Sara Paxton | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Paxton at Mother Goose Parade in 2007 | |
| Born | (1988-04-25)April 25, 1988 (age 37) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1996–present |
| Spouse | |
Sara Paxton (born April 25, 1988)[1][2] is an American actress and singer. She began acting at an early age, appearing in minor roles in both films and television shows before rising to fame in early October 2002. She played Sarah Tobin fromGreetings from Tucson (2002–2003), the title role in the television seriesDarcy's Wild Life (2004–2006) and Sarah Borden inSummerland (2004). Her other films includeAquamarine (2006),Return to Halloweentown (2006),Sydney White (2007),Superhero Movie (2008),The Last House on the Left (2009),The Innkeepers (2011), andThe Front Runner (2018).
Paxton was born on April 25, 1988, inWoodland Hills,Los Angeles.[3] She is the only child of Lucia (née Menchaca) and Steve Paxton,[4] both of whom are dentists.[5] Her mother, Lucia, was born to aJewish family inMonterrey,Mexico and grew up in the city ofCiudad Acuña.[6][4][7][8][9] Paxton's father is ofEnglish andScottish descent, and heconverted to Judaism upon marrying her mother.[10][11] Paxton did not have abat mitzvah because of her filming schedule.[11]
She was raised in theSan Fernando Valley,[11] and graduated fromEl Camino Real High School in June 2006.[12] In a 2009 interview withTeen Hollywood, Paxton disclosed that she had been accepted to several colleges, but decided not to attend any schools in favor of pursuing her acting career.[13][14][15][11]
Paxton has said that singing and acting performances "went hand in hand" during her early years, though she initially began working as an actress[11] appearing in musical theater and later in television commercials at a young age. Her first film role was a small role in the 1997 comedy filmLiar Liar.[11] During the late 1990s and early 2000s, she appeared in a number of television and film roles, including voice roles in 15 episodes of theNickelodeon animated seriesSpongeBob SquarePants, a role on the soap operaPassions, regular roles on the seriesGreetings from Tucson andAction; and a guest starring role onDisney Channel'sLizzie McGuire playing Holly, an ex-president of Lizzie's school. In 2002. she starred as a child abuse victim onBody of Proof, a season two episode ofCSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
In 2003, Paxton starred inR. L. Stine'sHaunted Lighthouse, a short3D film attraction that still plays at several theme parks across the United States. In the same year, she appeared as Lana Walker on theCSI: Miami season two episode "Death Grip." Paxton's first major role was in the teen filmSleepover, which opened in July 2004 to negative reviews and low box-office revenue.[16][17] During the same summer season, she appeared in several episodes ofSummerland, playing Sarah Borden, a mentally troubled teen who experimented with drugs and sex withJesse McCartney's character.
Paxton was the cast in the lead role of theDiscovery Kids television series,Darcy's Wild Life playing Darcy Fields, a girl who works at a ruralveterinary; the series was filmed on a farm inToronto[11] and aired from 2004 to 2006. It often featured Paxton's song, "Take a Walk." She received anEmmy nomination for the role in 2006.
In 2005, Paxton spent three months[11] working on the Florida-themedAquamarine, in which she played the title character as a mermaid, oppositeEmma Roberts andJoJo, whom she befriended while filming.[4] Paxton has said that she felt a sense of "female empowerment" while on set because "almost everyone" on set was female.[11] The film opened on March 3, 2006, and grossed approximately $7.5 million in its opening weekend.[18] Reviewers of the film compared Paxton, whose inspiration isGoldie Hawn, to actressReese Witherspoon, saying that she has an "infectious, nutty energy."[4] Paxton recorded a song for the film's soundtrack titled "Connected," an English version of Mexican groupRBD's song "Tenerte y Quererte" from their 2004 albumRebelde. Paxton was signed to a record deal withEpic Records during the time she was cast inAquamarine.[11] Her debut music CD,The Ups and Downs, featuring the titled single "Here We Go Again," was due for release by Epic at some point "in the future"; as of March 2007, Paxton had not completed work on it, and it was presumably shelved.[11][19]
Paxton hosted "The Secret Life of Water," the first episode of the seriesPlanet H2O, which premiered in April 2006 on public television stations. The following month, shortly after turning 18, she made an appearance on the television seriesPepper Dennis, playing a teen actress. Paxton then appeared inReturn to Halloweentown (replacingKimberly J. Brown) in the fourth installment inDisney Channel'sHalloweentown series; she dyed her hair brown for the role. The film aired on October 20, 2006.
During the summer and early fall of 2006, Paxton filmedThe Party Never Stops: Diary of a Binge Drinker, aLifetime Television film, onVancouver Island.[11] In the film, she plays Jessie, a college student who falls victim tobinge drinking. Paxton described it as "very different" from her previous roles and has specified that she was looking for a role that would be a "challenge."[13] The film aired in March 2007.[20]
Paxton's next film role was inSydney White, a college-set comedy starringAmanda Bynes andMatt Long; filming began on February 12, 2007, inOrlando, Florida and the film was released on September 21.[21] She next starred inSuperhero Movie, a parody onsuperhero films which began filming in September 2007 and was released on March 28, 2008. She provided backing vocals on her co-starDrake Bell's theme song for the movieSuperhero! Song.[22]
Paxton starred in the remake ofThe Last House on the Left, playing the lead female character, Mari. The film was released on March 13, 2009.
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Paxton starred inThe CW drama seriesThe Beautiful Life alongsideCorbin Bleu,Mischa Barton andElle Macpherson. The show premiered on September 16, 2009, but was canceled after just two episodes.[23] It aired later online onYouTube. Paxton next co-starred withScott Eastwood in the thrillerEnter Nowhere;[8] she also played one of the lead roles in theTi West filmThe Innkeepers.[24]
She starred in the 2011 filmShark Night. She then played Mirabella on theABC Family movieLovestruck: The Musical in 2013.[25] In April 2016, it was announced that Paxton had joined the cast ofDavid Lynch's 2017Twin Peaks revival.[26]
In 2018, she co-starred asDonna Rice oppositeHugh Jackman inJason Reitman'sThe Front Runner, a biographical film about politicianGary Hart.[27] In 2018–2019, she played Amber Dooley in theNBC seriesGood Girls.[citation needed]
Paxton had a supporting role inAndrew Dominik’sBlonde (2022), based on thenovel of the same name byJoyce Carol Oates. The film is a fictionalized portrayal of the life and career of actressMarilyn Monroe.[28]
Paxton had a small supporting role which she referred to as a "sneaky cameo" in Zach Cregger'sWeapons (2025), having also voiced roles in Cregger's previous filmBarbarian (2022).[29]
In 2013, Paxton metZach Cregger inAustin, Texas; they married in October 2019.[30]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Liar Liar | Child at Party and School | |
| You're Invited to Mary-Kate & Ashley's Christmas Party | Patty | Short film | |
| 1998 | Music from Another Room | Young Karen | |
| Soldier | Angie | ||
| Tunnel Vision | Shauna | Short film | |
| 1999 | Durango Kids | Hillary | |
| The Ruby Princess Runs Away | Princess Sabrina | ||
| 2003 | Haunted Lighthouse | Ashley | Short film |
| 2004 | Sleepover | Staci Blake | |
| 2006 | Aquamarine | Aquamarine, Aquamarine's Starfish Earrings | |
| Return to Halloweentown | Marnie Piper, young Aggie Cromwell | ||
| 2007 | Sydney White | Rachel Witchburn | |
| 2008 | Superhero Movie | Jill Johnson | |
| 2009 | The Last House on the Left | Mari Collingwood | |
| 2011 | The Innkeepers | Claire | |
| Shark Night | Sara Palski | ||
| Enter Nowhere | Jody | ||
| 2012 | Static | Rachel | |
| 2013 | Love & Air Sex | Kara | |
| Cheap Thrills | Violet | ||
| Liars All | Katie | ||
| 2014 | Boys of Abu Ghraib | Peyton | |
| All Relative | Grace | ||
| 2016 | Happily Ever After | Sarah Ann | |
| Sundown | Lina Hunter | ||
| 2017 | Three Women | Kathy | Short film |
| 2018 | First Date | Kathy | |
| The Front Runner | Donna Rice | ||
| 2022 | Blonde | Miss Flynn | |
| Barbarian | Nursing Video Narration / Assistant / Megan | Voice | |
| 2025 | Weapons | Erica |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Small Talk | Panelist #1 | Recurring role; 10 episodes |
| 1997 | NewsRadio | Sara | Episode: "Office Feud" |
| 1999 | Working | Amanda Baines | Episode: "The Prodigy" |
| Passions | Young Sheridan | Episode #1.14 | |
| Action | Georgia Dragon | Guest role; 2 episodes | |
| 1999–2017 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Various roles (voice)[31] | Recurring role; 15 episodes |
| 2000 | Perfect Game | Sydney | Television film |
| Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction | Girl | Episode: "The Wailing" | |
| 2001 | Hounded | Tracy Richburg | Television film |
| Lizzie McGuire | Holly | Episode: "Election" | |
| 2002 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Jody Bradley | Episode: "Burden of Proof" |
| 2002–2003 | Greetings from Tucson | Sarah Tobin | Recurring role; 21 episodes |
| 2003 | CSI: Miami | Lana Walker | Episode: "Death Grip" |
| 2004 | Malcolm in the Middle | Angela Pozefsky | Episode: "Malcolm Dates a Family" |
| Will & Grace | Melanie | Episode: "I Never Cheered for My Father" | |
| Summerland | Sarah Borden | Recurring role; 5 episodes | |
| Quintuplets | Chelsea | Episode: "Date Night" | |
| 2004–2006 | Darcy's Wild Life | Darcy Fields | Main role; 33 episodes |
| 2006 | Pepper Dennis | April May/Chrissy Tyler | Episode: "Celebrity Twin Could Hang: Film at Eleven" |
| Skater Boys | Kayla Gordon | Episode: "Sundown" | |
| Return to Halloweentown | Marnie Piper/Splendora Agatha Cromwell | Television film; replacingKimberly J. Brown as Marnie Piper | |
| 2007 | The Party Never Stops: Diary of a Binge Drinker | Jessie Brenner | Television film |
| 2008 | Wizards of Waverly Place | Millie | Episode: "Credit Check" |
| 2009 | Jonas | Fiona Skye | Episode: "Frantic Romantic" |
| The Beautiful Life | Raina Marrinelli | Main role; 5 episodes | |
| 2012 | Blue Eyed Butcher | Susan Wright | Television film |
| 2013 | Lovestruck: The Musical | Mirabella Hutton | Television film |
| Guys with Kids | Stacee | Episode: "Gary's Idea" | |
| 2014 | How to Get Away with Murder | Natalia "Talia" Lewis | Episode: "Let's Get to Scooping" |
| 2015 | Stalker | Isabelle Martin | Episode: "Salvation" |
| Code Black | Sophie | Episode: "You Are the Heart" | |
| 2016 | Heartbeat | Lou Panttiere | Episode: "The Land of Normal" |
| Murder in the First | Alicia Barnes | Recurring role; 10 episodes | |
| 2017 | This Is Us | Kathryn | Episode: "Moonshadow" |
| Twin Peaks | Candy Shaker | Episode: "Part 4" | |
| Baker Daily: Trump Takedown | Sara | Television short | |
| Wrecked | Sister Grace | Episode: "Sister Mercy" | |
| 2018 | Liberty Crossing | Jessica Larson | Episode: "Weekend Warriors" |
| 2018–2019 | Good Girls | Amber Dooley | Guest role; 3 episodes |
| 2024 | Based on a True Story | Paige | Recurring role; 4 episodes |
| NCIS | Amber Carnahan | Guest star, "Hardboiled" |
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Koudelka | Charlotte D'lota[31] | English dub |
Source:[32]
| Year | Song | Soundtrack |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Take a Walk" | Darcy's Wild Life |
| "There for You" | ||
| "Don't Wanna Be Alone"(withJesse McCartney) | Summerland | |
| 2006 | "Connected" | Aquamarine |
| "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" | Disneymania 4 | |
| 2008 | "I Need a Hero" | Superhero! Movie |
| "Superhero! Song (featuring Sara Paxton) | ||
| 2012 | "Shark Bite Rap" | Shark Night 3D |
| 2013 | "Me Too (Stripped)" | Lovestruck: The Musical |
| "Like a Virgin" | ||
| "How Can I Remember to Forget" | ||
| "Me Too (Main Mix)" | ||
| "Everlasting Love" |
Source:[33]
| Year | Song |
|---|---|
| 2005 | "Here We Go Again" |
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
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