Tina Majorino
Encyclopedia
Tina Marie Majorino
is an American film and television actress. She started her career as a child actor
, starring in films such as Andre
; When a Man Loves a Woman
; Corrina, Corrina
; and Waterworld
. Despite her early success, Majorino left show business in 1999.
She returned several years later in what would become one of her best known roles, the character Deb in the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite
. Since her return to acting, Majorino has also starred in television series such as Veronica Mars
and Big Love
.
descent (from her paternal grandfather), was born in Westlake
, California
, the daughter of Sarah (née
Black) and real estate agent Robert "Bob" Majorino. She has an older brother, Kevin, with whom she has formed a rock band, The AM Project.
. Her first film role was in 1994's When a Man Loves a Woman
. She subsequently starred in leading roles in the family films Corrina, Corrina and Andre, both of which were released in August 1994. Her next film was the 1995 action film Waterworld, playing a child named Enola.
She played the title role in the 1999 television film, Alice in Wonderland
. After Alice, Majorino took time off from the business. She has since cited burnout
as the reason for her hiatus from acting. Majorino did not appear in another film until 2004's cult film
Napoleon Dynamite. From 2004 onward, she played a recurring role on UPN
's series, Veronica Mars
, as the computer-savvy Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie. Show creator Rob Thomas
created the role with her in mind. Majorino had met Thomas while interviewing him for a report on one of his books. Majorino became a series regular in the show's third and final season. During her time on Veronica Mars, she also started appearing in a recurring role
on the cable television series Big Love
with Waterworld costar Jeanne Tripplehorn
and fellow Veronica Mars cast members Amanda Seyfried
and Kyle Gallner
.
In 2005, she appeared in the music video for the song "Blind
" by rock group Lifehouse
.
In 2009, she started filming The Deep End
, a new television show for ABC
. The show was canceled after only six episodes were aired.
In 2011, she also starred in the music video for "Fuckin' Perfect
" by Pink
.
is an American film and television actress. She started her career as a child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
, starring in films such as Andre
Andre (film)
Andre is a 1994 feature film starring Tina Majorino about a child's encounter with a seal. The film is an adaptation of the book A Seal Called Andre, which in turn was based on a true story.-Plot:...
; When a Man Loves a Woman
When a Man Loves a Woman (film)
When a Man Loves a Woman is a 1994 American romantic drama film written by Al Franken and Ronald Bass, starring Andy García, Meg Ryan, Tina Majorino, Mae Whitman, Ellen Burstyn, Lauren Tom and Philip Seymour Hoffman....
; Corrina, Corrina
Corrina, Corrina (film)
Corrina, Corrina is a 1994 feature film set in 1959 about a widower who hires a housekeeper/nanny to care for his daughter . It was written and directed by Jessie Nelson...
; and Waterworld
Waterworld
Waterworld is a 1995 post-apocalyptic science fiction film. The film was directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy. It is based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay and stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it. It was distributed by Universal Pictures...
. Despite her early success, Majorino left show business in 1999.
She returned several years later in what would become one of her best known roles, the character Deb in the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite
Napoleon Dynamite
Napoleon Dynamite is a 2004 comedy film co-written and directed by Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess and stars Jon Heder as Napoleon Dynamite. The film was Jared Hess' first full-length feature and is partially adapted from his earlier short film, Peluca....
. Since her return to acting, Majorino has also starred in television series such as Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros...
and Big Love
Big Love
Big Love is an American television drama that aired on HBO between March 2006 and March 2011. The show is about a fictional fundamentalist Mormon family in Utah that practices polygamy...
.
Personal life
Majorino, of ItalianItalian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
descent (from her paternal grandfather), was born in Westlake
Westlake, Los Angeles, California
Westlake is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. It should not be confused with Westlake Village, an independent municipality in Los Angeles County near Thousand Oaks and close to the Ventura County line....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the daughter of Sarah (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Black) and real estate agent Robert "Bob" Majorino. She has an older brother, Kevin, with whom she has formed a rock band, The AM Project.
Career
Majorino began her acting career in a 1992 sitcom called Camp WilderCamp Wilder
Camp Wilder is an American sitcom about a family living in suburban Los Angeles, California, airing as part of ABC's TGIF lineup for half a season ....
. Her first film role was in 1994's When a Man Loves a Woman
When a Man Loves a Woman (film)
When a Man Loves a Woman is a 1994 American romantic drama film written by Al Franken and Ronald Bass, starring Andy García, Meg Ryan, Tina Majorino, Mae Whitman, Ellen Burstyn, Lauren Tom and Philip Seymour Hoffman....
. She subsequently starred in leading roles in the family films Corrina, Corrina and Andre, both of which were released in August 1994. Her next film was the 1995 action film Waterworld, playing a child named Enola.
She played the title role in the 1999 television film, Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland (1999 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a television film first broadcast in 1999 on NBC and then shown on British television on Channel 4. It is based upon Lewis Carroll's books Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass....
. After Alice, Majorino took time off from the business. She has since cited burnout
Burnout (psychology)
Burnout is a psychological term for the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest. Research indicates general practitioners have the highest proportion of burnout cases; according to a recent Dutch study in Psychological Reports, no less than 40% of these experienced high levels of...
as the reason for her hiatus from acting. Majorino did not appear in another film until 2004's cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
Napoleon Dynamite. From 2004 onward, she played a recurring role on UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
's series, Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros...
, as the computer-savvy Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie. Show creator Rob Thomas
Rob Thomas (writer)
Rob Thomas is an American author, producer, and screenwriter, best known as the author of the 1996 novel Rats Saw God and creator of the critically acclaimed television programs Veronica Mars and Party Down.-Education and early career:Thomas graduated from San Marcos High School in 1983 and went...
created the role with her in mind. Majorino had met Thomas while interviewing him for a report on one of his books. Majorino became a series regular in the show's third and final season. During her time on Veronica Mars, she also started appearing in a recurring role
Recurring character
A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in an episode, sometimes being the main focus...
on the cable television series Big Love
Big Love
Big Love is an American television drama that aired on HBO between March 2006 and March 2011. The show is about a fictional fundamentalist Mormon family in Utah that practices polygamy...
with Waterworld costar Jeanne Tripplehorn
Jeanne Tripplehorn
Jeanne Marie Tripplehorn is an American film and television actress. She was brought to the public's attention through her supporting role in the 1992 film Basic Instinct, and since 2006 has starred opposite Bill Paxton in the HBO drama Big Love.-Early life:Tripplehorn was born in Tulsa,...
and fellow Veronica Mars cast members Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Michelle Seyfried is an American actress, singer-songwriter and former child model. She began her career as a child model when she was 11, and at 15 began her career as an actress, starting off with uncredited roles and moving on to recurring roles on As the World Turns and All My...
and Kyle Gallner
Kyle Gallner
Kyle Gallner is an American actor. He is possibly best known for his portrayal of Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas in the Teen neo-noir television series Veronica Mars, and for guest-starring in teen sci-fi drama Smallville as superhero Bart Allen, an adaptation of the character of The Flash and...
.
In 2005, she appeared in the music video for the song "Blind
Blind (Lifehouse song)
"Blind" is a song recorded and performed by rock band Lifehouse. The song was released in November 2005 as the second radio single in support of the band's third studio album, Lifehouse...
" by rock group Lifehouse
Lifehouse (band)
Lifehouse is an American rock band from Los Angeles. The band came to mainstream prominence in 2001 with the hit single "Hanging by a Moment" from their debut studio album, No Name Face. The single won a Billboard Music Award for Hot 100 Single of the Year, beating out Janet Jackson and Alicia...
.
In 2009, she started filming The Deep End
The Deep End (TV series)
The Deep End is an American television series created by David Hemingson and produced by 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC television network...
, a new television show for ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. The show was canceled after only six episodes were aired.
In 2011, she also starred in the music video for "Fuckin' Perfect
Fuckin' Perfect
"Fuckin' Perfect" is a song by American singer-songwriter Pink. It was released as the second and final single from her first greatest hits album, Greatest Hits... So Far!!! on December 14, 2010...
" by Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–1993 | Camp Wilder Camp Wilder Camp Wilder is an American sitcom about a family living in suburban Los Angeles, California, airing as part of ABC's TGIF lineup for half a season .... |
Sophie Wilder | 19 episodes |
| 1994 | When a Man Loves a Woman When a Man Loves a Woman (film) When a Man Loves a Woman is a 1994 American romantic drama film written by Al Franken and Ronald Bass, starring Andy García, Meg Ryan, Tina Majorino, Mae Whitman, Ellen Burstyn, Lauren Tom and Philip Seymour Hoffman.... |
Jess Green | |
| 1994 | Corrina, Corrina Corrina, Corrina (film) Corrina, Corrina is a 1994 feature film set in 1959 about a widower who hires a housekeeper/nanny to care for his daughter . It was written and directed by Jessie Nelson... |
Molly Singer | |
| 1994 | Andre Andre (film) Andre is a 1994 feature film starring Tina Majorino about a child's encounter with a seal. The film is an adaptation of the book A Seal Called Andre, which in turn was based on a true story.-Plot:... |
Toni Whitney | |
| 1995 | Waterworld Waterworld Waterworld is a 1995 post-apocalyptic science fiction film. The film was directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy. It is based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay and stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it. It was distributed by Universal Pictures... |
Enola | |
| 1996 | New York Crossing | TV movie | |
| 1997 | True Women True Women True Women is a 1993 novel by Janice Woods Windle. The book was adapted into a 1997 CBS miniseries starring Dana Delany, Annabeth Gish, Angelina Jolie, Julie Carmen, Tina Majorino and Rachael Leigh Cook.-Plot summary:... |
Young Euphemia Ashby | TV movie |
| 1997 | Santa Fe | Crystal Thomas | |
| 1997 | Before Women Had Wings Before Women Had Wings Before Women Had Wings is a 1997 television film, based on the story by Connie May Fowler about a mother whose abusive husband commits suicide, and she starts to violently abuse her two daughters... |
Avocet Abigail 'Bird' Jackson | TV movie |
| 1997 | Merry Christmas, George Bailey | Janie Bailey | TV movie |
| 1999 | Alice in Wonderland Alice in Wonderland (1999 film) Alice in Wonderland is a television film first broadcast in 1999 on NBC and then shown on British television on Channel 4. It is based upon Lewis Carroll's books Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.... |
Alice | TV movie |
| 2004 | Napoleon Dynamite Napoleon Dynamite Napoleon Dynamite is a 2004 comedy film co-written and directed by Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess and stars Jon Heder as Napoleon Dynamite. The film was Jared Hess' first full-length feature and is partially adapted from his earlier short film, Peluca.... |
Deb | |
| 2004 | Without a Trace Without a Trace Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:... |
Serene Barnes / Andrews | Episode: "Lost and Found" |
| 2004–2007 | Veronica Mars Veronica Mars Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros... |
Cindy 'Mac' Mackenzie | 34 episodes |
| 2005 | Testing Bob | Allison Barrett | |
| 2006 | Think Tank Think Tank (film) Think Tank is a comedy feature film written and directed by the Brian Petersen, star of MTV's "Sportblender". The film was produced by Chris Wyatt and Sean Covel... |
Sal | |
| 2006 | A Sharp | The Daughter | Short film |
| 2006–2011 | Big Love Big Love Big Love is an American television drama that aired on HBO between March 2006 and March 2011. The show is about a fictional fundamentalist Mormon family in Utah that practices polygamy... |
Heather Tuttle | 26 episodes |
| 2007 | What We Do Is Secret What We Do Is Secret (film) What We Do Is Secret is a 2008 American biographical film about Darby Crash, singer of the late-1970s Los Angeles punk rock band the Germs. Rodger Grossman directed the film and wrote the screenplay, based on a story he had written with Michelle Baer Ghaffari, a friend of Crash's and co-producer of... |
Michelle | |
| 2010 | In Security | TV movie | |
| 2010 | Addy Fisher | 7 episodes | |
| 2011 | Should've Been Romeo | Alice | |
| 2011 | Castle Castle (TV series) Castle is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on ABC on March 9, 2009. The series is produced by Beacon Pictures and ABC Studios. On January 10, 2011, Castle was renewed for a fourth season... |
Reese Harlan | Episode: "One Life to Lose" |
| 2011 | Bones Bones (TV series) Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent... |
Special Agent Genny Shaw | 2 episodes |