Mira Sorvino

Backus is an aspiring actor, who has appeared on the television show Will & Grace, but the couple met when he took her order at the restaurant where he was working as a waiter. A Russian rock band, Ne Nashego Mira, renamed itself UmaThurman (Уматурман), hoping to capitalize on her popularity. On June 11, 2004 she married Christopher Backus in a private ceremony; the marriage did not become public knowledge for more than two weeks. She now resides in Hyde Park, New York. Sorvino dated Quentin Tarantino for several years and more recently French actor Olivier Martinez. In 2003, Thurman and Hawke split, and in 2004, the couple filed for divorce. Since then she has had offers for co-leading and supporting roles, some of them having become box-office hits, such as Romy and Michele's High School Reunion opposite Lisa Kudrow, and At First Sight with Val Kilmer. Oprah...Uma." became a heavily repeated catch phrase over the next year, inciting various spinoffs.

The breakthrough role in Sorvino's early career was her portrayal of a squeaky-voiced, foul-mouthed prostitute in Woody Allen's 1995 movie Mighty Aphrodite, for which she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. As a result, "Uma...Oprah. Reviews of her first film performance were positive, which opened her doors for her following parts. Thurman became a pop culture legend when, at an Oscar Awards ceremony, comedian David Letterman lampooned her name by pretending to introduce her to talk show host Oprah Winfrey (both were in the audience). Soon she was promoted to casting director and to assistant producer, and was finally offered the lead role in the movie. On May 1, 1998, she married actor Ethan Hawke, whom she had met at the set of Gattaca, and gave birth to a daughter Maya Ray and later on, son Roan. When the 1993 picture Amongst Friends entered pre-production, she was hired as third assistant director. Uma Thurman left her high school, Northfield Mount Hermon, at the age of 15 to pursue an acting career in New York City. In 1990 she married actor Gary Oldman but divorced him two years later.

One of her jobs was as production assistant in a film company. She shares her birthday with actress Michelle Pfeiffer, Daniel Day-Lewis and tennis player Andre Agassi. Like so many other young actors, she worked at several jobs, waiting for an opportunity in show business. Ethan Hawke's book For Karuna was dedicated to her. After graduating from college, she spent three years in New York trying to make a name for herself as an actress. In Portuguese, her name means "one" and in Polynesian, it means "kiss". She also speaks French. She wears size 11 in shoes.

She is also a political activist affiliated with Amnesty International. She spent a year abroad in China, and speaks Mandarin Chinese. She is a spokesmodel for cosmetics company Lancome which has shades of lipstick named after her. Her thesis was on anti-African sentiment in China (see Nanjing Anti-African protests). Her height is 1.83m. She was at Harvard University, where she graduated "summa cum laude" in East Asian Studies. She has 3 brothers, named Ganden, Dechen and Mipam. Nevertheless, Sorvino acted in theater productions while in high school and later in university. "Uma" is the name of a Hindu goddess of light and beauty.

She was raised in New Jersey and dedicated most of her childhood to academic studies rather than preparing for an acting career, as her father did not want his three children to become young movie stars. Her Swedish mother, Nena, was briefly married to Timothy Leary (to whom she was introduced by Salvador Dalí) before marrying Uma's father, Robert Thurman, a professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies at Columbia University. Sorvino was born in Tenafly, New Jersey, and is the daughter of veteran actor Paul Sorvino (whose credits include Goodfellas, Oliver Stone's Nixon, and TV's Law & Order). Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she was given a Buddhist upbringing. Mira Sorvino (born September 28, 1967) is an Oscar-winning American actress, who has appeared in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion,At First Sight, Blue in the Face, Summer of Sam and Mighty Aphrodite. Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970), is an American film actress. Amongst Friends (1993). Kiss Daddy Goodnight (1987).

Barcelona (1994). Johnny Be Good (1988). Quiz Show (1994). Dangerous Liaisons (1988). The Dutch Master (1994). The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988). Mighty Aphrodite (1995). Where the Heart Is (1990).

Blue in the Face (1995). Henry & June (1990). Beautiful Girls (1996). Robin Hood (TV) (1991). Tarantella (1996). Jennifer Eight (1992). Sweet Nothing (1996). Final Analysis (1992).

Tales of Erotica (1996). Mad Dog and Glory (1993). New York Cop (1996). Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993). Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997). Pulp Fiction (1994). Mimic (1997). A Month by the Lake (1995).

The Replacement Killers (1998). Duke of Groove (1995). Too Tired to Die (1998). The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996). Lulu on the Bridge (1998). Beautiful Girls (1996). Free Money (1998). You're Still Not Fooling Anybody (1997).

At First Sight (1999). Gattaca (1997). Summer of Sam (1999). Batman & Robin (1997). The Triumph of Love (2001). Les Misérables (1998). The Grey Zone (2001). The Avengers (1998).

The Great Gatsby (2001). Sweet and Lowdown (1999). Wisegirls (2002). Vatel (2000). Semana Santa (2002). The Golden Bowl (2000). Between Strangers (2002). Tape (2001).

Gods and Generals (2003). Chelsea Walls (2001). Hysterical Blindness (2002). 2 2004). 1 2003, Vol.

Kill Bill (Vol. Paycheck (2003). Be Cool (2005).