The Lovely Bones
The Way Back
Hanna
Saoirse >> Biography
Saoirse Ronan was born on April 12th 1994 to proud parents Paul and Monica Ronan in New York City, New York. Although she was born in the United
States, Saoirse was moved to Ardattin, Ireland with her parents when she was still young. Her father, Paul Ronan, is a famous actor in his own right, starring
in films like The Devil's Own with Brad Pitt. As a baby, Saoirse accompanied her father to the set of The Devil's Own and was carried and held by Brad Pitt.
In 2003, she booked her first role, a recurring television role, as Rhiannon Geraghty on The Clinic for 4 episodes. 2005, she booked another television
role as Orla Boland on Proof, also for 4 episodes. From there, it was impossible to stop her!
In 2006 came along her first movie role, a starring role, in a movie also starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd. She played the maturing witty daughter
of Michelle's character, Izzie. The film was called I Could Never Be Your Woman. Though it turned out underrated, the light comedy proved to be Saoirse's
first great movie when it was released. Next up, was perhaps Saoirse's biggest role yet! She was booked to play the evil character Briony Tallis at age 13 in
the war-time drama Atonement based on the book of the same name, that also had big names Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, and Vanessa Redgrave signed on.
When the film released in 2008, Saoirse received an armload of awards nominations and wins for her performance as Briony. She gained the admiration of many.
As a result of the film, she was nominated for an Academy Award! Although she didn't win, she had still done her job as an actress by capturing the love (and hate)
of many people. Who says evil isn't good?
Next up, Saoirse booked the part of Lina Mayfleet in the science-fiction adventure film, City of Ember. The film co-starred Harry Treadaway as Lina's
best friend Doon Harrow, Martin Landau as an overworking old handyman, and Bill Murray as the schemeing, stealing mayor. It was filmed in the Titanic quarters
of the Belfast paint hall. Even though the movie seemed to be highly anticipated, opening weekend at the box office failed, after underadvertising, ending
at #11. Though it was her largest film role to date, being featured in about 95% of the film, it wasn't as successful as anyone had hoped. Even so, she did earn several
award nominations for her performance.
Another part that also earned her several award nominations was her performance as Benji McGarvie in Death Defying Acts. Death Defying Acts
follows a con-artist mother and her daughter as they meet Harry Houdini in his last public performance in Edinburgh, Scotland before his death. Saoirse's
performance was one of her best, as she used her keen ear for accents, having to use a Scottish accent.
Saoirse can more recently be seen in The Lovely Bones, playing the lead role of Susie Salmon. The film follows the story of Susie, a victim of murder. Susie
watches her greiving family and her cold-blooded murderer from Heaven. She watches as her sister falls in love for the first time, as her father becomes obsessed
with vengeance, and as her mother falls apart at the seams. The film is directed by Peter Jackson, who directed the Lord of The Rings movies. Filming took
place in Pennsylvania and New Zealand in late 2007 and early 2008. Though the film opened to mixed reviews, there was one thing that was certain: Saoirse's
performance stole the show! As a result, she was nominated for an arm load of awards, including Leading Actress by the BAFTAs and Best Young Actor by the Saturn
Awards. She even scored Best Actress at the IFTAs!
In 2010, Saoirse will once again play a pivotal role in Peter Weir's WWII drama The Way Back. Based on a true story, The Way Back tells the story of seven
multi-national prisoners as they trek across thousands of miles of hostile terrain en-route to India and their freedom. Saoirse will play Irena, a young Polish
girl. Though it has yet to find a distributor in the United States, early reviews appear promising and Saoirse is already being hotly tipped for another Oscar
nomination! She has recently begun filming Hanna, in which she plays the title character, a 14-year-old girl who is described as "a cold-hearted killing machine".
She will reunite with the director of her first major film, Joe Wright. We can expect to see Saoirse lots of places in the future! We certainly won't ever be
disappointed by her.
Even though Saoirse has a lot on her plate, she still has time to live a normal life. She is currently homeschooled in Ardattin, and enjoys playing basketball.
She also enjoys playing with her previous Border Collie, Sassy.