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Jessica Chastain

Acting

Born March 24, 1977 · Southern California, California, USA

Also known as Jessica Michelle Chastain

Biography

Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and film producer. Known for her roles in films with feminist themes, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for two British Academy Film Awards. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012. Born and raised in Sacramento, California, Chastain developed an interest in acting from an early age. In 1998, she made her professional stage debut as Shakespeare's Juliet. After studying acting at the Juilliard School, she was signed to a talent holding deal with the television producer John Wells. She was a recurring guest star in several television series, including Law & Order: Trial by Jury. She also took on roles in the stage productions of Anton Chekhov's play The Cherry Orchard in 2004 and Oscar Wilde's tragedy Salome in 2006. Chastain made her film debut in the drama Jolene (2008), and gained wide recognition for her starring roles in the dramas Take Shelter (2011) and The Tree of Life (2011). Her performance as an aspiring socialite in The Help (2011) earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2012, she won a Golden Globe Award and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for playing a CIA analyst in the thriller Zero Dark Thirty. Chastain made her Broadway debut in a revival of The Heiress in the same year. Her highest-grossing releases came with the science fiction films Interstellar (2014) and The Martian (2015), and the horror film It Chapter Two (2019), and she continued to receive critical acclaim for her performances in the dramas A Most Violent Year (2014), Miss Sloane (2016), Molly's Game (2017) and The Good Nurse (2022). For her portrayal of Tammy Faye in the biopic The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021), which she also produced, Chastain won the Academy Award for Best Actress. In television, Chastain starred in drama miniseries Scenes from a Marriage (2021) and George & Tammy (2022). For the latter, she won a SAG Award. Her performance also garnered her nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Chastain is the founder of the production company Freckle Films, which was created to promote diversity in film. She is vocal about mental health issues, as well as gender and racial equality. She is married to fashion executive Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, with whom she has two children. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jessica Chastain, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Awards & recognition

  • Academy AwardBest Actress · 2022
  • Order of Princess Olga, 3rd class · 2022
  • Silver ShellBest Leading Performance · 2021
  • Golden Globe Awards · 2011
  • Actor Awards
Show all 11 awards →
  • Jupiter Awards
  • Saturn Awards
  • Golden Globe AwardBest Actress – Miniseries or Television Film · 2023 · nominated
  • Academy AwardBest Actress · 2022 · nominated
  • Academy AwardBest Actress · 2013 · nominated
  • Academy AwardBest Supporting Actress · 2012 · nominated

Filmography50+ titles

Family Recipe Showdown

as Guest Judge

Interstellar

2014as Murph

The Help

2011as Celia Foote

Agatha Christie's Poirot

1989as Mary Debenham

Law & Order: Trial by Jury

2005as Sigrun Borg

Veronica Mars

2004as Sarah Williams

ER

1994as Dahlia Taslitz

The Martian

2015as Melissa Lewis

Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled

as Self

Unity

2015as Narrator (voice)

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis

2008as Self

Miss Sloane

2016as Madeline Elizabeth Sloane

His & Hers

2026Executive Producer

The Zookeeper's Wife

2017as Antonina Żabińska

Madonna: Rebel Heart Tour

2016as Self - Unapologetic Bitch

Scenes from a Marriage

2021as Mira Phillips

Molly's Game

2017as Molly Bloom

Conan

2010as Self - Guest

The Graham Norton Show

2007as Self - Guest

Creating a Character: The Moni Yakim Legacy

2020as Self

Lawless

2012as Maggie Beauford

Take Shelter

2011as Samantha LaForche

Memory

2023as Sylvia

Zero Dark Thirty

2012as Maya

The Good Nurse

2022as Amy Loughren

Saturday Night Live

1975as Self - Host

Mothers' Instinct

2024as Alice

George & Tammy

2022as Tammy Wynette

It: Chapter Two

2019as Beverly Marsh

Woman Walks Ahead

2017as Catherine Weldon

Crimson Peak

2015as Lady Lucille Sharpe

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him

2013as Eleanor Rigby

The Tree of Life

2011as Mrs. O'Brien

Half the Picture

2018as Self (archive footage)

A Most Violent Year

2014as Anna Morales

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

2012as Gia (voice)

The Debt

2010as Young Rachel Singer

'Til Death

2006as Hostess

Armageddon Time

2022as Maryanne Trump

The Eyes of Tammy Faye

2021as Tammy Faye Bakker

The Kelly Clarkson Show

2019as Self

The Daily Show

1996as Self - Guest

Very Ralph

2019as Self

The Huntsman: Winter's War

2016as Sara

Mama

2013as Annabel

Jolene

2008as Jolene

Dreams

2025as Jennifer McCarthy

This Changes Everything

2018as Self

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them

2014as Eleanor Rigby

Seduced and Abandoned

2013as Self