About Quvenzhané Wallis
Quvenzhané Wallis is an American actress and author. She made her acting debut in the drama film Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the youngest nominee in the category and the first born in the 21st century. Subsequent credits included Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave (2013) and the 2014 remake of the musical Annie, in which her portrayal of the title character was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, as well as a voice role in the animated film Trolls (2016). Her name "Quvenzhané" combines the first syllables of her parents' first names in "Quven", and an alteration of the Swahili word jini meaning "sprite" or "fairy". Wallis's performance drew widespread acclaim and Zeitlin won the Caméra d'Or, the festival's award for best first feature film. Her reading prowess, loud screaming voice, and ability to burp on command impressed the director and won her the part. Director Benh Zeitlin told The Daily Beast that when he auditioned Wallis, he immediately realized he had discovered what he was looking for, and changed the Beasts of the Southern Wild script to accommodate her strong-willed personality.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.