Biography

Mara Wilson was born in Los Angeles, California, to Michael Wilson and the late Suzie Shapiro Wilson. She has three older brothers, Danny, Jon, and Joel, and a younger sister, Anna. Suzie died from breast cancer in 1996 during the filming of Matilda and Michael remarried. "Matilda" was dedicated to Suzie's memory.

In 2005, Wilson graduated from Idyllwild Arts Academy. She is a 2009 graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. In an interview she stated that she does not want to be a celebrity, although she did add that she was considering doing a small film, just not mainstream films. Mara Wilson explained that she quit film acting because she did not find it enjoyable, and prefers stage acting.

Wilson had interest in acting at the age of 5. Wilson's film debut was in the 1993 hit Mrs. Doubtfire - based on the Anne Fine novelMadame Doubtfire, a sequel after Mrs. Doubtfire followed by the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street. In 1995, 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 title character in Matilda, adapted from the popular children's book by author Roald Dahl. 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 YoungStar 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. Her appearance in the 2000 film Thomas and the Magic Railroad was her last major film role to date.

In 1993, Wilson had a recurring role as Nikkie Petrova on the primetime soap opera Melrose Place. She also played Barbara Barton in the 1994 television film, A Time to Heal; and Willow Johnson in the 1999 television film, Balloon Farm.

Wilson sang "Make 'Em Laugh" at the 67th Academy Awards telecast on March 27, 1995, with Tim Curry and Kathy Najimy.

In January 2012, Wilson appeared briefly in one episode of a web series called Missed Connection in the role of Bitty.

In March 2012, Wilson addressed recurrent fan questions regarding her acting career via her website. Wilson stated that acting was the talent she had as a child, but does not plan on pursuing in the future. She said that film acting was not very fun for her and has no regrets about abandoning this career.

On May 1, 2012, Wilson made a special appearance in the Nostalgia Critic review of A Simple Wish. As a payback, she showed criticism as well by playing footage of him in his younger years, making short films.

Mara Wilson