Mia Goth
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Mia Gypsy Mello da Silva Goth, born October 25th, 1993, is an English actress who has captivated audiences with her unique intensity. After gracing the modeling world as a teenager, Goth made a bold acting debut in the provocative art film *Nymphomaniac* in 2013. Her talent soon garnered wider recognition through critically acclaimed films like *A Cure for Wellness* in 2016, *High Life* in 2018, the chilling remake of *Suspiria* also in 2018, and the charming period piece *Emma* in 2020. But it was her electrifying performances as Maxine Minx and the titular Pearl in the *X* film series, spanning from 2022 to 2024, that truly cemented her status as a modern scream queen, marking a significant breakthrough in her already impressive career.
Born in London, England, Mia Goth’s heritage is a rich tapestry of cultures, with a Brazilian mother and a Canadian father. Her maternal lineage traces back to the esteemed American artist Lee Jaffe and the Brazilian actress Maria Gladys. Life for young Mia was a journey across continents; she spent her earliest weeks in Brazil before returning to the UK at five, and later experiencing a challenging period in her father's native Canada at ten, where she navigated an astonishing nine schools in a single academic year. By twelve, she and her mother had settled in southeast London, where Mia attended Sydenham School, raised in a single-parent household with her mother working tirelessly as a waitress.
Goth's journey into the spotlight began at sixteen when fashion photographer Gemma Booth discovered her at London's Underage Festival, leading to a contract with Storm Model Management. Her striking image soon adorned campaigns for Miu Miu and Prada, and graced the pages of prestigious magazines like Wonderland, Vogue, W, and Love. Her runway debut in 2023, opening the Miu Miu F/W 23 Show, further solidified her presence in the fashion world.
Simultaneously, Goth was honing her acting craft, auditioning for films from the age of sixteen. Her first major role arrived in Lars von Trier's *Nymphomaniac* (2013), sharing the screen with acclaimed actors Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe. She also appeared in an episode of the crime drama *The Tunnel*. The following years saw her in music videos, short films, and increasingly substantial roles. In 2015, she led the post-apocalyptic thriller *The Survivalist*, followed by roles in the disaster film *Everest* and the crime series *Wallander*.
The horror genre beckoned, with a memorable role in Gore Verbinski's *A Cure for Wellness* (2016), and significant supporting turns in the acclaimed *Suspiria* and *High Life* in 2018. She continued to impress in Guadagnino's short film *The Staggering Girl* and Autumn de Wilde's *Emma* (2020), before taking on a leading role in Karen Cinorre's action drama *Mayday* in 2021.
However, 2022 marked a seismic shift in Mia Goth's career with her starring role in Ti West's slasher sensation, *X*. To embody the elderly antagonist Pearl, Goth underwent a transformative ten-hour makeup process, a testament to her dedication. Her dual performance as both the vibrant Maxine Minx and the terrifying Pearl earned widespread praise, with critics highlighting her remarkable understanding of the characters' duality. This success paved the way for the prequel, *Pearl*, which Goth co-wrote with West and filmed immediately after *X*. The film, released in September 2022, was met with critical acclaim, with Goth's performance lauded as one of the year's best, earning her an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
Goth's trajectory continued upwards with a commanding presence in Brandon Cronenberg's *Infinity Pool* (2023), a role that further solidified her as a captivating force in genre cinema. David Fear of Rolling Stone declared her "the single most interesting actor working in genre movies at the moment." She then reprised her iconic role as Maxine Minx in *MaXXXine*, the highly anticipated third installment of the *X* series, released in 2024. Reviews praised Goth's performance as "sublime," even amidst varied critical reception of the film itself. Looking ahead, Goth is set to electrify audiences in Guillermo del Toro's *Frankenstein* as Elizabeth Harlander, and has been cast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's *Blade* as Lilith, with further anticipation building for her role as the main antagonist in Shawn Levy's upcoming *Star Wars: Starfighter*.
Mia Goth's personal life has also seen significant chapters. She met actor Shia LaBeouf on the set of *Nymphomaniac* in 2012. While a commitment ceremony in Las Vegas in 2016 was initially reported as a marriage, it was later clarified as a symbolic union. The couple announced their separation in 2018, but reconciled, welcoming their first child in March 2022. In early 2024, Goth faced allegations of verbal and physical assault on the set of *MaXXXine*, which the studio, A24, vehemently denied, defending the actress.
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Mia Gypsy Mello da Silva Goth (born 25 October 1993) is an English actress. After modelling as a teenager, Goth made her acting debut in the erotic art film Nymphomaniac (2013). She earned recognition with the films A Cure For Wellness (2016), High Life (2018), Suspiria (2018), and Emma (2020). She achieved a career breakthrough as a scream queen by playing Maxine Minx and Pearl in the X film series (2022–2024).
== Early life ==
Mia Gypsy Mello da Silva Goth was born on 25 October 1993 in Guy's Hospital in London, England. Her mother is Brazilian and her father is Canadian, originally from Nova Scotia. Her maternal grandfather is the American artist Lee Jaffe, and her maternal grandmother is Brazilian actress Maria Gladys.
Goth moved to Brazil when she was two weeks old, because her mother, who was 20 at the time, needed help from her family to raise her. They returned to the United Kingdom when she was five and briefly relocated to her father's native Canada when she was ten. There, she attended nine schools in a single school year; Goth said that the period when they tried living with her father was very difficult. When she was twelve, she and her mother settled in southeast London, where she attended Sydenham School. Goth's mother raised her in a single-parent household, working as a waitress to support them.
== Career ==
=== 2012–2021: Early modelling and acting ===
At the age of 16, Goth was discovered at the Underage Festival in London by fashion photographer Gemma Booth, who signed her to Storm Model Management. She subsequently appeared in advertising campaigns for Miu Miu and Prada, as well as in the magazines Wonderland, Vogue, Vogue Italia, W, Love, Dazed, Interview, AnOther, British Vogue, Document Journal, Glamour and Pirelli. Goth made her runway debut in 2023, opening the Miu Miu F/W 23 Show.
Goth began to audition for films at 16, and after finishing sixth form, won her first role in Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac (2013), along with Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe in the segment "The Gun". Goth played Sophie Campbell in an episode of Sky Atlantic's crime drama series The Tunnel.
In 2014, Goth appeared in Future Unlimited's music video for "Haunted Love", directed by Shia LaBeouf. She then appeared in the Stephen Fingleton directed introductory short film Magpie with Martin McCann. In 2015, Goth played the lead role of Milja in the post-apocalyptic thriller The Survivalist directed by Fingleton, followed by roles as Meg Weathers in the disaster adventure-thriller film Everest (2015) directed by Baltasar Kormákur, and Hanna Helmqvist in an episode of BBC One's crime series Wallander.
Goth appeared in the horror film A Cure for Wellness (2016) directed by Gore Verbinski and had supporting roles in Luca Guadagnino's 2018 remake of Suspiria (1977) and the sci-fi mystery film High Life (2018) directed by Claire Denis. Goth appeared in Guadagnino's short film The Staggering Girl (2019) and Autumn de Wilde's period romantic comedy film Emma (2020). She also starred in Karen Cinorre's action drama film Mayday (2021) with Grace Van Patten and Juliette Lewis.
=== 2022–present: Breakthrough with the X film series ===
Goth starred in Ti West's slasher film X, released in March 2022 to critical acclaim. Goth donned extensive prosthetic makeup to portray the elderly Pearl. Describing her experience, Goth stated, "It was a good 10 hours in the makeup chair, and then I'd go and do a 12-hour day on set, and the makeup artist, Sarah Rubano, who was incredible, would constantly be touching me up and making sure my contacts were all right and all those sorts of things." She received praise for her roles as both protagonist Maxine Minx and antagonist Pearl, with West stating, "She understood the characters really well, and she understood the duality of Maxine and Pearl." David Sims of The Atlantic wrote "The dual showcase is a remarkable one for Goth, who previously stood out in supporting roles in Emma, High Life, and A Cure for Wellness". She subsequently starred in the prequel film Pearl, which she co-wrote with West and began filming immediately after X. The film was released in September 2022 to positive reviews. Goth's performance in the film received praise, and is considered to be one of the best film performances of its year. For her portrayal of the character, she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Performance, among other awards.
Goth next starred in Brandon Cronenberg's thriller Infinity Pool opposite Alexander Skarsgård. The film premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival to positive critical reception, with her performance receiving praise. David Fear of Rolling Stone wrote "Goth makes an even stronger post-Pearl case for her being the single most interesting actor working in genre movies at the moment" and Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting concluded "Goth progresses her character's devious machinations with a scene-stealing level of unhinged glee that might give Pearl a run for her money".
Goth reprised the role of Maxine Minx in MaXXXine, the third film in the X series, which was released in 2024. Goth felt that the script was the best of the series so far. Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times praised the film and coined Goth's performance "as usual, sublime". In contrast, Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com was critical of the film and Maxine Minx's characterisation, who believed that Goth "remains a singular screen presence, but she can only do so much with a character who becomes less interesting as she finds herself drawn deeper into danger."
Goth then starred in Guillermo del Toro's horror film Frankenstein as Victor Frankenstein's love interest, Elizabeth Harlander. In June 2024, it was revealed that she was cast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Blade as Lilith. By June 2025, she was cast in Shawn Levy's film Star Wars: Starfighter as the main antagonist.
== Personal life ==
Goth met American actor Shia LaBeouf while co-starring in Nymphomaniac in 2012. On 10 October 2016, Goth and LaBeouf appeared to get married in a Las Vegas ceremony officiated by an Elvis impersonator. Two days later, a local official claimed that the pair were not legally married, but instead a commitment ceremony was performed. Later that month, LaBeouf confirmed their nuptials on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In September 2018, it was announced the couple had separated and filed for divorce. In February 2022, it was reported that the couple had reconciled and Goth was pregnant with their first child. Their daughter was born in March 2022.
In January 2024, it was reported that Goth had been sued by background actor James Hunter, who played a corpse on set, for verbal and physical assault on the set of MaXXXine including allegations of Goth intentionally kicking him in the head. Hunter claimed to have suffered a concussion as a result and that he was fired the following day. The studio, A24, issued a statement denying the allegations and defending Goth.
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
=== Television ===
== Awards and nominations ==
== Notes ==
== References ==
== External links ==
Mia Goth at IMDb
Mia Goth on Models.com
Mia Goth at Rotten Tomatoes
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