Anna Kendrick

Anna Kendrick (born August 9, 1985 ) is an American actress and singer. She began her career as a child actress, and played Dinah Lord in the 1998 Broadway musical High Society, for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In 2009 she rose to international fame after her performance as Natalie Keener in Up in the Air, for which she received nominations for the BAFTA, Golden Globe, SAG, and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Kendrick's other roles include Fritzi Wagner in Camp (2003), Jessica Stanley in The Twilight Saga (2008–11), Stacey Pilgrim in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World(2010), Beca Mitchell in Pitch Perfect (2012) and Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), Janet in End of Watch (2012), Cinderella in Into the Woods (2014), and Cathy in The Last Five Years (2015).

Early life
Kendrick was born in Portland, Maine, the daughter of Janice (née Cooke), an accountant, and William Kendrick, a history teacher who also works in finance.[2] She is of English, Irish, and Scottish descent. Her maternal grandparents were Ronald and Ruth (née Small) Cooke (1918–2011).[3][4] She has an older brother, actor Michael Cooke Kendrick, who appeared in the 2000 film Looking for an Echo. She attended Deering High School in Portland.

1995–2007: Early career, theater, and Twilight
Kendrick started her career at the age of 10. Her parents were supportive and often drove her fromPortland, Maine, to New York City for auditions. Her first prominent acting role was as Dinah in theBroadway musical High Society in August 1998 when she was 12 years old, a performance for which she won the Theatre World Award and was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award,[7] making her the third-youngest Tony Award nominee.[8] Kendrick went on to appear in a number of other stage productions, including the musical A Little Night Music, playing Fredrika Armfeldt in the New York City Opera production,[9] before making her film debut in the 2003 musical comedy Camp,[7] for which she was nominated at the Independent Spirit Awards for Best Debut Performance for her portrayal of Fritzi Wagner.

In 2007, she appeared in the film Rocket Science as Ginny Ryerson, a fast-talking high school debater. Kendrick said she found the role intimidating and challenging after watching an actual national collegiate championship debate. Her performance was praised by critics[7] and she was nominated for an Independent Spirit award for Best Supporting Actress.[10] Later that year, she auditioned for the role of Jessica Stanley in Twilight, a 2008 film adapted from the first book of the novel series by Stephenie Meyer.[11] She had intended to do a mix-and-match audition with various actors, but was too ill and had to leave; she was brought in for a later session where she was given the role.

2009–present: Up in the Air and breakthrough
Kendrick's theater singing experience gave her the opportunity to star in The Marc Pease Experience (2009), where she appears as a high school senior involved in musical theater.[7][12] She appeared in the 2009 film Elsewhere, in which she plays her first lead character, a girl whose best friend goes missing,[7] and in director Jason Reitman's Up in the Air, based on Walter Kirn's 2001 novel of the same name.[13] For her role in Up in the Air, she won the MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance[14] and the National Board of Review named her Best Supporting Actress,[15] while she also picked up nominations from numerous critics awards, The Golden Globes,[16] The Screen Actors Guild,[17] and the Academy Awards.

She reprised her role as Jessica Stanley in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg devised a graduation speech for her character that was not part of the novel.[18] She appeared in Edgar Wright's adaptation of the graphic novel Scott Pilgrim, titled Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.[19] Kendrick played Stacey Pilgrim, the sister of the lead character. In 2010, she appeared in LCD Soundsystem'smusic video "Pow Pow" as a "shape-shifter" who collects "the souls of wicked men".[20] In October 2010, she attended the 2010 Top Glamour Awards in Mexico where she won for "Best International Actress".[21]

In 2011, she starred in the dramatic comedy 50/50, and reprised her role as Jessica Stanley in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. In 2012, she played Rosie in the screen adaptation of the baby guide What to Expect When You're Expecting, and voiced the character Courtney in the stop-motion animated film ParaNorman.[22] She starred in Pitch Perfect as Beca, a rebellious college student who discovers her voice in her school's female a cappella group; Kendrick is featured on the film's soundtrack. In 2012, Kendrick also appeared in the police drama End of Watch, playing Janet, and in the political thriller The Company You Keep.

In 2013, she scored a hit song with "Cups (When I'm Gone)" from the film Pitch Perfect, which became a No. 2 hit on Billboard's Adult Pop Song chart. Kendrick made her SNL hosting debut on April 5, 2014 with musical guest Pharrell.

In 2014, Kendrick starred in film adaptations of the musicals The Last Five Years, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September,and Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods. In the latter film, directed by Rob Marshall, she played Cinderella. She also appeared in Happy Christmas, Life After Beth, The Voices, and Cake.

In 2015, she starred in Pitch Perfect 2, the sequel to Pitch Perfect. She reprised her role as Beca Mitchell in the film, which takes place three years after the original, playing the co-leader of the Barden Bella's alongside Chloe Beale (Brittany Snow). She also appeared in Digging for Fire.

Kendrick stars in several films currently in post-production or awaiting release, including The Hollars, Get a Job, Mr. Right, andThe Accountant. Kendrick is also set to star in Pitch Perfect 3 with Rebel Wilson, which is scheduled to be released in 2017.

Personal life
In 2009, Kendrick began a relationship with director Edgar Wright after meeting on the set of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The couple split in early 2013.undefined Kendrick resides in Los Angeles, California.