Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. She made her film debut as the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the drama film I Am Sam (2001). As a child actress, she appeared in several films, including Babel (2006), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Phoebe in Wonderland (both 2008). In 2010 she starred in Sofia Coppola's Somewhere (2010) earning her a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer nomination. In 2011 she received attention for her starring role in J. J. Abrams' science-fiction film Super 8, earning a Spotlight Award at the Hollywood Film Festival. She subsequently had leading roles in the comedy-drama film We Bought a Zoo (2011), the drama film Ginger & Rosa (2012), and as Princess Aurora in the fantasy films Maleficent (2014) and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019).
Following Maleficent, Fanning began working in independent cinema, collaborating with auteurs in lead and supporting roles in films such as Nicolas Winding Refn's The Neon Demon (2016), Mike Mills' 20th Century Women (2016), Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled (2017), John Cameron Mitchell's How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2017), Woody Allen's A Rainy Day in New York (2019), and Sally Potter's The Roads Not Taken (2020). In 2019, aged 21, she became the youngest person to serve as a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival. She plays Empress Catherine II in the Hulu series The Great (2020–present), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nomination as well as two Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy nominations and three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. In 2022 she starred as Michelle Carter in the Hulu limited series The Girl from Plainville.
2025
2024
as Sylvie Russo
2022
as Michelle Carter
2020
as Self
2020
as Self
2020
as Catherine II of Russia
2020
as Molly
2020
as Violet
2019
as Princess Aurora
2019
as Ashleigh Enright
2019
as Self
2019
as Violet Valenski
2018
as Rocky
2018
as Grace
2018
as Self (archive footage)
2018
as Melody
2017
as Madison
2017
as Zan
2017
as Mary Shelley
2017
as Alicia
2017
as self
2016
as Julie Miller
2016
as Loretta Figgis
2016
as Félicie Milliner (voice)
2016
as Ray
2016
as Jesse
2015
as Nikola Trumbo
2014
as Winnie Portley-Rind (voice)
2014
as Mary Holm
2014
as Princess Aurora
2014
as Amy Albany
2014
as Girl
2013
as Self
2013
as Mia
2013
as Sara (Leaning Towards Solace)
2012
as The Rainmaker
2012
as Ginger
2011
as Lily Miska
2011
as V.
2011
as Alice Dainard
2011
as Self
2011
as Girl
2010
as Mary
2010
as Cleo
2009
as Grace (voice)
2009
2008
as Daisy Age 7
2008
as Phoebe Lichten
2007
as Self
2007
2007
as Emma Learner
2007
2007
as Sarah
2007
as Noelle
2006
as Anna Miller
2006
as Abbey
2006
as Debbie Jones
2006
as Penelope
2005
as Tracy Belle
2005
as Sweety Pie Thomas
2005
as Rebecca Bullard
2004
as Stella Dalton
2004
as Jenny Como
2004
as Ruth Cole
2003
as Jamie
2002
as Allie at 3 yrs
2002
as Molly Walker
2001
as Lucy (2 Years Old)
1999
as Eden
1999
as Rochelle Cobbs
1992
as Self / Presenter
as Rebecca Spielman
as Shirley Mason
as Ali MacGraw
as Isabelle
as Margo Millet