Christina Ricci

Christina Ricci, born on February 12, 1980, is an American actress known for her portrayal of unusual characters with a dark edge. She has worked extensively in independent productions and has also appeared in several box-office hits. Ricci has received nominations for prestigious awards including the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and Primetime Emmy Awards.


Ricci began her acting career at the age of nine with her debut in the film "Mermaids" (1990). She gained widespread recognition for her breakout role as Wednesday Addams in "The Addams Family" (1991) and its sequel "Addams Family Values" (1993). Throughout the 1990s, she further solidified her status as a teen idol with roles in films like "Casper" and "Now and Then" (both 1995).


Transitioning into adult-oriented projects, Ricci starred in "The Ice Storm" (1997) and went on to feature in various independent films such as "Buffalo '66," "The Opposite of Sex," and "Pecker" (all 1998). She continued to expand her repertoire with roles in "Prozac Nation" (2001), "Pumpkin" (2002), and "Monster" (2003). Ricci's diverse filmography also includes appearances in "Sleepy Hollow" and "200 Cigarettes" (both 1999), "Black Snake Moan" and "Penelope" (both 2006), "Speed Racer" (2008), and "The Matrix Resurrections" (2021).


In addition to her film work, Ricci has made notable contributions to television. She played Liza Bump in the final season of "Ally McBeal" (2002) and received an Emmy Award nomination for her guest role on "Grey's Anatomy" in 2006. Ricci starred in ABC's "Pan Am" (2011–2012) and produced and starred in the series "The Lizzie Borden Chronicles" (2015) and "Z: The Beginning of Everything" (2017). Recently, she portrayed Marilyn Thornhill in the first season of Netflix's "Wednesday" in 2022 and has been playing Misty Quigley on Showtime's "Yellowjackets" since 2021, earning nominations for the 2022 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress and the 2024 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.


In 2010, Ricci made her Broadway debut in "Time Stands Still." Outside of acting, she serves as the national spokesperson for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). Ricci is married to hairdresser Mark Hampton, with whom she has two children.


Christina Ricci was born in Santa Monica, California, as the youngest of four children to Sarah (née Murdoch) and Ralph Ricci. Her mother was a Ford Agency model in the 1960s and later worked as a real estate agent, while her father held various jobs including gym teacher, lawyer, drug counselor, and primal scream therapist. Ricci has described her ancestry as Italian, Irish, and Scottish.


The family later relocated to Montclair, New Jersey, where Ricci spent her formative years attending several schools including Edgemont Elementary School, Glenfield Middle School, Montclair High School, and Morristown–Beard School. She further pursued her education at the Professional Children's School in New York City. Ricci has three older siblings named Rafael, Dante, and Pia. Her parents separated when she was a preteen, and she has spoken openly about her challenging childhood, especially regarding her parents' divorce and her tumultuous relationship with her father.


At the age of eight, Christina Ricci's talent was discovered by a local theater critic during a school production of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Initially, another child was cast in the part she wanted, but Ricci devised a cunning plan to secure the role for herself: she provoked her rival to the point where he punched her. Upon reporting the incident, he lost the part, and Ricci claimed it for herself. Reflecting on this incident, she remarked, "I've always been a really ambitious person. I guess that's the first time it really reared its ugly head."


Shortly thereafter, she appeared in a pair of spoof commercials on Saturday Night Live, which earned her membership in the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).


Ricci made her film debut in 1990 in the movie Mermaids, portraying the character Kate Flax. She also featured in the music video for "The Shoop Shoop Song," which was part of the film's soundtrack. Her breakthrough came the following year when she played the morbidly precocious Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family, followed by its sequel Addams Family Values in 1993. Both films were commercial successes, grossing over US$300 million combined. Ricci's portrayal of Wednesday Addams was widely praised, with critics lauding her performance for bringing depth and maturity beyond her years.


She then took on her first leading role in Casper (1995), a supernatural comedy based on the Harvey Comics character. Despite mixed reviews, the film was one of the top-grossing releases of 1995. Ricci also appeared in Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain and Now and Then the same year. Now and Then, in particular, gained a cult following and is often regarded as a female counterpart to Stand by Me.


Ricci continued to showcase her versatility by taking on a supporting role in Bastard Out of Carolina (1996), directed by Anjelica Huston. The film, based on a semi-autobiographical novel, received critical acclaim for its sensitive portrayal of challenging themes.

References

1.  "Famous birthdays for Feb. 12: Christina Ricci, Bill Russell". UPI. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
2. ^ "Forget F. Scott: In 'Z,' Christina Ricci Tells Zelda Fitzgerald's Story". NPR. March 26, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
3. ^ "Christina Ricci". The Numbers. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
4. ^ "Christina Ricci: Beyond Wednesday". Dazed. September 22, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
5. a b "Christina Ricci Shines Light on Sexual Violence in Huffington Post". CBS News. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
6. ^ "The vamp is a lady". The Telegraph. April 28, 2007. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
7. ^ "The Minx Effect". Archived from the original on November 23, 2003. Retrieved November 22, 2007.
8. ^ About Christina Ricci "The family moved to Montclair, New Jersey, where she grew up attending Edgemont Elementary School, Glenfield Middle School, and Montclair High School as well as the Morristown-Beard School."
9. ^ Goldfarb, Bard (February 2004). "Christina Ricci: at age 8, she arrived to an audition with a black eye and freaked the casting director out. Fifteen years later, she's still keeping the surprises coming – Interview". Find Articles. Archived from the original on January 11, 2005. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
10. ^ "The Minx Effect". The Face. October 1998.
11. ^ "The Littlest Addams". New York Magazine. November 18, 1991. p. 18.
12. ^ Chiu, Alexis (May 19, 2008). "Christina Ricci". People. Vol. 69, no. 19. Archived from the original on May 8, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
13. ^ Brockes, Emma (November 11, 2011). "Christina Ricci: 'I don't think anything I said was really dark'". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
14. a b Hill, Logan. "The Tao of Christina Ricci", New York Magazine, February 21, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2008.