---
name: "Quvenzhané Wallis"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/quvenzhane-wallis"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "28 August 2003"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T13:30:31.707750+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Quvenzhané Wallis

Actor. Born 28 August 2003 in Houma, Louisiana, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 28 August 2003, Houma, Louisiana, USA

## Fi1m on Quvenzhané Wallis

> Quvenzhané Wallis can make a defiant child seem frightened without softening the defiance. We value the watchfulness she brings to *Beasts of the Southern Wild*, and would welcome more roles that give her something beyond hardship to play.

Hushpuppy watches the adults as though she is checking how much space they will let her occupy. In *Beasts of the Southern Wild* (2012), Quvenzhané Wallis plays a girl who has to work at being tough. Her watchfulness makes her worth following through Benh Zeitlin’s bayou fantasy, even when its enthusiasm for self-reliance becomes hard to share. We were moved by the effort that toughness seemed to cost her, because Wallis keeps the frightened child visible.

That debut was followed by her role as Margaret Northup in *12 Years a Slave* (2013) and the lead in the musical remake *Annie* (2014). Voice parts in animated films and television appearances in *black-ish* and *Swagger* took her into other forms. In *Breathe* (2024), she plays Zora, taking a lead in an adult-oriented project. She has often been cast as strong-willed young people in difficult circumstances. We hope such parts leave room for the uncertainty that made Hushpuppy more interesting than a child who can withstand anything.

Dwight Henry, playing Hushpuppy’s father Wink, gives Wallis something difficult to respond to: affection that cannot easily be separated from anger. Their scenes resist a cosy lesson in resilience. Zeitlin is less helpful when the film presses us to celebrate the community’s defiance. The rousing score he wrote with Dan Romer supplies encouragement where the girl’s vulnerability calls for more doubt. That is our caveat about a film we recommend: the music sometimes tells us how to feel when Wallis has already given us enough.

Some observers questioned whether her work in *Beasts of the Southern Wild* was acting or simply her natural self. We find it more useful to notice how much she communicates without dialogue or an obvious display of technique. Calling that natural can become a way of giving the actor less credit for what reaches the screen. There is more to ask of her than another demonstration of how much hardship a child can bear. Start with *Beasts of the Southern Wild*, but pay attention to Wallis when the music is doing its best to reassure us.

## Biography

Quvenzhané Wallis is an American actress and author. She made her screen debut as Hushpuppy in the 2012 film *Beasts of the Southern Wild*.

Wallis received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for the role, becoming the youngest nominee in the category and the first person born in the 21st century to be nominated for an acting Oscar. She appeared in *12 Years a Slave* (2013) and starred as Annie Bennett in the 2014 film *Annie*, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. Her other credits include the voice of Harper in *Trolls* (2016) and roles in television series such as *black-ish*.

Wallis has written four children's books, including the Shai & Emmie Star series.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Beasts of the Southern Wild* (2012), Fi1m 78, as Hushpuppy — [page](https://film.one/film/beasts-of-the-southern-wild.md)

## Also known for

- *12 Years a Slave* (2013), Margaret Northup — [page](https://film.one/film/12-years-a-slave.md)
- *Trolls* (2016), Harper (voice)
- *Annie* (2014), Annie Bennett
- *Fathers and Daughters* (2015), Lucy
- *American Horror Stories* (2021), Bianca
- *black-ish* (2014), Kyra
- *Breathe* (2024), Zora
- *Swagger* (2021), Crystal Jarrett

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/quvenzhane-wallis