Christina Ricci

(Mandy Bloom) Christina Ricci is one of Hollywood's most respected young actors whose talent and poise is well beyond her years.

Ricci recently wrapped production on an adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's short story Bel Ami co-starring Rob Pattinson, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Uma Thurman. The film tells the story of George Duroy (played by Pattinson), a young journalist who rose from poverty to become one of the most successful men in Paris via the ruthless and calculating bedding of the city's most glamorous and influential women.

Ricci will next play the character of Lilly in the 3D animated film Alpha and Omega. Other talent in the film includes Hayden Panettiere, Justin Long, Danny Glover and Dennis Hopper. The film will be released by Lionsgate September 17, 2010. She will also next be seen in Tom Brady's Born to Be a Star opposite Stephen Dorff and Nick Swardson in a comedy about a small-town nerd who stumbles upon a family secret. The film will be released by Sony Pictures April 22, 2011.

Ricci's performance at age seven in a school Christmas play caught the attention of a local theatre critic, who suggested to her parents that she consider an acting career. She made her professional acting debut one year later in Mermaids in the pivotal role of Cher's youngest daughter and Winona Ryder's sister. As a child actor, Ricci won over audiences and critics alike with her winning portrayal of the strangely adorable "Wednesday Addams" in The Addams Family. Her performance so delighted the film's creators and movie fans that Ricci was given an expanded role in the sequel, Addams Family Values. She went on to star in the surprise hit of the summer 1995 season Casper. For that, Ricci received the prestigious NATO ShowEast Star of the Year Award and the Star of Tomorrow Award from the Motion Picture Booker's Club for her strong performances and the $100 million-plus box office successes of The Addams Family and Casper.

In 1997, Ricci made a seamless transition into more mature roles, receiving great acclaim in Ang Lee's ensemble film, The Ice Storm, co-starring Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Allen, and Elijah Wood; then starring as "Dedee Truit", in the scathing comedy The Opposite of Sex, a performance which won her the Best Actress Award at the Seattle Film Festival; and as "Layla" in Vincent Gallo's Buffalo 66. She was later nominated for a Golden Globe Award, an American Comedy Award, and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress for her work in The Opposite of Sex, and earned a National Board of Review Best Supporting Actress Award for her combined efforts in The Opposite of Sex, Buffalo 66 and John Water's Pecker.

Additional film credits include Larry and Andy Wachowski's Speed Racer; Mark Palansky's Penelope; Craig Brewer's Black Snake Moan, a critically acclaimed performance in Patty Jenkins' Monster, opposite Academy Award winner Charlize Theron; Wes Craven's Cursed, Woody Allen's romantic comedy Anything Else, Sally Potter's The Man Who Cried and a memorable cameo in Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Additionally, Ricci starred opposite Johnny Depp in Tim Burtons Sleepy Hollow, for which she won the Blockbuster Entertainment Award.

On television, Ricci's credits include a recurring role on Ally McBeal; a guest appearance on Grey's Anatomy, for which she received an Emmy nomination; and a guest appearance on Saving Grace.

Ricci currently serves as the National Spokesperson for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) and is a member of the organization's National Leadership Council. RAINN is the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization, operating the National Sexual Assault Hotline in partnership with over 1,100 rape crisis centers across the country. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual assault, help victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice.

Photo by Andrew Eccles