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Claire Mckenna Biography & Facts

Mckenna Grace (born June 25, 2006) is an American actress and singer. Born in Grapevine, Texas, she began acting professionally at age five and relocated to Los Angeles, California, as a child. Her earliest roles included Jasmine Bernstein in the Disney XD sitcom Crash & Bernstein (2012–2014) and Faith Newman in the soap opera The Young and the Restless (2013–2015). After several small roles, she starred as a child prodigy in Gifted (2017), a breakthrough for which she received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer. Grace subsequently appeared in the films I, Tonya (2017), Troop Zero (2019), and Captain Marvel (2019). During this time, she appeared in several horror projects, including The Bad Seed (2018), The Haunting of Hill House (2018), and Annabelle Comes Home (2019). For playing an abused teenager in The Handmaid's Tale (2021–2022), Grace was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, making her the first child recognized for a guest acting Emmy. She appeared in the supernatural comedy films Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024), receiving critical praise and a Critics' Choice Super Award nomination. In 2022, Grace wrote, executive produced, and starred in The Bad Seed Returns, and portrayed Jan Broberg in A Friend of the Family. After signing with Photo Finish Records in 2020, Grace released her debut single, "Haunted House", in 2021, as part of the Ghostbusters: Afterlife soundtrack. She released two extended plays in 2023: Bittersweet 16 and Autumn Leaves, which explored pop rock and folk sounds, respectively. Early life Grace was born on June 25, 2006, in Grapevine, Texas, United States. She is the only child of Ross Burge, an orthopedic surgeon, and Crystal Grace, a medical sales representative. As a young child, she lived in Dallas-Fort Worth. She trained in cheerleading, gymnastics, tap, and ballet. She participated in beauty pageants, where she was crowned "Tiny Miss Texas". Grace has never gone to a regular school; she has been home-schooled and had on-set tutors. In 2017, Grace stated she was attending a creative writing workshop with other home-schooled students once a week. She took a college course on media aesthetics in 2021, in which she had to repeatedly write about The Handmaid's Tale without mentioning her own work on the show.Grace first expressed interest in acting at age four, after she received a collection of DVD films starring Shirley Temple from her great-grandmother. Grace's acting teacher, who was Morgan Fairchild's sister, advised that she should sign with an agent. Grace secured her first part in a commercial at five years old. Her agent later recommended traveling to Los Angeles, California, to see if she might land roles in films and television shows. After Grace secured parts in Crash & Bernstein (2012–2014) and Goodbye World (2013), her family moved to the city, with her father having a residency in Ventura. Acting career 2012–2017: Early roles and breakthrough Grace made her acting debut in Disney XD's Crash & Bernstein, recurring as Jasmine Bernstein. She reprised her role in the show's second season, playing the role until 2014. During this time, she made a guest appearance on the Fox sitcom The Goodwin Games. In 2013, she made her film debut in Goodbye World, a comedy-drama that disappointed critics. Between 2013 and 2015, she had a recurring role as Faith Newman on the soap opera The Young and the Restless. In 2015, Grace portrayed young Caroline Forbes in The Vampire Diaries. TVLine included her appearance in a list of the best flashback castings on television: "It's one thing to look like the younger version of a character, but Grace even cried like Caroline". Grace appeared in three films released in 2016—Mr. Church, The Angry Birds Movie, and Independence Day: Resurgence—all of which received negative reviews. In September 2015, Grace joined the cast of the drama film Gifted (2017), which tells the story of Mary Adler (Grace), an intellectually gifted seven-year-old. She was selected for her "childlike charm yet old-soul maturity" and chemistry with co-star Chris Evans. She prepared for her role by watching several films about child prodigies, including I Am Sam (2001) and In America (2002). Grace used songwriting to help remember the complex mathematical problems that Mary solves in the film. It became her breakthrough role. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times found her to be "an irresistible force", praising her scenes with Evans as "sensational". For her performance, Grace received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer.Grace portrayed the younger version of Tonya Harding in the biopic I, Tonya (2017). She said it was the most difficult role she had ever undertaken physically due to having to learn to ice skate. As Harding was a skilled jumper from a young age, Grace had a double who performed the spins, jump combinations, and double lutz in the film. I, Tonya was well-received by reviewers, with particular praise for its cast's performances. Writing for RogerEbert.com, the film critic Christy Lemire complimented Grace's portrayal of Harding's angst and heartache. 2018–2020: Horror roles and further recognition Grace appeared in the 2018 horror drama The Bad Seed, a remake of the 1956 film of the same name, itself an adaptation of William March's 1954 novel. She portrays Emma Grossman, a girl who murders anyone who crosses her. Grace, who had longed to play a horror villain, was excited by the opportunity. In preparation for the role, she watched the 1956 film and focused on emulating the mannerisms of Rhoda Penmark (that film's version of Emma), including her gait and facials; Grace also consulted Patty McCormack, who played Rhoda in the 1956 film. Upon The Bad Seed's September 2018 premiere on Lifetime, critics commended her performance. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Grace's ability to be "unnerving, sweet and occasionally funny" is key to the success or failure of The Bad Seed, and "she nails every beat"; similarly, The A.V. Club lauded her portrayal of "the calculatedness of Emma's demeanor while giving a giggly edge to lines".In 2018, Grace starred in Netflix's horror series The Haunting of Hill House. To prepare for the role of young Theodora "Theo" Crain, she dyed her hair dark brown. The Haunting of Hill House, and its performances, received praise from critics. Now opined that she played the role with "wisdom way beyond her years". In the same year, she made a guest appearance on the supernatural horror show Chilling Adventures of Sabrina's holiday special entitled "A Midwinter's Tale". Grace played a younger version of the titular character, who is portrayed by Kiernan Shipka as a teenager. According to the series creator, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Shipka immediately suggested Grace for the role after hearing a pre-teen Sabrina would a.... Discover the Claire Mckenna popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Claire Mckenna books.