Mae Whitman Biography

Mae Margaret Whitman (born June 9, 1988) is an American actress, voice actress and singer. After making her film debut in When a Man Loves a Woman (1994), she had other supporting roles in films such as One Fine Day (1996), Independence Day (1996), and Hope Floats (1998). Thereafter, Whitman ventured into television, with her most notable roles including Ann Veal on the Fox sitcom Arrested Development (2004-2006) and Amber Holt on the NBC drama Parenthood (2010-2015). She also had supporting roles in the films Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012). Whitman made her leading role film debut in The DUFF (2015).

Whitman has also voiced Rose/Huntsgirl in American Dragon: Jake Long, Katara in the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, Tinker Bell in the Disney Fairies franchise, Little Suzy in Johnny Bravo, April O'Neil in the 2012 generation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Yuffie Kisaragi in the video game Kingdom Hearts II.

Early life

Whitman was born on June 9, 1988 in Los Angeles, California, the only child of Pat Musick, a voice artist, and Jeffrey Whitman, a personal manager and set construction co-ordinator. Her parents divorced when she was three years old. She attended Ribet Academy, but later transferred to Whitefish Bay High School from where she graduated. Whitman is of English and German ancestry.

Career

1991-2003: Early acting work

She started her career with a voice-over for a Tyson Chicken commercial at the age of three. Acting coach Andrew Magarian helped her memorize lines as she could not read.

In 1994, at the age of six, Whitman made her film debut, acting alongside Meg Ryan in When a Man Loves a Woman (1994), playing Ryan's youngest daughter, Casey Green. She beat 700 other girls who were interested in the part. In 1996, Whitman appeared in two films: Independence Day as the President's daughter; and One Fine Day playing George Clooney's daughter, Maggie Taylor. The same year, Whitman guest starred in the episode "The One Where Rachel Quits" of the sitcom Friends. In 1998, she was Sandra Bullock's daughter, Bernice Pruitt, in Hope Floats.

During several guest appearances from 1998 until 2001, Whitman played the role of Chloe Madison on JAG. In 2001 and 2002, Whitman starred in the Fox Family series State of Grace in which she portrayed Grace from a Catholic background who befriends Hannah, a Jewish girl (Alia Shawkat).

2004-2008: Arrested Development and other television roles

From 2004 to 2006, Whitman had a recurring role on Arrested Development, reuniting with Shawkat. Whitman appeared in the 2006 series Thief for FX Networks, playing the stepdaughter of Nick Atwater (Andre Braugher). Whitman made several high-profile guest appearances in 2006 and 2007. She also appeared on Desperate Housewives in the episode "Nice She Ain't" as Sarah, an unscrupulous friend of Julie Mayer (Andrea Bowen). Whitman also had a recurring role on Chicago Hope, (1994-2000), playing the daughter of "Dr. Kate Austin," (played by Christine Lahti), in the series' later years.

Whitman was initially cast in the 2007 series remake of The Bionic Woman, playing the deaf younger sister of the title character. On June 27, 2007, TV Guide reported that Whitman was being replaced in the role of Jaime's sister, and Lucy Hale was cast as Whitman's replacement the following July. An NBC spokesperson confirmed this, stating, "The decision was purely creatively driven. It is very common to change storylines, characters, actors after the initial pilot is shot." The sister character's hearing was restored after this recasting at the request of an NBC executive. She also appeared in the season nine episode "Streetwise" of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, as an on-the-street-mother who adopts street children forming a homeless family.

Whitman gave voice to Katara of the Water Tribe in the animated show Avatar: The Last Airbender, and previously Rose in American Dragon: Jake Long. She has appeared in the HBO series In Treatment as Rosie. She plays Cynder in The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night. Whitman voiced the character Tinker Bell in the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Disney Tinker Bell films. As part of a deal to promote the production of the first Tinker Bell film, the UK's speaking clock started to use her voice at 0100GMT on October 26, 2008.

2009-present: Parenthood and continued film roles

In 2009, Whitman landed a regular role in NBC's version of the Ron Howard classic Parenthood, which premiered in 2010. She plays Amber Holt, "a rebellious and willful teen whose only interest at present is her wannabe rock star boyfriend". Whitman played evil ex Roxy Richter in Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, a film adaptation of the Bryan Lee O'Malley indie comic series Scott Pilgrim. The film starred her former Arrested Development co-star, Michael Cera, in the title role. Whitman appeared on Family Guy in 2010.

She had a large role in the 2012 film The Perks of Being a Wallflower, opposite Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller. In 2013, she reprised her role as Ann Veal in Arrested Development season four, six years after the series was canceled. She appeared alongside Darren Criss in three episodes of season three of Lisa Kudrow's Web Therapy, playing his girlfriend. In 2015, Whitman played the lead role in the comedy The DUFF. She started filming Operator alongside Martin Starr in June of that year. According to co-writer and director Roland Emmerich, Whitman did not reprise her role as the President's daughter in Independence Day: Resurgence, the sequel to the 1996 blockbuster hit Independence Day, because she did not want to read for the part.

Whitman has expressed her feelings on being typecast as an outsider in various roles in television and movies. She has talked about being a child actor and her relatable experiences such as being bullied in high school for being "weird."? In an interview with Bello Mag, Whitman explains that the entertainment industry constantly tells actors what they are "not"? and felt her choosing of these roles was her "trying to communicate to everyone"? who may go through similar situations, that it"?s okay to be who they are. One of Whitman's more notable quotes is, "People should recognize who you are and how you can act rather then how famous you are."

Music

Whitman has recorded "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" and "You Make Christmas Feel So Good" for School's Out! Christmas, and has sung guest vocals on a number of tracks from indie-punk band Fake Problems' newest album Real Ghosts Caught on Tape. Whitman has also been featured on her show Parenthood in the song "Gardenia" on the season two episode "The Booth Job" along with Landon Pigg.

Whitman appears in the music videos for "I Was a Fool" and "Boyfriend" by Tegan and Sara. She performed a small speaking part in the rapper DVS' record "Charlie Chaplin" where she plays the part of what DVS sees as the stereotypical hipster expressing distaste with music and television to appear special.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	When a Man Loves a Woman	Casey Green
1995	Bye Bye Love	Michele
1996	Independence Day	Patricia Whitmore
1996	One Fine Day	Maggie Taylor
1998	'	Libby Magruder
1998	Hope Floats	Bernice Pruitt
1999	Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas	Girl	Voice role; direct-to-video
1999	A Season for Miracles	Alanna 'Lani' Thompson
2001	'	Maria (age 10)
2002	'	Schoolgirl	Voice role
2003	'	Shanti	Voice role
2004	Teacher's Pet	Leslie	Voice role
2005	Going Shopping	Coco
2006	'	Angelica
2006	Love's Abiding Joy	Colette Doros
2007	Boogeyman 2	Alison
2008	Tinker Bell	Tinker Bell	Voice role
2008	Nights in Rodanthe	Amanda Willis
2009	Spring Breakdown	Lydia	Direct-to-video
2009	Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure	Tinker Bell	Voice role
2010	Barry Munday	Candice
2010	Scott Pilgrim vs. the World	Roxy Richter
2010	Scott Pilgrim vs. the Animation	Lisa Miller	Voice role; short film
2010	Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue	Tinker Bell	Voice role
2011	'	Abby Fletcher
2011	Pixie Hollow Games	Tinker Bell	Voice role; short film
2012	Secret of the Wings	Tinker Bell	Voice role
2012	'	Mary Elizabeth
2013	Pixie Hollow Bake Off	Tinker Bell	Voice role; short film
2014	The Pirate Fairy	Tinker Bell	Voice Role
2014	The Wind Rises	Kayo / Kinu	English dub
2014	Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast	Tinker Bell	Voice role
2015	The DUFF	Bianca Piper
2015	Freaks of Nature	Jenna Zombie
2016	Rock Dog	Darma	Voice role
2016	Drawn of the Dead	Gwen Newman	Voice role
2016	Operator	Emily Klein
2017	CHiPs	Beebee
2018	Valley Girl		Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	Degree of Guilt	Elena Argos	Movie
1995	Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge	Young Ashley Judd	Movie
1996	After Jimmy	Rosie	Movie
1996	Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man	Baby Rose (voice)	Episode: "Sperms of Endearment"
1996	Early Edition	Amanda Bailey	Episode: "The Choice"
1996	Friends	Sarah Tuttle	Episode: "The One Where Rachel Quits"
1996	What a Cartoon!	Little Suzy (voice)	Episode: "Johnny Bravo and the Amazon Women"
1996-1999	Chicago Hope	Sara Wilmette	17 episodes
1997	Superman: The Animated Series	Young Lois Lane (voice)	Episode: "Monkey Fun"
1997	Merry Christmas, George Bailey	Zuzu Bailey	Movie
1997-2004	Johnny Bravo	Little Suzy (voice)	52 episodes
1998-2001	JAG	Chloe Madison	8 episodes
1999	Invisible Child	Rebecca 'Doc' Beeman	Movie
1999	Judging Amy	Darcy Mitchell	Episode: "Last Tango in Hartford"
1999	Providence	Frances Carlyle	2 episodes
1999	Jingle Bells	Beth (voice)	Movie
1999	Hallmark Hall of Fame	Alanna 'Lani' Thompson	Episode: "A Season for Miracles"
2000-2002	Teacher's Pet	Leslie Dunkling (voice)	Main role
2000	Godzilla: The Series	Meg (voice)	Episode: "Shafted"
2000	'	Antoinette (voice)	Episode: "Luck Be an Aye-Aye"
2001	Max Steel	Jo (voice)	Episode: "The Return"
2001	Jackie Chan Adventures	Additional voices	Episode: "Scouts Honor"
2001-2002	State of Grace	Emma Grace McKee	40 episodes
2002	Presidio Med	Tory Redding	Episode: "Do No Harm"
2002	'	Amy (voice)	Episode: "The River Rising"
2002-2004	Fillmore!	Various voices	7 episodes
2004	Cold Case	Eve Kendall	Episode: "Lover's Lane"
2004	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Glynnis Carson	Episode: "No Humans Involved"
2004	Century City	Erin Pace	Episode: "Without a Tracer"
2004-2006; 2013	Arrested Development	Ann Veal	16 episodes
2005	'	Molly (voice)	Movie
2005-2007	American Dragon: Jake Long	Rose/Huntsgirl (voice)	19 episodes
2005-2008	Avatar: The Last Airbender	Katara (voice)	59 episodes
2006	Thief	Tammi Deveraux	6 episodes
2006	Desperate Housewives	Sarah	Episode: "Nice She Ain't"
2006	Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise	Emily Bishop	Movie
2006	Phil of the Future	Crying Girl	Episode: "Stuck in the Meddle with You"
2007	Justice	Jenny Marshall	Episode: "False Confession"
2007	Grey's Anatomy	Heather Douglas	2 episodes
2007	Lost in the Dark	Amy Tolliver	Movie
2007	The Modifyers	Agent Xero / Lacey Shadows (voices)	Pilot
2007	Bionic Woman	Becca Sommers	Episode: "Unaired Pilot"
2007	Ghost Whisperer	Rachel Fordham	Episode: "Don't Try This at Home"
2007	ER	Heather	Episode: "The Test"
2008	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Cassidy Cornell/Helen Braidwell	Episode: "Streetwise"
2008	Good Behavior	Roxy West	Pilot
2008-2010	In Treatment	Rosie Weston	5 episodes
2008-2016	Family Guy	Various voices	13 episodes
2009	Acceptance	Taylor Rockefeller	Movie
2009	Criminal Minds	Julie	Episode: "Cradle to Grave"
2009	Glenn Martin, DDS	Amish Girl / Trailer Park Teen (voices)	2 episodes
2009-2010	'	Additional voices	2 episodes
2010-2015	Parenthood	Amber Holt	98 episodes
2010	Batman: The Brave and the Bold	Batgirl (voice)	2 episodes
2010	Jesse Stone: No Remorse	Emily Bishop	Movie
2012-2015	Robot Chicken	Various voices	Episode: "Casablankman 2"
2012-2013	Young Justice	Cassie Sandsmark/Wonder Girl / Stephanie Brown (voices)	6 episodes
2012	Weeds	Tula	Episode: "See Blue and Smell Cheese and Die"
2012-2017	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	April O'Neil (voice)	Main role
2012-present	Dragons: Riders of Berk	Heather (voice)	Main role
2013	Web Therapy	Blair Yellin	3 episodes
2013-2014	American Dad!	Glitter / Zoey (voices)	3 episodes
2013	Masters of Sex	Patient	Episode: "Standard Deviation"
2014	Suburgatory	Caris	Episode: "Blame it on the Rainstick"
2014	AJ's Infinite Summer	Morgan / Receptionist (voices)	Pilot
2016	DC Super Hero Girls: Super Hero High	Barbara Gordon/Batgirl (voice)	Movie
2016	Drunk History	Lyudmila Pavlichenko	Episode: "The Roosevelts"
2016	Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life	Marcy	Episode: "Spring"
2017	Voltron: Legendary Defender	Plaxum (voice)	Episode: "Depths"
2017	Big Mouth	Tallulah Levine (voice)	Episode: "The Head Push"
2018	Good Girls	Annie

Video games

Year	Title	Voice role
2004	EverQuest II	Lilly Ironforge / Thana Rumblehoof
2005	Kingdom Hearts II	Yuffie Kisaragi
2006	Cartoon Network Racing	Little Suzy
2006	Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII	Yuffie Kisaragi
2006	Avatar: The Last Airbender	Katara
2007	'	Cynder
2007	'	Katara
2008	'	Katara
2011	'	Katara
2017	Prey	Danielle Sho

Web series

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2015-present	DC Super Hero Girls	Barbara Gordon/Batgirl (voice)

Audiobooks

Year	Title	Role
2014	City of Bones: The Mortal Instruments	Clary Fray

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
1996	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance in a Feature Film: Actress Age Ten or Under	One Fine Day
	YoungStar Awards	Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Drama Film
1998	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance in a Feature Film: Actress Age Ten or Under	Hope Floats
	YoungStar Awards	Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Drama Film		rowspan=3
1999		Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Drama TV Series	Chicago Hope
		Best Performance in a Voice Over Talent	Johnny Bravo
2001	Young Artist Awards	Best Ensemble in a Feature Film	An American Rhapsody
		Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actress		rowspan=3
		Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Leading Young Actress	State of Grace
2010	Teen Choice Awards	Breakout Star Female	Parenthood
2012	San Diego Film Critics Society	Best Performance by an Ensemble	The Perks of Being a Wallflower
2013	Annie Awards	Voice Acting in a Television Production	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	rowspan=4
2015	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Parenthood
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actress Comedy	The DUFF
		Choice Movie Liplock