television for several years before receiving the call to do her next film, Raising Helen in 2004. Brushing shoulders with some of Hollywood’s finest, Breslin acted alongside Kate Hudson, John Corbett, Joan Cusack, Hayden Panettiere, Helen Mirren, and Felicity Huffman. She even costarred with real-life brother Spencer Breslin. Not stopping to take a breath, Breslin next appeared in the family comedy The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement in 2004 with Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Hector Elizondo, and John Rhys Davies. Taking a break from highly commercial films, Breslin turned her attention to independent productions to star in the thriller Keane with Damian Lewis. Returning to more expected roles, she also starred in the family oriented films Chestnut: Hero of Central Park and Air Buddies with the voice talents of Michael Clarke Duncan, Debra Jo Rupp, Tom Everett Scott, and Molly Shannon.
But Breslin got her largest break by far in 2006 when she landed the role of Olive in the comedy/drama Little Miss Sunshine. Even beside topnotch performances by Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin, Toni Collette, and Steve Carell, Breslin stole the show. For her work, she even earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also played a large part in the Screen Actors Guild win for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Currently, she has completed filming No Reservations with Catherine Zeta Jones and is in post-production for Definitely, Maybe with Ryan Reynolds and Rachel Weisz. Breslin is also no stranger to media attention. At only ten years old she has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno a staggering five times as well as Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. YUDDY |
