Biography - Abigail Breslin

Look out Dakota Fanning – Abigail Breslin is after the superstar child actress crown, and with an Oscar nomination for “Little Miss Sunshine” and a growing list of credits, she may be in the running to steal it away.

The precocious 10-year-old was born on April 14, 1996 in New York City, and comes from an acting family. Her brother Spencer (age 14) is also a child actor and the pair starred as siblings in the Kate Hudson comedy “Raising Helen” in 2004. The younger Breslin made her debut in M. Night Shyamalan’s enormously popular “Signs,” in which she played alongside Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix. Television appearances followed, in addition to a minor role in the Anne Hathaway vehicle “Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.” She has stayed busy since her scary “Signs” debut, appearing in nearly 20 projects.

The 2006 sleeper smash “Little Miss Sunshine” made Breslin a household name. The gifted actress donned a fat suit and a penchant for pageantry for the award-winning indie comedy, which co-stars Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin, Paul Dano, and Greg Kinnear. Breslin received a SAG nomination for her work in the film, and is up for an Oscar against older hopefuls Adriana Barraza, Cate Blanchett, Rinko Kikuchi, and Jennifer Hudson. Some might say it’s all for that crazy Rick James dance, but it’s hard to ignore Breslin’s natural abilities and her impressively earnest, focused performance in the hilarious road-trip comedy.