Aileen Marie Quinn (born June 28, 1971) is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is best known for her role as the title character in the 1982 film '' Annie'', which earned her two

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

nominations.

Early life

Quinn was born on June 28, 1971, and raised in Yardley,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. The oldest child of Helen Ann Quinn and Andrew Quinn Sr., she is the older sister of Andrew Quinn Jr. She began dance lessons when she was 4 at Knecht Dance Academy in

Levittown, Pennsylvania Levittown is a census-designated place (CDP) and planned community in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area. The population was 52,699 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

, learning ballet and

tap dance Tap dance (or tap) is a form of dance that uses the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion; it is often accompanied by music. Tap dancing can also be performed with no musical accompaniment; the sound of the taps is its ow ...

. When she was young, Quinn was introduced to

show business Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produce ...

by her mother, who was a TV, radio, and stage singer/actress then elementary school teacher. Quinn begged to audition for a part in a local

community theater Community theatre refers to any Theatre, theatrical performance made in relation to particular Community, communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community. It may refer to a production that is made entirely by a communit ...

production of ''

Annie Get Your Gun Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (Malayalam actress) (born 1975), Indian actress who works in Malayalam-language films * ...

'' and won a role. She performed in additional community productions. Raised in

Far Hills, New Jersey Far Hills is a borough in the Somerset Hills of northern Somerset County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 924, an increase of 5 (+0.5%) from the 2010 census count of 919, whic ...

, she attended Grey Nun Academy during elementary school and attended

Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child is an independent Roman Catholic Church, Catholic private school in Summit, New Jersey, Summit, in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is coeducational from pre-kindergar ...

Summit, New Jersey Summit is the northernmost City (New Jersey), city of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located within the New York metropolitan area. Situated on a ridge in north Jersey, northern–central Jersey, centra ...

for high school. Taking a break after her child acting career, at the age of 18, Quinn decided to focus on school. She graduated from

Drew University Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey, United States. It has a wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three schools. While affiliated with the Methodism, Me ...

in 1994. She was a language major with a minor in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

, and is a member of

Sigma Delta Pi Sigma Delta Pi () is the national collegiate Hispanic honor society (La Sociedad Nacional Honoraria Hispánica). It was established on November 14, 1919, at the University of California at Berkeley. It has chartered more than 640 chapters in the Un ...

, a Spanish honor society.

Career

After obtaining an agent, Quinn won a small role in the film ''

Paternity Paternity may refer to: *Father, the male parent of a (human) child *Paternity (law), fatherhood as a matter of law * ''Paternity'' (film), a 1981 comedy film starring Burt Reynolds * "Paternity" (''House''), a 2004 episode of the television seri ...

'' and commercial work in New York City. She began appearing in television commercials including

Planters Planters Nut & Chocolate Company is an American snack food company now owned by Hormel Foods. Planters is best known for its processed nuts and for the Mr. Peanut icon that symbolizes them. Mr. Peanut was created by grade schooler Antonio Gent ...

Cheez Balls, Shake ‘n Bake and Northern bathroom tissue. At eight years old, she landed the role of the "swing orphan"(

understudy In theatre, an understudy, referred to in opera as cover or covering, is a performer who learns the lines and blocking or choreography of a regular actor, actress, or other performer in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to ap ...

to all of the orphans except Molly and Annie) in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

production of '' Annie''. After eight auditions over the course of a year, and up against over 8,000 other competitors, Quinn received the title role in the 1982 movie '' Annie'', directed by

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...

. ''Annie'' earned Quinn two

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

nominations, a win for "Best Actress" from the Youth in Film Awards, and a

Razzie The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic failures. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, the Razzi ...

for "Worst New Star". Aileen was 9 years old when she was cast as Annie. Aileen Quinn was under contract for several years with

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

to make other ''Annie'' sequels which never materialized. During this time, she continued performing in lead roles in

regional theater In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in such shows as ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

'' (

Dorothy Dorothy may refer to: *Dorothy (given name), a list of people with that name. Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Dorothy'' (TV series), 1979 American TV series * Dorothy Mills, a 2008 French movie, sometimes titled simply ''Dorot ...

), '' Bye, Bye Birdie'' (Kim), ''Annie'' (Annie), '' Shenandoah'' (Jenny), and '' A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine'' (Harpo). She also lent her voice to two animated cartoon specials which aired on national television, '' The Charmkins'' and ''

''. The ''Annie'' film soundtrack album went platinum, and subsequently Quinn released her own album, '' Bobby's Girl'', in 1982. Soon after that release, she starred as Princess Zora in the classic fairy tale ''

The Frog Prince "The Frog Prince; or, Iron Henry" (, literally "The Frog King or the Iron Henry") is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in Grimms' Fairy Tales, ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 1). Traditionally, it is the fir ...

'', which was released on videocassette and aired on the

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

several times. After graduation from college, Quinn once again took to the stage. In 1994, she appeared as Bet in ''

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before opening in the W ...

'' at

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater containing approximately 1,200 seats located in Millburn, within Essex County, New Jersey, United States, on the banks of the Rahway River. Due to its relative proximity to Manhattan, the theater draw ...

. She toured the US for more than five years with three Broadway national tours: ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and musical theatre#Book musicals, book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Russian Empire, Imperial Russia in or around 19 ...

'' (Chava), ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

'' (Tootles/Jane) and ''

Saturday Night Fever ''Saturday Night Fever'' is a 1977 American Dance in film, dance Drama (film and television), drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian Americans, Italian-America ...

'' (Annette). She studied

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

in London, where she appeared in ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' and ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'' at

LAMDA The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...

. Off-Broadway productions include ''Dreamstuff'' (Princess), ''Creature'' (Elizabeth) and ''Yiddle With a Fiddle'' (Yiddle). Regional theater credits up to the present include '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'' (Molly), ''

That Was Then ''That Was Then'' is an American drama television series that was broadcast on ABC September 27 to October 4, 2002. It was cancelled after only two episodes had aired. Synopsis The series starred James Bulliard as Travis Glass, a 30-year-ol ...

'' (World Premiere Play-April Gregory), and ''Funny, You Don't Look Like a Grandmother'' (her Daughter). Quinn appeared in a few small roles in independent films between 2006 and 2010. She hosted ''Generation Gap'', an interactive sitcom used to teach kids how to resolve conflicts. It was written and directed by filmmaker Edna Harris and aired on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

in 2004. Quinn played a minor role in the 2009 film '' Multiple Sarcasms'' which stars

Timothy Hutton Timothy Hutton (born August 16, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is the List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees#Youngest winners 4, youngest recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which he ...

and

Mira Sorvino Mira Katherine Sorvino (; born ) is an American actress. She rose to stardom with her performance as a prostitute in the comedy film ''Mighty Aphrodite'' (1995), which won her both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Academy Award for Best S ...

. Quinn was an adjunct theater professor at

Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its university charter, c ...

West Long Branch, New Jersey West Long Branch is a Borough (New Jersey), borough situated within the Jersey Shore region, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 8,5 ...

. Some of the school's campus was the site of the film version of ''Annie''. She was awarded an honorary degree from Monmouth University in 2009. Quinn was also a Spanish, drama, and dance teacher at

Hudson Catholic Regional High School Hudson Catholic Regional High School is a regional four-year co-educational University-preparatory Catholic high school in Jersey City, in Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school was established in 1964 by the Roman Catholic ...

Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

, New Jersey. She has her own band, Aileen Quinn and The Leapin' Lizards. Quinn met her bandmates after a neighbor heard her singing in her apartment, then introduced Quinn to the other musicians. They released their first album, ''Spin Me'', in 2015. They released their second album, ''Lightning and Thunder'', in November 2019.

Personal life

Quinn is fluent in Spanish. She spent six months with a family in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

as part of an exchange program and considers it one of her life's most rewarding experiences.

Filmography

Discography

Albums

* '' Bobby's Girl'' released November 17, 1982, Columbia Records * ''Spin Me'' released 2015, Independent Label * '' Lightning and Thunder'' released 2019, Independent Label

Soundtracks

* '' Annie - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' released May 1982, Columbia Records

Singles

* " Tomorrow" released 1982, Columbia Records * "At Christmas Time" released December 20, 2016, Independent Label * "Auld Lang Syne" released December 20, 2016, Independent Label

References

External links

*
Aileen Quinn and The Leapin' Lizards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinn, Aileen 1971 births Actresses from New Jersey Actresses from Pennsylvania American child actresses American film actresses American television actresses American voice actresses American stage actresses Drew University alumni Living people American child singers Monmouth University faculty American women pop singers American female dancers Dancers from New Jersey Dancers from Pennsylvania American musical theatre actresses 20th-century American actresses People from Far Hills, New Jersey People from Yardley, Pennsylvania 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women singers American child pop musicians 21st-century American singers Columbia Records artists Interscope Records artists Epic Records artists Warner Records artists American women academics Actors from Somerset County, New Jersey