AnnaSophia Robb (pronounced /ˌɑnəsoʊˈfiə ˈrɑb/;[1] born December 8, 1993) is an American film and television actress, and singer. She gained prominence in 2005 with starring roles in Because of Winn-Dixie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and subsequently starred in the 2007 film Bridge to Terabithia and the 2009 film Race to Witch Mountain.Personal life
Robb was born in Denver, Colorado as the daughter of David and Janet Robb (née Andersen). She was named after her maternal great-grandmother, Anna Sophie, and her paternal grandmother, Anna Marie.[1] She enjoys singing, snowboarding, rafting, Irish dancing, and reading, particularly the Harry Potter series and historical fiction.[2]
Robb competed in dance and gymnastics for four and a half years, but quit in order to focus on acting.[1] She attends a Denver-area high school, and she plans to attend college afterwards.[1] Robb is a Christian.[3][4] She has said that she is really close with her family.
Robb has said that she is of English, Scottish, Danish, Swedish and Irish descent.[5]
[edit] Career
After starring in a commercial for McDonald's, Robb made her acting debut in 2004; she had a small role in the episode "Number One Fan" of the television series Drake & Josh. Her first major role was as the title character in the television special Samantha: An American Girl Holiday, in which her hair was dyed dark brown for the part.
Robb's two big-screen appearances in 2005 were both successful adaptations of popular children's books. She played the gum-chewer Violet Beauregarde in Tim Burton's remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The latter was a major box office success worldwide, and helped escalate Robb's popularity among preteen audiences.
In 2005, Robb was the face of Trad Clothing, helping to design and model a fashion line for girls. In 2006, she had a guest role on the cartoon show Danny Phantom as the voice of Danielle "Dani" Fenton.
Robb played Leslie Burke in Bridge to Terabithia, which opened in U.S. theaters on February 16, 2007. She recorded a song for the soundtrack titled "Keep Your Mind Wide Open", and the accompanying video received rotation on the Disney Channel.[1][6] The song appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 at #90 during the week of March 1, giving Robb her first charting single.[7] Robb was a fan of the book before even being cast in the role, saying that it "touched me in a way I hadn’t been touched by a book before."[2]
Robb went on to appear in The Reaping, along with Spy School, Jumper (in which she played the younger version of Rachel Bilson's character Millie) and the 1960s-set drama Have Dreams, Will Travel. In the film Sleepwalking, Robb received positive reviews; Time film critic Richard Schickel said, "There is a wonderful range to Robb's work...this is extraordinarily mature acting from someone this young and she wins our sympathy without once begging for it."[8] While filming The Reaping, Robb wrote a short horror story called "Backseat Swamp".
Robb starred alongside Dwayne Johnson in Race to Witch Mountain, which was released in March 2009.[9] She is also set to star in Garry Marshall's Dear Eleanor with Abigail Breslin and Spencer Breslin.
Now, according to her official website she is filming "The Space Between", with Oscar nominated actress Melissa Leo.
