Mena Suvari

Suvari was born in Newport, Rhode Island. She is the daughter of nurse Candice (née Chambers) and psychiatrist Ando Ivar Süvari. Her mother is of Greek descent, while her father was an Estonian from Pärnu.{{Cite news |url=http://www.girl.com.au/menasuvari.htm |title=Pie's American Beauty Dabbles in Swordplay |date=October 2001}}{{Cite news |url=http://movies.about.com/od/rumorhasit/a/rumorms121905.htm |title=Interview with Mena Suvari at the Hollywood Premiere of "Rumor Has It" |website=About.com |first=Rebecca |last=Murray |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214140614/http://movies.about.com/od/rumorhasit/a/rumorms121905.htm |archive-date=2007-12-14}}[http://quidnessettmemorialcemetery.org/2012/08/ando-ivar-suvari-m-d-burial Ando Ivar Süvari profile], quidnessettmemorialcemetery.org; accessed April 4, 2015. She has six siblings. Suvari began modeling with Millie Lewis Models and Talent as a preteen and soon after appeared in a Rice-A-Roni commercial. The family later relocated to Charleston, South Carolina, where her brothers attended The Citadel.{{cite book |last1=Suvari |first1=Mena |title=The Great Peace |date=July 27, 2021 |publisher=Hachette Books |isbn=9780306874499 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cvoGEAAAQBAJ}} Suvari was considering becoming an archaeologist, astronaut, or doctor when a modeling agency stopped by her all-girls school, Ashley Hall, to offer classes. By the time she started acting, she had been modeling for the New York-based Wilhelmina agency for five years. Suvari relocated to California and attended Providence High School in Burbank, graduating in 1997.{{Cite news |title=All-American Girl |date=1999-10-18 |volume=52 |website=People.com |url=https://people.com/archive/all-american-girl-vol-52-no-15/ |access-date=2022-03-11}}

Suvari began acting with guest appearances in television series such as Boy Meets World and ER at the ages of 15 and 16, respectively.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0568025/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_64 |title=Last Call |date=October 17, 1996 |access-date=April 20, 2017 |website=IMDb}}{{cite web |url=http://www.etonline.com/tv/148973_11_stars_who_were_on_boy_meets_world_before_they_were_famous/ |title=11 Stars Who Were on 'Boy Meets World' Before They Were Famous |website=ETOnline.com |access-date=April 20, 2017}}{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2012/11/28/boy-meets-world-guest-stars-girl-meets-world/2/ |title=Girl Meets World: We look back at our favorite Boy Meets World guests |date=November 28, 2012 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=April 20, 2017}} She also appeared in a number of episodes of the show High Incident, and played a girl infected with HIV in a one-episode appearance in Chicago Hope. She made the transition to film with the role of Zoe in the 1997 independent coming-of-age drama Nowhere, directed by Gregg Araki and co-starring James Duval, Rachel True, Heather Graham, and Ryan Phillippe.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sVYBZuHhBUUC&q=mena+suvari+nowhere&pg=PA54 |title=Images for a Generation Doomed: The Films and Career of Gregg Araki |first=Kylo-Patrick R. |last=Hart |date=January 1, 2010 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9780739139974 |access-date=April 20, 2017 |via=Google Books}} Also in 1997, she had a supporting part in the independent film Snide and Prejudice, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and had a brief part in the thriller Kiss the Girls, opposite Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd. She next appeared in the independent dramedy Slums of Beverly Hills, as a teenaged neighbor of a Jewish girl struggling to grow up in the late 1970s. The film received a limited release,{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl812680705/weekend/ |title=Slums of Beverly Hills (1998) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=March 11, 2022}} and has developed a cult following.{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/slums_of_beverly_hills/ |title=Slums of Beverly Hills |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=April 20, 2017}}{{cite web |url=http://www.ifc.com/2011/03/living-in-the-slums-of-beverly |title=Living in "The Slums of Beverly Hills" |website=IFC |access-date=April 20, 2017}} Suvari met Natasha Lyonne on the set of Slums, with whom she would later appear in the American Pie films. She subsequently played a teenager who commits suicide in the horror sequel The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999), and appeared as the daughter of an NTSB investigator in the disaster thriller NBC miniseries Atomic Train (1999),{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/atomic_train/ |title=Atomic Train |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=April 20, 2017}} although both productions were panned by critics.{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1128826369/weekend/ |title=The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=March 11, 2022}}

Her breakthrough came in 1999, with significant roles in two highly successful films —the teen sex comedy American Pie and the drama American Beauty. In American Pie, she starred with Jason Biggs, Shannon Elizabeth, Chris Klein, and Natasha Lyonne, portraying a virgin and innocent choir girl named Heather. While critical response was mixed, the film was a commercial success, grossing $235 million worldwide.{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2588116481/ |title=American Pie (1999) |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=March 11, 2022}}

In American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes and co-starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Wes Bentley and Thora Birch, Suvari took on the role of Angela Hayes, a vain teenage girl who becomes the object of infatuation of a man experiencing a midlife crisis. The New York Times described her character as "stimulus enough for [Spacey's character] to wake up out of a marriage-long coma and start considering life's livelier possibilities".{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/15/movies/film-review-dad-s-dead-and-he-s-still-a-funny-guy.html |title=Film Review; Dad's Dead, And He's Still a Funny Guy |first=Janet |last=Maslin |date=September 15, 1999 |access-date=February 12, 2019 |website=New York Times}} The film received widespread critical acclaim,{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2839774721/ |title=American Beauty (1999) |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=February 12, 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/american_beauty/ |title=American Beauty |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=April 20, 2017}} and received the Academy Award for Best Picture.{{cite web|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2000 |title=The 72nd Academy Awards – 2000 |date=April 22, 2015 |publisher=Oscars.org |access-date=April 20, 2017}} American Beauty made $356 million globally and earned Suvari a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/keyword-search?keywords=American%20Beauty |title=BAFTA Awards Search – BAFTA Awards |publisher=BAFTA.org |access-date=April 20, 2017}} Suvari and her American Beauty co-stars Wes Bentley and Thora Birch presented the 2000 Oscar for Best Documentary short subject.{{cite book|last1=Bona |first1=Damien |title=Inside Oscar 2 |date=February 6, 2002 |publisher=Random House |isbn=9780345448002 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7H9 |access-date=December 22, 2021}}

Suvari subsequently reunited with Jason Biggs in the romantic comedy Loser (2000), playing the love interest of a small-town, intelligent man. A lukewarm critical and commercial reception greeted the film,{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2556528129/ |title=Loser (2000) |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=March 11, 2022}} but The New York Times found Suvari to be "well matched with the handsome, unassuming Mr. Biggs. They're attractive without being offensively cute, and their characters manage to be genuinely nice without seeming bland or phony". She and Biggs also appeared in the music video for the song "Teenage Dirtbag" by American rock band Wheatus. The video was heavily based on their roles in Loser.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/21/movies/film-review-welcome-to-the-big-city-sometimes-it-s-a-bit-cruel.html |title=Film Review; Welcome to the Big City: Sometimes It's a Bit Cruel |website=New York Times |date=July 21, 2000 |access-date=March 11, 2022|last1=Scott |first1=A. O.}} She then starred in the satirical comedy American Virgin, as the daughter of an adult film director who agrees to lose her virginity onscreen to spite her father. The original working title of the film was Live Virgin, but was changed to capitalize on Suvari's previous successes in American Pie and American Beauty.

Suvari continued to act steadily, taking on roles in three 2001 feature films —The Musketeer, American Pie 2 and Sugar & Spice. In the adventure action film The Musketeer, she played a chambermaid and the love interest of the titular character, while American Pie 2 saw her reprise her role from the first film. Like the original, the sequel was a commercial success, grossing $285 million globally.{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2604893697/ |title=American Pie 2 (2001) |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=March 11, 2022}} In the teen crime comedy Sugar & Spice, Suvari portrayed one member of a group of cheerleaders who conspire and commit armed robbery. Although the film received negative reviews and only made $16.9 million worldwide,{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2960295425/weekend/ |title=Sugar & Spice (2001) |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=March 11, 2022}} it has since become a cult favorite on home video.{{cite web |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/137333-11-things-you-didnt-know-about-sugar-spice |title=11 Things You Didn't Know About Sugar & Spice |first=Mallory |last=Carra |website=Bustle |date=February 26, 2016 |access-date=April 20, 2017}}

In Spun (2002), an independent dramedy opposite Brittany Murphy and John Leguizamo about drug abuse, Suvari played an addict and the girlfriend of a drug dealer (Leguizamo). She subsequently appeared as a prostitute working in a New Orleans brothel in the small-scale drama Sonny (2002), the directorial debut of Nicolas Cage co-starring James Franco and Brenda Blethyn, and also starred opposite Colin Firth in the psychological thriller Trauma (2004), as the neighbour of a man who awakens from a coma. Trauma premiered on the film festival circuit, receiving mediocre reviews from critics, who compared it unfavorably to Jacob's Ladder and Memento.{{cite web |url=http://www.reelfilm.com/tiff0410.htm#trauma |title=2004 TIFF Update #10 – Reviews by David Nusair |website=ReelFilm |access-date=April 20, 2017}}{{cite web |url=http://www.shadowsonthewall.co.uk/04/trauma.htm |title=Shadows on the Wall – Trauma |website=ShadowsOnTheWall.co.uk |access-date=April 20, 2017}} In the fourth season of the acclaimed HBO serial Six Feet Under, which aired in 2004, Suvari obtained the recurring role of a lesbian performance poet and artist named Edie. She and the cast eventually received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. She played supporting parts in five feature films the following year—Standing Still, Edmond, Rumor Has It, Domino, and Beauty Shop.

File:Mena Suvari cropped 2007.jpg

In 2006, Suvari voiced the character of Aerith Gainsborough for the Square Enix–Disney video game Kingdom Hearts II and the English-language version of Square Enix's film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, which was released straight-to-DVD in North America and became one of the best-selling animated movies in the country.{{cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2006-05-04/advent-children-no.2-on-videoscan |title=Advent Children #2 on VideoScan |website=Anime News Network |access-date=February 12, 2019}}{{cite web |url=http://release.square-enix.com/na/2009/05/12.html |title=FINAL FANTASY VII: ADVENT CHILDREN COMPLETE |website=Square Enix |access-date=February 12, 2019}} Opposite Katherine Heigl, Suvari starred in the independent comedy Caffeine (2006), playing the staff of a London coffeehouse, and in the biographical drama Factory Girl (2006), she played a friend and roommate of 1960s underground film star and socialite Edie Sedgwick (played by Sienna Miller). While Caffeine went unnoticed,{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/caffeine |title=Caffeine (2007) |access-date=February 12, 2019 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}} Factory Girl received a limited theatrical release amid a negative critical response.{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/factory_girl/ |title=Factory Girl |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=April 20, 2017}}

In the crime drama Brooklyn Rules (2007), directed by Michael Corrente and co-starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Alec Baldwin and Scott Caan, Suvari portrayed a society girl and the girlfriend of a man involved with the Brooklyn mafia in the 1980s. The film was released for selected theaters and received mixed reviews, but Variety remarked that Suvari, "who might have played [her part] as a cliché, gives a real performance".{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2007/film/reviews/brooklyn-rules-1200559298/ |title=Review: 'Brooklyn Rules' |first=John |last=Anderson |date=May 18, 2007 |website=Variety |access-date=April 20, 2017}} Her next film was the psychological thriller Stuck, where she took on the role of a woman who commits a hit-and-run and leaves the victim clinging to his life in the windshield of her car. Inspired by the true story of the murder of Gregory Glenn Biggs, the film premiered at the Cannes Film Market, and while Stuck found a limited theatrical release, it was favorably received by critics and audiences.{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/stuck/ |title=Stuck |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=April 20, 2017}} Austin Chronicle found the film to be "buoyed by queasy, easy performances" from Suvari and Rea,{{cite web |url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/calendar/film/2008-06-06/631342/ |title=Film Review: Stuck |date=June 6, 2008 |website=Austin Chronicle |access-date=April 20, 2017}} who were considered "well-matched in uneasy roles" by Empire.{{cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/stuck-2/review/ |title=Stuck |first=Kim |last=Newman |website=Empire |date=January 2009 |access-date=April 20, 2017}}

By the late 2000s, Suvari continued to act in smaller-scale projects, obtaining four back-to-back roles in films released throughout 2008, including one made-for-television film. Day of the Dead, a remake of George A. Romero's horror film of the same name, saw her portray what was described as a "butch military leader capable of fending off a zombie holocaust", by DVD Talk.{{cite web |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/32823/day-of-the-dead-2008/ |title=Day of the Dead (2008) |website=DVDTalk |access-date=April 20, 2017}} The film received a straight-to-DVD release and was panned by critics.{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10008607-day_of_the_dead |title=Day of the Dead (2008) |access-date=February 12, 2019 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}} In The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, a film adaptation of writer Michael Chabon's novel,{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/aug/24/news |title=Mysterious casting for Nolte and Suvari |website=The Guardian |date=August 24, 2006 |location=London, UK}} Suvari played a strange girl who works at a book shop and becomes romantically involved with the well-mannered, intelligent son of a Jewish gangster. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received a limited release.{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mysteries_of_pittsburgh/ |title=The Mysteries of Pittsburgh |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=April 20, 2017}} Website Collider felt that Suvari did a "decent job" in her "small" part,{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/the-mysteries-of-pittsburgh-dvd-review/ |title=THE MYSTERIES OF PITTSBURGH DVD Review |date=September 1, 2009 |website=Collider |access-date=February 12, 2019}} while Roger Ebert called her "pitch-perfect" in a "finally thankless role",{{cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-mysteries-of-pittsburgh-2009 |title=The Mysteries of Pittsburgh Movie Review (2009) |first=Roger |last=Ebert |website=Roger Ebert |access-date=February 12, 2019}} as part of a mixed critical reception.{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-mysteries-of-pittsburgh |title=The Mysteries of Pittsburgh |access-date=February 12, 2019 |website=Metacritic}}

The Garden of Eden, the film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's novel, featured Suvari as a sexually confused and restless woman and one half of a couple who travel across Europe amid a deteriorating marriage.{{cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1031243/ |title=The Garden of Eden |access-date=February 12, 2019 |website=IMDb}} She shaved her head for the part, but used three wigs for the in-between stages; on which she remarked: "It was a bit strange. It was also very liberating at the same time [...] I am grateful for the experience I am happy that I got to do it at least once in my life. It was like its own psychological experiment. It was very empowering for me to go through and a challenging to experience how people perceive you".{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mena-suvari-enticed-by-a-good-scandal/ |title=Mena Suvari: Enticed By A Good Scandal |website=CBS News |date=October 24, 2008 |access-date=February 12, 2019}} The film premiered at the Rome Film Festival and had a limited investors' screening in the UK. Reviews were negative for the film, with the Los Angeles Times calling it a "literary B-side turned into something not awful, just forgettable".{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/10/movies/10hemingway.html |title='Hemingway's Garden of Eden' – Review |first=Stephen |last=Holden |date=December 9, 2010 |access-date=April 20, 2017 |website=New York Times}} Her last 2008 film was the Lifetime production Sex and Lies in Sin City, about the events leading to the death of Las Vegas casino owner Ted Binion.{{Cite news |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/Mena-Suvari-Engages-14064.aspx |title=Mena Suvari Engages in Sex & Lies |work=TV Guide |date=May 14, 2008}}

Suvari made one-episode appearances in Psych in 2010, and in The Cape in 2011, and also had a two-episode arc as the Black Dahlia in Murder House, the first season of the anthology horror series American Horror Story.{{cite web |url=http://people.com/tv/black-dahlia-on-american-horror-story/ |title=Black Dahlia on American Horror Story |date=December 1, 2011 |website=Peopleaccess-date=April 20, 2017}} In the independent romantic comedy You May Not Kiss the Bride (2010), opposite Dave Annable, Katharine McPhee and Rob Schneider, Suvari starred as the psychotic assistant of a pet photographer. The film debuted at the Sonoma International Film Festival and was released for selected theaters and VOD, garnering largely negative reviews.{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/you_may_not_kiss_the_bride/ |title=You May Not Kiss the Bride |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=April 20, 2017}} Blu-ray.com considered the film to be "a noisy, unlikable distraction" that "depends on Suvari and Schneider to carry the comedy workload, which is about as appealing as it reads".{{cite web |url=http://www.blu-ray.com/You-May-Not-Kiss-the-Bride/142274/#Review |title=You May Not Kiss the Bride (2011) |website=Blu-ray.com |access-date=April 20, 2017}} In 2011, she also starred in the made-for-television film No Surrender, as a writer having a deranged stalker, and in the B movie Restitution, opposite Tom Arnold. She had a guest role in 2 episodes of American Horror Story: Murder House as Elizabeth Short, also known as Black Dahlia.

File:Mena Suvari 2012.jpg premiere of American Reunion (2012)|256x256px]]

Suvari returned to the American Pie franchise when she played for the third time her role of Heather in American Reunion (2012), revolving around the original protagonists as they approach middle age and prepare for a summer reunion.{{Cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/bride-tosses-bouquet-hawaii-production-80642/ |title='Bride' tosses a bouquet to Hawaii production |work=The Hollywood Reporter |first=Jay A. |last=Fernandez |date=March 12, 2009 |access-date=March 11, 2022}} Reviewers found the film to be a "sweetly nostalgic comfort food" for fans of the franchise,{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/american_reunion_2012/ |title=American Reunion |website=RottenTomatoes.com |access-date=April 20, 2017}} and with a worldwide gross of $235 million,{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2739111425/ |title=American Reunion (2012) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=March 11, 2022}} American Reunion emerged as Suvari's most-widely seen film since 2001's American Pie 2.{{cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/person/139250401-Mena-Suvari#tab=acting |title=Mena Suvari – Box Office |website=The-Numbers |access-date=April 20, 2017}} This film also marked her only wide release in the 2010s, as her later releases, such as The Knot (2012), Don't Blink (2014), The Opposite Sex (2014), Badge of Honor (2015), and Becks (2017), premiered on either festival circuits or digital markets.

In the romantic comedy The Knot, Suvari starred as the soon-to-be-married daughter of a working-class couple,{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/oct/07/the-knot-review-film |title=The Knot – review |first=Philip |last=French |date=October 6, 2012 |access-date=February 12, 2019 |website=The Guardian}} and in the mystery thriller Don't Blink, Suvari played one in a group of friends who visit an empty remote resort and attempt to find out what happened to the other guests. In its review for the latter film, FrightFest.co.uk remarked: "[...] Suvari is wasted and not given a whole lot of screen time considering that her character is the one we're obviously supposed to latch onto".{{cite web |url=http://www.frightfest.co.uk/Goreinthestore/laststop-traviso.html |title=LAST STOP – Travis Oates, Mena Suvari, Brian Austin Green, Fiona Gubelmann, Zack Ward, Joanne Kelly, Robert Picardo: FrightFest Gore in the store DVD review |website=Frightfest |access-date=February 12, 2019}} Suvari starred opposite Geoff Stults and Kristin Chenoweth in the romantic comedy The Opposite Sex, as a young divorcee resenting men who meets a successful, driven attorney and womanizer. The small-scale thriller Badge of Honor saw her star as a detective caught up in the aftermath of a violent drug bust.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3355510/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_ov_inf |title=Badge of Honor |date=January 26, 2015 |access-date=April 20, 2017 |website=IMDb}}

The independent romantic comedy Becks featured Suvari as the friend of a lesbian musician who moves back to St. Louis. Despite finding a limited audience, the film received positive reviews from critics.{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/becks |title=Becks (2018) |access-date=February 12, 2019 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}} The New York Times felt that the film "exemplifies how small judgments in pace, performance and soundtrack can transcend modest trappings",{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/08/movies/becks-review.html |title=Review: In 'Becks,' a Guitarist With the Blues Returns Home |first=Ben |last=Kenigsberg |date=February 8, 2018 |access-date=February 12, 2019 |website=New York Times}} while The Washington Post remarked: "[Lena] Hall and Suvari have a palpable chemistry, both musically and in their relationship".{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/becks-review-in-drama-about-a-struggling-musician-its-another-actor-who-truly-sings/2018/02/05/7b1d9efe-06b6-11e8-b48c-b07fea957bd5_story.html?noredirect=on |title=Becks Review in Drama About a Struggling Musician: Its Another Actor Who Truly Sings |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=February 12, 2019}}

Suvari continued to work steadily on television between films and throughout the decade; she obtained the regular role of a political consultant of a firefighter in the second season of the series Chicago Fire (2013),{{cite web |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chicago-fire-mena-suvari-joins-cast-video_n_4068194 |title='Chicago Fire': Mena Suvari Joins Cast As Gabby's Friend, Targets Gabby's Ex (VIDEO) |date=October 9, 2013 |access-date=March 11, 2022 |publisher=HuffPost}} and took on the leading role of a demon-hunter for hire in the eight-episode supernatural series South of Hell (2015).{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2014/10/mena-suvari-cast-south-of-hell-we-tv-851111/ |title=Mena Suvari To Topline WE TV Thriller Drama Series 'South Of Hell' From Jason Blum & Eli Roth |first=Nellie |last=Andreeva |date=October 14, 2014 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=April 20, 2017}} All episodes of the show aired back-to-back and an eighth episode was made available only through iTunes.{{cite web |url=http://www.wetv.com/blogs/we-tv-announces-black-friday-binge-of-new-scripted-thriller-south-of-hell |title=WE tv Announces Black Friday Binge of New Scripted Thriller, "South of Hell" |website=WE TV |access-date=April 20, 2017}}{{cite web |url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/south-of-hell/id1051898542 |title=South of Hell |access-date=November 30, 2015 |website=iTunes|date=November 27, 2015 }} The series received generally negative reviews and brought an average of 122,000 viewers.{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/south-of-hell/critic-reviews |title=South of Hell |website=Metacritic |access-date=April 20, 2017}}{{cite web |url=http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-friday-cable-originals-network-update-11-27-2015.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151202002807/http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-friday-cable-originals-network-update-11-27-2015.html |archive-date=December 2, 2015 |title=UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Update: 11.27.2015 |date=November 27, 2015 |work=Showbuzz Daily |access-date=April 20, 2017}} The Hollywood Reporter, commenting on Suvari, asserted: "[W]hile the prospect of playing [her role] seems like it ought to be enticing for Suvari, her more general interpretation appears to be closer to miserable discomfort, which may be related to either those contact lenses or the strangeness" in her portrayal.{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/south-hell-tv-review-843757/ |title='South of Hell': TV Review |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=November 27, 2015 |access-date=March 11, 2022}}

Between 2016 and 2017, Suvari made guest appearances in the television series Inside Amy Schumer, Justice League Action, and American Ninja Warrior, and starred in the made-for-television films I'll Be Home for Christmas and Psych: The Movie, where she reprised her guest-starring role from the series and basis of the film. The sitcom American Woman features Suvari in a main role as one of three women discovering their own brand of independence amid the rise of second-wave feminism in the 1970s.{{cite web |url=https://laughspin.com/alicia-silverstone-mena-suvari-snag-tv-land-series-american-woman/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111052815/http://www.laughspin.com/alicia-silverstone-mena-suvari-snag-tv-land-series-american-woman/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=January 11, 2018 |title=Alicia Silverstone, Mena Suvari snag TV Land series 'AMERICAN WOMAN' |date=November 7, 2016 |website=LaughSpin |access-date=February 12, 2019}} The series premiered on June 8, 2018, on Paramount Network.{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/atx-television-festival-season-7-queen-sugar-love-is-freeform-american-woman-david-simon-drunk-history-condor-1202688935/ |title='Queen Sugar,' 'The Bold Type,' 'Drunk History' Among Programming Announced for ATX Television Festival Season 7 |first1=Danielle |last1=Turchiano |date=February 6, 2018 |website=Variety.com |access-date=February 12, 2019}} The series was canceled after one season. Suvari reprised her role as Black Dahlia in an episode of American Horror Story: Apocalypse.

In 2024, Suvari had a main role as Detective Thompson on the Gala Film short form science fiction series RZR.{{Cite web |title='RZR' Star Mena Suvari on Why She's Always Wanted to Play Someone Like Her Character Det. Thompson |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/mena-suvari-rzr-interview-1235908679/ |access-date=July 18, 2024 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}} For her performance, she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series, marking the first Emmy nomination in her career.{{Cite web |title=Outstanding Performer In A Short Form Comedy Or Drama Series Nominees / Winners 2024 Emmy Awards |url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2024/outstanding-performer-in-a-short-form-comedy-or-drama-series |access-date=July 18, 2024 |website=Television Academy}} She portrayed Jane Wyman in a supporting role in the 2024 biographical film Reagan.{{Cite web |title='Reagan' Trailer: Dennis Quaid Plays Republican President in Biopic |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/trailers/reagan-trailer-dennis-quaid-president-biopic-1236016151/ |access-date=July 18, 2024 |website=Variety}}

File:Mena Suvari (square).jpg in NYC]]

Suvari is a model for Lancôme cosmetics and print ads for Lancôme Paris Adaptîve.{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/fameandfortune/9605055/Mena-Suvari-Happiness-is-not-about-material-goods.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/fameandfortune/9605055/Mena-Suvari-Happiness-is-not-about-material-goods.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Mena Suvari: 'Happiness is not about material goods' |first=Lorraine |last=McBride |date=October 14, 2012 |access-date=February 12, 2019 |website=Telegraph.co.uk}}{{cbignore}}{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/mena-suvari-take-a-chance-on-me-546530.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/mena-suvari-take-a-chance-on-me-546530.html |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Mena Suvari: Take a chance on me |date=September 17, 2004 |newspaper=The Independent |access-date=February 12, 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-mar-16-ca-q-a16-story.html |title=A different face |first=Janet |last=Kinosian |date=March 16, 2003 |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=March 11, 2022}} She has also appeared in print ads for luxury accessories company Coach.{{Cite web |url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/21884748164447069/ |title=Mena Suvari for Coach Eyewear |website=Pinterest |access-date=2019-08-01}} She has appeared in commercials for Continental Sauces,{{Citation |title=Funny Continental Sauce Commercial 2005 ft Mena Suvari |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG2RrYLM55c |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/QG2RrYLM55c |archive-date=2021-11-17 |url-status=live |access-date=2019-09-19}}{{cbignore}} Orange{{Citation |title=orange advert featuring mena suvari |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOslvxWfKu8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/MOslvxWfKu8 |archive-date=2021-11-17 |url-status=live |access-date=2019-09-19}}{{cbignore}} and Rice-A-Roni. Suvari has been featured in several fashion blogs and magazines such as Seventeen, Elle, Cosmopolitan (Hungary, Estonia and the US), Details, Rolling Stone,{{Cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002546/publicity/ |title=Mena Suvari |website=IMDb |access-date=2019-03-13}} Vogue, Marie Claire,{{cite web |url=https://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com/magazines/marie-claire-mexico/covers/april-2012/mena-suvari-16968/ |title=Cover of Marie Claire Mexico with Mena Suvari, April 2012 (ID:16968)- Magazines |website=Fashion Model Directory |access-date=February 12, 2019}} Nylon,{{cite web |url=https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nylon-Magazine-Mena-Suvari-Dec-Jan-2006-Photos-Interview-Fashion-Art-/292237458103 |title=Nylon Magazine Mena Suvari Dec/Jan 2006 Photos Interview Fashion Art |website=eBay |access-date=February 12, 2019}} Vanity Fair,{{cite web |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/photos/2012/03/hollywood-cover-timeline-slideshow-201203 |title=A Cover-by-Cover History of Vanity Fair's Hollywood Issue, 1995–2019 |first=Vanity Fair |last=Magazine |website=HWD |date=February 18, 2012 |access-date=February 12, 2019}} Glamour, Tatler and Lucky.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/more-mena-suvari-208335/ |title=More Mena Suvari |date=August 7, 2001 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=February 12, 2019}}{{cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002546/publicity/ |title=Mena Suvari |website=IMDb |access-date=February 12, 2019}} She is a frequent guest star at New York Fashion Week, among other fashion events.{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/fashion/la-ig-retail-happenings-20180227-htmlstory.html |title=L.A. designer Aliona Kononova casts Mena Suvari and Jasmine Albuquerque-Croissant for fashion show |first=Kavita |last=Daswani |website=Los Angeles Times |date=February 27, 2018 |access-date=February 12, 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/rosa-cha-front-row-mbfw-spring-08 |title=Rosa Cha Front Row Mbfw Spring 08 Stock Photos and Pictures – Getty Images |website=Getty Images |access-date=February 12, 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.gettyimages.fi/photos/genart-14th-annual-fresh-faces-in-fashion-intimate-dinner-hosted-by-mena-suvari |title=Genart 14th Annual Fresh Faces In Fashion Intimate Dinner Hosted By Mena Suvari Stock Photos and Pictures – Getty Images |website=Gettyimages.fi |access-date=February 12, 2019}}

People magazine published an article about her titled "All-American Girl" in 1999.

She was chosen as the most "patriotic" artist of 2000 by Entertainment Weekly, making allusion to her three consecutive films with the word "American" on their titles: American Pie (1999), American Beauty (1999) and American Virgin (2000).{{cn|date=October 2024}}

Suvari has worked several times with the Natural Resources Defense Council, designing with the group a scarf line called ECHO, which was unveiled at Bloomingdales in Manhattan. She remarked: "I've always been into fashion and I wanted to design something to give to charity".{{cite web |url=https://people.com/style/mena-suvari-talks-about-designs-and-her-do/ |title=Mena Suvari Talks About Designs and Her 'Do! |website=People |access-date=February 12, 2019}} She has also played on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home games for the Starlight Children's Foundation, and is active in female empowerment issues, being involved with several charities whose cause is breast cancer, the "End Violence Against Women" campaign, and tours high schools as a "Circle Of Friends" spokesperson, encouraging teenagers to quit smoking.{{cite web |url=http://www.legacyforhealth.org/635.aspx |title=Mena Suvari Named Celebrity Ambassador to American Legacy Foundation Circle of Friends Program |website=LegacyForHealth.org |access-date=April 16, 2015 |archive-date=March 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310164839/http://www.legacyforhealth.org/635.aspx |url-status=dead }} Suvari is a long-time supporter and activist for the African Medical and Research Foundation, and has visited Africa to work on "small-income-generating and water-and-sanitation projects" with the organization.{{cite web |url=https://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/hollywood-star-mena-suvari-finds-special-home-africa |title=Hollywood Star Mena Suvari Finds Special Home in Africa |date=March 30, 2008 |website=Pulitzer Center |access-date=February 12, 2019}}

File:Mena Suvari (6961715547).jpg (2012) premiere in Melbourne, Australia ]]

Suvari married German-born cinematographer Robert Brinkmann on March 4, 2000. Brinkmann was 17 years her senior. On April 24, 2005, she filed for legal separation, citing irreconcilable differences; the divorce was finalized in May 2005.

In 2007, Suvari began dating Italian Canadian concert promoter Simone Sestito, whom she met at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. Suvari and Sestito became engaged in July 2008 during a vacation to Jamaica.{{Cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/mena-suvari-engaged-to-music-producer |title=Mena Suvari Engaged to Music Producer |work=Fox News |date=July 17, 2008 |access-date=March 11, 2022}}{{Cite news |url=https://people.com/celebrity/mena-suvari-gets-engaged-to-music-producer/ |title=Mena Suvari Gets Engaged to Music Producer |work=People |first=Julie |last=Jordan |date=July 16, 2008 |access-date=March 11, 2022}} They were married on June 26, 2010, in a private chapel in Rome.{{Cite news |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/187845/mena_suvari_ties_knot_in_italy |title=Mena Suvari Ties the Knot in Italy! |work=E! Online |first=Brandi |last=Fowler |date=June 26, 2010 |access-date=March 11, 2022}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-body/news/actress-mena-suvari-weds-in-vatican-city-2010266/ |title=Actress Mena Suvari Weds in Vatican City! |work=Us Magazine |date=June 26, 2010 |access-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100630151354/http://www.usmagazine.com/healthylifestyle/news/actress-mena-suvari-weds-in-vatican-city-1970241 |archive-date=June 30, 2010}} On January 13, 2012, Suvari filed for divorce from him in Los Angeles, citing irreconcilable differences and listing November 1, 2011 as the date of separation.{{Cite news |url=https://people.com/celebrity/mena-suvari-divorce-from-simone-sestito/ |title=Mena Suvari Files for Divorce |work=People |date=January 13, 2012 |access-date=March 11, 2022}} The divorce was finalized in October 2012.{{Cite news |url=https://www.tmz.com/2012/10/01/mena-suvari-divorce-finalized |title=Mena Suvari – Officially Divorced |work=TMZ |date=October 1, 2012}}

In late 2017, Suvari became a vegan.{{cite web |access-date=June 17, 2018 |url=https://gulfnews.com/life-style/celebrity/hollywood/how-veganism-changed-mena-suvari-s-life-1.2210678 |title=How veganism changed Mena Suvari's life |date=April 24, 2018 |website=Gulf News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424133529/https://gulfnews.com/life-style/celebrity/hollywood/how-veganism-changed-mena-suvari-s-life-1.2210678 |archive-date=April 24, 2018}}{{cite web |access-date=June 17, 2018 |url=https://www.usmagazine.com/stylish/pictures/mena-suvari-on-her-cruelty-free-beauty-fashion-diet/ |title=Mena Suvari Dishes on Her Vegan Lifestyle and Sustainable Fashion |first=Carly |last=Sloane |date=April 9, 2018 |website=Us Weekly |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617214115/https://www.usmagazine.com/stylish/pictures/mena-suvari-on-her-cruelty-free-beauty-fashion-diet/tk-4-489/ |archive-date=June 17, 2018}} Since then she has only used cruelty-free and environmentally friendly products, as well as sustainable clothing.

Suvari married set decorator Michael Hope in October 2018.{{cite web |url=https://people.com/movies/mena-suvari-secretly-married-michael-hope/ |title=Mena Suvari Secretly Got Married for the Third Time in an 'Intimate' and 'Beautiful' Wedding |website=People |access-date=February 12, 2019}} On October 16, 2020, they announced that they were expecting their first child.{{Cite web |url=https://people.com/parents/mena-suvari-pregnant-expecting-first-child-baby-boy-exclusive/ |title=Mena Suvari is Pregnant! Actress, 41, Expecting First Child: 'All I Ever Wanted for Years'}} In April 2021, it was announced that she had given birth to a boy.{{Cite web |title=Mena Suvari gives birth to her first child |website=MSN |url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/celebrity/mena-suvari-gives-birth-to-her-first-child/ar-BB1futtp }}

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Category:1979 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century American actresses

Category:21st-century American actresses

Category:Actresses from Charleston, South Carolina

Category:Actresses from Rhode Island

Category:American child actresses

Category:American film actresses

Category:American people of Estonian descent

Category:American people of Greek descent

Category:American television actresses

Category:American video game actresses

Category:American voice actresses

Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners

Category:Entertainers from Newport, Rhode Island

Category:Providence High School (Burbank, California) alumni