Taissa Farmiga

Background

Taissa Farmiga was born to Ukrainian immigrant parents in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, on August 17, 1994. Her parents are Lubomyra Spas and Michael Farmiga. Her mother is a teacher, while her father once worked as a system analyst: they have seven children together, with Farmiga being the youngest. She has three sisters: Vera, Nadia, and Laryssa Farmiga, and three brothers: Alexander, Victor, and Stephen Farmiga. Farmiga is of Ukrainian heritage and has American nationality.

Farmiga was brought up as a Pentecostal Christian, as her sister Vera and the rest of her family had already converted from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. In 2012, Drew Barrymore photographed her for Drew’s Angels in “V” magazine. Additionally, she modeled for the clothing brand launch of Miss Wu in “Teen Vogue.”

Farmiga attended public school until the fourth grade. She was then homeschooled and completed her studies. Afterward, she devoted herself to learning the American Sign Language for four years. She has said that she understands but cannot fully communicate in Ukrainian.

She rose to popularity after first appearing in her sister’s drama film in 2011, “Higher Ground” — her sister urged her to play a part even though acting was initially not her interest. Following her acting breakthrough, she starred in several seasons of the anthology series, “American Horror Story.” Her first lead film appearances were in 2013 in “At Middleton,” a romantic comedy, “The Bling Ring,” a crime drama, and “Mindscape,” a psychological thriller. In 2015, Farmiga was praised for her roles in the comedic slasher film “The Final Girls” and the drama films, “6 Years and “Share,” which all premiered at South by Southwest, earning her the title of one of the festival’s breakout stars.