Anna Kendrick

Anna Kendrick is an American actress, singer, author, and director whose career has moved from Broadway child performer to film comedy, musical franchises, voice acting, streaming television, and filmmaking. Born Anna Cooke Kendrick in Portland, Maine, on 9 August 1985, she began performing while still a child and reached Broadway unusually early. At twelve, she appeared in the 1998 Broadway musical High Society and received a Tony Award nomination for Featured Actress in a Musical, a distinction that marked her as a major young stage talent before she had become a screen actor.

Kendrick made her film debut in the 2003 musical comedy Camp, playing Fritzi Wagner, and soon built a reputation for quick comic timing and emotionally alert supporting performances. She appeared in Rocket Science in 2007 and gained mainstream visibility through the Twilight film series, in which she played Jessica Stanley. Her major critical breakthrough came with Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air, opposite George Clooney and Vera Farmiga. As Natalie Keener, an ambitious young corporate employee forced to confront the human consequences of her work, Kendrick earned nominations for the Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild Award for supporting actress.

Her widest popular recognition came with Pitch Perfect in 2012. Playing Beca Mitchell, Kendrick helped anchor a musical comedy that turned collegiate a cappella into a mainstream franchise. The film’s success led to two sequels and to the hit single “Cups,” which extended Kendrick’s profile from screen acting into pop music. She also appeared in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 50/50, End of Watch, Into the Woods, The Accountant, A Simple Favor, Noelle, and other films that used her mixture of dry humor, musical ability, and understated dramatic skill.