Mae Whitman Biography

Mae Margaret Whitman was born on June 9, 1988 in Los Angeles, USA. Her father, Jeffrey Whitman, was a set construction coordinator while her mother Pat Musick, was a voice actress. Mae is their only child.

When she was barely two-years old, she once accompanied her mother to an audition. There she attracted the attention of casting directors, who selected her for a voiceover role in a Tyson Chicken commercial. Although her mother was initially skeptical, she ultimately allowed her to take it up.

Continuing to work with her acting coach Andrew Magarian, she appeared in few more commercials before debuting in film with When a Man Loves a Woman, appearing in it as four years old Casey, in 1994

In 1995, she appeared in her second film; as Michele in Bye Bye Love. In the same year, she debuted on the small screen with two television films, Degree of Guilt and Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge.

In 1996, she appeared in two films:  Independence Day and One Fine Day. Concurrently, she continued to appear in television series like Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man, Friends.

From 1996 to 1999, she appeared in 17 episodes of Chicago Hope; from 1997 to 2004, she appeared in 52 episodes of Johnny Bravo; and from 1998 to 2001, she appeared in eight episodes of JAG. Meanwhile in 1998, she got her first star role in a film, appearing as Bernice Pruitt in Hope Floats.

By early 2000s, she had become an established actress, with star roles in films like An American Rhapsody (2001) and The Jungle Book 2 (2003). Alongside, she also appeared in numerous television series, including State of Grace (2001-2002, 40 episodes) and Arrested Development (2004-2006).

Concurrently, she continued with her formal education at Ribet Academy. During her early years, her parents played a big role in helping her stay grounded, carefully choosing only those projects, which were run by good and honest people.  Later, they also allowed her to have some say in the choices.

After graduating from school, Mae Whitman decided to skip college and continue with her passion, appearing in various productions in live-action as well as voice roles. Some of her important works of this early period include Thief (2006), Desperate Housewives (2006), Grey's Anatomy (2007), American Dragon: Jake Long (2005-2007), Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008) etc.

In 2008, she attracted wide attention with her role of an on-the-line-street-mother in the Streetwise episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. So did her role of Rosie in the HBO drama series, In Treatment, appearing in its five episodes from 2008 to 2010.

Equally active on big screen, she appeared in eleven films from 2006 to 2010, playing the lead role in Tinker Bell (2008), Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (2009) and Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010). Boogeyman 2 (2007), in which she starred as Alison, is another of her important works of 2000s.

In 2009, she landed a regular role in NBC's Parenthood, appearing as Amber Holt in all its 103 episodes from January 2010 to January 2015. Concurrently, she continued to appear in other productions, including Family Guy, in which she appeared in various voice roles till 2019.

By 2012, she had become a much sought-after television star, appearing not only in episodic productions and films, but also as series regular in numerous others.  Especially noteworthy were her voice work in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012-2017, 92 episodes) and DreamWorks Dragons (2012, 2015-2018, 36 episodes).

From 2015 to 2018, she appeared in 34 episodes of Dragons: Race to the Edge and in 54 episodes of DC Super Hero Girls. Again from 2018 to 2021, she appeared as Annie Marks, one of the main roles, in Good Girls.

All along, she has also been active on the big screen, appearing in at least 25 films since 2010, venturing into mature film roles with Scott Pilgrim vs. the World in the same year. Two years later, she earned another feather in her cap with The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Playing the lead role in the teen comedy film, The DUFF, in 2015 and in comedy drama, Operator in 2016 were two other noteworthy works of this period.  Her last film, Valley Girl, in which she starred as Jack was released on May 8, 2020.

Since 2020, she has also been lending her voice to Amity Blight in The Owl House and to Becky Bot in Doug Unplugs. Birdgirl

Mae Whitman is probably best known for her role in Parenthood. In it, she played Amber Holt, the rebellious teenager, who went through some serious hardships before developing into a very lovable character.

Playing Ann Veal in Arrested Development is another milestone of her career. Running from November 2003 till February 2006, the show was first to put her in the limelight, eventually pushing her towards stardom.

In 1996, eight years old Mae Whitman received her first prize, a ‘Young Artist Award in the Best Performance in a Feature Film: Actress Age Ten or Under’ category for her work in One Fine Day.

In 1998, she got her second ‘Young Artist Award in the Best Performance in a Feature Film: Actress Age Ten or Under’ category for her work in Hope Floats.

Again in 2001, she got her third Young Artist Award, this time in the Best Ensemble in a Feature Film category, for An American Rhapsody.

In 2012, she received San Diego Film Critics Society Award in the Best Performance by an Ensemble category for The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Little is known about Mae Whitman’s personal life. However, in a tweet on August 17, 2021, she has declared that she is a pansexual, somebody who can fall in love irrespective of his/her partner’s gender and that she is a proud member of the LGBT community.