With a maturity and on-screen presence well beyond her age, teen actress AnnaSophia Robb built up an impressive resume in a very short amount of time – something few other child actors had managed to do. Starring in her first feature film, “Because of Winn-Dixie” (2005), at the age of nine, Robb proved she had a natural on-screen charm. Whether starring in the imaginative family film “Bridge to Terebithia” (2007) or appearing opposite Academy Award-winning actresses Hilary Swank in “The Reaping” (2007), or Charlize Theron in “Sleepwalking” (2008), Robb showed that she could hold her own on the big screen, securing a spot as one of Hollywood’s talented young actresses to watch.
Born Dec. 8, 1993 in Denver, CO to parents Janet Robb, an interior designer, and Dave Robb, an architect, Robb was raised in Denver, where she attended a private Christian school as a child. A natural performer, Robb began singing at the age of five, performing in front of audiences as large as 500 at her local church. An active child, she studied Irish step dance, jazz dance and competed 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 more than 40 auditions. Her persistence quickly paid off when she landed her first gig – a McDonalds 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. She went on to make her television debut as a guest star on the intensely popular Nickelodeon series, “Drake & Josh” (2004- ) and landed her first starring role as the title character in the television movie, “Samantha: An American Girl Holiday” (2004), in which she appeared opposite Mia Farrow. Robb next appeared opposite Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” as the gum-smacking Violet Beauregarde.
Continuing her hot streak, Robb went on to star 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 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 #90 on the Billboard Hot 100. She went on to portray 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 opposite Charlize Theron and Nick Stahl in the drama “Sleepwalking.” Though the film received mixed reviews, Robb’s performance as a young girl dealing with a dysfunctional family situation was hailed by critics as a breakthrough performance.