Quvenzhané Wallis

Quvenzhané Wallis (/kwəˈvɛnʒəneɪ/ kwə-VEN-zhə-nay;[1] born August 28, 2003)[2][3] is an American actress and author. In 2012, she starred as Hushpuppy in the drama film Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the youngest actress to be nominated in the category, as well as the first person born in the 21st century nominated for an Oscar,[4][5] She starred as Annie Bennett in the 2014 adaptation of Annie, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.[6]

Quvenzhané Wallis
Wallis at the 6th Annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood in 2013
Born (2003-08-28) August 28, 2003
Houma, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • author
Years active2012–present

In 2017, Wallis published two books, Shai & Emmie Star in Break an Egg! and A Night Out with Mama. She has published two more books: Shai & Emmie Star in Dancy Pants! and Shai & Emmie Star in To the Rescue![7]

Early life

Wallis was born in Houma, Louisiana, to Qulyndreia Wallis (née Jackson), a teacher, and Venjie Wallis Sr., a truck driver.[8] She has one sister, Qunyquekya, and two brothers, Vejon and Venjie Jr.[2][9][10] Her name "Quvenzhané" combines the first syllables of her parents' first names in "Quven", and an alteration of the Swahili word jini meaning 'sprite' or 'fairy'.[11]

Career

At age five, Wallis lied about her age to audition for Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), which had a minimum tryout age of 6. She was chosen out of 4,000 to play Hushpuppy, an indomitable child prodigy and survivalist who lives with her dying father in the backwoods bayou squalor of Louisiana.[12] Director Benh Zeitlin told The Daily Beast that when he auditioned Wallis, he immediately realized he had discovered what he was looking for, and changed the Beasts of the Southern Wild script to accommodate her strong-willed personality. Her reading prowess, loud screaming voice, and ability to burp on command impressed the director and won her the part.[10] Zeitlin has stated that "it was just the feeling behind her eyes".[13]

The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January 2012 to rave reviews, winning the Grand Jury Prize. In May 2012, Wallis flew to France for the premiere of the film at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Wallis's performance drew widespread acclaim and Zeitlin won the Caméra d'Or, the festival's award for best first feature film. On January 10, 2013, at age nine, Wallis was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Wallis, who was 6 when she filmed Beasts of the Southern Wild, is the all-time youngest nominee for Best Actress and the third-youngest nominee in any category.[14][15] Wallis is the first African-American child actor and the first person born in the 21st century to earn an Oscar nomination.

Wallis had a role in the film 12 Years a Slave (2013), and collaborated with the Sundance Film Festival on a short film called Boneshaker. In 2014, she played the title character in Annie, the first African American to do so.[16] For this, she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical and received praise from most reviewers. In May 2014, Wallis became the first child celebrity to be named the face of a luxury brand when she was signed by Armani Junior, Giorgio Armani's fashion line for children and teens.[17]

Wallis appeared in Beyoncé's 2016 music video for "All Night".[18] In October 2017, she released two children's books: the friendship-centric Shai & Emmie Star in Break an Egg! and A Night Out With Mama, which is about her night at the Oscars with her mother.[19][20] She published two more books, Shai & Emmie Star in To the Rescue! and Shai & Emmie Star in Dancy Pants!, in 2018.[7][21]

She became a member of the Actors Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2018.[22]

Filmography
Film and television roles
Year Title Role Notes
2012 Beasts of the Southern Wild Hushpuppy Film
2013 12 Years a Slave Margaret Northup Film
2014 Annie Annie Bennett Stacks Film
2014 Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet Almitra Film; voice role
2015 Fathers and Daughters Lucy Film
2016 Lemonade Herself Music video
2016 Trolls Harper Film; voice role
2019 Black-ish Kyra Recurring role, 5 episodes
2021 Swagger Crystal Main role
2022 American Horror Stories Bianca Episode: "Bloody Mary"
TBA Breathe Zora Film; Post-production[23]

Awards and nominations
Year Work Award Category Result Ref
2013
 Beasts of the Southern Wild Academy Awards Best Actress Nominated [24]
African-American Film Critics Association Breakout Actor Won [25]
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Breakthrough Performance Won [26]
Austin Film Critics Association Breakthrough Artist Award Won [27]
Black Reel Awards Best Actress Won [28]
Best Breakthrough Performance Won
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Best Actress Nominated [29]
Breakthrough Film Artist Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Best Actress Nominated [30]
Most Promising Performer Won
Chlotrudis Awards Best Actress Nominated [31]
Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Actress Nominated [32]
Best Young Actor/Actress Won
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Best Actress Nominated [33]
Denver Film Critics Society Best Actress Nominated [34]
Empire Awards Best Female Newcomer Nominated [35]
Florida Film Critics Circle Pauline Kael Breakout Award Won [36]
Georgia Film Critics Association Best Actress Nominated [37]
Breakthrough Award Nominated
Gold Derby Film Awards Lead Actress Nominated [38]
Breakthrough Performer Won
Gotham Independent Film Awards Breakthrough Actor Nominated [39]
Houston Film Critics Society Best Actress Nominated [40]
International Online Film Critics' Poll Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated [41]
Independent Spirit Awards Best Female Lead Nominated [42]
IndieWire Critics Poll Best Lead Performance Nominated [43]
NAACP Image Awards Best Actress - Motion Picture Nominated [44]
National Board of Review Breakthrough Actress Won [45]
New York Film Critics Online Breakthrough Performer Won [46]
Online Film Critics Society Best Actress Nominated [47]
Phoenix Film Critics Society Best Actress Nominated [48]
Best Young Actress Won
Best Breakthrough Performance Won
Satellite Awards Outstanding New Talent Won [49]
Saturn Awards Best Younger Actor Nominated [50]
St. Louis Film Critics Association Best Actress Nominated [51]
Utah Film Critics Association Best Actress Nominated [52]
Village Voice Film Poll Best Actress Nominated [53]
Breakthrough Award Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Youth Performance Won [54]
Women Film Critics Circle Best Young Actress Won [55]
2015
 Annie Black Reel Awards Best Actress Nominated [56]
Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Young Actor/Actress Nominated [57]
Golden Globe Awards Best Actress – Musical/Comedy Nominated [58]
NAACP Image Awards Best Actress - Motion Picture Nominated [59]
National Film Awards UK Best Actress Nominated [60]
Best Newcomer Nominated
Women Film Critics Circle Best Young Actress Nominated [61]

See also

References
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  3. "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly. No. 1274. August 30, 2013. p. 20.
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