Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998, in Conyers, Georgia) is a highly acclaimed American actress who successfully transitioned from a prolific child star into an award-winning adult performer. She began her career at age three playing the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning in I Am Sam (2001), and later gained major recognition in films like Super 8 (2011) and the Disney blockbuster Maleficent (2014). As an adult, she earned critical praise for indie roles in The Neon Demon (2016) and 20th Century Women (2016), and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Sentimental Value (2025). On television, she was nominated for an Emmy for playing Catherine the Great in the satirical series The Great (2020–2023) and starred in the miniseries The Girl from Plainville (2022). Beyond her Oscar and four Emmy nominations, she has also been nominated for four Golden Globes, and she made her Broadway debut in the play Appropriate in 2023.