Morena Baccarin
Encyclopedia
Morena Baccarin is a Brazilian-born American actress most widely known for roles in several American science fiction
television shows: as Inara Serra in the series Firefly
; as Adria in the series Stargate SG-1
; and as Anna in the 2009 version of the series V
. She currently co-stars in the Showtime series Homeland
.
, Brazil. Her mother is Brazilian stage and TV actress Vera Setta, and her father is Italian journalist Fernando Baccarin. When she was 7, Baccarin moved with her family to Greenwich Village
, New York, as her father was transferred to Globo TV's headquarters in the United States, working as editor. Baccarin attended Public School 41 and New York City Lab School for Collaborative Studies, where she and Claire Danes
were classmates. She later attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
before she entered the theater program at Juilliard
.
role in the improvised fashion world comedy Perfume
(2001). This was followed by a lead role in the film festival hit Way Off Broadway (2001). Shortly before moving to Los Angeles, Baccarin appeared with Natalie Portman
and understudied for her role in the acclaimed Central Park
production of The Seagull
. The science-fiction drama Firefly
was Baccarin's first television series, and she reprised her role of Inara Serra in the 2005 film Serenity
.
In February 2005, Baccarin provided the voice for Black Canary
in multiple episodes of the animated series Justice League Unlimited
. She also guest starred in three episodes of the television series The O.C.
in 2006. Morena also acted in an unaired pilot episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
, playing Carmen, a male-to-female transsexual. The scene is available on the Seasons 1 & 2 DVD release of the show.
It was announced in April of 2006 that Morena would be playing the adult version of Adria, a recurring villain in the tenth season of Stargate SG-1
. She first appeared in season 10 episode "Counterstrike" as adult Adria (the younger versions of Adria were previously played by other actresses). Morena reprised her role as Adria in the movie Stargate: The Ark of Truth
.
When asked in a 2006 interview "if she's up for the role of Wonder Woman
" in the live action film adaptation of the classic comic book that Firefly creator Joss Whedon was involved with at the time, Baccarin replied: "I'm not going to say no to a superhero but it's not up to me."
In May 2009, Baccarin made her off-Broadway debut in Theresa Rebeck
's television satire Our House at Playwrights Horizons
in New York City where she played a news reporter whose affair with a television executive lands her a job as the host of a hit reality show.
Baccarin landed the lead role of Anna, the leader of the alien Visitors, in ABC's 2009–2011 series V
, a remake of the 1984 series of which Baccarin herself was a fan. In May 2011, shortly following the airing of the show's second season finale, it was announced that the show would not return for a third season. However, the fan letter-writing campaign "Project Alice" are reported to be writing to Warner Bros. with a view to getting the show renewed on a different network.
That same month, Baccarin joined the cast of the Showtime television drama Homeland
, for which she won acclaim for her performance as the conflicted wife of a former prisoner of war
.
stated that Baccarin had been dating director Austin Chick
for two years.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television shows: as Inara Serra in the series Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
; as Adria in the series Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
; and as Anna in the 2009 version of the series V
V (2009 TV series)
V is an American science fiction television series that ran for two seasons on ABC, from November 3, 2009 to March 15, 2011. A remake of the 1983 miniseries created by Kenneth Johnson, the new series chronicles the arrival on Earth of a technologically advanced alien species which ostensibly comes...
. She currently co-stars in the Showtime series Homeland
Homeland (TV series)
Homeland is an American psychological thriller television series developed by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, based on the Israeli series Hatufim, also known as Prisoners of War, which was created by Gideon Raff...
.
Early life
Baccarin was born in Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil. Her mother is Brazilian stage and TV actress Vera Setta, and her father is Italian journalist Fernando Baccarin. When she was 7, Baccarin moved with her family to Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, New York, as her father was transferred to Globo TV's headquarters in the United States, working as editor. Baccarin attended Public School 41 and New York City Lab School for Collaborative Studies, where she and Claire Danes
Claire Danes
Claire Catherine Danes is an American actress of television, stage and film. She has appeared in roles as diverse as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life, as Juliet in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, as Kate Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, as Yvaine in Stardust and as Temple Grandin in...
were classmates. She later attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts is a high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Center and the Juilliard School in the Lincoln Center district of Manhattan, on Amsterdam Avenue...
before she entered the theater program at Juilliard
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
.
Career
Baccarin landed her first movieFeature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
role in the improvised fashion world comedy Perfume
Perfume (2001 film)
Perfume is a 2001 film about the fashion industry in New York City.-Plot:Prior to a major show, the people involved find themselves embroiled in their own personal battles....
(2001). This was followed by a lead role in the film festival hit Way Off Broadway (2001). Shortly before moving to Los Angeles, Baccarin appeared with Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
and understudied for her role in the acclaimed Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
production of The Seagull
The Seagull
The Seagull is the first of what are generally considered to be the four major plays by the Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov. The Seagull was written in 1895 and first produced in 1896...
. The science-fiction drama Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
was Baccarin's first television series, and she reprised her role of Inara Serra in the 2005 film Serenity
Serenity (film)
Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship...
.
In February 2005, Baccarin provided the voice for Black Canary
Black Canary
Black Canary is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics superheroines created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino. The first Black Canary debuted appeared in Flash Comics #86 . The first Black Canary was the alter-ego of Dinah Drake, who took part in Golden Age adventures...
in multiple episodes of the animated series Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
. She also guest starred in three episodes of the television series The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
in 2006. Morena also acted in an unaired pilot episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. New episodes continue to air on FX, with reruns playing on Comedy Central, general broadcast syndication, and WGN America—the first-ever cable-to-cable syndication deal for a sitcom...
, playing Carmen, a male-to-female transsexual. The scene is available on the Seasons 1 & 2 DVD release of the show.
It was announced in April of 2006 that Morena would be playing the adult version of Adria, a recurring villain in the tenth season of Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
. She first appeared in season 10 episode "Counterstrike" as adult Adria (the younger versions of Adria were previously played by other actresses). Morena reprised her role as Adria in the movie Stargate: The Ark of Truth
Stargate: The Ark of Truth
Stargate: The Ark of Truth is a 2008 Canadian-American military science fiction film written and directed by Robert C. Cooper. The film is the conclusion of Stargate SG-1 Ori arc, and picks up after the SG-1 series finale, but takes place before the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis. The Ark of...
.
When asked in a 2006 interview "if she's up for the role of Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman (film)
Wonder Woman is a 2009 direct-to-video animated film focusing on the superheroine Wonder Woman. The plot of the film is loosely based on George Pérez' reboot of the character, specifically the "Gods and Mortals" arc that started the character's second volume in 1987. It is the fourth in the line of...
" in the live action film adaptation of the classic comic book that Firefly creator Joss Whedon was involved with at the time, Baccarin replied: "I'm not going to say no to a superhero but it's not up to me."
In May 2009, Baccarin made her off-Broadway debut in Theresa Rebeck
Theresa Rebeck
Theresa Rebeck is an American playwright, television writer and novelist. Her work has appeared on the Broadway and Off-Broadway stage, in film, and on television. Among her awards are the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award.-Biography:...
's television satire Our House at Playwrights Horizons
Playwrights Horizons
Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work....
in New York City where she played a news reporter whose affair with a television executive lands her a job as the host of a hit reality show.
Baccarin landed the lead role of Anna, the leader of the alien Visitors, in ABC's 2009–2011 series V
V (2009 TV series)
V is an American science fiction television series that ran for two seasons on ABC, from November 3, 2009 to March 15, 2011. A remake of the 1983 miniseries created by Kenneth Johnson, the new series chronicles the arrival on Earth of a technologically advanced alien species which ostensibly comes...
, a remake of the 1984 series of which Baccarin herself was a fan. In May 2011, shortly following the airing of the show's second season finale, it was announced that the show would not return for a third season. However, the fan letter-writing campaign "Project Alice" are reported to be writing to Warner Bros. with a view to getting the show renewed on a different network.
That same month, Baccarin joined the cast of the Showtime television drama Homeland
Homeland (TV series)
Homeland is an American psychological thriller television series developed by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, based on the Israeli series Hatufim, also known as Prisoners of War, which was created by Gideon Raff...
, for which she won acclaim for her performance as the conflicted wife of a former prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
.
Personal life
In a November 2009 report, People magazinePeople (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
stated that Baccarin had been dating director Austin Chick
Austin Chick
Austin Chick is an American film director, screenwriter and producer, who made the films XX/XY, released in 2002, and August, which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.-Early life:...
for two years.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Perfume Perfume (2001 film) Perfume is a 2001 film about the fashion industry in New York City.-Plot:Prior to a major show, the people involved find themselves embroiled in their own personal battles.... |
Monica | |
| 2001 | Way Off Broadway | Rebecca | |
| 2002 | Roger Dodger Roger Dodger (film) Roger Dodger is a 2002 American comedy-drama noir that explores the relationship between men, women, and sex. Directed by Dylan Kidd and starring Campbell Scott and Jesse Eisenberg, the film follows Roger Swanson and his nephew during a night on the town in search of sex.-Plot:After cynical New... |
Girl in Bar | |
| 2005 | Serenity Serenity (film) Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship... |
Inara Serra | |
| 2008 | Death in Love Death in Love Death in Love is a psychosexual-thriller about a love affair between a Jewish woman and a doctor overseeing human experimentation at a Nazi German concentration camp, and the impact this has on her sons' lives in the 1990s. The film debuted in 2008. It was written and directed by Boaz Yakin.The... |
Beautiful Woman | |
| 2009 | Stolen | Rose Montgomery |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-2003 | Firefly Firefly (TV series) Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear.... |
Inara Serra | 14 episodes |
| 2003-2004 | Still Life | Maggie Jones | 6 episodes |
| 2005 | Justice League Justice League (TV series) Justice League is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics... |
Black Canary Black Canary Black Canary is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics superheroines created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino. The first Black Canary debuted appeared in Flash Comics #86 . The first Black Canary was the alter-ego of Dinah Drake, who took part in Golden Age adventures... (voice) |
Episode: "The Cat and the Canary" Episode: "Double Date" |
| 2006 | Justice League Justice League (TV series) Justice League is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics... |
Black Canary (voice) | Episode: "Grudge Match" |
| 2006 | Maya Griffin | Episode: "The Cliffhanger" Episode: "The Heavy Lifting" Episode: "The Road Warrior" |
|
| 2006 | Kitchen Confidential Kitchen Confidential (TV series) Kitchen Confidential is an American television sitcom that debuted on September 19, 2005 on the Fox network, based on Anthony Bourdain's New York Times bestselling book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly... |
Gia | Episode: "An Affair to Remember" |
| 2006 | How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting... |
Chloe | Episode: "Swarley Swarley "Swarley" is the 7th episode in the second season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on November 6, 2006.-Plot:... " |
| 2006 | Justice Justice (TV series) Justice is an American legal drama produced by Jerry Bruckheimer that aired on Fox in the USA and CTV in Canada. The series also aired on Warner Channel in Latin America, Nine Network in Australia, and on TV2 In New Zealand.... |
Lisa Cruz | Episode: "Christmas Party" |
| 2006-2007 | Stargate SG-1 Stargate SG-1 Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich... |
Adria | 5 episodes |
| 2007 | Las Vegas Las Vegas (TV series) Las Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and... |
Sara Samari | Episode: "The Burning Bedouin" |
| 2007 | Sands of Oblivion Sands of Oblivion Sands of Oblivion is a 2007 Sci-Fi Channel original movie starring Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Victor Webster, George Kennedy, Richard Kind and Dan Castellaneta... |
Alice | TV movie |
| 2007 | Heartland Heartland (U.S. TV series) Heartland was an American television drama series airing on TNT. The series was based in the high-stakes world of heart-transplant surgery at "St. Jude" hospital in Pittsburgh based largely on the transplant center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center... |
Nurse Jessica Kivala | 9 episodes |
| 2008 | Batman: The Brave and the Bold Batman: The Brave and the Bold Batman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain... |
Cheetah (voice) | Episode: "Triumvirate of Terror" |
| 2008 | Stargate: The Ark of Truth Stargate: The Ark of Truth Stargate: The Ark of Truth is a 2008 Canadian-American military science fiction film written and directed by Robert C. Cooper. The film is the conclusion of Stargate SG-1 Ori arc, and picks up after the SG-1 series finale, but takes place before the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis. The Ark of... |
Adria | Video |
| 2008 | Dirt Dirt (TV series) Dirt is an American television serial broadcast on the FX network. It premiered on January 2, 2007 and starred Courteney Cox as Lucy Spiller, the editor-in-chief of the first-of-its-kind "glossy tabloid" magazine DirtNow, which was previously two separate publications: drrt and Now Dirt (styled... |
Claire Leland | Episode: "And the Winner Is" |
| 2008 | Numb3rs NUMB3RS Numb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes... |
Lynn Potter | Episode: "Blowback" |
| 2009 | Medium Medium (TV series) Medium is an American television drama series that premiered on NBC on January 3, 2005, and ended on CBS on January 21, 2011. Themed on supernatural gifts, its lead character, Allison DuBois , is a medium employed as a consultant for the Phoenix, Arizona district attorney's office... |
Brooke Hoyt | Episode: "All in the Family" |
| 2010 | Beth Bancroft | Episode: "Unaired Pilot" | |
| 2009–2011 | V V (2009 TV series) V is an American science fiction television series that ran for two seasons on ABC, from November 3, 2009 to March 15, 2011. A remake of the 1983 miniseries created by Kenneth Johnson, the new series chronicles the arrival on Earth of a technologically advanced alien species which ostensibly comes... |
Anna | 22 episodes |
| 2011 | Erica Flynn | Episode: "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" | |
| 2011 | Homeland Homeland (TV series) Homeland is an American psychological thriller television series developed by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, based on the Israeli series Hatufim, also known as Prisoners of War, which was created by Gideon Raff... |
Jessica Brody | Main Role 4+ episodes |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Wine County Film Festival | Best Actress — Way Off Broadway | |
| 2010 | Saturn Award Saturn Award The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within... |
Best Supporting Actress on Television — V | |
| 2011 | Saturn Award | Best Supporting Actress on Television — V | |