Taissa Farmiga

Farmiga in 2014, photo by Prphotos

Place of Birth: Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, U.S.

Date of Birth: August 17, 1994

Ethnicity: Ukrainian

Taissa Farmiga is an American actress. Her roles include Sister Irene in The Nun films, as well as Higher Ground (2011), The Bling Ring, At Middleton, Mindscape, Jamesy Boy, The Final Girls (2015), 6 Years, Share, In a Valley of Violence, Rules Don’t Apply, What They Had, The Long Dumb Road, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, The Mule (2018), and John and the Hole, television’s American Horror Story, Wicked City, The Twilight Zone (2019), 50 States of Fright, and The Gilded Age, and several animated DC Comics films. She is sometimes cited as a scream queen.

She was born in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, the youngest of seven children of Ukrainian immigrants, Lubomyra (Spas), a schoolteacher, and Michael Farmiga, a computer systems analyst. Her father was raised in Argentina, before moving to the U.S. Her sister is actress Vera Farmiga, who is twenty one years her senior. Her cousin is artist Adriana Farmiga.

Taissa is married to screenwriter and director Hadley Klein. Hadley’s stepfather is a rabbi.

Taissa’s maternal grandfather was Theodor/Teodor Spas (the son of Alexander Spas and Anna Mycheilschyy). Teodor was born in Chorna, Odessa Oblast, Ukraine.

Taissa’s maternal grandmother was named Nadia Peletenciw/Pletenciw (1925-2014; the daughter of Alexander Pletenciw and Anna). Nadia was born in Debaltseve, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union.

Sources: Genealogy of Taissa Farmiga (focusing on her mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com

Obituary of Taissa’s maternal grandmother, Nadia (Peletenciw/Pletenciw) Spas – http://www.legacy.com