Mischa Barton: 52 interesting facts about the actress! (List)

1. Mischa Anne Barton was born on 24 January 1986.

2. She is a British-American film, television, and stage actress, and occasional fashion model.

3. She began her acting career on the stage, appearing in Tony Kushner’s Slavs! and took the lead in James Lapine’s Twelve Dreams at New York’s Lincoln Center.

4. She made her screen debut with a guest appearance on the American soap opera All My Children (1996).

5. She then voiced a character on the Nickelodeon cartoon series KaBlam! (1996–97).

6. Her first major film role was as the protagonist of Lawn Dogs (1997), an acclaimed drama co-starring Sam Rockwell.

7. She continued acting, appearing in major box office pictures such as the romantic comedy, Notting Hill (1999) and M. Night Shyamalan’s psychological thriller, The Sixth Sense (1999).

8. She also starred in the critically acclaimed indie crime drama Pups (1999).

9. Barton later appeared in the independent drama, Lost and Delirious (2001) and played Evan Rachel Wood’s girlfriend during a guest-arc on ABC’s Once and Again (2001–02).

10. She is known for her role as Marissa Cooper in the Fox television series The O.C. (2003–06), for which she received two Teen Choice Awards.

11. The role catapulted Barton into mainstream fame, and Entertainment Weekly named her the “It Girl” of 2003.

12. Barton has since appeared in the comedy remake St Trinian’s (2007), the Richard Attenborough-directed drama Closing the Ring (2007) and Assassination of a High School President (2008).

13. She returned to television, starring in the short-lived Ashton Kutcher-produced CW series, The Beautiful Life: TBL (2009). In 2012, she returned to the stage, performing in the Irish production of Steel Magnolias.

14. Barton was born in Hammersmith, London, to an Irish mother, Nuala (née Quinn), a photographer, and an English father, Paul Marsden Barton, a foreign exchange broker from Manchester.

15. Barton’s grandfather on her mother’s side was an Irish language professor at the University of Belfast.

16. She has two sisters, younger Hania Barton and elder Zoe, a barrister in London.

17. Barton has stated that she briefly attended St. Paul’s Girls’ School in Hammersmith, but her father’s work took the family to New York City when Barton was five years old.

18. In 2006, ten days after her twentieth birthday, she became a naturalised citizen of the United States.

19. She has retained her British citizenship.

20. Barton graduated from the Professional Children’s School in Manhattan in 2004, and took a summer short course called Acting Shakespeare at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, in June and July 2006, at Sir Richard Attenborough’s urging, after he directed her in Closing the Ring.

21. Barton purchased a house in Los Angeles at age nineteen, which she shares with her parents; she splits her time between there and apartments in London and New York.

22. Barton was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, possession of marijuana, and driving without a valid license on 27 December 2007.

23. She was stopped by the police during the early morning hours in West Hollywood, California when she was seen “straddling the lanes and failing to signal for a turn”. Police discovered during the traffic stop that Barton “was an unlicensed driver and was driving while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage”. She was detained and released later the same morning from the West Hollywood Sheriff Station on US$10,000 bail. On 11 January 2008, Barton called into Ryan Seacrest’s syndicated radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest and said, “I was pulled over… just that. Obviously, I’m 100 percent responsible for my actions in this case and I’m really disappointed in myself… I don’t know what to say about it, except that I’m not perfect and I just don’t ever intend to do something this stupid again.” Barton was subsequently charged with two misdemeanors: driving without a valid license; and a DUI.

24. In July 2009, after seeking medical attention for a tooth infection, Barton was sectioned for two weeks under a 5150 that allows a psychiatrist to involuntarily confine a person deemed to have a mental disorder that makes them a danger to themselves and others. She said of the incident, “If they feel you are depressed or a danger to yourself they can hold you on a 5150. I am terrified of needles and they wanted to pump me full of drugs and I said, “No, absolutely not. I don’t want to be here,” and got into a fight with the nurses, and that led to my 5150.”

25. On 21 January 2010, Barton was sued by her New York landlord for refusing to pay three months of $7.000 per month rent on her apartment.

26. In August 2015, Barton sued her own mother for “breach of contract” and “theft” over a house they own in Beverly Hills, California.

27. Older sister of Hania Barton & younger sister of Zoe Barton.

28. ‘It Girl 2003′, according to Entertainment Weekly’s ‘It List’ for top Creative People in Entertainment.

29. Attended The Professional Children’s School in Manhattan, New York. Was reportedly a straight-A student.

30. Favorite author: William Shakespeare, George Orwell.

31. Pet: Angelo, a cat.

32. Older sister, Zoe Barton, is a barrister in London.

33. As a child, she was a model with Ford Modeling agency, along with Lindsay Lohan.

34. Named #33 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list.

35. Younger sister is an aspiring singer.

36. Has a song named after her on Rozino Smith’s 2005 album, “Blurry Summer”; entitled “Mischa Barton”.

37. Ranked as #52 in FHM’s “100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005” special supplement. (2005)

38. Has a dog that she calls Ziggy.

39. Would like to go back overseas to birthplace, London, England, and study more acting for a year.

40. Named #32 in FHM magazine’s “100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006” supplement. (2006).

41. Lives in the Hollywood Hills and in Tribeca, New York.

42. Her favorite town is Paris.

43. Childhood friend of Brenda Song and Ashley Tisdale.

44. Ranked #49 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2007 list.

45. Ranked #22 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list.

46. She turned down the role of Georgina Sparks on Gossip Girl (2007), which was later given to Michelle Trachtenberg.

47. Good friend of Nicole Richie.

48. In early 2009, at the age of 23, she had her ears pierced for the very first time especially for her role as Sonja Stone in The Beautiful Life: TBL (2009). She agreed to have them done at the producer’s request so that Sonja would be able to wear the same pierced earrings as other models in various fashion show scenes.

49. Is best friend of Rachel Bilson.

50. Modeled as Stevie Lake for a few of the covers for the popular book series, The Saddle Club, by Bonnie Bryant.

51. Was born in the same hospital as Hugh Grant. The two worked together on Notting Hill (1999), when she was 12-years-old.

52. Suing her mother, Nuala, for allegedly mishandling her career, defrauding her of pay and royalties, and exploiting her fame. Barton is seeking up to three times in compensation what she claims to have been defrauded, as well as unspecified punitive damages. [April 2015]