Biography:

Birth name
Mena Adrienne Suvari

Nickname
Bean

Height
5' 4" (1.63 m)

Mena Adrienne Suvari was born on February 9, 1979, in Newport, Rhode Island. Her father was Ando Suvari, an Estonian psychiatrist; and her mother Candice, a nurse. Mena's first name comes from her British Aunt named after the "House of Mena" Hotel (at the base of the pyramids in Egypt); her last name is Estonian. Mena has 3 older brothers: A.J., Sulev, and Yuri. Mena started modeling at age 12, and her acting career began when she did a Rice-a-Roni commercial at age 13. She was also a Wilhelmina model for a few years. Mena attended middle school at the Ashley Hall all-girls school in Charleston, South Carolina, and graduated from Providence High School in Burbank, California. Her nickname in high school was "bean".

Mena was a natural for movies: she is petite (5'4"), has blue eyes, and her natural hair color is red. Mena's breakout role was as a choir girl in the teen comedy American Pie (1999). This was followed by her great performance in American Beauty (1999), which won 5 Oscars. Mena married Robert Brinkmann, a cinematographer, on March 18, 2000. Mena's hobbies include: painting watercolors, playing the piano, and hiking. Her fans look forward to her new movies, in what promises to be a long and successful career.