Mira Sorvino is a critically acclaimed American actress best known for her breakthrough performance in the 1995 Woody Allen film Mighty Aphrodite.
The daughter of former actress and drama therapist for Alzheimer’s patients, Lorraine Davis, and Italian-American actor and director Paul Sorvino, Mira Sorvino was born on September 28, 1967 in Tenafly, New Jersey. Although both her parents are talented actors, her father do not want her to be an actor. But acting is undeniably in her blood, as she was already writing and acting for plays in their backyard when she was young. She attended Dwight-Englewood High School, where she participated in the school’s theater productions. She earned her bachelor’s degree in East Asian Studies from Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude. She then moved to New York to pursue a career in acting. She was initially hired to work behind the camera for the 1993 film Amongst Friends, before she was finally offered the lead role.
After her roles in the films, Quiz Show and Barcelona, she was cast in Woody Allen’s comedy film Mighty Aphrodite, as the foul-mouthed prostitute Linda Ash. Her remarkable performance in the film earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. This was then followed by her notable performances in the films Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, in which she co-starred with Lisa Kudrow, and At First Sight alongside Val Kilmer. She further gained recognition when she portrayed Marilyn Monroe in the 1995 HBO produced film Norma Jean and Marilyn.
In 2005, Sorvino once again impressed the public when she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Kate Moroizov in the independent film Human Trafficking.
Sorvino also made her appeares in the television series Will and Grace and House M.D.