Mara Wilson

Mara Elizabeth Wilson is an American writer, playwright, stage actress, voice actress and former child actress. She is best known for her roles as Nattie Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire, Susan Walker in Miracle on 34th Street and Matilda Wormwood in Matilda. Wilson's first acting job was in a Lunchables commercial. Mara's parents refused to let her go into acting at first. --- Wilson was born in San Fernando Valley, California, the daughter of Mike Wilson and the late Suzie Shapiro Wilson. Her mother was Jewish and her father is of part Irish descent; Wilson was raised in the Jewish faith. She has three older brothers, Danny, Jon, and Joel, and a younger sister, Anna. Mara's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer on March 10, 1995. By the time the doctors found the cancer it was too late. Suzie Wilson died while Mara was filming Matilda. The movie was dedicated to Suzie's memory. Wilson's ' Matilda' co-stars, actors Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman consoled her during her mother's illness and death. Mike has since remarried. In 2005, Wilson graduated from Idyllwild Arts Academy. She studied at New York University. After watching her eldest brother Danny act in commercials, Wilson had an interest in film acting at the age of five. Wilson's film debut was in the 1993 Mrs. Doubtfire, followed by the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street. In 1994, Wilson had a recurring role as Nikki Petrova on Melrose Place and played Barbara Barton in the television film A Time to Heal. In 1998, she won the ShoWest Award for "Young Star of the Year". Her performances in those films caught the attention of Danny DeVito and led to her being cast as the titular character in Matilda. Wilson won a Young Artist Award for her role in A Simple Wish in "Best Performance in a Feature Film Leading Young Actress" and a Young Star Award for Matilda in "Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy Film". She was twice nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor for both Matilda and A Simple Wish. In 1999, she played Willow Johnson in the 1999 Disney Channel television film Balloon Farm. Mara auditioned for the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap, but she was considered to be too young for the role. Her appearance in the 2000 film Thomas and the Magic Railroad was her last major film role to date. Once Thomas and the Magic Railroad was completed Mara decided to focus on school instead of film acting. At that point in her career scripts were being sent to Mara so that she didn't have to go to auditions.