biography

Born on February 9, 1978 was the 5 foot 4 inch blonde beauty who hit the limelight in "American Beauty", Mena Adrienne Suvari. Suvari's father, Ando, is a retired psychiatrist and her mother, Candace, is a nurse. Suvari was born in Newport, Rhode Island and attended Ashley Hall Girls School in South Carolina and graduated from Providence High School in Burbank California. Suvari was named after an Egyptian grandmother who was named after the House of Mena Hotel located near the pyramids in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. Her last name is derived from a river in Estonia. Suvari is the youngest of four children, and the only girl.

At the age of 12 (though she lied and said she was 13), Suvari was signed with a small modeling agency in South Carolina, as a result she attended a modeling convention and scored a five year contract with Wilhelmina modeling agency. Her first acting role was in a Rice-a-Roni commercial. In 1997 she was signed for her first film "Nowhere" and immediately signed up for her second film which brought her some attention "Kiss the Girls". This film was followed by "American Pie" and "Carrie 2: The Rage". Suvari's career has survived the flops such as "Nowhere" and "Atomic Train" (TV) to reach critical acclaim through her work in "American Beauty" an Oscar winning Best Picture film. Her latest release was the lighthearted comedy with "Sugar and Spice" which features a group of cheerleaders who turn to crime to support their lifestyle.

On the set of "Sugar and Spice", Suvari met her husband, 38 year old cinematographer Robert Brinkmann. They were married in March of 2000, but this tidbit of information didn't become public until a fan asked Brinkmann at an awards banquet if he was Suvari's boyfriend. The age gap between Suvari and Brinkmann isn't new to the petite blonde, Suvari's parents have a 24 year gap in ages as well.