Taissa Farmiga

A rising star on both television and in feature films, Taissa Farmiga enjoyed critical success playing teenagers involved in situations beyond the scope of their control on the Ryan Murphy-produced "American Horror Story" (FX, 2011- ), and in Sofia Coppola's "The Bling Ring" (2013). Her older sister, Oscar-nominated actress Vera Farmiga, launched her acting career with her directorial debut, "Higher Ground" (2011). Taissa Farmiga quickly vaulted to national attention as a leading player in the first season of the disturbing "American Horror Story," which underscored her talent for playing young characters with an inherent layer of vulnerability. She followed the show's overwhelming success with a turn as a reality-show-obsessed would-be model in "The Bling Ring," co-starring Emma Watson and Leslie Mann. The hat trick of critically acclaimed projects, as well as the runaway success of "American Horror Story," posited Farmiga as an up-and-coming talent in both mainstream and independent entertainment.

Born August 17, 1994 in Clifton, New Jersey, Taissa Farmiga is the youngest of seven children by Ukrainian parents Mykhailo and Luba Farmiga. Her sister, Vera, is 21 years her senior. Raised in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, she was educated as part of a home-school group where she studied, among other subjects, American Sign Language, which prompted her involvement with a signing group. The latter proved to be the extent of her performing experience until her sister persuaded Taissa to play the teenaged version of her character in "Higher Ground." The indie drama received an overwhelmingly positive response at the Sundance Film Festival, which sparked Farmiga's interest in following in her sister's career path. That same year, she landed her breakout role in the debut season of "American Horror Story." Farmiga played Violet Harmon, a depressed teenager whose encounter with malevolent ghosts in her family's new home led to a nightmarish series of murders. Fans and critics universally praised the series, with Farmiga receiving solid reviews for her performance. In 2013 she returned to features in Sofia Coppola's "The Bling Ring," a drama based on the real-life crime spree by a group of San Fernando Valley teenagers who used the Internet to track the whereabouts of celebrities in order to rob their houses. Farmiga played a character based on aspiring model Tess Taylor, the unofficially adopted "sister" of ring member Alexis Neiers, with whom she had appeared on the controversial reality series "Pretty Wild" (E!, 2010). After opening the Un Certain Regard section of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, "The Bling Ring" went on to enjoy a modestly successful run on the independent theater circuit in 2013.