Jena Malone was born on November 21, 1984 in Sparks, Nevada. She is an American actress.

Malone was raised by mother and her mother's lover, who Jena calls her "Godmom". Malone discussed this on a March 2004 appearance on 'Loveline'. She began taking an interest in acting after watching her mother, who was involved in community theatre. She briefly moved to Las Vegas, hated it, and persuaded her mother to move on to Los Angeles.

Malone made the jump to professional acting with the 1996 film 'Bastard Out of Carolina'. She was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance in a TV Movie or Miniseries for this role. From there, her roles grew in stature, including several Hollywood features. In 1997, she was nominated for a Golden Globe, Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie, for her role in 'Hope'. After several years of being home schooled, she briefly attended the Professional Children's School in New York, but did not last long. In January 2000, Malone won legal emancipation from her mother, barring her from interfering with her career and earnings; Malone has said that her mother "mismanaged" some of her earnings.

Malone was a co-producer for the 2002 film 'American Girl', a drama which she also acted in. She was due to feature in the film 'Vinyl', but had to withdraw due to filming conflicts, and was replaced by Michelle Trachtenberg. She had her first starring role in the 2004 film 'Saved!'. In 2006, she made her professional stage debut in the Broadway production of the Tony Award winning play 'Doubt'.

In 2007, it was announced that she was releasing her first single on Social Registry, a New York City experimental music label. A number of tracks were posted to her Myspace page, and the first single, a 7" vinyl record featuring two tracks, is scheduled for release in 2007. Pitchfork Media has described her music as "pretty out-there bedroom electronics, spaced-out keyboards, and Malone's spare vocals."

Filmography

• The Ruins (2008)
• Into the Wild (2007)
• The Go-Getter (2007)
• Four Last Songs (2007)
• Lying (2006)
• "Big Love" (1 episode, 2006)
• Container (2006)
• Pride & Prejudice (2005)
• The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)
• Corn (2004)
• Hauru no ugoku shiro (2004)
• Saved! (2004)
• Cold Mountain (2003)
• Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2003)
• The United States of Leland (2003)
• American Girl (2002)
• The Badge (2002)
• The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)
• Life as a House (2001)
• The Ballad of Lucy Whipple (2001)
• Donnie Darko (2001)
• Cheaters (2000)
• For Love of the Game (1999)
• "Touched by an Angel" (1 episode, 1999)
• The Book of Stars (1999)
• Stepmom (1998)
• "Homicide: Life on the Street" (2 episodes, 1998)
• Ellen Foster (1997)
• Hope (1997)
• Contact (1997)
• Hidden in America (1996)
• Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)
• "Chicago Hope" (1 episode, 1996)
• "Roseanne" (1 episode, 1991)

Awards

• YoungStar Award Young Actress in a Dramatic Feature "Stepmom" 1999