Paquin, Anna (1982– )

Canadian-born New Zealand film actor. At the age of 11 Paquin became the second-youngest actor in film history to receive an Academy Award. This she achieved for her compelling performance in Jane Campion's award-winning drama The Piano.

Paquin performed a demanding role as a nine-year-old with a Scottish accent; she also learned sign language for the part. She has proved herself a versatile and instinctive young character actor, following her film debut success in The Piano, after a brief sabbatical, with finely judged performances in Fly Away Home (1996), Jane Eyre (1996), Amistad (1997), and She's All That (1999), among several other late 1990s projects.