Mara Wilson

Mara Wilson was born on 24th July 1987 in Burbank, California, in the US. Her father Mike Wilson was a TV broadcast engineer while her mother Suzie Wilson was a homemaker. She has four siblings, a younger sister named Anna and three older brothers named Danny, John, and Joel. She was inspired to pursue acting after watching her brother Danny act. She was raised Jewish though she became an atheist at the age of 15. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995 and passed away in 1996.

She was diagnosed with OCD when she was 12. She has also suffered from anxiety and depression.

She came out as bisexual in 2016.

Mara Wilson began her acting career appearing in commercials for Lunchables, Texaco, Bank of America, and Marshall’s. In 1993, she auditioned for a role in the comedy film ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ and won the role of Natalie Hillard. Directed by Chris Columbus, the film did quite well commercially and reviews were mostly positive as well. It also featured actors like Robin Williams, Sally Field, and Pierce Brosnan.

She was next seen in the Christmas fantasy film ‘Miracle on 34th Street’, which is the fourth remake of the 1947 film of the same name. She then played a recurring role in the TV series ‘Melrose Place’ in 1994. The same year, she was also seen in the TV film ‘A Time to Heal’.

In 1996, she was seen in the children’s fantasy comedy film ‘Matilda’ which was directed, produced, and narrated by Danny DeVito, who also played one of the main roles. The film was based on a 1988 novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. Wilson won the Young Star Award for her performance and was nominated for a Saturn Award and a Young Artist Award.

In 1997, she appeared in the fantasy comedy film ‘A Simple Wish,’ which was a critical and commercial failure. However, Wilson was nominated for multiple awards for her performance. In 1999, she was seen in another TV film ‘Balloon Farm’.

In 2000, she appeared in her last major role on the big screen by playing Lily Stone in the movie ‘Thomas and the Magic Railroad’. It was based on the children’s book series ‘The Railway Series’.