Taissa Farmiga Bio
Taissa Farmiga (born August 17, 1994) is an American actress best known for her work in horror films and television. She gained worldwide prominence on the FX anthology series American Horror Story, appearing in Murder House (2011) and Coven (2013–2014), and she has since starred in a mix of independent dramas and genre films including The Final Girls (2015), 6 Years (2015), Share (2015), The Mule (2018), The Nun (2018) and its sequel The Nun II (2023). Born in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, she is the sister of Vera Farmiga and began acting in her sister Vera’s directorial project Higher Ground before pursuing a broader solo career across film, television, and stage.
Often described as a modern scream queen, Taissa Farmiga has built a reputation by moving easily between independent dramas, mainstream genre films, and prestige television. Her filmography reflects a steady move from small-screen success to leading film roles, while she continues to take on ambitious projects on the stage and in front of the camera.
Early Life and Background
Taissa Farmiga was born on August 17, 1994, in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. She is the youngest of seven siblings born to Ukrainian immigrants Lubomyra (née Spas), a schoolteacher, and Michael Farmiga, a systems analyst. Her maternal grandparents met at Karlsfeld, a sub-camp of the Dachau concentration camp system, during World War II, a family history that has shaped much of her sense of identity. She was raised alongside her sisters and brothers, including her older sister, the actress Vera Farmiga, and her cousin Adriana Farmiga, who is also involved in the arts.
Taissa Farmiga attended public school until the fourth grade, after which she began being homeschooled by her mother alongside two of her siblings. Growing up in a Ukrainian American household, she understands the Ukrainian language but can only partially speak it. She is also proficient in American Sign Language, having taken classes for four years. The family was raised Pentecostal, having converted from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and faith has remained a recurring element in the kinds of stories she chooses to tell on screen.
Path to Acting
Although Taissa Farmiga initially planned on becoming an accountant, her older sister Vera Farmiga encouraged her to try acting. That encouragement led directly to her casting in Higher Ground (2011), Vera’s first film as a director, where she played the 16-year-old version of the lead character, Corinne Walker. The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, where Taissa Farmiga drew strong reviews for her performance. Shortly after the premiere she was signed to talent agency ICM Partners, giving her a clear path into professional Hollywood work.
Her early career moved quickly. The same year that Higher Ground appeared at Sundance, she was cast in the first season of FX’s anthology series American Horror Story, which would become the project that introduced her to a global audience. From that point on, she balanced independent films, network television, festival projects, and voice work, gradually building a career that mixes horror with character-driven drama. Her decision to commit fully to acting, rather than accounting, was effectively confirmed by the strong reception she received in those first two projects.
Taissa Farmiga Career
Early Career (2011–2014)
Taissa Farmiga’s professional acting debut came with Higher Ground in 2011, in which she played the teenage version of a character dealing with questions of faith. Almost immediately afterward she appeared in American Horror Story: Murder House (2011) as Violet Harmon, the troubled adolescent daughter of characters played by Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott. The role was her first professional audition, and the show quickly became a ratings and critical success for FX. Her performance in Murder House helped establish her as a recognizable face in genre television and gave her the leverage to take on more substantial parts.
From 2012 through 2014, she expanded her resume with film roles including a turn in Sofia Coppola’s crime satire The Bling Ring (2013), based on the real-life criminal group of the same name, and the romantic comedy At Middleton (2013), where she co-starred with her sister Vera Farmiga and Andy García. She returned to American Horror Story for its third season, Coven (2013–2014), playing Zoe Benson, a young witch with a dark and dangerous power, a performance that earned her strong critical notice. She also took her first leading film role in the psychological thriller Mindscape (2013), and appeared in the biographical crime drama Jamesy Boy (2014), demonstrating her ability to carry a feature film.
Breakthrough (2015–2018)
The year 2015 marked a major turning point for Taissa Farmiga. She starred in three films that all premiered at South by Southwest: the horror comedy The Final Girls, in which she played the lead role of Max Cartwright, a character who earns her the description of a final girl; the improvised romantic drama 6 Years, alongside Ben Rosenfield; and the short drama Share, directed by Pippa Bianco. Her work across these three films was widely praised, and she was named one of the breakout stars of the festival. That same year she took on a regular role in the ABC crime drama series Wicked City, which aired briefly before being pulled from the schedule.
In 2016, she made her stage debut as Shelly in the Off-Broadway revival of Sam Shepard’s drama Buried Child, co-starring with Ed Harris and Amy Madigan. She went on to appear in the Ti West-directed revenge Western In a Valley of Violence opposite Ethan Hawke and John Travolta, and she made her voice acting debut as the superhero Raven in the DC animated film Justice League vs. Teen Titans. That year she also returned briefly to American Horror Story for its sixth season, Roanoke, and appeared in Warren Beatty’s ensemble romantic comedy-drama Rules Don’t Apply. By the end of 2018, she had further cemented her status with roles in The Long Dumb Road, What They Had, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, the Eastwood-directed drama The Mule alongside Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper, and The Nun, the fifth film in The Conjuring Universe, which became the highest-grossing entry in its series at the time of release.
Notable Works and Milestones
Across this period, Taissa Farmiga built a signature body of work that includes her two most iconic television roles, Violet Harmon in American Horror Story: Murder House and Zoe Benson in American Horror Story: Coven, as well as her leading turn in The Final Girls. Her performance in the DC animated film Justice League vs. Teen Titans introduced her to a new audience as Raven, a role she later reprised in Teen Titans: The Judas Contract. The Nun (2018) marked her highest-profile theatrical release to date, while projects like The Mule, What They Had, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle showed her range as a dramatic actress in more serious material.
Taissa Farmiga Family
Taissa Farmiga comes from a large Ukrainian American family and is the youngest of seven siblings. Her parents are Michael Farmiga, a systems analyst, and Lubomyra (née Spas) Farmiga, a schoolteacher, both of whom immigrated to the United States from Ukraine. Her older sister is the actress and director Vera Farmiga, and her cousin Adriana Farmiga is also involved in the entertainment industry. Her maternal grandparents met at Karlsfeld, a sub-camp of the Dachau concentration camp system, during World War II, a piece of family history she has spoken about publicly. The family is Pentecostal, having converted from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and several of Taissa Farmiga’s siblings, including Alex and Laryssa, were homeschooled by her mother.
Personal Life
Taissa Farmiga owns a home in Los Feliz, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. In May 2019, it was reported that she was engaged to screenwriter and director Hadley Klein, and the two were married in an intimate ceremony at their home on August 8, 2020. On the official HBO Gilded Age podcast released on July 13, 2025, she announced that she was divorced, with the divorce reportedly dating to early July 2024.