Ellen Philpotts-Page (born February 21, 1987) is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as the title character in the 2007 film Juno.
She’s 21!
For this performance, Page received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress. She is also known for her starring role in Hard Candy, and as Kitty Pryde in X-Men: The Last Stand.
Page was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the daughter of Martha Philpotts, a teacher, and Dennis Page, a graphic designer. She attended the Halifax Grammar School until grade 10, graduating from the Shambhala School in 2005. Growing up, Page enjoyed playing with action figures and climbing trees.
Page began acting at age 10, appearing in the telefilm Pit Pony, which would later spin-off a television series. This led to roles in a number of small Canadian films and television series. At 16, she was cast in an independent film shot in Europe, Mouth to Mouth.
Page starred in the 2005 movie Hard Candy, and gained praise for “one of the most complex, disturbing and haunting performances of the year”. As the title-character star of Juno, Page garnered substantial praise; A. O. Scott of the New York Times noted her as being “frighteningly talented” and Roger Ebert said, “Has there been a better performance this year than Ellen Page’s creation of Juno? I don’t think so”. Page was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Juno.
Page has roles in four films unreleased as of January 2008: An American Crime, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival; The Tracey Fragments, which is scheduled for a U.S. release in early 2008; The Stone Angel; and Smart People, which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and will get its wide release on April 11, 2008.
In 2008, Page stars in Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell; Michael Lander’s Peacock, opposite Cillian Murphy; and Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut Whip It!. Page is also attached to star in Peter Stebbings’ The Defender as well as Jack and Diane opposite Olivia Thirlby, with whom she co-starred in Juno.
Page is set to host Saturday Night Live on March 1.
Personal Life:
As of January 2008, Page resides in her home city of Halifax.
Other February 21st Birthdays:
Rue McClanahan/Actress -73
Tyne Daly/Actress -62
William Petersen/Actor -55
Kelsey Grammer/Actor -53
Jack Coleman/Actor -50
Christopher Atkins/Actor -47
William Baldwin/Actor -45
Jennifer Love Hewitt/Actress -29
Charlotte Church/Singer -22
Corbin Bleu-Actor/Singer -19
