Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. She made her film debut as the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the drama film I Am Sam (2001). As a child actress, she appeared in several films, including Babel (2006), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Phoebe in Wonderland (both 2008). In 2010 she starred in Sofia Coppola's Somewhere (2010) earning her a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer nomination. In 2011 she received attention for her starring role in J. J. Abrams' science-fiction film Super 8, earning a Spotlight Award at the Hollywood Film Festival. She subsequently had leading roles in the comedy-drama film We Bought a Zoo (2011), the drama film Ginger & Rosa (2012), and as Princess Aurora in the fantasy films Maleficent (2014) and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019). Following Maleficent, Fanning began working in independent cinema, collaborating with auteurs in lead and supporting roles in films such as Nicolas Winding Refn's The Neon Demon (2016), Mike Mills' 20th Century Women (2016), Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled (2017), John Cameron Mitchell's How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2017), Woody Allen's A Rainy Day in New York (2019), and Sally Potter's The Roads Not Taken (2020). In 2019, aged 21, she became the youngest person to serve as a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival. She plays Empress Catherine II in the Hulu series The Great (2020–present), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nomination as well as two Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy nominations and three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. In 2022 she starred as Michelle Carter in the Hulu limited series The Girl from Plainville. Early life Fanning was born in Conyers, Georgia, to Heather Joy (née Arrington), who played college tennis, and Steven J. Fanning, who played minor league baseball for teams affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals. Her maternal grandfather was American football player Rick Arrington, and her aunt is ESPN reporter Jill Arrington. Counted amongst the Arrington family's most notable ancestors is the gentleman farmer William Farrar. Fanning is the younger sister of Dakota Fanning, who is also an actress. Both were brought up in the Southern Baptist denomination. Career 2001–2013: Child actress and breakthrough Fanning started acting before turning three years old. She began