AnnaSophia Robb

Born in Denver, CO to parents Janet Robb, an interior designer, and Dave Robb, an architect, Robb was raised in the city, where she attended a private Christian school as a child. An instinctive performer, Robb began singing at the age of five, performing in front of large audiences at her local church. She also studied Irish step dance and jazz dance, while competing in gymnastics. Taking an interest in acting at the age of eight, Robb began attending acting workshops, quickly signing with a local talent agency in her hometown. Accompanied by her mother, Robb ventured out to Hollywood, where she went on dozens of auditions. Her persistence paid off when she landed her first gig, a McDonald's Happy Meal commercial, after only a few weeks. Robb went on to make her feature-film debut soon after, starring as India "Opal" Buloni opposite Jeff Daniels in "Because of Winn-Dixie" (2005), a feel-good family film about how a dog changes the lives of a small-town Southern family.Robb made her television debut as a guest star on the intensely popular Nickelodeon series "Drake & Josh" (Nickelodeon, 2004-07), and landed her first lead role as the title character in the television movie, "Samantha: An American Girl Holiday" (2004), which also featured Mia Farrow. Robb next appeared with Johnny Depp in Tim Burton's adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005) as the gum-smacking Violet Beauregarde. Continuing her hot streak, Robb starred as an imaginative young girl who strikes up a friendship with a talented but socially outcast boy in Disney's "Bridge to Terabithia" (2007). The film allowed Robb to demonstrate her talent as a singer as well; she recorded a single for the film's soundtrack, "Keep Your Mind Wide Open," which debuted at No. 90 on the Billboard Hot 100. She later portrayed a possessed young girl opposite Hilary Swank in the Biblical thriller "The Reaping" (2007) and appeared as the younger version of Rachel Bilson's Millie in the Doug Liman action flick "Jumper" (2008). Taking on a more mature role in 2008, Robb starred with Charlize Theron and Nick Stahl in the drama "Sleepwalking" (2008). Though the film received mixed reviews, critics hailed Robb's performance as a young girl dealing with a dysfunctional family situation as a breakthrough performance. After playing a girl with paranormal powers in "Race to Witch Mountain" (2009), Robb portrayed 13-year-old surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost an arm in a shark attack off the coast of Hawaii in the Christian-themed "Soul Surfer" (2011). Meanwhile, she landed the highly coveted leading role of a young Carrie Bradshaw on the teen drama, "The Carrie Diaries" (The CW, 2013-14), a prequel of sorts to the hit series "Sex and the City" (HBO, 1998-2004). Although underwhelming viewership numbers endangered the show's existence, Robb's performance as Carrie won over many ardent supporters. While "The Carrie Diaries" remained the focus of Robb's work, she branched out by appearing in the Sundance hit "The Way, Way Back" (2013), an ensemble comedy starring Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell and an array of fan-favorite indie-inclined actors.