Quvenzhané
| Quvenzhané Wallis | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 28, 2003 Houma, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2011–present |
Quvenzhané Wallis (/kwəˈvændʒəneɪ/ kwə-VAN-jə-nay; born August 28, 2003) is an American child actress. She is known for her role as Hushpuppy in the drama film Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), for which she became the youngest actress ever to receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and an Oscar in general, and the first person born in the 21st century nominated for an acting Oscar.
In 2014, Wallis starred in the Annie remake, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.
In 2017, Wallis published two books, Shai & Emmie Star in Break an Egg and A Night Out with Mama.
Wallis was born in Houma, Louisiana, to Qulyndreia (Jackson) Wallis, a teacher, and Venjie Wallis, Sr., a truck driver. She has one sister, Qunyquekya, and two brothers, Vejon and Venjie, Jr. Her name "Quvenzhané" combines the first syllables of her parents' first names in "Quven", and an alternation of the for 'sprite' or 'fairy' in "zhané".
Wallis, at age five, lied about her age to audition for her first acting job, the starring role in Beasts of the Southern Wild, because the minimum age to be considered was six. She eventually beat out 4,000 others for the role of Hushpuppy, the indomitable child prodigy and survivalist who lives with her dying father in the backwoods bayou squalor of Louisiana. Director Benh Zeitlin told The Daily Beast that when he auditioned Wallis, he immediately realized he had discovered what he was looking for, and changed the Beasts script to accommodate her strong-willed personality. Her reading ability, loud scream, and the skill of burping on command impressed the director and won her the part. Zeitlin has also stated that "it was just the feeling behind her eyes".
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