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Evan Rachel Wood was born on September 7, 1987, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Coming from a family of artists, Evan started acting when she was only a few months old. Her mother (Sara Lynn Moore) is an acting coach, and her father, Ira David Wood III, is a prominent theater director in Raleigh.

Evan grew up in the Jewish faith; in an Instagram post, she said, “My mother was Jewish, and I was raised in religion.” She grew up with her siblings Aden, Dana, Thomas, and Ira David Wood IV, also an actor.

Wood was involved in theater at a young age. She played Helen Keller alongside her mother, who played the starring role of Anne Sullivan, in her father’s theatrical production of The Miracle Worker. Wood’s parents later split, and she moved with her mother to Los Angeles, California, with the dream of pursuing her acting career.

Evan Rachel Wood’s screen career started in 1994 when she first appeared in the series American Gothic (1995) and Profiler (1998). At ten years old, her first major screen role was in the film Digging China (1997). In the subsequent year, Wood starred in Practical Magic (1998) alongside Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman.

As a teenager, Wood appeared in various movies and series like Downhill Come Baby (1999), the American comedy-drama family film, Little Secrets (2001), and Simone (2002), among others. She was also featured in Vanity Fair and Vogue magazines and was named one of the “It Girls” in Hollywood.

As a young actress, Wood starred in several hit movies alongside other famous actors. She acted alongside Al Pacino in Simone, The Missing (2003) with Cate Blanchett and Tommy Lee Jones, and The Upside of Anger (2003) next to Joan Allen and Kevin Costner. Woods’s performance in the hit TV series Westworld (2016-) was praised as “spectacular” by critics. In 2019, she lent her vocal talents to the role of Queen Iduna in Disney’s Frozen II.

Besides acting, Wood has a passion for music. She is the lead singer for the band Evan + Zane. Wood also starred in music videos for At the Bottom of Everything by Bright Eyes and Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day. As a child, Woods’ passion for acting was inspired by David Bowie, an English singer-songwriter and actor. In her tribute to the late Bowie, she said, “I didn’t grow up in a super-religious household. Religion was more about tradition than a spiritual practice, but I didn’t mind at all. My religion was art. Most importantly, music. And Bowie was my god. ”

On a personal level, Rachel Wood has openly declared that she is bisexual. The mother of one is an LGBTQ+ activist and is also passionate about supporting immigrant families. She is also known for her impeccable taste in fashion.

Evan Rachel Wood boasts a long list of awards, including Emmy nominations for Best Lead Actress, Drama Series (2017 and 2018), and an Emmy award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for HBO’s Mildred Price (2011).

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