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Aileen Quinn

Aileen Quinn became closely associated with musical cinema at an age when most performers are still discovering the stage. Born in Yardley, Pennsylvania, in 1971, she began ballet and tap lessons at four and soon moved into community theater. By eight, she was working in the Broadway production of Annie as the swing orphan, understudying several roles. That experience led to the part that shaped her screen career. After eight auditions over the course of a year, competing against more than 8,000 hopefuls, nine-year-old Quinn was cast in the title role of John Huston’s 1982 film Annie. Her performance brought together the skills she had already been developing—acting, singing and dancing—and earned her two Golden Globe nominations and a Best Actress award from the Youth in Film Awards. The film’s soundtrack went platinum, and Quinn released her own album, Bobby’s Girl, in 1982. Although she was contracted by Columbia Pictures for proposed Annie sequels, those movies never materialized. Quinn instead continued performing in regional theater, taking roles in productions including The Wizard of Oz, Bye Bye Birdie and Shenandoah. She also voiced animated television specials The Charmkins and The Wizard of Oz, and played Princess Zora in The Frog Prince. At 18, Quinn stepped away from child acting to concentrate on her education. She graduated from Drew University in 1994 after majoring in languages and minoring in political science. She then returned to the stage, appearing in Oliver! and touring nationally for more than five years with Fiddler on the Roof, Peter Pan and Saturday Night Fever. She also studied Shakespeare in London and performed in As You Like It and Twelfth Night at LAMDA. Quinn later appeared in independent films, including a minor role in Multiple Sarcasms, while also teaching theater, Spanish and dance. Music has remained part of her work: with her band, Aileen Quinn and The Leapin’ Lizards, she released Spin Me in 2015 and Lightning and Thunder in 2019. Her career stretches well beyond a single childhood role, moving naturally among film, theater, teaching and live music.