Rooney Mara on AllMovie

Actress Rooney Mara didn't exactly come from a show business family. Her great-grandfather founded the Pittsburgh Steelers, her grandfather ran the Yonkers Raceway, and her father was vice president of player evaluations for the New York Giants. Despite her heritage, Mara opted to go into acting instead of sports, and made her professional debut at the age of 16 with a bit-part in the direct-to-video Urban Legends: Bloody Mary. She followed this with a handful of appearances on episodes of shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and The Cleaner, eventually scoring a number of film roles, appearing in 2009's Tanner Hall, Youth in Revolt, and Friends (With Benefits).

Her career changed forever when David Fincher cast her in a small but key part in The Social Network, and then trusted her to play Lisbeth Salander in his English-language adaptation of the international best-seller The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, a part that earned young performer Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Best Actress.