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Maggie Grace
Grace at ComicCon, 2012
Born
Margaret Grace Denig

(1983-09-21) September 21, 1983 (age 41)
Worthington, Ohio, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active2001–present

Maggie Grace (born Margaret Grace Denig; September 21, 1983) is an American actress, best known for her roles as Shannon Rutherford on the ABC television series Lost and Kim Mills in the Taken trilogy. Originally from Worthington, Ohio, she dropped out of high school to move to Los Angeles with her mother after her parents' divorce. While struggling financially, she landed her first role as the title character in the web-based video series Rachel's Room in 2001. She went on to earn a Young Artist Award nomination in 2002 with her portrayal of 15-year-old murder victim Martha Moxley in the television movie Murder in Greenwich. In 2004, Grace was cast as Shannon Rutherford in the television series Lost, on which she was a main cast member for the first two seasons, winning a Screen Actors Guild Award shared with the ensemble cast. Leaving the series, Grace was keen to work more prominently in film, having starred opposite Tom Welling in The Fog in 2005. She appeared in Suburban Girl, The Jane Austen Book Club (both 2007), and opposite Liam Neeson as Kim Mills in Taken in 2008. She reprised the role in Taken 2 (2012) and Taken 3 (2014).

She played the lead role, Alice, in Malice in Wonderland, a modern take on Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Grace reprised the role of Shannon in two more episodes of Lost, including the series finale. In 2013, she appears in the sixth season of Californication. She portrays Faith, a groupie and a muse to the stars, who captures the eye of Hank Moody played by David Duchovny.

Early life

Grace was born Margaret Grace Denig in Worthington, Ohio,[1] one of three children of parents Valinn (née Everett) and Fred[2] Denig, who ran a family jewelry business.[3] Her family lived in a 200-year-old house, the first saltbox house in central Ohio.[4] She attended Worthington Christian Schools from kindergarten through ninth grade and briefly attended Thomas Worthington High School,[5] where she began acting in school plays and community theater,[6] including a 2000 Gallery Players production of The Crucible, at a local Jewish Community Center (though she is not Jewish).[7][8] As a kid Grace was a big reader and a self described "Shakespeare nerd"[9] telling the LA Times that at age 13, she "was really into Jane Austen, kind of like how some kids are into Star Trek.[9] Her parents divorced "amicably" when she was 16 years old, and her mother sought a "fresh start".[1] Grace dropped out of high school to move to Los Angeles, California with her mother, while her younger siblings Ian Denig and Marissa Palatas (married to Nick Palatas) continued to live with their father.[3] In Los Angeles, Grace and her mother moved around often as they struggled financially, taking out short-term rents rather than paying for permanent residence while eating a basic diet, as it was all they could afford.[1][10]

Career

"I went to audition after audition. I landed a few bit parts; nothing substantial, but LA taught me to grow up ... I was lucky I never got hooked into anything, but I saw the drugs, the partying. I come from a small, religious town with Midwestern values and Hollywood was a real eye-opener for me."

Grace on her first reactions to Hollywood[1]

Grace acquired an agent within a week of relocating to Los Angeles and enrolled in acting classes.[8] She landed her first role in Rachel's Room, a 2001 web-based video series about the affairs inside a teenage girl's bedroom that was created by Dawson's Creek executive producer Paul Stupin.[11] Her next role was on the 2002 television series Septuplets, which was cancelled before the first episode had aired.[3] Her breakout role was on 2002's television movie Murder in Greenwich, based on the true story of 15-year-old Martha Moxley's murder.[1] She was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her portrayal of Moxley in the Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special – Leading Young Actress category, but lost to Clara Bryant for Tru Confessions.[12] She went on to feature in minor roles on the television series CSI: Miami, The Lyon's Den, Miracles, Like Family, Cold Case and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and the films Twelve Mile Road and Creature Unknown.

Grace at the New York premiere of Won't Back Down, September 2012

In mid-2004, Grace's agent sent her the script for the pilot episode of Lost; she was given the role of Shannon Rutherford after a successful audition.[1][3] She was nominated in 2005 for a Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Breakout Performance – Female for her role on Lost, but lost to Desperate Housewives' Eva Longoria.[13] She lived in Hawaii during the filming of the show's first season, and signed on to star opposite Tom Welling in The Fog,[1] a 2005 remake of the 1980 horror film of the same name, as a character originally played by Jamie Lee Curtis.[14] Though the filming of Lost was supposed to have ended before The Fog began, the productions coincided due to Lost's extended season finale[6] and Grace flew between the two sets, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and on Bowen Island in British Columbia, Canada.[4] After ranking at #27 on Maxim's Hot 100 list of 2005,[15] she returned for Lost's second season. Her character was killed in the season's eighth episode, "Collision", when the series' writers began to feel that the character's "story avenues [were] limited". Executive producer Carlton Cuse said that Grace's departure from the show was "sort of a win-win" as she was eager to enter a full-time career in film.[16] After leaving the series, she nevertheless joined the other principal Lost cast members of season 2 onstage at the 12th Screen Actors Guild Awards where Lost won the award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.[17]

At the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival

Variety reported in May 2005 that Grace was in negotiations to play X-Men character Kitty Pryde in the 2006 film X-Men: The Last Stand,[18] but in July, auditions were reportedly being held for her replacement.[19] The role ultimately went to Ellen Page,[20] and Grace later revealed that she had never been contacted about the role and was surprised to read that she was up for the part in question.[21] Grace's next role was in the 2007 independent film Suburban Girl, alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alec Baldwin.[22] In 2007, she starred in The Jane Austen Book Club, based on Karen Joy Fowler's novel of the same name. She is a fan of Jane Austen and had read Fowler's novel when it was released in 2004. When she was given the film's script, she met with the director Robin Swicord, with whom she says she "geeked out", and was given the role of Allegra, an openly lesbian 20-year-old.[23] After the filming of The Jane Austen Book Club was completed, Grace briefly returned to Hawaii to shoot a guest spot on the Lost season 3 episode "Exposé".[23] She starred in the 2008 thriller film Taken with Liam Neeson, who was at the top of a list of male actors Grace wished to work with that she had written just two months before she was cast.[24] She played the lead in Simon Fellows' 2009 Malice in Wonderland, a modern adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.[25] In 2010, Grace starred in the drama Flying Lessons,[26] and appeared opposite Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz in James Mangold's film Knight and Day,[27] as well as in Faster, with Dwayne Johnson.[28] Grace's busy schedule prevented her from returning as Shannon in "LA X", the season premiere for Lost's sixth and final season,[29] but she eventually returned for the series finale "The End".[30] On September 2010, it was revealed that Grace was chosen to play Irina in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 and 2.[31]

In December 2012, it was announced Grace would be making her Broadway debut in Picnic. The play opened for previews on December 14, running at the American Airlines Theatre. Sebastian Stan co-stars with Grace in the Pulitzer Prize winning play.[32]

In February 2015, it was announced that the actress would be leading a new CBS series titled Code Black,[33] but later exited the show for creative reasons.[34]

She also made her first appearance as a guest star in the Showtime Series Californication in January 2013 where she plays a groupie and muse to the rock and roll world as well as the personal interest of Hank Moody, starring David Duchovny.

Personal life

Grace lived in Honolulu, Hawaii while working on Lost, saying "I love it here, but it's not a place you can really pursue acting."[35] She claimed that, while living in Hawaii, her Lost co-stars would introduce her to men and that some "would probably have me with a different guy every night." She said that her male co-stars were "mostly very protective" and "very opinionated" when deciding whether she should date certain men;[36] actor Josh Holloway once offered to help her select dates from a portfolio of male models with whom he previously worked.[3] Grace and Ian Somerhalder, her onscreen stepbrother, dated in April 2006 after both had left Lost.[37] When asked about Somerhalder in August, she stated, "Ian's great, I adore him, although I'm only 22 – far too young to even think about having a serious relationship."[1] While still working on Lost, Grace and Somerhalder adopted a feral cat named Roo which they found "literally dying" in the jungle on the set. She said that the cat is now her "travel buddy."[38] From 2008 to 2009, she dated Blake Mycoskie, a contestant on the second season of The Amazing Race and founder of TOMS Shoes.[39] On February 18, 2015, Grace announced her engagement to Matthew Cooke via Instagram. In February 2016, Grace announced that they had split up.[40][41]

Grace often credits her mother as her source of inspiration. When asked about her closest friend, she said that she and her mother were more like sisters and that she is "lucky to have an exceptionally cool mum."[10] She is a self-proclaimed Anglophile, having written to a pen pal in the Lake District from the age of eight, having first visited England at 13 years old, and admiring a number of English poets as well as William Shakespeare.[42] She calls herself very clumsy, claiming to "trip over my legs all the time,"[43] and was jokingly nicknamed "Maggie Graceless" by one of her former castmates.[44] She plays in a Los Angeles kickball league with her friends.[44]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2001 Rachel's Room Rachel Reed Web based series
2002 Shop Club
2004 Creature Unknown Amanda
2005 The Fog Elizabeth Williams
2007 Suburban Girl Chloe
The Jane Austen Book Club Allegra
2008 Taken Kim Mills
2009 Malice in Wonderland Alice
2010 Flying Lessons Sophie Conway
Knight and Day April Havens
The Experiment Bay
Faster Lily
2011 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 Irina
2012 Lockout Emilie Warnock
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 Irina
Taken 2 Kim Mills
Decoding Annie Parker Sarah
2014 We'll Never Have Paris Kelsey
About Alex Siri
Taken 3 Kim Mills
2015 Unity Narrator Documentary
2016 The Choice Stephanie Parker
The Scent of Rain and Lightning Laurie Filming
478 Christina

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2002 Septuplets Hope Wilde TV series
2002 Murder in Greenwich Martha Moxley Television film
2003 Twelve Mile Road Dulcie Landis Television film
CSI: Miami Amy Gorman Episode: "Spring Break"
The Lyon's Den Haley Dugan Episode: "Beach House"
Miracles Hannah Cottrell Episode: "Mother's Daughter"
2004 Cold Case Renee Episode: "Volunteers"
Oliver Beene Elke 8 episodes
Like Family Mary Episode: "My Two Moms"
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Jessie Dawning Episode: "Obscene"
2004–06, 2010 Lost Shannon Rutherford Main role (Seasons 1–2); Special Guest Star (Seasons 3 & 6): 32 episodes
2013 Californication Faith 10 episodes
The Following Sarah Fuller Episode: "Pilot"
Susanna Susanna Lead role; 12 episodes (Webseries)
When Calls the Heart Aunt Elizabeth Pilot movie only[45]
2015 Masters of Sex Dr. Christine Wesh Episode: "Three's a Crowd"

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Graham, Caroline (August 7, 2006). "Maggie Grace is in Lost paradise". Daily Mail. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  2. ^ "Birth Record of Margaret Grace Denig". MooseRoots. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e Keck, William (October 18, 2005). "She's not lost in a fog". USA Today. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  4. ^ a b Barker, Lynn (October 12, 2005). "Maggie Grace: "Lost" in The Fog". TeenHollywood.com. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  5. ^ Graham, Caroline (November–December 2005). "Finding Grace". CityScene.
  6. ^ a b King, Susan (September 11, 2005). "The island life seems to suit her just fine". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  7. ^ Foley, Kristen M. (February 2005). "Lost Girl". C: The Columbus Magazine.
  8. ^ a b Sells, Mark (January 2009). "Maggie Grace". The Reel Deal. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  9. ^ a b King, Susan (January 8, 2015). "'Shakespeare nerd' Maggie Grace has been 'Taken' by the action genre". latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 12, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Cleeve, Dan (March 2006). "Maggie Grace". CosmoGirl.
  11. ^ Marlowe, Chris (September 10, 2001). "Stupin Gets Raw In 'Room' With An Internet View". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 4, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ Eric Goldman (March 29, 2003). "24th Annual Young Artist Awards Nominations". Young Artist Awards. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  13. ^ "The Teen Choice Awards – Nominees". 20th Century Fox. 2005. Archived from the original on February 5, 2008. Retrieved March 6, 2008.
  14. ^ Otto, Jeff (October 4, 2005). "Set Visit: The Fog". IGN. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  15. ^ "MAXIM MAGAZINE Unveils Their "Hot 100" for 2005; Eva Longoria Crowned #1 This Year". Business Wire. May 10, 2005. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  16. ^ Malcom, Shawna (November 29, 2005). "Has Lost Seen the Last of Shannon?". TV Guide.
  17. ^ Eric Goldman (January 31, 2006). "'Lost's' killed-off actors get to share in glory". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  18. ^ IGN FilmForce (May 18, 2005). "Grammer, Grace in X3". IGN. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  19. ^ Saney, Daniel (July 6, 2005). "Maggie Grace quits 'X-Men 3'". Digital Spy. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  20. ^ IGN FilmForce (July 27, 2005). "Exclusive: The New Kitty Pryde". IGN. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  21. ^ Russo, Tim (May 2006). "Freaks & Cliques". Premiere.
  22. ^ Dodd, Stacy (February 19, 2007). "Maggie Grace". Variety. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  23. ^ a b Douglas, Edward (October 4, 2007). "Exclusive: Actress Maggie Grace". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  24. ^ Gallagher, Brian (May 8, 2009). "EXCLUSIVE: Maggie Grace Dishes on Being Taken". MovieWeb.com. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  25. ^ Perry, Byron (August 13, 2007). "Maggie Grace". Variety. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  26. ^ Kay, Jeremy (May 21, 2010). "New Films acquires Flying Lessons, Saving Grace B Jones". ScreenDaily. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  27. ^ Pedersen, Nicole (August 27, 2009). "Maggie Grace Joins Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz in James Mangold's WICHITA". Collider. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  28. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (January 7, 2010). "Actresses circle 'Faster'". Variety. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
  29. ^ Santos, Kristin Dos (February 14, 2010). "On the First Day of Lost-mas: Sawyer Is Kissing Who?! Maggie Grace Is Where?". E! Online. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
  30. ^ Jeff Jensen and Dan Snierson (February 17, 2010). "'Lost' exclusive: Maggie Grace, a.k.a. Shannon, returns this season". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  31. ^ Sperling, Nicole (September 27, 2010). "Maggie Grace to play villain Irina in 'Breaking Dawn'". Entertainment Weekly.
  32. ^ "'Picnic' Starring Maggie Grace, Sebastian Stan Opens January 13". Broadway Tour. December 14, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  33. ^ "Maggie Grace To Star In CBS' 'Code Black'".
  34. ^ Ausiello, Michael. "Lost Vet Maggie Grace Exits CBS' Medical Drama Pilot Code Black". TVLine. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  35. ^ Keck, William (October 18, 2005). "Success finds Maggie". USA Today. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  36. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (December 24, 2005). "'Lost' actress gets advice from co-stars". Digital Spy. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  37. ^ Mahan, Colin (April 19, 2006). "Lost love found". TV.com. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  38. ^ "Lost in love: TV show's stars hit it off in Hawaii". iVillage. October 18, 2006. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved January 8, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  39. ^ Jones, Liz (December 15, 2008). "You couldn't make Blake up – he's handsome, rich and helps children in the Third World". Daily Mail. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  40. ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/-r2g3GLcvh/
  41. ^ http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/maggie-grace-is-single-again-details-w163424
  42. ^ BANG Media (September 8, 2008). "'Anglophile' Maggie Grace". Monsters and Critics. Archived from the original on May 12, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  43. ^ "Maggie Grace's clumsy leg". AskMen.com. December 28, 2005. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  44. ^ a b Smith, Ryan (October 1, 2007). "Bold prints for fall". OK!.
  45. ^ "Hallmark Channel Original Series 'When Calls the Heart' to Premiere January 11th". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
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