Birthdate: Apr 18, 1995
Birthplace: Sacramento, California, USA
Rising actor Virginia Gardner (birthname: Virginia Elizabeth Gardner) has performed on film and television since 2011, appearing as a guest or recurring actor in such hit shows as Glee (2013), The Goldbergs (2013-2014), How to Get Away with Murder (2015), and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2016).
Her first feature performance was in Paramount Pictures’ found footage sci-fi drama, Project Almanac (filmed in 2013, but released in 2015), with Jonny Weston, Sofia Black-D’Elia, and Sam Lerner. Gardner was the only significant female actor in the ensemble of the boxing drama co-produced by Christine Vachon’s Killer Films and James Franco, Goat (2016), with Nick Jonas, Ben Schnetzer, and Franco.
She next appeared in Chris McCoy’s indie comedy, Good Kids (2016), with Nicholas Braun, Zoey Deutch, Mateo Arias, Israel Broussard, Julia Garner, and Ashley Judd. Gardner earned her name and face above the title of the poster of D.J. Viola’s psychological thriller, Tell Me How I Die (2016), with Nathan Kress and Ryan Higa. Gardner again claimed above-the-title status in the coming-of-age comedy, Little Bitches (2018), with Kiersey Clemons and Jennette McCurdy.
In her highest-profile movie to date, Gardner was part of the cast of the eleventh film in the Halloween franchise, simply titled Halloween (2018), co-written and directed by David Gordon Green, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, and Will Patton. Writer-director Chris Hoffmann’s Monster Party (2018) offered Gardner a different kind of horror film to work in, alongside co-stars Sam Strike, Erin Moriarty, Robin Tunney, Julian McMahon, and Lance Reddick. Gardner joined the cast of Elle Fanning, Justice Smith, Alexandra Shipp, Keegan-Michael Key, and Luke Wilson for the Netflix relationship drama, All the Bright Places (2020).
Once again, Gardner earned a co-starring slot, this time in the physically demanding role of Hunter in Scott Mann’s action thriller, Fall (2022), with Grace Caroline Currey and Mason Gooding. Writer-director Marja-Lewis Ryan’s Cyrano-inspired Liked (date to be announced) is the next feature in Gardner’s growing resume, as she plays support to Sam Lerner, Alycia Debnam-Carey, and Jack DePew. Gardner co-stars with Dylan Sprouse in the campus comedy, Beautiful Disaster, co-written and directed by Roger Kumble.
Virginia Gardner was born and raised in Sacramento, where she attended Sacramento Country Day School. It was there that Gardner began to explore acting, performing in several school productions. At 16, her family moved to Los Angeles. In her pursuit of a professional acting career, Gardner bypassed high school by passing the California High School Proficiency Exam. Soon after, Gardner lived on her own and pursued modeling. Gardner’s height is 5’ 8”.
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Martial Artist: Virginia Gardner earned a black belt in the Korean martial art of Taekwondo by the sixth grade. She is also proficient in boxing and nunchucks and performs many of her own stunts.
Marvel Breakthrough: Gardner played the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first openly gay superhero, Karolina Dean, in the series, Marvel’s Runaways (2017-2019).