Margarita Levieva
Encyclopedia
Margarita Levieva is an American actress. Born in the Soviet Union
, she was a professional gymnast
before going on to star in the films The Invisible
, Adventureland
and Spread
.
, Russian SFSR
, Soviet Union
(now Saint Petersburg
, Russian Federation). At the age of three, she began the rigorous training program of a competitive rhythmic gymnast
. Levieva continued to train for the next 13 years, winning competitions in Russia and eventually going on to compete in the United States after emigrating.
When she was 11, Levieva's mother moved her and her twin brother to Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn in New York City
. She attended high school
in Secaucus, New Jersey
. Levieva majored in economics
at NYU
and worked as a fashion buyer. Her continuing interest in acting led her to be accepted into the Meisner Training Program
at the William Esper Studio
.
In 2005, New York Magazine featured her as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in New York.
in 2005. In 2006, she starred in the Fox
series, Vanished
. Her feature film credits include The Invisible
, the independent film Billy's Choice, and Noise starring Tim Robbins
, Bridget Moynahan
, and William Hurt
.
In 2009, Levieva played Lisa P. in the comedy Adventureland
. The same year, she made an appearance in the NBC drama Kings
(in the episode "First Night") and starred in the play The Retributionists. She also stars in HBO's comedy-drama series How to Make it in America
. In 2011 she appears on the thriller film The Lincoln Lawyer
, with Matthew McConaughey
.
She currently appears as the original Emily Thorne who agreed to switch identities with Amanda Clarke in the ABC
drama series Revenge
.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, she was a professional gymnast
Gymnast
Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia...
before going on to star in the films The Invisible
The Invisible (film)
The Invisible is a 2007 American supernatural thriller teen film starring Justin Chatwin, Margarita Levieva, Chris Marquette, Marcia Gay Harden, and Callum Keith Rennie...
, Adventureland
Adventureland (film)
Adventureland is a 2009 Retro comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Margarita Levieva, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig.-Plot:...
and Spread
Spread (film)
Spread is a 2009 film starring Ashton Kutcher and Anne Heche and directed by David Mackenzie. The film was released under the name L.A. Gigolo in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, as Toy Boy in France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, Oh yeah in Argentina and as American Playboy in Spain and...
.
Personal life
Levieva, a Russian Jew, was born in LeningradLeningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
, Russian SFSR
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(now Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russian Federation). At the age of three, she began the rigorous training program of a competitive rhythmic gymnast
Rhythmic gymnastics
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which individuals or teams of competitors manipulate one or two pieces of apparatus: rope, clubs, hoop, ball, ribbon and Free . An individual athlete only manipulates 1 apparatus at a time...
. Levieva continued to train for the next 13 years, winning competitions in Russia and eventually going on to compete in the United States after emigrating.
When she was 11, Levieva's mother moved her and her twin brother to Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She attended high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Secaucus, New Jersey
Secaucus, New Jersey
Secaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 16,264. Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county's municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and...
. Levieva majored in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at NYU
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and worked as a fashion buyer. Her continuing interest in acting led her to be accepted into the Meisner Training Program
Meisner technique
The Meisner technique is an acting technique developed by the American theatre practitioner Sanford Meisner.Meisner developed this technique after working with Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler at the Group Theatre and as head of the acting program at New York City's Neighborhood Playhouse and...
at the William Esper Studio
William Esper Studio
The William Esper Studio is a school for the performing arts located in Manhattan, New York; the school was founded in 1965.-Background:When William "Bill" Esper was a young man, he saw Eli Wallach and Maureen Stapleton in a touring production of The Rose Tattoo ... "[I] was so struck by the...
.
In 2005, New York Magazine featured her as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in New York.
Career
Levieva made a guest appearance on Law & Order: Trial by JuryLaw & Order: Trial by Jury
Law & Order: Trial by Jury is an American television drama about criminal trials set in New York City. It was the third spin-off from the long-running Law & Order. The show's almost exclusive focus was on the criminal trial of the accused, showing both the prosecution's and defense's preparation...
in 2005. In 2006, she starred in the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
series, Vanished
Vanished
Vanished is an American serial drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox. The series premiered on August 21, 2006 on Fox and its last episode aired on November 10, 2006. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the series begins with the sudden disappearance of the wife of a Georgia senator, which is...
. Her feature film credits include The Invisible
The Invisible (film)
The Invisible is a 2007 American supernatural thriller teen film starring Justin Chatwin, Margarita Levieva, Chris Marquette, Marcia Gay Harden, and Callum Keith Rennie...
, the independent film Billy's Choice, and Noise starring Tim Robbins
Tim Robbins
Timothy Francis "Tim" Robbins is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is the former longtime partner of actress Susan Sarandon...
, Bridget Moynahan
Bridget Moynahan
Kathryn Bridget Moynahan , best known as Bridget Moynahan, is an American model and actress. After graduating from Longmeadow High School in 1989, Moynahan pursued a career in modeling. She was signed by a modeling agency, which led her to appear in department store catalogs and the covers of...
, and William Hurt
William Hurt
William McGill Hurt is an American stage and film actor. He received his acting training at the Juilliard School, and began acting on stage in the 1970s. Hurt made his film debut as a troubled scientist in the science-fiction feature Altered States , for which he received a Golden Globe nomination...
.
In 2009, Levieva played Lisa P. in the comedy Adventureland
Adventureland (film)
Adventureland is a 2009 Retro comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Margarita Levieva, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig.-Plot:...
. The same year, she made an appearance in the NBC drama Kings
Kings (U.S. TV series)
Kings is an American television drama series which aired on NBC. The series' narrative is loosely based on the Biblical story of King David, but set in a kingdom that culturally and technologically resembles the present-day United States....
(in the episode "First Night") and starred in the play The Retributionists. She also stars in HBO's comedy-drama series How to Make it in America
How to Make It in America
How to Make It in America is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on February 14, 2010. The series follows the lives of Ben Epstein and his friend Cam Calderon as they try to succeed in New York City's fashion scene...
. In 2011 she appears on the thriller film The Lincoln Lawyer
The Lincoln Lawyer (film)
The Lincoln Lawyer is a 2011 American thriller film adapted from the novel of the same name by Michael Connelly, starring Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy and Marisa Tomei...
, with Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew David McConaughey is an American actor.After a series of minor roles in the early 1990s, McConaughey gained notice for his breakout role in Dazed and Confused . He then appeared in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact, U-571, Tiptoes, Sahara, and We Are Marshall...
.
She currently appears as the original Emily Thorne who agreed to switch identities with Amanda Clarke in the 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...
drama series Revenge
Revenge (TV series)
Revenge is an American television drama inspired by the Alexandre Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo starring Madeleine Stowe and Emily VanCamp. It debuted on ABC on September 21, 2011, and currently airs on Wednesday nights at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central...
.
Filmography
| Year | Film/Series | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Billy's Choice | Julie Romano |
| 2005 | N.Y.-70 | Cindy |
| Law & Order: Trial by Jury Law & Order: Trial by Jury Law & Order: Trial by Jury is an American television drama about criminal trials set in New York City. It was the third spin-off from the long-running Law & Order. The show's almost exclusive focus was on the criminal trial of the accused, showing both the prosecution's and defense's preparation... |
Stephanie Davis | |
| 2006 | The Prince | Isabelle |
| Vanished | Marcy Collins | |
| 2007 | David's Apartment | DeeDee |
| The Invisible The Invisible (film) The Invisible is a 2007 American supernatural thriller teen film starring Justin Chatwin, Margarita Levieva, Chris Marquette, Marcia Gay Harden, and Callum Keith Rennie... |
Annie Newton | |
| Noise | Ekaterina Filippovna | |
| 2009 | Spread Spread (film) Spread is a 2009 film starring Ashton Kutcher and Anne Heche and directed by David Mackenzie. The film was released under the name L.A. Gigolo in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, as Toy Boy in France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, Oh yeah in Argentina and as American Playboy in Spain and... |
Heather |
| Kings Kings (U.S. TV series) Kings is an American television drama series which aired on NBC. The series' narrative is loosely based on the Biblical story of King David, but set in a kingdom that culturally and technologically resembles the present-day United States.... |
Claudia | |
| Adventureland Adventureland (film) Adventureland is a 2009 Retro comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Margarita Levieva, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig.-Plot:... |
Lisa P. | |
| 2010–2011 | How to Make It in America How to Make It in America How to Make It in America is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on February 14, 2010. The series follows the lives of Ben Epstein and his friend Cam Calderon as they try to succeed in New York City's fashion scene... |
Julie |
| The Stand Up The Stand Up The Stand Up is a 2010 drama film written and directed by David Wexler and stars Jonathan Sollis, Margarita Levieva, Arija Bareikis, and Aidan Quinn.-Plot:... |
Veronica | |
| 2011 | The Lincoln Lawyer The Lincoln Lawyer (film) The Lincoln Lawyer is a 2011 American thriller film adapted from the novel of the same name by Michael Connelly, starring Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy and Marisa Tomei... |
Reggie Campo |
| Knights of Badassdom The Knights of Badassdom Knights of Badassdom is an upcoming American horror comedy film, directed by Joe Lynch, written by Kevin Dreyfuss and Matt Wall.-Story:A group of live action roleplayers accidentally summon a succubus demon from the underworld.-Cast:... |
Beth | |
| Revenge Revenge (TV series) Revenge is an American television drama inspired by the Alexandre Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo starring Madeleine Stowe and Emily VanCamp. It debuted on ABC on September 21, 2011, and currently airs on Wednesday nights at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central... |
Emily Thorne/Kara Wilkins/Amanda Clarke (Recurring role) |