Profile of the Day: Jessica Chastain

Posted March 24, 2022 by Amanda | No Comment

Happy birthday to Jessica Chastain! Today the Oscar nominated actress turns 45.

Image: Jessica Chastain / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Chastain was born on March 24, 1977 in Sacramento, California to teen parents Michael Monasterio and Jerri Renee Chastian. She was raised by her mother, and later, her stepfather. Her passion for acting came at a young age after her grandmother took her to see a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She would later go on to study at the prestigious Julliard School in New York City.

In 2011, Chastain landed her breakthrough role in the box office success The Help. The role earned Chastain her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. A year later, she earned a second nomination for her leading role in the thriller Zero Dark Thirty. This year Chastain is in the running for her third Oscar nomination for her portrayal of television Evangelist Tammy Faye in the biopic The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Perhaps she will finally take home the prize at this Sunday’s Academy Award ceremony!

Explore Jessica Chastain’s family tree on Geni and share how you’re connected to the star.