Mara Wilson
American actress (born 1987)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mara Elizabeth Wilson (born July 24, 1987) is an American actress. As a child, she played Natalie Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993),[2] Susan Walker in Miracle on 34th Street (1994), the title character in Matilda (1996), and Annabel Greening in A Simple Wish (1997). Following her role as Lily in Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000), Wilson took a 12-year hiatus from acting to focus on writing. She returned to acting in 2012 and has predominantly worked in web series.
July 24, 1987[1]
Mara Wilson | |
|---|---|
Wilson in 2024 | |
| Born | Mara Elizabeth Wilson July 24, 1987[1] Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Education | New York University (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1993–2000, 2012–present |
| Relatives | Ben Shapiro (maternal cousin) |
| Website | mara |
Early life
Mara Elizabeth Wilson was born on July 24, 1987 in Burbank, California,[3] the fourth child of Burbank PTA school volunteer Suzie (née Shapiro) and KTLA broadcast engineer Mike Wilson.[4] Her mother was Jewish, while her father is a Catholic of Irish descent.[5][6][7][8][9]
Wilson's mother, Suzie, was diagnosed with breast cancer on March 10, 1995,[10][11] and died on April 26, 1996, when Wilson was eight years old. The film Matilda was dedicated to her memory. Wilson credits Danny DeVito for being very caring and comforting during this time.[12] Wilson later recalled that this affected her interest in acting.[13] At age 12, Wilson was diagnosed with obsessive–compulsive disorder.[14] She has also been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.[15] Wilson attended John Burroughs High School and then transferred to Idyllwild Arts Academy. After graduation in 2005, she relocated to New York City to continue her studies at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 2009.[16] Wilson appeared in her own one-woman show called Weren't You That Girl? while in college.[17]
Career
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When Wilson was five, she became interested in acting after watching her older brother Danny appear in television commercials. Wilson's parents were initially opposed, but after appearing in several commercials for businesses, Wilson was invited to audition for the 1993 comedy film Mrs. Doubtfire. Producers cast Wilson in the role of Natalie Hillard. The following year, she appeared in a remake of Miracle on 34th Street.[18]
Wilson sang "Make 'Em Laugh" at the 67th Academy Awards broadcast on March 27, 1995, with Tim Curry and Kathy Najimy.[19] In 1995, Wilson won the ShoWest Award for Young Star of the Year.
Wilson's film work caught the attention of Danny DeVito, and she was cast as the protagonist Matilda Wormwood in the 1996 film Matilda. She was nine years old at the time. Wilson was nominated for three awards for her performance, winning the YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy Film.
In 1997, Wilson starred in A Simple Wish alongside Martin Short.[20] Although she was nominated for three awards again, the film mostly received negative reviews by critics.[citation needed]
In 1997, Wilson went to a table reading for What Dreams May Come starring Robin Williams, but she did not get the part.[21] A year later, Wilson auditioned for the 1998 remake of Disney's The Parent Trap, but the role was given to Lindsay Lohan after Wilson was deemed too young.[22] In 1999, she portrayed Willow Johnson in the film for The Wonderful World of Disney titled Balloon Farm.[23]
In 2000, Wilson appeared in the fantasy film Thomas and the Magic Railroad, her last film to date. The film was panned by critics and performed poorly at the box office. Wilson retired from film work shortly afterwards.[24] She received a script for the 2001 film Donnie Darko but declined to audition.[25]
Wilson's theater credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream and Cinderella. She starred in her own live shows Weren't You That Girl? and What Are You Afraid Of?[26][17]
In 2012, Wilson appeared briefly in one episode of the web series Missed Connection in the role of Bitty, and made special appearances on internet review shows for That Guy with the Glasses, including a comedic turn playing an adult Matilda during a review of Matilda by the Nostalgia Chick, Lindsay Ellis. That year, Wilson explained why she quit film acting: "Film acting is not very fun. Doing the same thing over and over again until, in the director's eyes, you 'get it right', does not allow for very much creative freedom. The best times I had on film sets were the times the director let me express myself, but those were rare."[27]
In 2012, Wilson started publishing online writing at a blog called "Mara Wilson Writes Stuff", where, in 2014 after the death of Robin Williams, she shared her memories of working with him.[28][29] In 2018, Wilson moved to Substack with a blog called "Shan't We Call the Vicar."[30][31]
In April 2013, Wilson attended and shared her impressions of the Broadway production of Matilda the Musical.[22][32] A month later, Wilson wrote an article for Cracked.com, offering her opinion of the delinquency of some former child stars.[33][34] Her play Sheeple was produced in 2013 for the New York International Fringe Festival.[35][36] In an interview that December, Wilson stated that her film acting days are over,[37] and that she is instead focusing on writing.[38] Wilson’s book Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame was published on September 13, 2016.[39][40][41]
Wilson had a recurring role on the podcast Welcome to Night Vale as "The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home", as well as her own storytelling show called What Are You Afraid Of?.[42][43] In 2016, Wilson made a brief return to television in a Mrs. Doubtfire-inspired episode of Broad City, in which she played a waitress where the comical Heimlich scene from the film was re-enacted.[44][45] That same year, Wilson voiced Jill Pill, a writer/director anthropomorphic spider, in season 3 of BoJack Horseman.[46] Wilson voiced Liv Amara and her clone, Diane Amara, in Big Hero 6: The Series.[47]
In a 2017 NPR interview, The Simpsons voice actress Nancy Cartwright stated that a young Wilson was the inspiration for a character's voice on the episode "Bart Sells His Soul".[48]
In 2020, Wilson discussed her childhood acting experiences in the HBO documentary Showbiz Kids.[49][50][51]
In May 2024, she reunited with Mrs. Doubtfire cast members Lisa Jakub and Matthew Lawrence for a joint podcast appearance.[52][53] They had also reunited in 2018 together with Pierce Brosnan on the Today Show to mark the film's 25th anniversary.[54][55]
In 2025, Wilson won a collective Audie Award for her contributions to Chuck Tingle's Bury Your Gays.[56]
Charity work
In 2015, Wilson collaborated with Project UROK, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to aid teens with mental illness.[57] She is a supporter of those with endometriosis, as she struggles with the condition herself. In 2025, Wilson attended the Blossom Ball, a benefit night for endometriosis awareness and research.[58] She is also an ambassador and advocate for the L. A. Dysautonomia Network, a Pasadena-based nonprofit, as Wilson suffers from a type of dysautonomia called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.[59]
Personal life
Wilson has three older brothers and a younger sister.[60] She is a cousin of political commentator and media host Ben Shapiro,[61][62] whom Wilson has disavowed due to his conservative views and her left-wing beliefs;[5] the two have no contact with each other.[63] Wilson was raised Jewish,[64] but became an atheist at age 15.[65] In a 2020 interview, Wilson described herself as an agnostic.[5] Three years later, she participated in an online discussion with Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg for the 92nd Street Y.[66]
In 2014, Wilson was working for Publicolor, a New York City-based nonprofit organization involved in repainting public schools.[9][67]
In 2015, Wilson appeared in a video by the mental health charity Project UROK in which she discussed the mental illnesses she has experienced, including anxiety, depression, and obsessive–compulsive disorder.[68] Wilson discussed her history of mental illness on Paul Gilmartin's podcast The Mental Illness Happy Hour.[69]
Wilson first came out as bisexual in June 2016, in the aftermath of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida.[70] Wilson referred to herself as bisexual and queer during an interview with Medium in September 2017.[71] In a 2017 op-ed in Elle magazine, Wilson defended the then-13-year-old actress Millie Bobby Brown after commentators sexualized Brown's public image.[72][73] In a 2021 op-ed in The New York Times, Wilson commented on the documentary Framing Britney Spears and the parallels between her own life as a child star and Britney Spears's.[74][75] Wilson recalled an incident in which she was asked to comment on the burgeoning sexuality of an 18-year-old Spears when she herself was barely 13, and expressed relief at largely escaping oversexualization of her public image compared to Spears. Wilson described her disappointment when a reporter called her a "spoiled brat" after she stated that she wanted the day off on her 13th birthday instead of granting interviews.[74]
In 2016, Wilson resided in the Queens borough of New York City. She later moved back to California.[76][77]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Mrs. Doubtfire | Natalie "Nattie" Hillard | First film role |
| 1994 | A Time to Heal | Barbara Barton | Television film |
| Miracle on 34th Street | Susan Walker | ||
| 1996 | Matilda | Matilda Wormwood | Lead role |
| 1997 | A Simple Wish | Anabel Greening | |
| 1999 | Balloon Farm | Willow Johnson | Television film |
| 2000 | Thomas and the Magic Railroad | Lily Stone | |
| 2015 | Billie Bob Joe | Herself | [78] |
| 2021 | Pre-Emptive Defence | Sara | Short film[79] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Bob | Amelia | Episode: "Have Yourself a Married Little Christmas" |
| Melrose Place | Nicole "Nikki" Petrova | Recurring, 5 episodes | |
| 1996 | Pearl | Samantha Stein | Episode: "The Tutor" |
| 1999 | Batman Beyond | Tamara Caulder (voice) | Episode: "Mind Games"[80] |
| 2016 | Broad City | Waitress | Episode: "Burning Bridges" |
| BoJack Horseman | Jill Pill (voice) | 4 episodes | |
| 2018–19 | Big Hero 6: The Series | Liv Amara, Diane "Di" Amara (voice) | Recurring role[80] |
Web
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Nostalgia Critic | Herself | Episode: "A Simple Wish"[81] |
| Nostalgia Chick | Episodes: "Matilda",[82] "Nostalgic Foods of Yore",[83] also writer | ||
| Demo Reel | Donnie DuPre's wife (voice) | Episode: "Lost in Translation (Bromance Version)" | |
| Shut Up and Talk | Herself | Episode: "Guest: Mara Wilson" | |
| Missed Connection | Bitty | Episode: "Bad Dates"[84] | |
| 2013 | Welcome to Night Vale | Faceless Old Woman (voice) | 10 episodes |
| 2014 | Keith and The Girl | Herself | Episode: "2002: Boobs"[85] |
| Nostalgia Chick | Episode: "Nostalgic Foods of Yore" | ||
| Amy Poehler's Smart Girls | Episode: "The In Too Steep Tea Party" | ||
| Maven of the Eventide | Pumpktoberfest Vlogs, Episodes 5 & 12 | ||
| I Don't Even Own a Television | Episode: "016 — Covert Conception (w/ Mara Wilson)"[86] | ||
| 2015 | Keith and The Girl | Episode: "2147: Gang Dick"[87] | |
| Gilmore Guys | Episode 4.21 | ||
| That's the Show with Danny | Episode: "117: The One with Mara Wilson"[88] | ||
| 2015, 2017 | I Don't Even Own a Television | Episodes: "026: Treacherous Love (w/ Mara Wilson)",[89] "081: I'm With the Band (w/ Mara Wilson)"[90] | |
| 2016 | Mouth Time with Reductress | Ruth Hrorgen | Mouth Time LIVE! With Mara Wilson[91] |
| 2019 | Passenger List | N/a | Writer of "Cyberspace" (episode 5) |
| 2020 | Helluva Boss | Mrs. Mayberry (voice) | Episode: "Murder Family"[92] |
| Our Popcorn Movie Dystopia - Some More News: The Movie | Matilda Cody | Web film[93] | |
| The George Lucas Talk Show | Herself | May the AR Be LI$$ You Arli$$ marathon fundraiser;
The George Lucas Holiday Special | |
| 2021 | You Are Good | Episode: "Hocus Pocus with Mara Wilson" | |
| 2022–23 | Ollie & Scoops | Claudia Grimson (voice) | 2 episodes |
Audio
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Finder's Keepers by Sarah Adler | Narrator | |
| 2025 | The Unexpected Consequence of Bleeding on a Tuesday by Kelsey B. Toney | Narrator | |
| 2025 | Fairy Godmother: An Enchanters Tale by Jen Calonita | Narrator | |
| 2025 | Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle | ||
| 2025 | Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein | Narrator | |
| 2024–2025 | VAM PD | Jane | Main cast, 6 episodes |
| 2024 | Blessed Water by Margot Douaihy[94] | Narrator | |
| 2024 | Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle | Narrator | |
| 2024 | Diary of a Dying Girl by Mallory Smith | Narrator | |
| 2024 | Bright and Tender Dark by Joanna Pearson | Narrator | |
| 2024 | Keep This Off the Record by Arden Joy | Narrator | |
| 2024 | Bad Best Friend by Rachel Vail | Narrator | |
| 2024 | The Z Word by Lindsay King-Miller | Narrator | |
| 2024 | Nora Ephron at the Movies by Ilana Kaplan | Narrator | |
| 2024 | Through the Midnight Door by Katrina Monroe | Narrator | |
| 2024 | When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman | Narrator | |
| 2023 | Unleashed Holiday by Victoria Schade | Narrator | |
| 2023 | Do Not Open by Kiersten Modglin | Narrator | |
| 2023 | Alison Bechdel's Dykes To Watch Out For | Heloise | Audible Original based on the weekly comic strip by Alison Bechdel |
| 2023 | Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy[95] | Narrator | |
| 2023 | For Never & Always by Helena Greer | Narrator | |
| 2022 | They Drown Our Daughters by Katrina Monroe | Narrator | |
| 2016 | Where Am I Now? by Mara Wilson | Narrator | |
| 2020 | The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home by Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor | Narrator |
Stage roles
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (2004)
- Cinderella (2005)
- Weren't You That Girl? (2009)
- What Are You Afraid Of? (2014)
Bibliography
Awards and nominations
| Year | Organization | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | ShoWest Awards | Young Star of the Year | N/a | Won[98] |
| 1996 | YoungStar Awards | Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy Film | Matilda | Won |
| Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a Feature Film — Leading Young Actress | Nominated | ||
| Saturn Awards | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | Nominated | ||
| 1997 | YoungStar Awards | Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy Film | A Simple Wish | Nominated |
| Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a Feature Film — Leading Young Actress | Won | ||
| Saturn Awards | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | Nominated | ||
| 2000 | YoungStar Awards | Best Young Actress in a Comedy Film | Thomas and the Magic Railroad | Nominated |
| Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a Feature Film — Leading Young Actress | Nominated |
