Alison Lohman
Alison Marion Lohman (born September 18, 1979) is an American retired actress.
Alison Lohman | |
|---|---|
Lohman in March 2017 | |
| Born | September 18, 1979 Palm Springs, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1988–2016 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
Lohman began her career with small roles in short and independent films, and had a breakthrough as the star of the drama film White Oleander (2002), which earned her recognition and a Young Hollywood Award. She earned praise for her performances in the fantasy film Big Fish (2003) and the dark comedy film Matchstick Men (2003), winning a Hollywood Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for the latter. She lent her voice to the animated film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (2005) and starred in the sitcom Tucker (2000–2001) before taking a role in the soap opera Pasadena (2001–2002).
Lohman sporadically worked in acting throughout the late 2000s, notably playing roles in the action film Beowulf (2007) and the drama film Things We Lost in the Fire (2007). Her highest-grossing film came with the horror film Drag Me to Hell (2009), which earned her nominations for the Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress, the Saturn Award for Best Actress, and the MTV Movie Award for Best Scared-As-Shit Performance. She then retired from acting following her marriage to filmmaker Mark Neveldine later that year, stating that she wanted to teach online acting classes while focusing on raising their three children. She has since had small roles in Neveldine's films The Vatican Tapes (2015), Urge (2016), and Officer Downe (2016).
Early life
Alison Marion Lohman was born in Palm Springs, California, on September 18, 1979,[1][2][3] the daughter of pâtisserie owner Diane (née Dunham) and Minnesota-born architect Gary Lohman.[3][4] She has a younger brother named Robert.[5] She excelled in high school, obtaining top grades in all subjects except drama because she suffered from shyness.[6] During her senior year, she was awarded the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.[7] She was offered a full scholarship to attend New York University but declined, opting instead to directly pursue an acting career.[7]
Career
At age nine, Lohman played Gretl in The Sound of Music at the Palm Desert's McCallum Theater. Two years later, she won the Desert Theater League's award for Most Outstanding Actress in a Musical for the title role in Annie. She went on to perform locally as a child singer, which included alongside Frank Sinatra at a benefit event in Palm Springs.[8] She moved to Los Angeles in 1997 to pursue an acting career,[9] beginning with minor roles in independent films and B movies. She was set to play a cancer patient in Tom Shadyac's 2002 film Dragonfly, for which Lohman shaved her hair.[10][11] Her scenes were later removed.[12]
Lohman was subsequently cast in White Oleander, an adaptation of Janet Fitch's novel, which was directed by Peter Kosminsky. Due to her previous haircut,[13] she had to wear a wig during filming.[12] Released in 2002, White Oleander earned positive reviews, and Lohman's performance was met with widespread acclaim.[14] It was described as her "breakthrough role" by media sources,[9] with the New York Times describing her work as "the year's most auspicious screen acting début".[13] She additionally earned praise for her roles in Matchstick Men,[15] released in 2003,[16] and Big Fish, also released in 2003. Matchstick Men earned Lohman's performance as an adolescent con-artist acclaim over her co-star Nicolas Cage,[16] while Big Fish saw her playing the younger version of Jessica Lange's character, for which USA Today wrote that "equally delightful is the Alison Lohman character's evolution into an older woman. It's a metamorphosis to equal any in screen history."[17]
In 2005, Lohman appeared in Atom Egoyan's Where the Truth Lies which originally received an NC-17 rating for its graphic sexual content,[18] and emerged as a critical and commercial failure.[19] Some critics, notably Roger Ebert, felt that Lohman was miscast.[20] Her next feature of that year, The Big White, was also panned by critics. Better received was the English language dubbing of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, also released in 2005, in which she voiced the titular character.[21] Lohman beat out actress Natalie Portman for the role.[22] The film was lauded by critics and audiences alike, and had a considerable impact on popular culture.[23][24][25]
Lohman's next film was the drama Flicka, which was released in 2006. At the age of 25, she played a 16-year-old girl who befriends a wild mustang in the film. She had trained rigorously in horse-riding for the role, stating she was "constantly thrown emotionally and physically" while working with the horses for this role.[9] She next played a recovering heroin addict in Things We Lost in the Fire, which was released in 2007 to mostly positive reviews.[26] She had a role in 2009's Gamer, which was heavily criticized by critics.[27]
Lohman starred in Sam Raimi's 2009 horror film Drag Me to Hell, taking the role after Elliot Page dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.[28] Lohman enjoyed her stunts during filming, despite not being particularly fond of horror films.[29] The film grossed $90 million worldwide,[30] becoming her highest-grossing role and garnering praise for her performance.[31] In his review of the film, Roger Ebert wrote that she "greatly assisted" in the film's success and labeled her a scream queen: "It is essential that the heroine be a good screamer, and man, can that Alison Lohman scream. Stanley Kubrick would have needed only a day with her on The Shining."[32] She received nominations for the Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress, the Saturn Award for Best Actress, and the MTV Movie Award for Best Scared-As-Shit Performance.
Following her role in Drag Me to Hell, Lohman retired from acting in 2009, citing her recent marriage to filmmaker Mark Neveldine and her desire to focus on raising their three children.[33] She has since taught online acting classes and had small roles in three of Neveldine's films.[34][35]
Personal life
In 2009, Lohman married filmmaker Mark Neveldine at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Watertown, New York.[36][37] They have three children.[38]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Kraa! The Sea Monster | Curtis | |
| 1999 | Planet Patrol | Patrolman Curtis | |
| The Auteur Theory | Teen Rosemary | ||
| The Thirteenth Floor | Honey Bear Girl | ||
| 2000 | The Million Dollar Kid | Courtney Hunter | |
| 2001 | Alex in Wonder | Camelia | |
| Delivering Milo | Ms. Madeline | ||
| 2002 | White Oleander | Astrid Magnussen | |
| White Boy | Amy | ||
| 2003 | Big Fish | Young Sandra Templeton | |
| Matchstick Men | Angela | ||
| 2005 | Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind | Nausicaä | Voice role; English dub |
| The Big White | Tiffany | ||
| Where the Truth Lies | Karen O'Connor | ||
| 2006 | Delirious | K'harma Leeds | |
| Flicka | Katy McLaughlin | ||
| 2007 | Beowulf | Ursula | |
| Things We Lost in the Fire | Kelly | ||
| 2009 | Gamer | Trace | |
| Drag Me to Hell | Christine Brown | ||
| 2015 | The Vatican Tapes | Psych Patient | |
| 2016 | Urge | Mother | |
| Officer Downe | Sister Blister |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Pacific Blue | Molly | Episode: "Seduced" |
| 7th Heaven | Barbara | Episode: "Let's Talk About Sex" | |
| 1999 | Crusade | Claire | Episode: "The Long Road" |
| Safe Harbor | Hayley | Recurring role; 4 episodes | |
| 2000 | Sharing the Secret | Beth Moss | Television film |
| 2000–2001 | Tucker | McKenna Reid | Main role |
| 2001–2002 | Pasadena | Lily McAllister | Main role |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Sound of Music | Gretl | |
| 1990 | Annie | Annie |
2002. This Is Our Youth.
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Desert Theater League | Most Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Annie | Won |
| 1997 | National YoungArts Foundation | Advancement in the Arts | Herself | Won |
| 2003 | Golden Schmoes Awards | Best Supporting Actress of the Year | Matchstick Men | Nominated |
| Hollywood Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Won | ||
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Newcomer | White Oleander | Nominated | |
| ShoWest Awards | Female Star of Tomorrow | Won | ||
| Young Hollywood Awards | Best Superstar | Won | ||
| 2004 | Central Ohio Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actress | Matchstick Men | Nominated |
| 2009 | Detroit Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actress | Drag Me to Hell | Nominated |
| Fright Meter Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| Scream Awards | Best Horror Actress | Nominated | ||
| Scream Awards | Fight Scene of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 2010 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Scared-As-Shit Performance | Nominated |
References
- ^ "Alison Lohman's pixie face masks the inner adult" April 15, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, By Ron Dicker, The Baltimore Sun, September 18, 2003
- ^ "Alison Lohman Biography" By Rebecca Murray, About.com.
- ^ a b Alison Lohman Biography (1979–), Film Reference
- ^ Lammers, Tim (September 11, 2003). . Lifewhile.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
- ^ "Alison Lohman Biography – Yahoo! Movies".
- ^ "Improvising and the Brain". Psych Central.com.
- ^ a b Neumeier, Joel (September 8, 2003). "SHE'S YOUNG BEYOND HER YEARS -- Alison Lohman, 24, plays troubled 14-year-olds with the wisdom of experience". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on January 14, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
- ^ Flynn, Gillian (August 26, 2003). "She's not 14 -- she just acts it around Nic Cage". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
- ^ a b c Hart, Hugh (October 22, 2006). "Horse sense helps Lohman in 'Flicka'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 22, 2006.
- ^ Harvey, Amelia (July 18, 2013). "10 Actors Who Wasted Time On Parts You Never Got To See". WhatCulture.com. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ Synnot, Siobhan (May 28, 2009). "Drag Me To Hell star Alison Lohman on how she suffered at the hands of Sam Raimi". Daily Record. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "Don't let her pigtails fool you". Christian Science Monitor. September 12, 2003. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ a b Holden, Stephen (October 11, 2002). "FILM REVIEW; Slowly, A Princess Turns Into An Urchin". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ Koehler, Robert (September 7, 2002). "White Oleander". Variety. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ Berardinelli, James. "Review: Matchstick Men". preview.reelviews.net. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ a b Graham, Renee (September 12, 2003). . Boston.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2003. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ Clark, Mike (December 24, 2003). "Fanciful 'Big Fish' swimming in visual delight". USA Today. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ . IMDb. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2006.
- ^ Where the Truth Lies (2005), Box Office Mojo
- ^ "Where the Truth Lies ", Roger Ebert review, October 28, 2005.
- ^ Mays, Jonathan (October 17, 2003). "English Nausicaä dub in the works". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (movie)". www.crystalacids.com. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ . plaza.bunka.go.jp (in Japanese). September 13, 2008. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ Hotes, Cathy Munroe. "Kinema Junpo Top 10 Animated Films (キネマ旬報ベストテン, 2010)". Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ Peters, Megan (December 18, 2017). "Did You Notice This Hayao Miyazaki 'Star Wars' Connection?". Anime. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ Rosenblatt, Josh (October 19, 2007). "Movie Review: Things We Lost in the Fire". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ "Film Review: Gamer". RVA Mag. September 4, 2009. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ^ Gallagher, Brian (February 29, 2008). . MovieWeb.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ . dragmetohell.net. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ "2010 MTV Movie Awards Nominees Announced; New Category for Horror". Dread Central.
- ^ "00's Retrospect: Bloody Disgusting's Top 20 Films of the Decade…Part 2". Bloody Disgusting!. December 16, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. "Drag Me to Hell movie review & film summary (2009) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ^ Reuben, Emily (2018). "Whatever happened to the star of Drag Me to Hell". Looper. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
- ^ Lee, Nick (May 16, 2022). "Whatever Happened To Alison Lohman? (2022 Update) - Ned Hardy".
- ^ Foster, Tom (September 7, 2021). "Whatever Happened to Alison Lohman?".
- ^ Weiner, Jonah (August 30, 2009). "The Fast and Furiously Lampooned". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- ^ "Celebrity wedding in Watertown". MyABC50.com. August 19, 2009. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
- ^ Lohman, Alison (September 8, 2019). "Most of the time I'm just a mother of 3..." Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2019.