Vera Farmiga is an American actress, director, and producer. She garnered worldwide acclaim for her role in the 2009 film Up in the Air. This role earned Farmiga nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, as well as many other nominations. In 2011, she made her directing debut with the acclaimed drama film Higher Ground, for which she received multiple award nominations, including the Gotham Award for Best Breakthrough Director and the Satellite Award for Best Actress.