Alia Shawkat
Date of Birth:
18 April 1989, Riverside, California, USA
Birth Name:
Alia Martine Shawkat
Nickname:
Allie
Height:
5' 5½" (1.66 m)
Mini Biography:
Success arrived early for Alia Shawkat. Her career began at the young age of 11 when she landed a role on the ABC Family series "State of Grace" (2001). She later starred as "Maeby Funke" on Fox's Emmy-award winning "Arrested Development" (2003) where she portrayed a rebellious and mischievous member of a dysfunctional Orange County family trying to adjust to their loss of wealth.
Alia was introduced to show business by appearing in a Calvin Klein catalog, which immediately attracted the attention of commercial and theatrical agents in Hollywood. She soon landed a role opposite George Clooney in Three Kings (1999). This was followed by a supporting lead in the Ron Perlman' movie The Trial of Old Drum (2000) (TV).
But it was "State of Grace" (2001) that catapulted her into the forefront of young actresses. She has also had guest-starring roles on "JAG" (1995), "Without a Trace" (2002), "Boomtown" (2002) and "Presidio Med" (2002) and she recently starred opposite Martin Lawrence in Rebound (2005).
At 16 years old, when she was not filming, Alia attended a private school near her home in Rancho Mirage where she was able to continue her studies in English, Physics, Math, Geography and Drama. Her ambition is eventually to attend Yale University studying International Relations.
In her free time, Alia enjoys horseback riding, ice-skating and dancing. She is an accomplished pianist and speaks several languages. She currently splits her time between her home and Rancho Mirage and Los Angeles where she resides with her parents and her two brothers.
Whip It 
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the story of an ex-beauty pageant contestant named Bliss who leaves her crowns behind after joining a roller-derby team. While her mother would prefer that Bliss unlace her skates and step back before the judges, the rebellious teen instead seeks the wisdom of rowdy mentor Malice in Wonderland in learning the tricks of the circuit track.
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The Runaways (Neon Angels) is based on lead-singer Cherie Currie's book 'Neon Angel' - a reflection of her experiences as a rock star, but also delivering a strong anti-drug warning to teens and others. David Bowie's "Space Oddity" serves as a metaphor for the narrative-- a slow countdown, a surreal but spectacular rise to fame, then alienation and burnout - a long long way from home.
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Muna, a single mother in Ramallah, has applied for a visa to the US. When it comes, her son Fadi, an excellent student, convinces her they should go. After an incident at customs begins their exile badly, they join Muna's sister and family in Illinois. Muna needs a job: although she has two degrees and 15 years' experience in banking, she settles for work at White Castle, telling the family her job's at a nearby bank. It's spring, 2003, and the US invades Iraq. While friends come from unlikely places, Fadi meets prejudice at school. How he'll respond to it and to American youth culture and how Muna will sort things out with her family are the rest of the story. Tragedy or hope.
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