Mira Sorvino Height, Weight, Age, Spouse, Family, Facts, Biography

Mira Sorvino Quick Info
Height	5 ft 10 in
Weight	59 kg
Date of Birth	September 28, 1967
Zodiac Sign	Libra
Spouse	Christopher Paul Backus

Mira Sorvino is a veteran American actress, whose Hollywood career peaked in the 1990s with movies such as Mighty Aphrodite (1995) and Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997) among several successive film projects. In 2017, she was one of the many actresses to level allegations of s*xual harassment against Harvey Weinstein that fueled the #Metoo and #Timesup movement in Hollywood. Although she never stopped working, she particularly resurrected her career after 2014 by booking diverse roles in TV shows and films. She has a huge social media fan base with more than 200k followers on Twitter.

Born Name

Mira Katherine Sorvino

Nick Name

Mira

Sun Sign

Libra

Born Place

Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States

Residence

Los Angeles, California, United States

Nationality

Education

Mira studied in Dwight-Englewood School in New Jersey where she participated in several theatre productions. Being a brilliant student, Mira was accepted into Harvard University for a Bachelor’s degree in East Asian studies. She graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1989.

Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) placed Mira to study in Beijing, China for one year during her undergraduate education where she also became fluent in Mandarin, Chinese.

Occupation

Actress, Producer, Activist

Family

Father – Paul Anthony Sorvino (Character Actor, Film Director, Sculptor, Entrepreneur – Owner of Paul Sorvino Foods & part owner in Janson-Beckett Cosmeceuticals) (Died in 2022)
Mother – Lorraine Ruth Davis (Former Actress, Therapist for Alzheimer’s Disease Patients, Activist)
Siblings – Amanda Sorvino (Younger Sister) (Writer, Actress, Runs an animal rescue mission), Michael aka Mike Sorvino (Younger Brother) (Actor, Producer, Director)
Others – Ford Sorvino (Paternal Grandfather) (Foreman in a Robe Factory), Angela Maria Mattea née Renzi (Paternal Grandmother) (Homemaker, Piano Teacher), William Sorvino (Uncle) (Former Actor), Bill Sorvino (Cousin) (Award-winning Actor / Producer), Denessa Purvis Benkie aka Dee Dee Sorvino (Stepmother) (TV / Radio Personality, Author, Comedian)

Manager

Mira Sorvino is represented by –

Agency for the Performing Arts (APA)
Management 360
The Artists Partnership, London, United Kingdom
Lichter Grossman Nichols Adler and Feldman (Law Firm)

Build

Slim

Height

5 ft 10 in or 178 cm

Weight

59 kg or 130 lbs

Boyfriend / Spouse

Mira Sorvino has dated –

Joaquín Cortés – Mira briefly dated Spanish flamenco, ballet, and contemporary dancer Joaquín in the 1990s.

Quentin Tarantino (1996–1998) – Mira started dating filmmaker and director Quentin Tarantino in 1996 after meeting him at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 1995. He was her escort at the 68th Academy Awards in March 1996 where Mira won the “Best Supporting Actress” award for Mighty Aphrodite (1995). The couple broke up amicably in March 1998. In 2017, Quentin shared in an interview that Mira told him about suffering unwanted physical advances from disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein shortly before they started dating. The director dismissed the misbehavior by Harvey as a harmless crush on the actress. Mira added that her relationship with Quentin protected her from more damaging exploitation since Quentin was directing blockbuster films for Weinstein’s company and the producer wanted to retain a good relationship with his favorite director.

Val Kilmer (1997) – New York Tabloids clicked pictures of Val and Mira and reported a potential relationship between the two actors while they were filming the movie At First Sight (1999). Some tabloids speculated that their fleeting romance was responsible for the end of Quentin and Mira’s relationship.

Kevin Costner (1993) – Veteran Hollywood star, Kevin Costner has formerly dated a long string of famous actresses, and Mira Sorvino was one of them. The two got into a rebound relationship in 1993 after Mira broke up with director, Quentin Tarantino.

Marc Anthony (1998) – The actress was rumored to be in a relationship with singer Marc Anthony for a short while in 1998, but neither of the two celebrities confirmed their involvement.

Olivier Martinez (1999–2002) – Mira met French actor and former competitive boxer, Olivier Martinez at a Parisian dinner party in 1998. The couple had a long-distance relationship frequently traveling between the North of France to Mira’s home in Los Angeles and New York City. Olivier’s frequent visits to the United States allowed him to work on his English and look for work in Hollywood. He made his Hollywood debut with a small role in Before Night Falls (2002) starring Javier Bardem and Johnny Depp. Mira also helped Olivier bag a role in one of her movie projects, a European mystery thriller called Semana Santa (2002). Throughout their relationship, the couple was clicked together at high-profile public events and was speculated to be engaged in 2001. Mira’s mother Lorraine told a journalist that the couple broke up because Olivier was not ready to get married and have children which was a priority for Mira as much as her career.

Willem Dafoe (2003) – After breaking up with Olivier, Mira had a low-profile rebound relationship with seasoned character actor Willem Defoe in 2003. She first met him as a co-star on the sets of Lulu on the Bridge (1998).

Christopher Paul Backus (2004-Present) – Mira first saw Christopher when he was a struggling actor and waiting tables in West Hollywood’s SUR restaurant. The couple to be was introduced to each other at Hollywood stylist and mutual friend Samantha McMillen’s charades party at her residence. Christopher and Mira got married in June 2004 in a private civil ceremony at the Santa Barbara courthouse when she was 3 months pregnant with her first child. Three weeks later, the couple marked their nuptials in a neoclassical ceremony organized at Parente’s hilltop temple on the island of Capri in Italy. Christopher is 14 years younger than Mira and was merely 22 years old when the couple got married. Together they have 4 children – a daughter named Mattea Angel (b. November 2004), a son Johnny Christopher King (b. May 2006), another son Holden Paul Terry Backus (b. June 2009), and another daughter Lucia (b. May 2012).

Race / Ethnicity

White

She has Italian ancestry on her father’s side and Welsh ancestry on her mother’s side. In March 2019, Mira shared on Instagram that through genetic evidence she discovered that she is also part Irish.

Hair Color

Dark Brown (Natural)

She often tends to dye her hair ‘blonde’.

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

Tall physical frame
Her Signature hairstyle of upper-back length blonde hair combed straight with a side partition
Maintains a natural appearance with minimal makeup and stays away from Botox or fillers

Brand Endorsements

She gave voice to a TV commercial for Nivea Lotion.
Mira also promoted Diabetes Co-Stars with her father, an awareness campaign backed by the pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis in 2011.

Religion

She claimed to be an Atheist in the late 1990s but became a devout Christian, particularly after the birth of her children.
Her parents followed and indoctrinated the values of the Episcopal Church while raising Mira.

Best Known For

Portraying the role of Leslie aka Linda Ash in Woody Allen’s Mighty Aphrodite (1995) for which she won the Academy Award in the “Best Supporting Actress” category in 1996

First Film

She made her theatrical film debut in an uncredited role of a factory worker in The Stuff in 1985.

She made her first credited feature film appearance as the character of Laura in Amongst Friends in 1993.

As a voice actress, she made her feature film debut by lending her voice to the character of Carol Purtle in a short, animated film called Frozen in Time in 2014.

First TV Show

She made her TV show debut as Sophia Eva McCormick De Castro on the teen drama series Swans Crossing in 1992.

Personal Trainer

As a child, Mira trained in Ballet. In the early years of her career, her fitness regimen was influenced by her love for dance. She chose exercise classes and trainers who incorporated different dance moves in a high-intensity full-body workout.
She is a client of celebrity trainer, Neda Soderqvist who created the JAM (Juicy Athletic Moves) method aka Jammalibu SLyDE® – which is a combination of Pilates, strength training, and dance often put together in a deliberately paced, healing mobility flow.
While in New York, Mira has trained at the LIFT gym situated in Manhattan and The Hamptons. The actress frequently shares post-workout selfies at hotel room gyms sometimes in the middle of the night.
When she does not have access to a hotel gym while traveling, Mira likes to run about 4 miles a day preferably by a river or on a beach. She is also an avid swimmer and swims a few laps in her residential pool while playing with her children. Mira always packs walking shoes during vacation.
Since her father, Paul Sorvino was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, the actress became conscious of making healthy food choices partly to assist him in leading a better lifestyle. She avoids food that might have pesticides in it and tries to eat organic, locally grown food as much as possible. She also shared in an interview that she can’t follow diets because whenever she follows them, she immediately feels like breaking them and eating a lot.
Her incorrigible love of sugar is her worst food habit according to her. She used to skip meals to eat a piece of cake once upon a time and enjoyed baking sweet goods at home. To avoid giving in to temptation, Mira has stopped stocking her pantry and refrigerator with desserts and replaced them with organic fruits.
During her fourth and last pregnancy, the actress suffered from placenta previa and had to spend 9 lonely weeks of bed rest in a hospital. The experience made her sympathetic to people with chronic illnesses and ever since she became extremely conscious of living a healthy and disease-free life.
Mira was a smoker from the age of 26 to 36 and usually finished a pack of cigarettes in a week. Her husband Chris was a chain smoker who would finish 3 packs of cigarettes in a day. When the couple got engaged, they vowed to stop smoking forever. The actress prefers putting together Italian dishes that use a few simple ingredients and fresh products due to the ease of their preparation.

Mira Sorvino Favorite Things

Piece Of Furniture At Her Home – A vintage, painted, curved wicker couch in green
Hobby – Photography
Social Media Application – Instagram
Celebrity She Would Like To Invite For Dinner – Marilyn Monroe
Mystery/Thriller Movie – Dead Ringers (1988)
Vacation Spot – Paris, France
Place – Capri (Italian Island)
Place To Stay In Paris – An apartment that overlooks the Seine and the Pont Neuf
French Breakfast – A huge bowl of café au lait and a pain au chocolat
Parisian Eating Places – Closerie des Lilas, Café Marly in the courtyard of the Louvre, Hotel Costes
Parisian Bakery – Carton (for its mini macaroon cookies)
French Cocktail – Kir Royale
Places To Visit In Paris – Tiny Romanesque or Gothic churches/cathedrals, Little revival houses in the St. Germain area where one can see old movies from all over the world
Shopping Place In Paris – The flea market at the Clignancourt metro stop on Saturdays and Sundays
Travel Pass-Time Activity – Drawing, writing, reading, composing music
Parts Of Her Body – Lower lip, Legs
Healthy Food – Seafood, Broccoli
Fruits – Berries, Peaches, Mangoes
Guilty Pleasure – Cake, Chocolate
Food Prepared By Her Mother – Spaghetti with marinara, Chocolate cake
Movie – On the Waterfront (1954)
Beauty Ritual – Long, Hot baths and putting on organic face oil immediately after
Historical Figure – Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Day-off Activity – Flea market or vintage clothes shopping
TV Show – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Song – Lemon by Local Natives with Sharon Van Etten

Source – Architectural Digest, TooFab, Vanity Fair, WebMD, US Magazine, US Magazine

Mira Sorvino Facts

Other than English, she speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese and French.

Mira had her first kiss at the age of 13 at a party.

Her mother also encouraged her to write and act in backyard plays with her childhood friend and fellow actress, Hope Davis.

The day after she graduated from Harvard, Mira visited a local salon to get her hair dyed 1950s beach blonde because she wanted to get rid of her serious student persona.

The actress confessed she hated her nose since childhood and still does not like it, but the fear of losing her facial authenticity has discouraged her from getting a nose job.

She started her struggle as an actress by moving to New York City. She worked as a waitress while auditioning and working at the Tribeca production company of Robert De Niro.

Sorvino was initially hired as the 3rd assistant director for Amongst Friends (1993), but she worked her way up at the pre-production stage to get promoted to casting director and then to an assistant producer that helped her land the part of the female lead as well. Positive reviews of her work in this movie helped Mira get cast in Barcelona (1994) and Quiz Show (1994).

Mira cast her paternal grandfather, Ford Sorvino in Amongst Friends (1993) to provide comic relief.

In 1993, Sorvino turned down the screen test for the role of Julie Camalletti in CBS network’s daily soap opera Guiding Light because she did not want to be trapped in a 3-year contract. However, a few months later, she served as a replacement of the actress who got the role of Julie Camalletti for 3 episodes because the other actress was sick.

She was a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997.

Mira is a massive fan of the original Star Trek series (1966–1969).

Along with 16 other friends, she was one of the founding members of the co-ed A Cappella group called Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones that exists to date enrolling new members every year. The group has gained widespread recognition for their musical arrangement and performance.

She is extremely fond of vintage furniture which is also the theme of home décor at her residence.

Mira only has round dining tables at her home because she wants everybody on the table to see and talk to each other easily.

She has an irrational fear of the possibility of freezing to death.

Her biggest pet peeve is coming in contact with germs on public surfaces. Later, in 2022, she revealed her pet peeves as cruelty, prejudice, and shallowness.

She has composed many songs over the years and hopes to record them someday.

Sorvino claims to be addicted to her phone and cannot function without it.

Mira auditioned for the role of Dorothy Boyd in Jerry Maguire (1996) that was bagged by Renée Zellweger.

She once went to watch a bullfight and left in tears after 5 minutes.

One of her biggest professional regrets is turning down the opportunity to work in the Broadway musical, Cabaret.

The actress is an animal lover and has owned several cats and dogs over the years. As of 2019, she owns dogs named Wookie (French bulldog), Honey, Macie, Charlie, and Neptune. She formerly owned a blue-eyed white cat named Snowball, 2 Ginger cats, a Chawla / Whippit cross dog named Deer and another dog named Fiona that expired in 2017.

She is strictly against wearing fur.

Mira is associated with Amnesty International since 2004.

The actress has served as a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador to combat human trafficking since 2009.

She has also worked to promote Aids Research and UNICEF.

To honor Mira’s work as Susan Tyler in Mimic (1997), a German-American entomologist and ecologist, Thomas Eisner named the compound excreted by the sunburst diving beetle to protect itself as ‘mirasorvone.’

In October 2017, the actress released a statement that she suspected Harvey Weinstein of sabotaging her career in Hollywood after she rejected his physical advances. Her suspicions were confirmed by film director Peter Jackson who stated that he was told to avoid considering Mira Sorvino and Ashley Judd for roles in Lord of the Rings (2001) because they were difficult to work with.

In October 2020, it was announced that she would play the role of Carol Young in the film series After We Fell and After Ever After which was previously played by Selma Blair in After (2019) and After We Collided (2020).

She loves horses.

Her very first job was babysitting.

The first-ever concert that she had attended was that of Adam and the Ants. Band INXS had opened for them.

One of her favorite books is The Catcher in the Rye.

She has the habit of nail-picking when nervous.

In July 2022, Mira’s father Paul Sorvino died of natural causes at the age of 83.

Featured Image by Mira Sorvino / Instagram

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