Age, Biography, and Wiki
Christina Ricci was born on February 12, 1980, in Santa Monica, California. She began her acting career at the age of nine with the film "Mermaids" (1990). Ricci's early roles in "The Addams Family" (1991), "Casper" (1995), and "Now and Then" (1995) catapulted her to fame as a child actress. As she transitioned into adult roles, she took on more complex characters in films like "The Ice Storm" (1997), "Buffalo '66" (1998), and "Sleepy Hollow" (1999).
| Occupation | Voice Actress |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 12 February 1980 |
| Age | 45 Years |
| Birth Place | Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific current measurements are not widely available, Christina Ricci is known for her petite stature, often reported around 5 feet (152 cm) tall.
Ricci's portrayal of nymphomaniac Rae Doole in the 2006 drama Black Snake Moan was particularly well received. She lost a significant amount of weight in preparation for the role, in order to make her character look "unhealthy". The film was deemed controversial because of its dark and exploitative themes, but critics felt that Ricci was impressive; writing for Film Comment, Nathan Lee described her performance as "fearless, specific, and blazingly committed", adding, "She's the white-hot focal point of [director] Brewer's loud, brash, encompassing vision". Ricci appeared alongside Jackson for the second time in another 2006 film, Home of the Brave, an ensemble drama following the lives of four soldiers in Iraq and their return to the United States.
She has eight tattoos: a lion on her right shoulder blade (a reference to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, a favorite novel of hers as a child); an Edward Gorey figure on the inside of her right wrist; a pair of praying hands on her left hip (this tattoo was originally a bat); the name "Jack" on her right thigh for a deceased pet; a sparrow on her right breast; and a mermaid on her left ankle. She also has the words "Move or Bleed" on the left side of her rib cage, as well as a bouquet of sweet peas on her lower back.
| Height | 152 cm |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Christina Ricci has been married twice. Firstly, she married James Heerdegen in 2013, but they divorced in 2021. In 2021, she married Mark Hampton, with whom she has a daughter, Cleopatra, born in 2021.
Her father had a varied career, including jobs as a gym teacher, lawyer, drug counselor, and primal scream therapist. Ricci has referred to her father as a "failed cult leader." Her mother worked as a Ford Agency model during the 1960s and later became a real estate agent. Regarding her surname, Ricci has stated that she has Italian, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.
Ricci's family moved to Montclair, New Jersey, where she attended Edgemont Elementary School, Glenfield Middle School, Montclair High School, and Morristown–Beard School. She later attended the Professional Children's School in New York City. Ricci's parents separated when she was a preteen. In interviews she has been vocal about her childhood, particularly her parents' divorce and her turbulent relationship with her father.
In 1997, Ricci starred in the Disney remake of That Darn Cat, which was a moderate success at the box office. Later that year, she made a shift into "legitimate adult roles" with her portrayal of the troubled, sexually curious Wendy Hood in Ang Lee's The Ice Storm, a drama about dysfunctional family relationships. The part was originally given to Natalie Portman, who pulled out when her parents decided that the material was too provocative. In his review for Rolling Stone, Peter Travers wrote, "The sight of the [film's] young stars ... fiddling with each other may shock '90s prudes, but Lee handles these moments with dry wit and compassion ... The adolescent members of the cast do their characters proud, with Ricci a particular standout. Her wonderfully funny and touching performance, capturing the defiance and confusion that come with puberty, is the film's crowning glory".
Ricci's next role was in The Laramie Project, a drama based on the murder of Matthew Shepard. The 2002 film, which premiered on HBO, received positive reviews from critics; TV Guide's Matt Roush praised the performances of the cast, while noting that the film's examination of homophobia could "enlighten" viewers. Later that year, she co-starred in the comedic British thriller Miranda and guest-starred on the fifth and final season of Ally McBeal, appearing as attorney Liza Bump in seven episodes. Meanwhile, she produced and starred in Pumpkin (2002), a black comedy about the relationship between a disabled young man and a sorority girl. In his review for The Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert wrote, "Pumpkin is alive, and takes chances, and uses the wicked blade of satire in order to show up the complacent political correctness of other movies in [its genre]. It refuses to play it safe. And there is courage in the performances—for example ... the way Ricci sails fearlessly into the risky material". In 2003, Ricci took on the roles of a young amnesiac wandering through England on foot in the British horror film The Gathering; the former girlfriend of an up-and-coming movie star in Adam Goldberg's I Love Your Work; and that of a vain, vindictive love interest in Woody Allen's Anything Else. In his review of the latter, A. O. Scott of The New York Times described the film as an "antiromantic comedy" and said that Ricci played her role with "feral, neurotic glee".
Next, Ricci co-starred in the biographical crime drama Monster (2003). Her character—Selby Wall—was a fictionalized version of Tyria Moore, the real-life girlfriend of serial killer Aileen Wuornos, played by Charlize Theron. Speaking of her decision to take the part, Ricci said it posed a challenge as it "goes completely against who I am [as a person]". She described the filming experience as "dark and depressing". The film was directed by Patty Jenkins and received rave reviews upon its release, with most critics directing their attention toward Theron, who went on to receive an Academy Award for her portrayal of Wuornos. She acknowledged Ricci during her acceptance speech, calling her the film's "unsung hero". Of Ricci's performance, Roger Ebert said:
In 2014, Ricci played the title character in Lizzie Borden Took an Ax, a Lifetime film inspired by the true story of Borden, who was tried and acquitted of the murders of her father and stepmother in 1892. She reprised the role in 2015 for The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, which she also produced. Writing for The New York Times, Neil Genzlinger described her as "gleeful and ruthless", while Keith Uhlich of The Hollywood Reporter felt that she and co-star Clea DuVall had "a delectable rapport not too far removed from Bette Davis and Joan Crawford at their hag-horror peak in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?", adding, "There's a winking self-consciousness to [Ricci's] portrayal of Lizzie that works to the character's advantage; she's like an out-of-time avenging angel, a feminist icon (before there were words to describe it) lashing out at patriarchy the only way she knows how". Ricci went on to receive a nomination for the 2016 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries.
In the 2018 psychological thriller Distorted, Ricci starred as a woman suffering from bipolar disorder. The film received a mixed reception from critics, who cited Ricci's performance as a highlight. Her next film projects were The Matrix Resurrections (2021), in which she re-teamed with the Wachowskis to play a colleague of Thomas Anderson, and the 2022 supernatural thriller Monstrous, where she starred as a mother trying to protect her son from evil forces in 1950s California. In their review of the latter, Screen Rant said of Ricci, "The key to this film's success rests on [her] shoulders … She can play into the darling quaint lifestyle of a 50s woman and then let out a shrill scream of fear and terror that can put most scream queens to shame. But her natural gift is her ability to act with her eyes; a single glance, a slight twitch, or a dead-on stare do more to communicate [her character's] feelings and situation than any piece of dialogue in the script. To that end, Monstrous utilizes [her] talents brilliantly".
Ricci began dating comedian and actor Owen Benjamin in 2008 after they met on the set of the film All's Faire in Love. They became engaged in March 2009, but ended the engagement two months later.
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| Husband | James Heerdegen (m. 2013-2021) Mark Hampton (m. 2021) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Christina Ricci's net worth is estimated to be approximately $9 million. Her earnings come from a variety of successful film and television projects, including her notable roles in "Yellowjackets" and "Wednesday".
Career, Business, and Investments
Ricci's career has been marked by a mix of mainstream and independent films. She has also ventured into television with shows like "Pan Am," "The Lizzie Borden Chronicles," and more recently, "Yellowjackets" and Netflix's "Wednesday". While she hasn't been heavily involved in brand endorsements, her acting gigs remain her primary source of income.
Social Network
Christina Ricci maintains a relatively low-key social media presence but is active on platforms like Instagram, where she occasionally shares updates about her projects.
In the independent ensemble drama Mothers and Daughters (2016), Ricci played a woman who receives life-changing news from an estranged relative. Her next project was the 2017 Amazon Video miniseries Z: The Beginning of Everything, in which she starred as a fictionalized version of American socialite Zelda Fitzgerald. She also served as a producer on the series, which, she later acknowledged, is how she got the part: "I can tell you that in my experience, I have never, ever been cast in a role like this and I would never get this part normally ... I'm just not seen in that way. There are categories that people fall into … and I was never a romantic lead. Basically, you couldn't get five people in a room to agree that I should be a romantic lead. I could get one person, but there's always more than one person whose opinion matters". Writing for RogerEbert.com, Matt Fagerholm said of Ricci's performance:
For her portrayal of Misty Quigley on the Showtime series Yellowjackets (2021–present), Ricci was nominated for the 2022 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Following the lives of four women who survived a plane crash when they were teenagers, the show has received rave reviews from critics. Commenting on Ricci's performance, Digital Spy's Gabriella Geisinger called it "nuanced and dynamic", adding that it "winds sadness and strength together with ease and is as captivating as it is bananas". On playing Misty, a sadistic healthcare worker and societal "outsider", Ricci said, "People really do connect with that need [she] has that motivates everything, which is to be accepted, to be a part of the group … But what's interesting about this character and what I think these writers do so adeptly is, they show you how badly she wants to be there, and then they show you the reason why she deserves to be kicked out … [also] after years and years of being stepped on and dismissed and not accepted … [she is] very much at a point where she's like, 'Well, no one's ever going to give it to me. So I'm going to fucking take it'".
Ricci told a journalist in 2022 that casting directors were often reluctant to place her in certain projects when she was younger: "At that time, I did a lot of indies because, in mainstream movies, there was still a lot of leading-lady standards that I didn't fall into". She told NME that same year: "My agents [used to say], 'We have to be so careful you don't become a character actress. If we're not careful, you're going to end up just like Jennifer Jason Leigh'. I was like, [but] 'I like her'. They were so afraid of me not being a leading lady, of me not being sexually attractive to people".
Ricci has been the national spokesperson for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) since April 25, 2007. She wrote an article for The Huffington Post in 2009, where she spoke about how her work with the organisation had affected her: "[Victims] tell me of the struggles they face every day", she said, "and the hurdles they've had to overcome."
Education
Details about Christina Ricci's formal education are limited, as she began her acting career at a young age. However, she has spoken about the experiences and lessons she learned during her early years in the industry.
Overall, Christina Ricci's career is a testament to her versatility and talent, with a net worth reflecting her successful ventures in both film and television.
At the age of eight, Ricci was discovered by a local theater critic when she starred in a school production of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Another child was originally cast in the part, but Ricci devised a plan to secure the role for herself: she taunted her rival so much that he punched her. When she told on him, he lost the part. She later recalled, "I've always been a really ambitious person. I guess that's the first time it really reared its ugly head". Soon thereafter, she featured in a pair of spoof commercials on Saturday Night Live. The first of these featured Ricci at a birthday party in which biomedical waste fell out of a burst piñata, parodying the real-life dumping of waste in the rivers of the East Coast. This gained Ricci her SAG-AFTRA card.
In 2009, Ricci appeared in three episodes of TNT's Saving Grace during its second season, as a detective who teams up with the show's main character. Also that year, she co-starred in the psychological thriller After.Life, with Fangoria stating that she embodied her character—a teacher who dies in a car accident—"in compelling fashion". Next, Ricci made her Broadway debut in Donald Margulies' play Time Stands Still. Her first public performance was on September 23, 2010, at the Cort Theatre. Though she admitted to suffering from extreme bouts of stage fright during the show's four-month run, The New York Times described her portrayal of Mandy as "confident" and "appealing".
Next, Ricci adopted a British accent when she co-starred as a promiscuous young housewife in Bel Ami (2012), a period drama based on the 1885 novel of the same name. Roger Ebert said in his review, "The surprise for me is Christina Ricci [who] flowers here in warm ripeness. Her character makes the mistake of actually loving Georges. This involves pure acting skill on her part, since Pattinson gives her so little to work with". She headlined the Australian film Around The Block the same year, playing an American drama teacher who befriends an Aboriginal boy during the 2004 Redfern riots. Variety Joe Leydon described the independent drama as "well-intended yet cliche-ridden", but felt that Ricci brought "allure" to her role. She subsequently provided voices for the animated films The Smurfs 2 (2013) and The Hero of Color City (2014).
In March 2022, it was announced that Ricci had been cast in the Tim Burton-directed Netflix series Wednesday, detailing the school years of Wednesday Addams, who Ricci played previously in the 1990s. Ricci appeared as series regular Marilyn Thornhill, a teacher at Nevermore Academy. Speaking of her involvement with the project, she said, "I knew there would be comparison between the old [Addams Family] movies and Wednesday. That's a natural inclination. But the 'who was a better Wednesday?' thing is unreal. I loved being Wednesday. I'm very proud of that role … [but] I also think [series star] Jenna Ortega is amazing. She is so brave, so cool, and really doing the part justice. Wednesday is her part now". A substantial ratings success when it premiered in November 2022, the show received critical acclaim, with Collider saying of Ricci, "[she] plays [Thornhill] so well you can't help but be glued to her every move when she's on-screen".
