Anna Paquin

Anna Paquin, a versatile performer, was born in 1982. She moved with her family to New Zealand when she was a child, where she landed her first film role at the age of 9. Her work in "The Piano" earned her an Academy Award. More movies followed, including "Fly Away Home," "X-Men" and "Margaret." Paquin also stars in the hit television drama "True Blood."

Beating out hundreds of other young girls, Paquin won the part of Flora McGrath in "The Piano." She earned strong reviews for her work on the historical drama. In the film, she played the daughter of a mute woman (Holly Hunter). The pair travel to New Zealand so that Hunter's character can marry a wealthy man (Sam Neill), but she falls for one of his workers (Harvey Keitel). Paquin won an Academy Award for the film at the tender age of 11.

After her Oscar-winning turn in "The Piano," Paquin stepped away from acting for a time. She chose to focus on her own life, instead of her career. After declining numerous roles, Paquin returned to film in 1996, first playing a young version of the title character in the Charlotte Brontë classic, "Jane Eyre." That same year, she starred in the film "Fly Away Home," playing a girl who adopts a flock of orphaned birds.

Paquin enjoyed big box-office success playing a comic book character in 2000's "X-Men" with Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry and Patrick Stewart. She portrayed Rogue, a young girl with a deadly power, who teams up with other so-called mutants to fight the evil Magneto (Ian McKellen). Paquin reprised her role in the sequels.

In 2007, Paquin scored her first Emmy Award nomination for her work on "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee." She played a schoolteacher who worked with a Sioux doctor to help Native Americans on a reservation in the late 1800s. Moving to more modern and fantastical material, Paquin fought to be cast as Sookie Stackhouse in the supernatural drama "True Blood." Paquin picked a Golden Globe Award in 2009 for her work on the show.