Mara Wilson

Mara Elizabeth Wilson (born July 24, 1987) is an American actress. As a child, she played Natalie Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Susan Walker in Miracle on 34th Street (1994), the title character in Matilda (1996), and Annabel Greening in A Simple Wish (1997). Following her role as Lily in Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000), Wilson took a 12-year hiatus from acting to focus on writing. She returned to acting in 2012 and has predominantly worked in web series.

Early life

Mara Elizabeth Wilson was born on July 24, 1987 in Burbank, California, the fourth child of Burbank PTA school volunteer Suzie (née Shapiro) and KTLA broadcast engineer Mike Wilson. Her mother was Jewish, while her father is a Catholic of Irish descent.

Wilson's mother, Suzie, was diagnosed with breast cancer on March 10, 1995, and died on April 26, 1996, when Wilson was eight years old. The film Matilda was dedicated to her memory. Wilson credits Danny DeVito for being very caring and comforting during this time. Wilson later recalled that this affected her interest in acting. At age 12, Wilson was diagnosed with obsessive–compulsive disorder. She has also been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Wilson attended John Burroughs High School and then transferred to Idyllwild Arts Academy. After graduation in 2005, she relocated to New York City to continue her studies at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 2009. Wilson appeared in her own one-woman show called Weren't You That Girl? while in college.