Dianna Agron

At 38 years old, Dianna Agron has this physical status:

Dianna Elise Agron (born April 30, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and dancer.

Jessica Grant, a producer from Agron, made her television debut on CSI: New York in 2006.

Agron appeared on Veronica Mars as Jenny Budosh and Heroes as Debbie Marshall from 2006 to 2007. On the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee, Agron was cast as Quinn Fabray in 2009.

Agron has appeared in the films The Hunters (2011), I Am Number Four (2011), The Family (2013), Bare (2015), and Novitiate (2017).

Early life

Dianna Elise Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia, on April 30, 1986, to Mary (née Barnes), a seamstress), and Ronald S. "Ron" Agron, a former general manager of Hyatt hotels. Her father was born to a Jewish family, but her mother converted to Judaism before they married. Jason Agron, a photographer, has a younger brother who lives in Agron. She is Ashkenazi Jewish of Russian Jewish descent; her father's family immigrated from Novgorod-Seversky in Eastern Europe; and her family's original surname was Agronsky. She is distantly related to Gershon Agron and Martin Agronsky. Agron was born in San Antonio, Texas, and Burlingame, California; her family spent in various hotels due to her father's work, but her mother made sure that Agron and her brother were aware that this was not the norm. Agron has stated that there was always music from the 1960s and 1970s, (but not her brother) from watching contemporary films and television as an adult, and that her mother discouraged her (but not her brother) from watching contemporary films and television as a teenager, opting to watch mainly classic musicals because she felt they had "a certain amount of loveliness to [them]. Being exposed to the "fairytale" and "fantastic" image of Hollywood from those films inspired Agron's decision to pursue acting, but her interest in storytelling stems from her experiences growing up in the "fishbowl environment" of hotels.

Agron lived in Texas from the age of two to nine, began dancing at the age of three, studying jazz and ballet, and later hip-hop dancing. Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz as she was eight appeared in local and school musical theater productions, including Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz. She attended Hebrew school as a child and was educated at a Jewish day school through third grade. When living in Texas, she was mocked vociferously for her Jewish faith and reported that being Jewish was a major part of her identity as a child, which she said was unfair. Agron attended Lincoln Elementary School, Burlingame Intermediate School, and Burlingame High School in the Bay Area; she also attended religious school and had her Bat Mitzvah at the Reform Judaism-practicing Peninsula Temple Sholom. She said she found it much simpler to make friends there than she did in Texas, but that her middle school experience was traumatic, pointing to a boy following her around and calling her a man when she was thirteen, she stopped dramatically. This made her curious about how her voice sounded and that she held off speaking and singing in her natural register for a long time, but she beat it and cites it with her thick skin.

Agron was on the Homecoming Court in both her junior and senior years, tying for the Homecoming queen with a friend, although she had many acquaintances from various organizations around the curriculum. She was involved in school drama, appeared in Vanities and Grease as a senior, as well as assisting with set design, costumes, and painting. Agron has broken her nose twice. The first break occurred when she was fourteen, but she didn't have it fixed until it was damaged again on a day off during the Glee tour. She was also injured in a traffic collision and underwent physical therapy in high school. Agron, a child, was a dance instructor and worked at the local supermarket Morning Glory, where she "became enthralled with fashion." Despite her mother's doll-style dresses, she began experimenting with fashion in high school, having a "rebellious punk moment" when she wore fishnets and dyed her hair red, "rebellious punk stage" when she wore fishnets and dyed her hair red. She took piano lessons and said she loved photography in high school and then went to film school. When she was a child, her father became ill with multiple sclerosis after tests revealed indefinitive; Agron was not aware of his condition until she was fifteen; she was not aware of it until she was 50, when he had a stroke and began losing his physical and mental capabilities. She spoke to Cosmopolitan about the effects of the divorce, which caused her parents' marriage to break down, saying that the split was devastating for her and her brother. "She had to play therapist to [her] family [un], be the glue," she said. She later said that when her father became ill, he "lost his faith for a long time" and the family stopped attending Temple, and she later said that.

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Career

In 2005, Agron relocated to Los Angeles, where he performed for a dance company on the same day. She had intended to go to New York but instead chose LA because it was closer to her family in case she needed to help them. She was signed by the company and told them she wanted to be in musicals, but they refused to bring her out for music video auditions. Agron was reluctant to be in music videos, concerned that she could not be considered both a dancer and an actress, though she did agree to appear in Robin Thicke's "Wanna Love You Girl"'s "Wanna Love You Girl" when Pharrell Williams was fired and the concept was changed. Her dance company helped her find an acting agent and then she applied for musicals, which she was told were too old. When she moved to Los Angeles, she began to watch films other than old musicals, and was amazed how much more scope there was as an actor.

She appeared on television shows from 2006 to 2008, including Shark, Close to Home, Drake & Josh, CSI: NY and Numbers. In the 2006 remake film When a Stranger Calls, she appeared in uncredited roles as a cheerleader. Agron told Rolling Stone that during her early career most of the film roles she was offered were horror films or nudity, and that she turned down all of them. Jenny Budosh, a student in Veronica Mars' third season who is also involved in a fraud cover-up, appeared in comedies like Skid Marks and Rushers, which received the short film audience award at the 2007 Method Fest and the action-thriller film T.K.O. Agron spent time in Los Angeles with Christina McDowell and Emma Stone, a SWAT team's raided, and spent time with them and other "new artists and actresses" in the neighborhood, including Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes.

Harper appeared in the Milo Ventimiglia-directed MTV series It's a Mall World, alongside Sam Huntington, for a single season in 2007. Debbie Marshall, the mean captain of the cheerleading squad at the new school Claire Bennet attends, appeared in a recurring role for the second season of Heroes. She started off reading for the good cheerleader role, having previously been typecast as the "nice one," but a producer thought it would be more interesting to see her play a cruel woman. "She opened a lot of people's eyes to [her] as an actor," she said, because it is different from who she is as a person. Agron produced a feature screenplay about a 28-year-old man and his love with several women in his life as he learns how to say "I love you" during the 2007–2008 writers' strike, which was not available to the public; Agron wanted to direct the film.

Quinn Fabray, a Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee, was Agron's breakthrough role in 2009. In April 2010, media journalist Jon Caramanica portrayed the role as a "conniving yet angelic-seeming cheerleader." Agron was the last principal actor to be cast; she had won the role only days before the pilot was cast; the producers were going to shoot Quinn, but Fox wanted to keep her in the pilot, and casting director Robert J. Ulrich advised him to keep him in the pilot. The actors had felt the role would be unnecessary if she did not get more depth, but they didn't say it to Agron,; Ulrich told Variety that after she saw her audition, the show "came together." Agron had over thirty unsuccessful auditions for a small part in a musical, so she went into the auditions with no enthusiasm. In her audition, Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon" was performed. The actress was worried that she would appear too innocent and begged to come back looking sexier, and she later said that this request "was like nail nails on a chalkboard." "She ruined the part for me," showrunner Ryan Murphy said of Agron's casting. She anthropogenized it. At the drop of a hat, she will weep at the drop of a cap. So now her character has a conscience, a soul, and a great vulnerability." Quinn's portrayal was lauded, and she made her musical debut at the end of the second episode of Dionne Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer" ("I Say a Little Prayer". Members of the Glee cast, as well as Agron, performed the national anthem in 2009, just before Game 3 of the World Series.

Agron wrote, directed, and executive produced an unreleased short comedy film called A Fuchsia Elephant during the hiatus from filming Glee in the summer of 2009. Charlotte Hill, Agron's character, reimagines her eighth birthday party with her friend Michael, who was also a producer, appears in the film on the day before she turns eighteen. She produced the 2010 music video for Thao & The Get Down Stay Down and then went on to further film roles, including Natalie in Burlesque and Samantha in Bold Native, an animal liberation terror film. Agron had appeared in multiple "mean cheerleader" roles before being pushed to leave them early in Glee's first season. When The Amazing Spider-Man films first premiered in 2010, Agron was regarded as the best option for the role of Gwen Stacy in the Spider-Man revival, but Emma Stone was ruled out. Due to her large presence on a major network television show, the deadline was revealed. Agron, who tested for the role just as Glee's second season began, was concerned about his availability. Lois Lane in the DC Extended Universe film Man of Steel in 2011, but there were fears that she was too young for the role; it went to Amy Adams.

Emily St. James for The A.V. appeared on Glee's second season. Agron was "one of the show's best actors," according to the Club, but the actor was often dismissed. She appeared on the episode "Born This Way" (as Rachel Berry) of West Side Story and TLC's "Unpretty" she performed a duet with Lea Michele (as Rachel Berry) of "I Feel Pretty" (I Feel Pretty). "This one is the best Glee coverage," the Observer said, praising Agron's "soft and comforting vocals" and stating that this one "a cult favorite of Glee fans in 2020" deserves all the hype even outside the show's kitschy walls. The song has been praised and was voted the highest Glee number in a 2011 TVLine fan poll elimination poll. Murphy has also stated that it was his favorite cover from the show. Agron has selected scenes from this season as her favorite moments of the show, including "Time Warp" and "Thriller," although she was the catalyst for a brief halt in filming of the latter number when she became sick in December 2010. Quinn appeared on Glee often as a soprano, which Agron said "was on the highest part of [her] vocal register that [she] can access [she] doesn't have] but not where [she] feels] most confident and secure." Agron rarely sang in her chest voice in the first season, and HuffPost's 2011 review described Quinn's singing register as falsetto. Quinn's having a strong voice may have been her fault, according to Agron, who had auditioned with a higher speaking voice to depict her character's youth and personality, so she didn't hear her with this [Agron's] raspy voice." In Glee's second season, she struggled to hold the sympathetic voice and then changed it for the third time. Agron wrote the Time 100 entry for her Glee co-star Chris Colfer in 2011.

Sarah Hart, a co-lead in the 2011 YA film I Am Number Four, was described as a "intellective kid who is a little misunderstood" by Agron. Agron played it because it was different to her Quinn character, and she said that although she wanted to work during the Glee hiatus, she would not take on any project that was "too difficult as an actor to really connect with a person and a script if you don't love it." She could not have been cast in Glee due to her filming constraints. When Agron was on hand, the shoot was postponed, and she learned she would be shooting just a few weeks before filming. In the summer of 2010, photography in Pittsburgh began the day after the first Glee tour ended. The film received mixed reviews. Alex Pettyfer, a co-lead of Agron, was involved in the role of Alice Deane after Pettyfer was ruled out of playing Tom in Seventh Son in May 2011.

Agron appeared in his first solo number since the first season, "Never Say Goodbye" by the Jackson 5 in the third season. The song, which had been leaked before the episode, received rave reviews. The characters' tales in this season were less well received, with writers joking about the fact that the book did not contain enough information. In one story, her character was paraphrased in a car crash, but only for four episodes before she returned to school; Agron had previously stated that the story would be "slow and gradual" as Quinn progressed through dealing with a more difficult situation. The Guardian called "i'm Still Standing"'s brief lysis and its accompanying "cringe-inducing" appearance as the show's "defining shark-jumping moment," although critics lauded Agron's performance. Agron said she had "fun challenges" playing Quinn, who "always was changing" on MTV following the car accident episode. Agron appeared as a guest mentor on The Glee Project's second season episode "Actability" following his third season premiere.

Several songs performed by Agron as Quinn have been released as singles, made available for digital download, and featured on the show's soundtrack albums. Many songs on Glee were pop, including several by Agron, but she was also listed as the show's natural listening vocalist, appearing on some Motown. At 125, "I Say a Little Prayer" charted on the UK Singles Chart, and her version of Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On" reached 166 on the UK Singles. These songs were released on Glee: The Music, Volume 1 (the former as an iTunes bonus track), and were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media. Caramanica sluggishly reported that Agron's "Papa Don't Preach" was cut from the soundtracks, claiming that it was "one of the most grounded and moving covers the show has ever produced." "Papa Don't Preach" was later released as a single on the UK Singles, charting at 81, as "It's Man's World" charted in the Canadian Hot 100 at 73, with Billboard Hot 100 at 95, and "It's Man's World" charted in the Canadian Hot 100 at 94. On the Billboard charts, her book "Never Can Say Goodbye" reached 107. In 2010, they received an American Music Award, and in 2011, they were nominated for two Grammy Awards as well as the British Award for International Breakthrough Act of the Year. They received another Grammy nomination for their second soundtrack album in 2012. They were the most-charting (Billboard) act in history at the start of the sixth season, a record that was not set until March 2020.

Agron appeared less often in Glee's fourth season as a guest star, with co-star Naya Rivera saying she did so because she wanted to work on other projects; Rivera and Agron shared an argument scene; and "I've always popped in scenes like this and have never had enough of them." Agron wrote that the episode was one of her favorites, and Murphy joked that the two characters could have a spin-off. Agron played Belle Blake in Luc Besson's ultra-violent 2013 mob comedy film The Family, despite reducing her role on Glee, playing Belle Blake. After seeing her perform on Glee, Besson reportedly wrote Belle with Agron in mind, wishing she to be in the film. "Agron is one of the finest things in the film [and] successfully grounds the more preposterous aspects of the film," the Irish Independent said. Agron's debut received mixed reviews, but critics were also lauded for a Women Film Critics Circle Award, despite being named as the breakout performer by the then-CEO of production firm EuropaCorp.

She appeared in the music video for the Killers' tenth-anniversary song "Just Another Girl" in 2013 portraying Brandon Flowers, the lead singer. "Agron shines as the video's star," Rolling Stone said, even with the real Flowers also emerging. She appeared in the fifth season of Glee for the 100th episode, but she was notably absent from "The Quarterback," Cory Monteith's tribute episode. In Sam Smith's "I'm Not the Only One" music video in 2014, Agron appeared as the scorned bride. "Convincing Housewives act [shows] off some impressive acting skills [and] really brings Sam's heart wrenching pop-ballad to life," Glamour wrote. She also supervised "Till Sunrise" by Goldroom, starring Gabrielle Haugh and her brother Jason, and assisted Jason with photography for the February 2014 issue of Galore magazine. She produced a short film for the opening of designer Tory Burch's Paris flagship store in 2015; Burch later selected her to represent the brand at the Met Gala this year. Agron returned to Glee for its final season, but did not appear in the episode "A Wedding" when Quinn's closest friends got married, which was equally strange as missing "The Quarterback" in the episode.

Agron continued to pursue what critic Frank Scheck later described as "admirably adventurous screen picks" after Glee. She said in 2017 that she wanted to return to doing indie films [after Glee and The Family], and that after so many years of not being a person in [her] own world, she felt she had to recalibrate fully off the show [and] make time for [herself]... As she becomes romantically involved with a female drifter, she played the lead role in Natalia Leite's 2015 drama film Bare, which follows Agron's life. The film features a nude scene that had been widely discussed between Leite and Agron, but the tone was influenced by My Summer of Love. Agron made her professional debut in 2015 in a new way. Rebecca Halliday said that reviews were not strictly critical of Agron's work but also harsh on the actress herself, rather than simply profusely critical of her role. Due to filming commitments, Agron was unable to reprise her role in the Theatre Royal Haymarket transfer. On Independence Day in London, Katherine Jenkins performed the British national anthem.

In 2016, Agron moved to New York City and took time away from working in that year. In 2017, she appeared in many films. Sister Mary Grace, a counter to the Mother Superior's stern instructions, was played by her in the Vatican II-set film Novitiate. Agron talked about her experience as a Catholic nun, saying she was interested in investigating faith and spirituality that were not related to her own experience. Variety said she was "precise, poignant"; "in an ensemble without a weak link, a special note should be made of [Agron], gently heartbreaking [in her role]"; and, as part of the San Francisco Chronicle, Agron, as well as Rebecca Dayan and Julianne Nicholson, "would be the highlight of any other film, and the one audiences will go home talking about." Alison Miller, the lead of the drama Hollow in the Land, was also portrayed by Agron. "Maye is not as dramatic [as Winter's Bone]," the film was widely compared to Winter's Bone," The New York Times said "Agron delivers a riveting look in this tense backwoods mystery."

Agron made her singing debut at the Café Carlyle in September 2017, saying she "missed performing publicly" and wanted to try this again in New York. In her set, she performed original male music, with BroadwayWorld predicting that, for the first time, people will hear her perform in her new style; she told WWD that after being unable to hit high notes for Glee. Will Friedwald, a music critic, said she is "a post-millennial snapshot of Julie London"; Metrosource's Paul Hagen said that her lower range "is smooth as single malt scotch"; and Theater Pizzazz's Eric J. Grimm said she "is a versatile and precise singer with an affinity for excellent lyrics." Agron performed a setlist "tailored for her husky register" with a larger band in January and February 2019. This cabaret was supposed to feature female artists, but many songs performed by men were also on display. Matt Smith, who also Theater Pizzazz, said that Agron used minimal commentary, "felt] as if she's second-guessing herself," but that any lack of expression in commentary was made up for by her performance; Agron's choice songs were both romantic and playful; Smith praised that her voice is "soothing and soulful, [and] makes the already-cozy Café Carlyle feel much more personal." Agron suggested that she might release an album, but not of the pop songs on Glee's.

In 2019, Berlin, I Love You, a part of the Cities of Love anthology film series, was released. Agron produced a scene from David Vernon's screenplay as well as playing a puppeteer who revives the life of a burned-out Hollywood star played by Luke Wilson. She was initially expected to appear in the film and wondered if she would direct it rather than being hired for both roles; filming for the segment took one day. Peter Debruge of Variety said that "by and large, the film appears aimless and uninspired," a statement that can only be explained by the fact that... Wilson and Agron might attract a few more viewers."

In 2020, Agron appeared as Kim Beckett in the film Shiva Baby, a comedic version of a Jewish mourning service. Agron's presence was lauded throughout the film and its cast, with some writers referring to the depth she brought to her role. The Hollywood Reporter/Film and Variety praised her performance as "perfect" and "flawless." Laura Riding starred in The Laureate, a historical biopic that told the tale of Riding's life with Robert Graves and their partners, which premiered in 2021.

Agron appeared at the Café Carlyle between March and April 2022. Reviewers praised her wit and ability to connect with the audience, with Front Row Center's statement that her "alluring badinage is as delightful as her song." "bring] a sense of levity and love," Stephen Mosher of BroadwayWorld said.

Agron appeared in As They Made Us, directed by Mayim Bialik and published in April 2022, alongside Dustin Hoffman and Candice Bergen. Abigail is the daughter of Hoffman and Bergen's characters; Agron had previously appeared in Bergen's film The Romantics and said it was "extraordinary" to work with her again on a new stage. The film concerns parental suicide, which Agron related to because of her father's illness. She said about a year before filming the film, she had realised she was finally able to explore father-daughter relationships in her work.

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