Emma Bolger (born 5 January 1995 in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

) is an Irish

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

who first gained notability as a child actress in the role of Ariel in the

Jim Sheridan Jim Sheridan (born 6 February 1949) is an Irish people, Irish playwright and filmmaker. Between 1989 and 1993, Sheridan directed three critically acclaimed films set in Ireland, ''My Left Foot'' (1989), ''The Field (1990 film), The Field'' (19 ...

film '' In America''.

Career

At the age of seven, in 2002, Bolger became known for her role in

's autobiographical movie '' In America'', in which she starred with her older sister

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch, prophet, and major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pious woma ...

. Emma, having already won a part in the film, urged the director, Jim Sheridan, to take a look at her sister. She played Ariel, daughter of poor Irish immigrants who land in New York City in the 1980s. For her role in the film Emma was awarded a

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Actress Age Ten or Younger. and won Iowa Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also received nominations for

Chicago Film Critics Awards The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) is an association of professional film critics, who work in print, broadcast and online media, based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The organization was founded in 1990 by film critics Sharon LeM ...

for Most Promising Performer,

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards The Critics' Choice Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the American Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Written ballots are ...

for Best Young Actor/Actress, Gold Derby Film Awards for Breakthrough Performance,

Satellite Awards The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

for Actress in a Supporting Role, Drama, and others. She was also nominated for

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast (or Ensemble) in a Motion Picture is an award given by the Screen Actors Guild to honor the finest acting achievements in film. It is the final award presented during the ceremon ...

, with Laura Weinert writing that "Emma Bolger brings a startling freshness and lack of self-consciousness. We are continually surprised by the truth in her performance-she is never cloying, never too cute for the film's own good". She later starred as title character in the 2005 film ''

Heidi ''Heidi'' (; ) is a work of children's fiction published between 1880 and 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as ''Heidi: Her Years of Wandering and Learning'' () and ''Heidi: How She Used What She Learned'' ( ...

'', based on classic children's story, alongside

Max Von Sydow Max von Sydow (; born Carl Adolf von Sydow; 10 April 1929 – 8 March 2020) was a Swedish and French actor. He had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films and several television ...

as Grandfather and

Diana Rigg Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 1938 – 10 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series ''The Avengers (TV series), The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Tracy Bond, Teresa di ...

as Grandmamma. Bolger played Heidi, young orphan rejected by a cruel aunt and sent from the city to live with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps. Bolger went for an audition in London and few days later learned that she got part in the film. During the shooting of the film she was accompanied by her mother, Muriel, and a Welsh tutor. Andrea Beach in the review for

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

wrote that "Emma Bolger as Heidi is engaging and her performance is fine for someone so young". Stella Papamichael in her review for

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

called her performance "spirited". She also had role in

Colin Farrell Colin James Farrell (; born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. A Leading actor, leading man in blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters and independent films since the 2000s, he has received various List of awards and nominations received by Col ...

crime comedy ''

Intermission An intermission, also known as an interval in British and Indian English, is a break between parts of a performance or production, such as for a play (theatre), theatrical play, opera, concert, or film screening. It should not be confused with ...

''. While her sister and co-star Sarah continued a successful acting career, Bolger gave up acting in favour of academic pursuits.

Filmography

* 2002: '' In America'' * 2003: ''

'' * 2004: ''

Proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a co ...

'' (TV, 4 Episodes) * 2005: ''

'' * 2006: The Snow Prince

Awards

Won

for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Actress Age Ten or Younger

Nominated

Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture The Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Satellite Awards presented annually by the International Press Academy. From 1996 to 2005, two categories were presented for supporting performances by male actors, one for p ...

- Most Promising Performer *

9th Critics' Choice Awards The 9th Critics' Choice Awards were presented on January 10, 2004, honoring the finest achievements of 2003 in film, 2003 filmmaking. Top 10 films (in alphabetical order) * ''Big Fish'' * ''Cold Mountain (film), Cold Mountain'' * ''Finding Nemo ...

- Best Child Performance * BFCA Critics' Choice Award for Best Young Performer * Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role – Female *

8th Golden Satellite Awards The 8th Golden Satellite Awards, honoring the best in film and television of 2003, were presented by the International Press Academy on February 21, 2004. Special achievement awards Mary Pickford Award (55 industry) – Arnon Milchan Nikola Tes ...

- Best Supporting Actress - Drama *

along with

Sarah Bolger Sarah Lee Bolger (born 28 February 1991) is an Irish actress. She starred in the films '' In America'' (2003), '' Stormbreaker'' (2006), ''The Spiderwick Chronicles'' (2008), '' The Moth Diaries'' (2011), '' The Lazarus Effect'' (2015), '' Emelie ...

Paddy Considine Patrick George Considine (born 5 September 1973) is an English actor, director, screenwriter and musician. He is known for playing antiheros in independent films. He has received two British Academy Film Awards, three Evening Standard British ...

Djimon Hounsou Djimon Gaston Hounsou ( ; ; born April 24, 1964) is a Beninese-American actor. He began his career appearing in music videos and made his film debut in '' Without You I'm Nothing'' (1990). He then earned widespread recognition for his role as C ...

Samantha Morton Samantha Jane Morton (born 13 May 1977) is an English actress. She is known for her work in independent film with dark and tragic themes, particularly in period dramas. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including the BAFTA Fellowship ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolger, Emma 1996 births Living people 21st-century Irish actresses Actresses from Dublin (city) Irish child actresses Irish film actresses