Mia Sarapochiello (born June 19, 1967), known professionally as Mia Sara, is an American actress. Her early roles include the

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...

'' (1983) and

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...

's fantasy film ''Legend'' (1985). She gained wide recognition for starring in John Hughes's comedy film '' Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986). She then led the

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

''Queenie'' (1987) and won a Saturn Award for starring in Peter Hyams's science fiction film '' Timecop'' (1994). Sara played Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn in the DC series ''Birds of Prey'' (2002–2003). She took a hiatus in 2013, and returned with a role in Mike Flanagan's drama film '' The Life of Chuck'' (2024).

Early life

Sara was born to a Catholic Italian-American family in Brooklyn Heights,

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York. She is the daughter of Diana, a stylist and photographer, and Jerome Sarapochiello, a photographer and artist. She attended St. Ann's School, in Brooklyn.

Career

Sara's debut role was Princess Lili in

's 1985 fairy-tale film ''

Legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

'', alongside

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

. Playing the role of Ferris Bueller's girlfriend, Sloane Peterson, in the 1986 blockbuster film '' Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' made her even more popular. She also appeared in the 1987 miniseries '' Queenie'', a

roman à clef A ''roman à clef'' ( ; ; ) is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people and the "key" is the relationship between the non-fiction and the fiction. This m ...

on actress Merle Oberon, as well as 1992's '' A Stranger Among Us'', directed by

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film, where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York City, New York dramas w ...

. In 1994, she starred opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in the blockbuster '' Timecop'', for which she won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also played the part of Molly Connor in '' The Impossible Elephant'' (2001). Also in 2001, she acted in '' Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story'', directed by Brian Henson (eldest son of Muppets creator Jim Henson). Her television roles have included Annie Knox in the

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

series '' Time Trax'' (1993–94) and Dr. Harleen Quinzel in the short-lived

WB Network The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on b ...

series ''

Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

'' (2002–03). In 2024, Sara appeared in '' The Life of Chuck''; this was her first film appearance since 2013.

Personal life

In March 1996, Sara married

Jason Connery Jason Joseph Connery (born 11 January 1963) is a British actor and director. He is the son of Sean Connery and Diane Cilento. On screen, he is best known for appearing in the third series of the ITV (TV channel), ITV drama series ''Robin of She ...

, son of actor

Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...

, with whom she performed in '' Bullet to Beijing''. In June 1997, they had a son named Dashiell Quinn Connery, who is also an actor. The couple divorced in 2002. In 2005, Sara had a daughter with Brian Henson. They married in 2010. Sara is an avid poet.https://pankmagazine.com/tag/mia-sara/

Filmography

Films

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sara, Mia 1967 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Brooklyn American child actresses American film actresses American people of Italian descent American television actresses People from Brooklyn Heights Saint Ann's School (Brooklyn) alumni Henson family (show business)