Anna Kendrick
Birthdate: Aug 9, 1985
Birthplace: Portland, Maine, USA
Anna Kendrick (birthname: Anna Cooke Kendrick) has reached the rare elite status of being nominated for the acting triple crown of the Tony, the Oscar, and the Emmy. After five years of acting success on Broadway, Kendrick was cast by writer-director Todd Graff for the musical comedy, Camp (2003), released by IFC Films.
Kendrick’s next role was a co-starring slot in writer-director Jeffrey Blitz’s Rocket Science (2007), with Reece Thompson, Nicholas D’Agosto, Vincent Piazza, and Aaron Yoo, and which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the dramatic directing prize. Kendrick’s movie breakthrough was with the role of Jessica in the runaway hit, Twilight (2008), directed by Catherine Hardwicke and starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, and Nikki Reed, and earning over ten times costs with a return of over $408 million.
Anna Kendrick’s first starring feature role was in the Nathan Hope-directed crime drama, Elsewhere (2009), with Paul Wesley and Tania Raymonde, followed by a co-starring role with Jason Schwartzman and Ben Stiller in writer-director Todd Louiso’s little-seen comedy, The Marc Pease Experience (2009). Kendrick returned to her Jessica role in the trifecta of The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009), The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1 (2011), which grossed a global total of $2.12 billion.
Kendrick won wide acclaim and her first Oscar (supporting actress) nomination for her wonderful performance in writer-director Jason Reitman’s comedy-drama, Up in the Air (2009), with George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, and Zach Galifianakis, premiering at the Telluride film festival and grossing $167 million globally.
Anna Kendrick won more fans with the cult classic, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), from director/writer/producer Edgar Wright and co-starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Alison Pill, and Jason Schwartzman. Kendrick then played opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen in the Jonathan Levine/Will Reiser comedy-drama, 50/50 (2011), which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and grossed over $41 million.
Kendrick was cast in a supporting role by star/director/producer Robert Redford for the adaptation of Neil Gordon’s The Company You Keep (2012), with Shia LaBeouf, Julie Christie, Sam Elliott, and Susan Sarandon, which premiered at the Venice film festival and which earned nearly $20 million. Anna Kendrick co-starred opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña in director/writer/producer David Ayer’s cop drama, End of Watch (2012), premiering at the Toronto Film Festival and grossing nearly $58 million globally.
Kendrick’s first voice performance in an animated feature was in Sam Fell’s and Chris Butler’s ambitious stop-motion comedy-horror ParaNorman (2012), with Kodi Smit-McPhee, Bernard Hill, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, and John Goodman. Kendrick had her second role in a hit franchise as Beca in Pitch Perfect (2012), Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017), opposite an ensemble including Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Skylar Astin, Hailee Steinfeld, and Kathy Sagal, with the three movies earning a collective $488 million worldwide.
Kendrick joined the large ensemble of Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Chase Crawford, Brooklyn Decker, Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock, and Rodrigo Santoro for Lionsgate’s generally dismissed rom-com, What to Expect When You’re Expecting (2012), grossing over $84 million globally. Anna Kendrick went indie with filmmaker Joe Swanberg on his comedy, Drinking Buddies (2013), with Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, and Ron Livingston, which premiered at the South by Southwest film festival, followed by Kendrick co-starring with Chris Robinson in Lionsgate’s spoofy Rapture-Palooza (2013), with Ken Jeong and Rob Corddry.
Kendrick went dramatic with Jennifer Aniston, Adriana Barraza, Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, and Sam Worthington in the Daniel Barnz-directed Cake (2014), which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Kendrick reunited with filmmaker Swanberg for Happy Christmas (2014), starring Swanberg, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, and Lena Dunham, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Anna Kendrick finally had a musical role recalling her Broadway roots in the Rob Marshall/James Lapine movie adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods (2014), with Oscar-nominated Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Chris Pine, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski, and Johnny Depp, and earning over $213 million globally. Kendrick scored her second musical in a row as co-star with Jeremy Jordan in director/writer/producer Richard LaGravenese’s The Last Five Years (2014), released after its Toronto Film Festival premiere.
After playing supporting roles in horror-comedies in writer-director Jeff Baena’s Life After Beth (2014) and director Marjane Satrapi’s The Voices (2014), both of which premiered at the Sundance film festival, Kendrick again reunited with Swanberg on Digging for Fire (2015), with Jake Johnson, Rosemarie DeWitt, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, and Orlando Bloom, which also premiered at Sundance.
After a co-starring role with Sam Rockwell in the little-seen comedy, Mr. Right (2015), Kendrick took a co-starring role in a thriller with Ben Affleck, the Gavin O’Connor-directed The Accountant (2016), with J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Tambor, and John Lithgow, and grossing a solid $155 million take. After a minor comedy in which she co-starred with Miles Teller titled Get a Job (filmed in 2012 but released in 2016), Kendrick joined the fine ensemble with (director-producer) John Krasinski, Sharlto Copley, Charlie Day, Richard Jenkins, and Margo Martindale in The Hollars (2016), and which premiered at Sundance.
Anna Kendrick played a tricky date opposite Zac Efron, Aubrey Plaza, and Adam DeVine in the Jake Szymanski comedy based on a true story, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016), grossing over $77 million for 20th Century Fox. Kendrick’s third movie franchise assignment came with her voice role as Poppy in DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls series, starting with Trolls (2016), then Trolls World Tour (2020), and Trolls Band Together (2023), with regular cast members Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Anderson.
Paak, and Kenan Thompson. Kendrick returned to her prime comedy stylings as the lead in writer-director Jeffrey Blitz’s Table 19 (2017), with Craig Robinson, June Squibb, Lisa Kudrow, Stephen Merchant, and Wyatt Russell, and released by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Anna Kendrick then starred with Blake Lively in Lionsgate’s crafty crime thriller, A Simple Favor (2018), directed by Paul Feig, and co-starring Henry Golding, Rupert Friend, and Jean Smart, which earned a solid $97 million global gross.
After co-starring in writer-director Chris Morris’ The Day Shall Come (2019), in the Disney+-released Christmas comedy with Bill Hader, Noelle (2019), and in Joe Penna’s Netflix-streamed sci-fi drama, Stowaway (2021), Kendrick starred in Lionsgate’s psychological thriller, Alice, Darling (2022), directed by Mary Nighy and premiering at the Toronto film festival. After starring in debuting director/writer/producer (and actor) Jake Johnson’s Hulu-streamed Self Reliance (2023), Kendrick made her debut as director, producer, and star of Woman of the Hour (2023), based on the true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala, and which premiered at the Toronto film festival to rave reviews.
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Personal Details
Anna Kendrick was born and raised in Portland, Maine, by parents William Kendrick (history teacher) and Janice Kendrick (accountant). Kendrick has an older brother, actor Michael Kendrick. Kendrick attended and graduated from Portland’s Deering High School in 2003. Kendrick was in a relationship with British filmmaker Edgar Wright from 2009 to 2013; in a relationship with British cinematographer Ben Richardson starting in 2014; and then was in a relationship with actor Bill Hader from 2020 to 2022. Kendrick’s height is 5’ 2”. Kendrick’s estimated net worth is $20 million.
Known For
Awards
Nominee, Best Supporting Actress, Academy Awards (2010); Nominee, Best Supporting Actress, BAFTA Awards (2010); Two-time Winner, Comedy Star of the Year/Cinema Spotlight Award, CinemaCon Awards (2016, 2018); Nominee, Best Actress in Comedy or Drama Series, Emmy Awards (2020); Nominee, Bets Supporting Actress, Golden Globe Awards (2010); Two-time Nominee, Best Debut Performance/Best Supporting Female, Independent Spirit Awards (2004, 2008); Nominee, Best Supporting Actress, Los Angeles Film Critics Association (2009); Two-time Winner, Best Breakout Star/Best Musical Moment, MTV Movie + TV Awards (2010, 2013); Winner, Best Supporting Actress, National Board of Review Awards (2009); Nominee, Best Supporting Actress, National Society of Film Critics (2010); Nominee, Best Supporting Actress, New York Film Critics Circle Awards (2009); Winner, Rising Star Award, Palm Springs Film Festival Awards (2010); Nominee, Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role, Screen Actors Guild Awards (2010).
Independent Spirit Award
Film Independent Spirit Awards
Independent Spirit Award
Film Independent Spirit Awards
Filmography
actor
Previous (40)
- 2023 | Woman of the Hour
- 2023 | Woman of the Hour
- 2023 | Woman of the Hour
- 2023 | Trolls Band Together
Trolls Band Together
Poppy discovers that Branch was once part of the boy band 'BroZone' with his brothers, Floyd, John Dory, Spruce and Clay. When Floyd is kidnapped, Branch and Poppy embark on a journey to reunite his two other brothers and rescue Floyd.
- 2023 | Alice, Darling
Alice, Darling
A young woman trapped in an abusive relationship becomes the unwitting participant in an intervention staged by her two closest friends.
- 2021 |
- 2020 | Trolls World Tour
- 2019 | Noelle
- 2019 | The Day Shall Come
The Day Shall Come
An impoverished preacher who brings hope to the Miami projects is offered cash to save his family from eviction. He has no idea his sponsor works for the FBI who plan to turn him into a criminal by fueling his madcap revolutionary...
- 2018 | A Simple Favor
A Simple Favor
Stephanie is a single mother with a parenting vlog who befriends Emily, a secretive upper-class woman who has a child at the same elementary school. When Emily goes missing, Stephanie takes it upon herself to investigate.
- 2017 | Katy Perry: Will You Be My Witness?
- 2017 | Pitch Perfect 3
Pitch Perfect 3
Following their win at the world championship, the now separated Bellas reunite for one last singing competition at an overseas USO tour, but face a group who uses both instruments and voices.
- 2017 |
- 2016 | Get a Job
- 2016 |
- 2016 | The Accountant
The Accountant
As a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities, and the body count starts to rise.
- 2016 | The Hollars
- 2016 | Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Two hard-partying brothers place an online ad to find the perfect dates for their sister's Hawaiian wedding. Hoping for a wild getaway, the boys instead find themselves out-hustled by an uncontrollable duo.
- 2015 | Mr. Right
- 2015 | Pitch Perfect 2
Pitch Perfect 2
After a humiliating command performance at The Kennedy Center, the Barden Bellas enter an international competition that no American group has ever won in order to regain their status and right to perform.
- 2014 | The Last Five Years
- 2014 | Cake
- 2014 | The Voices
- 2014 | Into the Woods
Into the Woods
A witch tasks a childless baker and his wife with procuring magical items from classic fairy tales to reverse the curse put on their family tree.
- 2014 | Life After Beth
- 2014 | Happy Christmas
- 2013 | Rapture-Palooza
- 2013 | Drinking Buddies
- 2012 | Pitch Perfect
Pitch Perfect
Beca, a freshman at Barden University, is cajoled into joining The Bellas, her school's all-girls singing group. Injecting some much needed energy into their repertoire, The Bellas take on their male rivals in a campus competition.
- 2012 | End of Watch
End of Watch
Shot documentary-style, this film follows the daily grind of two young police officers in LA who are partners and friends and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.
- 2012 | ParaNorman
ParaNorman
A misunderstood boy takes on ghosts, zombies and grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse.
- 2012 | What to Expect When You’re Expecting
What to Expect When You’re Expecting
Follows the lives of five interconnected couples as they experience the thrills and surprises of having a baby and realize that no matter what you plan for, life does not always deliver what is expected.
- 2011 | 50/50
- 2019 | Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
In a magically realistic version of Toronto, a young man must defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil exes one by one in order to win her heart.
- 2010 | The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
- 2009 | Elsewhere
- 2009 | Up in the Air
- 2009 | The Twilight Saga: New Moon
- 2009 | The Marc Pease Experience
- 2007 | Rocket Science
Some Facts About Anna Kendrick
Supporter: Anna Kendrick is an active supporter of the non-profit The Trevor Project.
Broadway Bound: Kendrick’s professional acting ambition wasn’t so much in movies as it was with Broadway, where she enjoyed success with roles in such shows as High Society, A Little Night Music, Jane Eyre, and The Little Princess, and earning nominations for the Tony, Drama Desk, and Fany Awards, and wins for the Drama League and Theatre World Awards at age 12.
Scared of The Bible: As a child, Anna Kendrick has recounted that she was scared of sections of The Old Testament, making her stop attending her Episcopalian church when she was 14 years old.
Young Nominee: Kendrick is one of the youngest actors (by the age of 34) to have been nominated for the trifecta of major acting awards—the Oscar, the Tony, and the Emmy.
