29 Jan 2014
Dianna Elise Agron
Dianna Elise Agron ( born April 30, 1986) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and occasionally a producer, writer and director. Agron made her debut appearing as Jessica Grant in CSI: NY during 2006. Following this, Agron had minor appearances in films and TV series such as Drake & Josh, Shark,T.K.O., Skid Marks, Dinner with Raphael, and Celebrities Anonymous. From 2006 to 2007, Agron had recurring roles in Veronica Mars as Jenny Budosh, andHeroes as Debbie Marshall. In 2009, Agron was cast as Quinn Fabray on the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee.[2] Quinn was introduced as "terrible, the meanest girl", as Agron said. Thanks to this role, Agron has won many awards and nominations. Also that year, she branched out into writing and directing with the result being the short film A Fuchsia Elephant, the story about an 18-year-old girl played by Agron who creates an ideal birthday party, however, it was never released.
In 2011, Agron co-starred in the films The Hunters and I Am Number Four. Later that year, a concert documentary film of Glee was released, titled Glee: The 3D Concert Movie. In 2013, Agron co-starred as Belle Blake, alongside Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Tommy Lee Jones in the action crime-comedy film The Family. Agron is set to appear in A Conspiracy on Jekyll Island and Pretenders, a film about a love triangle.
Early life
Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia, and was raised in San Antonio, Texas and San Francisco, California. She is the daughter of Mary and Ronald S. Agron, a general manager of Hyatt hotels.[3][4][5] She has a younger brother, Jason. Agron's father's family is originally from Russia, and their original surname, Agronsky, was altered by Ellis Island officials.[1] Her father was born to a Jewish family, while her mother converted to Judaism.[6] Agron attended Hebrew school and had a bat mitzvah.[6][7]
When she was 15, she found out that her father had multiple sclerosis. In an interview for Cosmopolitan Magazine, she revealed: "Quite a bit changed after that,” she says. "At that age, you don't see mortality in your parents." The disease caused her parents' relationship to fall apart, and they decided to separate, which was devastating for her and her younger brother. "I had to play therapist to my family... be the glue." She pauses, then says, "Those kinds of things I'm not ready to speak about yet."[8]
Agron attended Burlingame Intermediate School and Burlingame High School,[2] where she was in the Homecoming Court,[9] and played in Grease as Marty, and also involved in the set design, the costumes, painting and the whole process.[10] She has been dancing since the age of three, focusing mainly on jazz and ballet, and she later began hip-hop dancing and fell in love with musical theater as a child, often performing in local and school productions, and played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz in fifth grade,[11] and began teaching dance as a teenager.[5] She says she was not "popular" in the stereotypical sense in high school, though she had many friends from different cliques around the school.[12]
Career
Acting
Television
Agron has appeared on television shows such as Shark, Close to Home, CSI: NY, Numb3rs,[13] and had a recurring role on Veronica Mars. She then appeared as Harper on a 13-episode series of short films called It's a Mall World, directed by Milo Ventimiglia, and airing on MTV, and then on the second season of Heroes as Debbie Marshall, the head cheerleader/captain of the cheer squad at Costa Verde High School. Dianna has also hosted a mini Music Festival for 826LA in Los Angeles called "Chickens in Love."[14]
Glee
Agron's most notable role to date is as Quinn Fabray, a high school cheerleader, on the Fox series Glee. Agron was the last primary actor to be cast, having won the role only days before the pilot began filming.[15] Agron said in a 2009 interview pertaining to her casting session: "I nearly bailed on my audition for the show. I was so nervous".
With her wholesome good looks, Agron certainly looked the part, but the producers wondered if she appeared too innocent. Agron said in an interview: "They told me to come back with straight hair and to dress sexier. Later that week, I started work."[16] Agron auditioned with Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon".[15] The Glee producers said "we really lucked out in finding Agron to play Quinn".[15] Quinn is described by Agron as Rachel Berry's (Lea Michele) enemy, and "terrible, the meanest girl".[17] Agron said that her favorite part of Quinn is that "she's smart. But she's also human, and through her tough exterior, she's often a little girl lost."[2] Quinn was originally conceived as the antagonistic queen bee head cheerleader, a departure from Agron's actual high school experience.[18]
Quinn's role as head cheerleader is central to understanding her character. Agron said that she had never had any prior cheer experience before the Pilot. "If I had been [a cheerleader], I would've ended up on crutches," she told Emmy magazine.[2] The role saw Agron nominated for the Teen Choice Award for "Female Breakout Star" star in 2009.[19] She and the other cast members were awarded the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2010, and nominated in the same category the following year.[20][21] Agron was praised for her dramatic acting during the confrontation scene with Quinn's parents in "Ballad".[22] Gerrick D. Kennedy, writing for the Los Angeles Times, was critical of the ongoing Quinn's pregnancy plot in the episode "Hairography", and noted that he cringed whenever Quinn appeared on screen.[23] Conversely, Bobby Hankinson of the Houston Chronicle enjoyed Quinn in the episode, and wrote: "I love that she can keep her Mean Girls edge while being heartbreakingly sad or as joyful as she was singing "Papa Don't Preach".[24] The A.V. Club writer Todd VanDerWerff suggested that Quinn's season three reinvention hinged on the fact the producers no longer knew how to utilize Agron.[25] On July 23, 2012, it was reported that Agron was going to appear less frequently in Glee's fourth season.[26] Agron's character, Quinn, only appeared on three episodes: "Thanksgiving", "Naked", and "I Do". Agron is confirmed to come back for the 100th episode of Glee.[27]
In 2012, The Biography Channel aired a documentary of Glee, with Agron being interviewed along with other castmates. It showed a brief description of Dianna's character and her audition for the show.[28]
Films
In 2007, Agron appeared as Dyanna in the action drama thriller film T.K.O., directed by Declan Mulvey, alongside Samantha Alarcon, Daz Crawford and Christian Boeving.[29] She also appeared as Megan in the independent comedy film Skid Marks.[30] She also appeared as Kyle's Girl in the short comedy film Rushers.[31] She also appeared in a short comedy film Dinner with Raphael, and a small role as Sadie in the independent comedy film Celebrities Anonymous, directed by Dennis Hemphill Jr., alongside Lindsay Zir and Joey Kern.
In 2010, she also appeared as Minnow, the younger sister of Lila Hayes, in the romantic comedy The Romantics.[32] She played Natalie, fiancée to main character Ali's love interest Jack, in the filmBurlesque.[33] The actress also appeared in Bold Native, a film about animal liberation.[34][35]
In 2011, Agron appeared as Alice in the horror thriller The Hunters and in the science-fiction action thriller I Am Number Four.[36][37][38][39] Agron appeared in the concert film of Glee, Glee: The 3D Concert Movie.
Agron played Belle Blake in the film The Family, opposite Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, and Michelle Pfeiffer.[40] The film was released on September 13, 2013, and received mixed to negative reviews.The Family debuted at #2 in its first weekend with $14.5 million.[41][42][43] Reviewers praised Agron's performance. She "gives the best performance in the film as a really sexy teenager coming of sexual age," wrote critic Tony Medley."[44] Writing for The Huffington Post, Zorianna Kit said: "De Niro, Pfeiffer and Jones all brought 100% to their roles. Glee actress Dianna Agron was the stand-out here, shining as the daughter who was falling in love for the first time, while defending her family from total annihilation by the mafia."[45]
On September 26, 2013, it was confirmed by Josh Boone that Agron was cast in the upcoming film Pretenders, alongside Michael B. Jordan, Anton Yelchin, and Imogen Poots.[46][47] The movie will start production in 2014. On October 23, 2013, an interview with Agron got released and she said she will be also shooting another film during November 2013 in Chicago, where she will play a character which is "much more agressive" than her character in The Family.[48] It was later revealed that the title of the film is A Conspiracy on Jekyll Island.[49] Agron confirmed via Twitter that she started shooting it on November 20, 2013.[50]
Singing
Several songs performed by Agron as Quinn Fabray on Glee have been released as singles, available for digital download, also featured on the show's soundtrack albums.
Agron made her musical debut at the end of the episode "Showmance", performing Dionne Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer".[51] Quinn's next solo was in the episode "Throwdown", performing The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On".[51] The song was released on Glee: The Music, Volume 1. The Wall Street Journal editor Raymund Flandez was critical of Quinn's cover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On", which he called "thin and jarring".[53] She performed a rendition of James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" in the episode "Funk".[52] In season three, Quinn sings her first solo number since the first season, "Never Can Say Goodbye" by The Jackson 5, which received mostly positive reviews. Jen Chaney of The Washington Post gave the song a "B−", and said it "worked much better than every track that preceded it" because it adapted the song to the show "instead of trying to out-Jackson Jackson".[54] Entertainment Weekly's Joseph Brannigan Lynch called it "a nice summation of her character's journey, but not vocally impressive enough to justify listening to outside of the episode" and gave it a "B".[55] Crystal Bell of HuffPost TVdescribed it as a "blah performance", but Kate Stanhope of TV Guide said it was "sweet and reflective".[56][57] Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone wrote that it was "a tune well-suited for Quinn's sultry voice and the flipped meaning she gives the lyrics", and TVLine's Michael Slezak had a similar take: he gave it an "A" and called it a "remarkably lovely fit" for her voice.[58][59] She has also sung many cast group songs and duets.
In February 2013, Agron hosted and performed "Dreams" and "What's Love Got to Do with It" featuring A House For Lions to the 1st "You, Me and Charlie" concert in Los Angeles.[60][61]
When asked about if she is interested on a solo album in 2011, Agron said that she is more focused on acting. But later, in December 2013, she said it is not possible, but that "You never know!", she said. "My album would be called definitely not Dianna Agron. Something fun. I’m trying to think of something on the spot. Random words are coming to mind: Bats, Night, Dark, Blue", Agron continued.[62]
Music videos
In 2010, Agron directed the music video for "Body" by Thao with the Get Down Stay Down.[63][64]
On October 28, 2013, Agron confirmed that she will be filming a musical project. She said that she would not be singing, but she would portray a singer that she really admires.[65][66] The next day, she confirmed that it was a music video, and on October 30, it got filmed.[67][68] On November 25, 2013, it got released and is the music video of "Just Another Girl" by The Killers.[69][70][71]
Modeling
She along with Cory Monteith, Cassie Ventura, Jessica Szohr, Trevor Donovan and Alex Meraz were selected to be in Wal-Mart's Ocean Pacific spring 2010 marketing campaign. The national campaign debuted in fashion, lifestyle and entertainment magazines such as Elle, Teen Vogue, Seventeen and Cosmopolitan, outdoor and online at the official Ocean Pacific website.[72] In addition, the celebrities hosted an Ocean Pacific party in Los Angeles in late April and made personal appearances on behalf of the brand.[72]
In addition, Agron has been on the main cover of many magazines, such as Rolling Stone, Seventeen, Dolly, Sugar, GQ, Elle, Candy, TV Guide, Nylon for Guys, Glamour, and Teen Vogue.
Agron was featured in Nylon for Guys' September 2013 issue, where she talked about her film The Family, the future of her character on Glee during the fifth season, and her relationship rumors.[73] She also appeared in Glamour's September 2013 issue, where she mainly talked about clothes and fashion. For the magazine, she had a photoshoot during her trip to Venice, Italy.[74]
Dianna is featured in the one-year anniversary cover of the Galore magazine, which is the December 2013 and January 2014 issue.[75] In the interview, she talked about her upcoming film, A Conspiracy on Jekyll Island; The Killers music video where she was featured, Just Another Girl; and her personal life.[62]
Other ventures
In 2009, Agron wrote, starred in, directed, and executive-produced the short comedy film A Fuchsia Elephant. The plot revolves around Agron's character. On the day before her eighteenth birthday, Charlotte Hill makes a decision to change. Not wanting to follow in the footsteps of her alcoholic mother, she enlists a sober partner named Michael (Dave Franco) to help guide her. It was shot during the Glee hiatus in the summer of 2009.[76]
Agron hosted the GLAAD Media Award on June 2, 2012 in San Francisco.[77] In 2012 and 2013, Agron appeared in the "Play As You Are" Nintendo campaign, ads for Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone!, and in spots for the puzzle-solving adventure Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask.[78] Agron spoke at the 18th San Francisco Power of Choice Luncheon to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Roe V. Wade – 40 years of Choice! on March 7, 2013 in San Francisco,[79][80] and attended The Hollywood Reporter and Jimmy Choo 2nd Annual 25 Most Powerful Stylists Luncheon on March 13, 2013 in West Hollywood.[81][82]
Personal life
Agron and her Glee co-star Lea Michele decided to rent an apartment together in downtown Los Angeles in early 2009. "We have these smack downs at work and come home and are like, 'Wasn't it so funny when we were fighting today? Let's make cookies!'" said Michele to New York Magazine.[83]
In 2011, she underwent nose surgery to repair her deviated septum which was the result of a blow to the nose when she was fourteen.[84]
Agron's Twitter account was hacked on December 18, 2011 and had started many trending topics. The hacker also got into her personal email and started leaking songs, scripts and episodes.[85] In April 2012, Shalom Life ranked her Number 3 on its list of “the 50 most talented, intelligent, funny, and gorgeous Jewish women in the world."[86]
After the July 2013 death of her Glee co-star, Cory Monteith,[87][88][89] Agron reflected on her own mortality, saying "it just makes you take a new lease out on life and look at things a little bit differently. He was truly one of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met in my entire life...."[90] Although she is now out of the show, she said her continuing friendship with her Glee co-stars was a comfort in the wake of Monteith's death.[90]
Activism
Agron is a vegetarian, and has supported PETA and gay rights.[91]
Agron hosted the GLAAD Media Award on June 2, 2012 in San Francisco. Her co-stars of Glee, Naya Rivera and Cory Monteith hosted them on March 24, 2012 in New York City. Following Rivera's tradition of auctioning off kisses to an audience member, she raised $5500 for the campaign.
Agron worked with The Trevor Project in 2012 to raise money in honor of her birthday.[92] In 2012, Agron visited the Kampong Cham Center, where she met children and teenage residents.[93] On April 20, 2013, the people honored Dianna by raising $10,200 for her birthday, benefiting the Somaly Mam Foundation in effort to fight human trafficking.[94] Agron donated possessions to the Vietnam Veterans of America in Los Angeles during August 2013.[95] Agron also supports the initiative between Camp Wonder and Cetaphil, which is about children with chronic and life-threatening skin diseases to enjoy being a kid.[96]
Public image
Agron was chosen by People to be part of their Most Beautiful 2010.[97] She also came 8th in the 2011 Afterellen.com "Hot 100" list.[98] Additionally, she came in 13th in the 2012 AfterEllen.com "Top 50 Favorite Female TV Characters" list, thanks to her character, Quinn Fabray, on Glee.[99] Later that year, she and her co-stars, Naya Rivera and Heather Morris, came in the first three places at the "2012 AfterEllen Hot 100" list, with Agron at the 2nd place.[100] Agron was ranked #28 in the 2012 AskMen's Top 99 "Most Desirable Women".[101] She also camed #44 in the FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World".[102] Agron is also the seventh place in the 2013 Opposing Views' list "Hottest Actresses On Primetime TV". She is the second place in the MuchMusic's list "5 Stars to Watch in 2013".
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | After Midnight: Life Behind Bars | Kelly | |
| 2006 | When a Stranger Calls | Cheerleader | Cameo (uncredited) |
| 2007 | T.K.O. | Dyanna | |
| 2007 | Skid Marks | Megan | |
| 2007 | Rushers[8] | Dianna Agron | Short film |
| 2009 | Dinner with Raphael | Dianna | Funny or Die short film |
| 2009 | Celebrities Anonymous | Sadie | TV movie |
| 2009 | A Fuchsia Elephant | Charlotte Hill | Short film |
| 2010 | Bold Native | Samantha | |
| 2010 | The Romantics | Minnow Hayes | |
| 2010 | Burlesque | Natalie | |
| 2011 | The Hunters | Alice | |
| 2011 | I Am Number Four | Sarah Hart | |
| 2011 | Glee: The 3D Concert Movie[9] | Herself/Quinn Fabray | |
| 2013 | Unity[10] | Herself/Narrator | Documentary |
| 2013 | The Family[7] | Belle Blake | |
| 2014 | A Conspiracy on Jekyll Island[11] | Amelia Rhondart | Filming |
| 2015 | Pretenders[12] | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Close to Home | Drunk Girl | 1 episode: "Homecoming" |
| 2006 | CSI: NY | Jessica Grant | 1 episode: "Murder Sings the Blues" |
| 2006 | Drake & Josh | Lexi | 1 episode: "The Great Doheny" |
| 2006 | Shark | Gia Mellon | 1 episode: "Love Triangle" |
| 2006–2007 | Veronica Mars | Jenny Budosh | 3 episodes |
| 2007 | Heroes | Debbie Marshall | 5 episodes |
| 2007 | It's a Mall World | Harper | 13 episodes |
| 2008 | Numb3rs | Kelly Rand | 1 episode: "Jack of All Trades" |
| 2009–present | Glee[3][4] | Quinn Fabray | Main cast (seasons 1–3) Recurring cast (seasons 4–5) |
| 2012 | Punk'd[13] | Herself | 1 episode: "Hayden Panettiere" |
| 2012 | The Glee Project[14] | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | 10 on Top[15] | Herself |
As director
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | A Fuchsia Elephant | Also writer and producer |
| 2010 | Body[16] | Thao & The Get Down Stay Down |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "Just Another Girl" | The Killers | [17] |
Awards and nomination
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (with: Glee Cast) | Glee | Won |
| TV Land Awards | Future Classics (with: Glee Cast) | Won | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV: Female Breakout Star | Nominated | ||
| Choice Music: Group (with: Glee Cast) | Nominated | |||
| Breakthrough Of The Year Awards | Breakthrough Newcomer | Herself | Won | |
| Gay People's Choice Awards | Favorite Music Duo or Group (with: Glee Cast) | Glee | Won | |
| 2011 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (with: Glee Cast) | Nominated | |
| Grammy Awards | Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media | Nominated | ||
| Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (with: Glee Cast) | Nominated | |||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV: Female Scene Stealer | Nominated | ||
| Choice Music: Group (with: Glee Cast) | Nominated | |||
| Victoria's Secret: What's Sexy List | Sexiest Smile | Herself | Won | |
| 2012 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (with: Glee Cast) | Glee | Nominated |
| Grammy Awards | Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media | Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV: Female Scene Stealer | Nominated | ||
| Giffoni Film Festival | Giffoni Award | Herself | Won | |
| Do Something Awards | TV Star: Female | Glee | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (with: Glee Cast) | Nominated | |
| Shorty Awards | Best Actress in Social Media | Herself | Nominated | |
| Best Celebrity in Social Media | Nominated | |||
| Best Artist, Art Critic, or Art Aficionado in Social Media | Nominated | |||
| Best Blogger in Social Media | Nominated | |||
| Best Fashion Diva, Brand, or Model in Social Media | Nominated | |||
| Napa Valley Film Festival | Rising Star Award | Won | ||
| The Women Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Young Actress | Pending |
