This page uses content from the Mia Kirshner biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

Mia Kirshner (born January 25, 1975) is a Canadian actress who works in movies and television series.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, she is a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors. Her father, Sheldon, a journalist for The Canadian Jewish News, was born in a displaced person camp in Germany in 1946. He met her mother, Etti, a Bulgarian Jewish refugee, in Israel. Kirshner has a younger sister.

In 1993 she played a dominatrix in Denys Arcand's movie Love and Human Remains. She won a Genie nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. The year after she starred in Atom Egoyan's Exotica, yet another time showing her talents as an actress. Her performance in Exotica won her a Cannes Critics Choice Award.

After working for a decade in film and television, Kirshner became well known when she starred in the first three episodes of 24 as bisexual terrorist Mandy, in 2001.

Mia Kirshner studied Russian literature and 20th century movie industry at McGill University in Montreal.

In 2006, she starred in Brian De Palma's movie The Black Dahlia, alongside Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson and Hilary Swank. Kirshner plays a young actress, Elizabeth Short, who was horrifically murdered in 1947.

She is also working on the book I Live Here. In the book, woman and children refugees from dangerous places such as Chechnya, Juárez (Mexico) and Africa will tell their disturbing life stories. It will be published in Canada in 2006.

Kirshner frequently performs in lesbian or bisexual roles, or in movies that contain homosexual scenes.

Kirshner has been portraying Jenny Schecter on the hit Showtime series, The L Word since it began airing in 2004. Mia will reprise her role in season four, set to start airing early 2007 on Showtime.

She also appeared in Marilyn Manson's 2001 music video of the 80's cover of "Tainted Love".

Selected roles

Movies

• The Black Dahlia (2006) - Elizabeth Short
• Party Monster (2003) - Natasha Gatien
• New Best Friend (2002) - Alicia Campbell
• Not Another Teen Movie (2001) - Catherine
• Mad City (1997) - Laurie Callahan
• Anna Karenina (1997) - Kitty
• The Crow: City of Angels (1996) - Sarah
• Murder in the First - Adult Rosetta Young
• Exotica (1994) - Christina

TV

• Wolf Lake (2001) - Ruby Wilder/Ruby Cates
• 24 (2001) - Mandy
• The L Word - Jenny Schecter

See also

• List of female movie actors

External links

• UA Amnesty International: Mia Kirshner - The site features two audio clips where Mia Kirshner shares her experiences from her trip to a Chechen refugee camp.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify the biographical information on this page under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.