Age, Biography, and Wiki
Vera Ann Farmiga was born to Ukrainian parents and learned Ukrainian before English. She began her professional acting career on stage in the original Broadway production of Taking Sides in 1996. Her journey into film started with the 1998 movie Return to Paradise. As of 2025, she is 51 years old and has established herself as a talented figure in Hollywood.
Occupation | Stage Actress |
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Date of Birth | 6 August 1973 |
Age | 51 Years |
Birth Place | Clifton, New Jersey, U.S. |
Horoscope | Leo |
Country | Jersey |
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific details about Vera Farmiga's height and weight are not widely documented, she is known for her striking presence on screen. Her physical attributes have been consistently praised for adding depth to her characters.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Vera Farmiga has been married to Renn Hawkey since September 2008, and they have two children together, Gytta and Fynn.
Her parents are Ukrainians: Mykhailo Farmiga, a systems analyst-turned-landscaper, and his wife Lubomyra "Luba" ( Spas), a schoolteacher. Their maternal grandparents, Nadia (née Pletenciw; 1925–2014) and Theodor Spas (1921–1990), met at a displaced persons camp in Karlsfeld during World War II. As a child, Farmiga converted with her family from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to Pentecostalism.
The following year, Farmiga had her breakthrough role as a drug-addicted mother, Irene Morrison, in the independent drama film Down to the Bone, which premiered at Sundance in January 2004. Praising her performance, Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote: "If there were an ounce of taste left in Hollywood, the magnificent Vera Farmiga would be a front-runner for the Best Actress Oscar". She won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress, and earned a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead.
During her second pregnancy, Farmiga made her directorial debut with the micro-budget, Christian-themed drama Higher Ground, in which she starred as the protagonist, Corinne Walker. The film received "generally favorable reviews" on review aggregator site Metacritic and premiered at the 2011 Sundance. Many of her family members were involved in the production: Farmiga's sister Taissa portrayed Corinne as a teenager, her husband Renn Hawkey served as a producer and musical director, and her cousin Adriana Farmiga served as an art curator. She received nominations in both acting and directing for the film, including the Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Director, and the Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture. In his film review, critic Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter noted: "Directing debuts by actors don't come any better than this". Of her performance, Leonard Maltin of IndieWire remarked that Farmiga "gives an honest, empathetic performance should come as no surprise; she is one of the most gifted and daring actresses of our time".
Her next role was the flaky New Age mother Wendy Whitman in the independent comedy-drama Goats, which opened at the 2012 Sundance. That same year, she portrayed CIA operative Catherine Linklater in Daniel Espinosa's action thriller Safe House (2012). Farmiga starred opposite Ryan Reynolds and, for the second time, Denzel Washington.
Farmiga's return to television came in 2013, when she began portraying Norma Louise Bates, the mother of Norman Bates, in A&E's drama-thriller series Bates Motel. The series is a contemporary reboot of Alfred Hitchcock's classic horror film Psycho (1960). For her performance, she won the 2013 Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television, and the 2016 People's Choice Award for Favorite Cable TV Actress. She also received three nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series (20132015), as well as nominations for the 2013 Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama, the 2013 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and the 2013 TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter called Farmiga's performance "superb" and Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times identified her as "the main reason [the series] is surprisingly good". In addition to starring, she served as a producer and later executive producer from the second season to its fifth and final season, which aired in 2017.
Farmiga appeared as Edith Martin in the romantic comedy At Middleton, with Andy García and her sister Taissa. The film premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival in May 2013. Also in 2013, she starred as Alice Bercovich in Nae Caranfil's Romanian-American comedy-drama Closer to the Moon, based on the events of the Ioanid Gang. Farmiga next co-starred in David Dobkin's drama film The Judge (2014) as Samantha Powell, the love interest and high school girlfriend of Robert Downey Jr.'s character. She then starred as Eleanor Finch in Ricky Gervais' comedy Special Correspondents, which premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. She next appeared as Alise Firth in Jordan Roberts' adventure comedy-drama Burn Your Maps, which premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. Farmiga co-starred as Dr. Nora Phillips in Neill Blomkamp's BMW short film The Escape (2016), alongside Dakota Fanning and Clive Owen. The following year, she executive produced the documentary film Unspoken, which premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival in October 2017.
In May 2021, Farmiga made a special guest appearance in Netflix's drama limited series Halston, based on the life of the fashion designer of the same name, opposite Ewan McGregor in the title role. She then reprised her role as Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, released in June 2021. In September 2021, Farmiga appeared as Livia Soprano in the film prequel to The Sopranos, titled The Many Saints of Newark, directed by Alan Taylor. Following this, she starred as Eleanor Bishop, the mother of Hailee Steinfeld's character, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero miniseries Hawkeye, which premiered on Disney+ in November 2021.
Farmiga met actor Sebastian Roché while starring together in the fantasy adventure television series Roar; after it ended in 1997, they eloped to the Bahamas and were divorced in 2004. She began dating Deadsy musician Renn Hawkey, after being introduced by mutual friend Allen Hughes on the set of Touching Evil. They married on September 13, 2008, when Farmiga was five months pregnant with their first child. She gave birth to a son, Fynn, in January 2009 in Rhinebeck, New York and a daughter, Gytta, in November 2010. The family owns homes in Hudson Valley, New York and Vancouver, British Columbia.
Farmiga is a nondenominational Christian; in a 2011 interview with Christianity Today, Farmiga said: "I grew up in a Ukrainian Catholic-turned-Christian household, and that is my family's faith. My father instilled in me ... to define God, to define holiness for myself. That was my parents' number one lesson for us. I don't belong to any particular church, but I'm someone who will be able to walk into any place of worship, any house of worship, and have a direct correspondence."
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Husband | Sebastian Roché (m. 1997-2004) Renn Hawkey (m. 2008) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2023, Vera Farmiga's net worth is estimated at $10 million. Her income comes from acting, directing, and production ventures. She reportedly earns around $75,000 per episode for her acting roles. Her annual income ranges between $500,000 and $1 million.
Career, Business, and Investments
Vera Farmiga's career is highlighted by her roles in The Conjuring franchise, Bates Motel, and Up in the Air. Her portrayal of Norma Louise Bates in Bates Motel earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination. She also directed the film Higher Ground in 2011. Farmiga's work spans multiple genres, demonstrating her versatility as an artist.
Vera Ann Farmiga (born August 6, 1973) is an American actress. Farmiga began her professional acting career on stage in the original Broadway production of Taking Sides (1996). After expanding to television and film, her breakthrough came with her starring role as a drug addict in the drama Down to the Bone (2004). She then had roles in the political thriller The Manchurian Candidate (2004), the crime drama The Departed (2006), and the historical drama The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008). She was also established as a scream queen for her performances in the horror films Joshua (2007) and Orphan (2009).
She is set to star in the Heaven's Gate Cult biopic The Leader, in which she will portray group founder Bonnie Nettles. She will also voice a character in the upcoming animated series Gossamer, based on the novel of the same name by Lois Lowry.
Social Network
Vera Farmiga maintains a low public profile on social networks, focusing more on her professional engagements rather than personal updates.
In 2009, Farmiga portrayed the lead role of Kate Coleman in Jaume Collet-Serra's psychological thriller Orphan. The film was co-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, who had starred with Farmiga in The Departed. Her performance was praised, with Toby Young of The Times writing that she "becomes more convincing as the story unfolds. By the end, she has you in the palm of her hand". She then appeared as Aurora de Valday in Niki Caro's romantic drama The Vintner's Luck, which premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.
She reprised her role in the sequel, The Conjuring 2 (2016), which was also directed by Wan. The film was the second released in the main series, but the third released within The Conjuring Universe. Like its predecessor, The Conjuring 2 was met with a positive critical reception and commercial success, surpassing The Conjuring as the second highest-grossing horror film of all time.
Education
While specific details about Vera Farmiga's formal education are not widely available, her early exposure to the performing arts and her family's support significantly influenced her career path.
In summary, Vera Farmiga's net worth and career reflect her dedication to the entertainment industry, marked by impactful performances and strategic professional choices.
Farmiga considers herself to be "100% Ukrainian-American". She was raised in an insular Ukrainian-American community in Irvington, with Ukrainian being her first language. Farmiga did not learn English until she started kindergarten at the age of six. When she was 12 years old, the family moved from Irvington to Whitehouse Station. Farmiga attended St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic School in Newark and toured with a Ukrainian folk-dancing ensemble named Syzokryli during her teen years. In addition to being a semi-professional folk dancer, she is also a classically trained pianist. She was a member of Plast.
Farmiga graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School in 1991. During her junior year there, she found acting after being benched during a varsity soccer game; her friend convinced her to audition for the school production of The Vampire, and she won the lead role of Lady Margaret. Farmiga went on to study theater at Syracuse University (SU), where she graduated in 1995. In her final year at SU, she portrayed Nina Zarechnaya in The Seagull at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, and the production won the top prize. Her drama professor, Gerardine Clark, stated: "We'd never have won had she not nailed the fourth act. A number of the judges told me that."