Anna Chlumsky

Anna Chlumsky is an Emmy-nominated TV and film actress known for her roles in ‘My Girl,’ ‘In the Loop’ and ‘Veep.’

Synopsis

Born on December 3, 1980 in Chicago, Illinois, Anna Chlumsky was a child actress who starred in 1991's My Girl, with Macaulay Culkin. She eventually took a break from acting to go to college and work in publishing, but returned to the performing arts, landing guest spots on shows like 30 Rock and White Collar. After being part of the ensemble cast of In the Loop, she has received two Emmy nominations for her role as chief of staff Amy Brookheimer in the HBO comedy Veep. 

Background and Child Stardom

Anna Chlumsky was born on December 3, 1980 in Chicago, Illinois to Nancy and Frank Chlumsky, with both parents having connections to the arts. Starting as a baby, Anna worked as a child model before eventually making her way to the big screen.

After having had a bit part as a schoolgirl in the 1989 film Uncle Buck, directed by John Hughes and featuring John Candy and Macaulay Culkin, Chlumsky starred in the memorable My Girl (1991). There she played Vada Sultenfuss, the 11-year-old daughter of a widowed Pennsylvania mortician (Dan Aykroyd), with Vada forming a deep connection to a boy named Thomas, played by Culkin. The film, with its hard-hitting themes around family and death, earned attention for the young star. She went on to have lead roles in Trading Mom (1994), with Sissy Spacek, My Girl 2 (1994) and Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain (1995). 

Leaves Acting

Despite her early success and having a life that kept her grounded, Chlumsky found the Hollywood world of rejection and politicking an inhospitable place for an adolescent and opted to explore other career paths. She attended the University of Chicago, where she focused on international studies, and graduated in 2002. 

She then worked for a time in publishing, including stints as a fact checker for the Zagat restaurant guides and as an editorial assistant at Harper Collins. Chlumsky realized this wasn’t for her and paid attention to the little signs that a return to acting might be in order. She received encouragement from her future husband as well as Roberta Flack after a random encounter with the singer at a salon.

A Return to the Screen and Emmy Nods

Chlumsky enrolled in drama classes in Brooklyn and eventually landed spots on a number of high-profile TV series, including 30 Rock, White Collar and Hannibal. A major breakthrough happened when she joined the cast of the British political satire In the Loop, with the film directed by Armando Iannucci. He then served as executive producer on the HBO series Veep, an Americanized version of Loop, which stars Julia-Louis Dreyfus as U.S. Vice President Selina Meyer. Chlumsky plays Amy Brookheimer, the VP’s chief of staff. The series has been an award-winning hit, and Chlumsky has earned supporting actress Emmy nominations in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 for her role. 

Personal Life

Chlumsky married her college sweetheart Shaun So in 2008. The couple have a daughter together.

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