Anna Kendrick

Biography of Anna Kendrick

Anna Cooke Kendrick was born on August 9, 1985 in Portland, Maine. She is an American actress.

Kendrick was born to Janice and William Kendrick in Portland. Her mother is an accountant and her father is a history teacher. She attended the local Deering High School. She started acting at the age of ten. Together with her brother Michael Cooke Kendrick, who is also an actor, she went to New York and took part in a few auditions. Later she was a member of the theater company Cabaret's Kit Kit Club. Her first role was as Dinah in the 1998 Broadway play High Society. She was the second youngest actress ever nominated for a Tony Award for her performance. She was also nominated for a Drama Desk Award and received a Theater World Award. She then appeared in numerous plays, including The Little Princess and Jane Eyre, and appeared on stage at the New York City Opera as Frederika in A Little Night Music (2003).

Kendrick's first role in front of the camera was in the TV movie The Mayor in 2003. In the same year she made her debut on screen as Fritzi Wagner in the comedy Camp. In 2007, Kendrick had a major supporting role as Ginny Ryerson in the comedy Rocket Science. She also had a guest role as Holly in the series Viva Laughlin (2007).

She gained greater notoriety in 2008 as Jessica Stanley in the novel adaptation of Twilight. She was able to use her theater and musical experience in the 2009 musical comedy The Marc Pease Experience alongside Ben Stiller and Jason Schwartzman. However, the film received mixed reviews and flopped at the US box office.

Her breakthrough finally came in 2009 alongside George Clooney and Vera Farmiga in Jason Reitman's tragic comedy Up in the Air, the film adaptation of Walter Kirn's bestseller of the same name. Director Reitman wrote the role, which does not appear in the novel, for her after seeing her in Rocket Science. Her performance as Natalie Keener earned her critical acclaim, including a National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress and an MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance. She has also been nominated for over thirty other film awards, including the Oscar, the Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild Award, and the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress. That same year, she reprized the role of Jessica Stanley in New Moon, the film adaptation of the second novel in the Twilight series. Kendrick received nominations for the Empire Award for Best Newcomer and the Teen Choice Award for Best Scene Stealer.

In 2010 she played Jessica again in Eclipse. This time her role was expanded in comparison to the book, because the author Melissa Rosenberg wrote a closing speech especially for Kendrick in the screenplay, which does not appear in Stephenie Meyer's novel. Kendrick also starred opposite Michael Cera in the comic book adaptation of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World as Stacey Pilgrim. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, but was not a financial success. She also appeared in the music video Pow Pow by the band LCD Soundsystem.

In 2011, Kendrick starred alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Bryce Dallas Howard in the tragic comedy 50/50. The film follows a young radio producer (Gordon-Levitt) who is diagnosed with cancer and seeks therapy from a young and inexperienced doctor, Katherine (Kendrick). 50/50 met with a positive response from critics and audiences and was nominated for two Golden Globes, among other things. She was last seen as Jessica in Breaking Dawn Part 1, the fourth film in the Twilight franchise.

In 2012, she was a cast member in Kirk Jones' comedy What to Expect When You're Expecting, alongside Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez. She presented her film The Company You Keep at the Venice Film Festival in 2012, directed by Robert Redford. Kendrick also played Jake Gyllenhaal's wife in the police thriller End of Watch (2012), directed by David Ayer. In the hit comedy Pitch Perfect (2012) she took on the leading role of the rebellious professor's daughter Beca Mitchell.

In 2013, Kendrick co-starred in the Joe Swanberg mumblecore film Drinking Buddies, alongside Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson and Ron Livingston, and appeared in the fantasy comedy Rapture-Palooza. In spring 2013 she was in front of the camera for the thriller The Voices alongside Ryan Reynolds.

On April 5, 2014, she made her debut as a presenter on Saturday Night Live. In July 2014, she graced the cover of American Elle. Kendrick played Cinderella in Rob Marshall's film adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods (2014). That same year, she starred in the musical adaptation The Last Five Years and starred opposite Jennifer Aniston in the drama Cake. In 2015, Kendrick reprized his lead role as Beca Mitchell in the second part of the hit comedy Pitch Perfect.

In 2016, she co-starred in the comedy Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates alongside Zac Efron, Adam DeVine and Aubrey Plaza. She also starred opposite Ben Affleck in The Accountant. In the same year Kendrick published her autobiography Scrappy Little Nobody. In 2017, she took on the role of Beca Mitchell for the third time in Pitch Perfect 3. In 2018, she starred opposite Blake Lively in the thriller Just A Simple Favor.

From 2009 to 2013, Anna Kendrick was in a relationship with director Edgar Wright, whom she met while filming Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. From 2014 to 2020, Kendrick dated cinematographer Ben Richardson. She has been in a relationship with Bill Hader since 2021.