Mena Suvari
Mena Suvari
Suvari has been a model for Lancôme cosmetics and print ads for Lancôme Paris Adaptîve, as well as a long-time supporter and activist for the Starlight Children's Foundation and the African Medical and Research Foundation. She is married and has one child.
1995–1998: Early acting credits
Suvari began acting with guest appearances in television series such as Boy Meets World and ER) at the ages of 15 and 16, respectively. She also appeared in a number of episodes of the show High Incident, and played a girl infected with HIV in a one-episode appearance in Chicago Hope. She made the transition to film with the role of Zoe in the 1997 independent coming-of-age drama Nowhere), directed by Gregg Araki and co-starring James Duval, Rachel True, Heather Graham, and Ryan Phillippe. Also in 1997, she had a supporting part in the independent film Snide and Prejudice, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and had a brief part in the thriller Kiss the Girls), opposite Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd. She next appeared in the independent dramedy Slums of Beverly Hills, as a teenaged neighbor of a Jewish girl struggling to grow up in the late 1970s. The film received a limited release, and has developed a cult following. Suvari met Natasha Lyonne on the set of Slums, with whom she would later appear in the American Pie films. She subsequently played a teenager who commits suicide in the horror sequel The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999), and appeared as the daughter of an NTSB investigator in the disaster thriller NBC miniseries Atomic Train (1999), although both productions were panned by critics.
1999–2001: Breakthrough and award success
Her breakthrough came in 1999, with significant roles in two highly successful films —the teen sex comedy American Pie) and the drama American Beauty). In American Pie, she starred with Jason Biggs, Shannon Elizabeth, Chris Klein), and Natasha Lyonne, portraying a virgin and innocent choir girl named Heather. While critical response was mixed, the film was a commercial success, grossing $235 million worldwide.
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