Mena Suvari Biography

Fast Facts

• Named after her godmother, who in turn was named for the Mena House, a hotel that sits at the base of the pyramids in Egypt
• Lived in a Rhode Island mansion built in 1870 that she and her brothers claimed was haunted
• Two of her brothers, A
• J
• and Sulev, attended The Citadel and went on to become U
• S
• Army Captains
• Attended a modeling convention at age 12 and signed with the Wilhelmina Models
• First acting gig was a Rice-A-Roni commercial at the age of 13
• Made her breakthrough in 1999 with a pair of high-profile movie roles: Heather in American Pie and Kevin Spacey's object of desire American Beauty
• Models for Lancome cosmetics
• A longtime supporter of the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF)