Abigail Breslin

Abigail Breslin is an American actress born on April 14, 1996, in New York City, where she was raised on the Lower East Side alongside her two older brothers, Ryan and Spencer, both of whom are also actors. Her mother, Kim, née Walsh, works as a talent manager and is of Irish ancestry; her father, Michael Breslin, was a telecommunications expert, computer programmer, and consultant of mixed Jewish and Irish descent. Breslin takes her first name from Abigail Adams, who served as the first Second Lady and second First Lady of the United States.

Breslin's professional career began at age three with a Toys "R" Us commercial, and her first acting role followed in M. Night Shyamalan's Signs (2002), in which she played Bo Hess, the daughter of Mel Gibson's character. David Ansen of Newsweek praised her and co-star Rory Culkin for delivering "terrifically natural, nuanced performances." She subsequently appeared in Raising Helen (2004) alongside her brother Spencer, as well as Chestnut: Hero of Central Park (2004), The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, and the independent film Keane, in which she played a young girl opposite Damian Lewis.

The role that brought Breslin widespread recognition was Olive Hoover in the 2006 comedy-drama Little Miss Sunshine, a beauty pageant contestant and youngest member of a dysfunctional family on a road trip. Cast at age six, she earned nominations for both the Screen Actors Guild Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the fourth youngest actress ever nominated in that category. The film grossed $100 million worldwide. On February 25, 2007, Breslin co-presented with Jaden Smith at the 79th Academy Awards, and that same year Forbes ranked her eighth on its list of Young Hollywood's top-earning stars, noting she had earned $1.5 million in 2006.

A stage debut preceded her Broadway work: on October 27, 2007, Breslin appeared in Right You Are (If You Think You Are) at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, performing in an ensemble that included Cate Blanchett, Dianne Wiest, Natalie Portman, and Peter Sarsgaard. Her film work continued through the late 2000s with No Reservations (2007), opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones; Definitely, Maybe (2007), in which she played the daughter of Ryan Reynolds's character; Nim's Island (2008), co-starring with Jodie Foster; and Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008), in which she played the title role. In 2009 she appeared in My Sister's Keeper as Anna Fitzgerald, a child conceived as a donor for her leukemia-stricken sister, and in the horror comedy Zombieland as Little Rock, a role director Ruben Fleischer described as his dream casting.

With previews beginning in February 2010, Breslin made her Broadway debut at the Circle in the Square Theatre, playing Helen Keller in a revival of The Miracle Worker. She has spoken publicly about Keller being one of her "biggest heroes." The production drew attention beyond the stage when the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts criticized the casting of a sighted, hearing actress in the role; lead producer David Richenthal responded that the production required a well-known actress to sell tickets. Vision-impaired actress Kyra Siegel was cast as Breslin's understudy. Critics responded positively to her performance, with Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter writing that she "well portrays Helen's feral rebelliousness in the play's early sections and is deeply touching as her character's bond with her teacher grows." Despite the favorable notices, ticket sales were considered disappointing and the production closed in April 2010.

Breslin's subsequent film credits include Rango (2011), The Call (2013), August: Osage County (2013), Ender's Game (2013), Maggie (2015), and Stillwater (2021). On television, she took on her first regular series role in the Fox horror-comedy Scream Queens (2015–2016), portraying Libby Putney across the show's run.