Kate Mara Wiki: 7 Facts To Know About Zoe From 'House of Cards'

Kate Mara is an American actress currently taking the world by storm at home and on the silver screen. Mara is no stranger to Hollywood; the thirty-four year old actress has been active in the industry for two decades, and she has appeared in over thirty movies and nearly twenty television shows. Born and raised in Bedford, NY, Mara knew from a very young age that she wanted to be an actress, and at the age of nine, she performed in a school musical. She performed in school plays and community theater while attending performing art schools as a child and deferred an early acceptance into NYU to jump right into working as an actress, and the risk has more than paid off. Mara is best known for her work on Netflix's hit political drama "House of Cards", the spine tingling TV show "American Horror Story: Murder House", the survival drama "127 Hours" and for playing Sue Storm in the "Fantastic Four" reboot.

Mara's first audition was for "Homicide: Life on the Street" a popular NBC police drama in the nineties. Mara failed to land the role, but the experience solidified her desire to become an actress; she knew there was nothing else she'd rather do. Mara continued to audition throughout the late nineties in hopes of breaking into the entertainment world, and in 1997 her dedication paid off. She was cast in an episode of the insanely popular TV show "Law and Order" and made her first television appearance in the series. After her guest-star role on the procedural drama, Mara wouldn't grace the television screen for three years, but once she really got going, there was no stopping her. She appeared in a handful of TV shows during the early 2000's - both in guest roles and recurring roles. Mara was featured on single episodes of "Madigan Men", "Ed", "CSI", "CSI: Miami", "Cold Case", "Boston Public" and "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit". She had recurring roles in "Everwood" and the critically acclaimed drama "Nip/Tuck", two parts that would help skyrocket her career. With some experience under her belt, Mara started booking more roles with multi-episode arcs. In 2005 she had a six episode stint on "Jack and Bobby",playing the ex-girlfriend of the titular character Jack and in the following year she had a recurring role in Fox's action thriller "24", where she played a computer analyst. She was working alongside some of the best in the business, and once she showed she could hold her own against Kiefer Sutherland in "24", doors were flying open for her. By 2009 Mara's career had officially taken off, and she was starring in both TV shows and movies. She appeared in four episodes of the HBO series "Entourage" and two episodes of the exclusive web series "T Takes," in which young promising actors would improvise for the camera. In 2011, Ryan Murphy offered Mara a role on his newest show "American Horror Story: Murder House", having previously enjoyed her work on his series "Nip/Tuck". Two years later Mara would land her most prominent television role to date, playing Zoe Barnes in Netflix's "House of Cards". Mara starred in the political drama during the first season and has appeared in three of the series' five seasons. Between "24", "American Horror Story" and "House of Cards", Mara has played a crucial role in some of this centuries most popular TV shows.

While appearing in multiple television shows, Mara found time to star in quite a few movies as well. At the age of sixteen Mara appeared in her first two films; "Joe the King" with Val Kilmer and Ethan Hawke and "Random Hearts", a romantic drama starring Harrison Ford. She also appeared in a handful of other films during the early 2000's. It wasn't until 2005 that Mara started landing more prominent roles. She played Heath Ledger's daughter in the Academy Award winning film "Brokeback Mountain" and starred in the indie drama "The Californians" that same year. She continued to land starring roles throughout the rest of the late 2000's, cementing herself as a quality actress. In 2006 Mara starred in "We Are Marshall", a biopic about the 1970 plane crash that killed Marshall University's football team, then in "Zoom", a family film about an academy for young super heroes. The following year she starred in the political action thriller "Shooter", and would round out the year with a trio of dramedy films. Mara has showcased her ability to tackle an array of roles as well as a multitude of different genres. She consistently lends her talents to both big box office hits and independently made films. In 2010 she did just that, starring in the lesser known drama "Happythankyoumoreplease" as well as the critically acclaimed "127 Hours". The film "127 Hours" was arguably Mara's most successful work at that point in her career. The movie earned six Academy Award nominations and was a hit with both audiences and critics alike. The film told the story of outdoors-man Aron Ralston's fight for survival after being trapped under a boulder on a hiking trip for five days and seven hours (127 Hours). She's been a major success in her films since, trusted to bring even the most difficult of characters to life. She was a key member of "The Martian's" ensemble cast, another Academy Award nominated film and played the titular character in "Megan Leavey", a biographical drama about a young marine and her relationship with a combat dog. Unfortunately, like all actors, there have been some low points. Mara's comes in the form of 2015's "Fantastic Four" reboot. Mara played the iconic role of Sue Storm, also known as Invisible Woman, and while she wasn't specifically accused of putting in a bad performance, "Fantastic Four" as a whole was a disappointment to comic book fans. In spite of "Fantastic Four's" failures, Mara's career hasn't suffered. She went to star in multiple movies in the following years. Her most anticipated new movie is "Chappaquiddick", set to release in April of next year. "Chappaquiddick" tells the story of the 1969 incident involving Senator Ted Kennedy. Kennedy drove his car into the water, resulting in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, then went to his father instead of the police. Mara is playing the infamous role of Kopechne in the upcoming drama. "Chappaquiddick" was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and is already being praised for how perfectly tense and authentic it is.

Mara has earned a net worth of $10 million dollars over the course of her career. With as many movies and television shows she's appeared in, it's really no surprise she's accumulated such an impressive amount of money throughout her career. In 2012 Mara had an estimated net worth of only $8 million dollars, meaning she's added $2 million onto her salary in the last five years alone. At the rate she's going, landing starring role after starring role in big budget films, she'll be adding a lot more to her net worth in the coming years.

There's more than one famous Mara in Hollywood! Kate Mara has been sharing the entertainment world with younger sister Patricia Mara, known professionally as Rooney. Rooney wasn't as eager to jump into the acting world as her older sister was, but eventually felt the industry calling her name. Mara is partially responsible for her sister's decision to pursue acting alongside her. Rooney was inspired by classic musical theater that she watched with her mother, but Mara was already actively pursuing her career, and her sister being a professional actress gave Rooney the extra push to go for her dreams. Rooney began auditioning at the age of nineteen and her first real steps into the acting world came from playing extras in films that starred Mara. The two share a close bond, understanding the difficulties of navigating Hollywood, and are often seen supporting one another at movie premieres.

It's natural for celebrities to fall in love while spending so much time on set with one another, and Mara has proven that. "Fantastic Four" might not have been a success, but the film introduced Mara to her future husband, Jamie Bell. The co-stars started dating after the release of their movie, and the two married in July of this year. Before finding love with Bell, Mara dated actors Justin Long, Charlie Cox and Max Minghella. Mara also started a relationship with Cox after working together on a film, but the two split after only a year of dating. Her relationship with Long was equally short-lived. Her most relevant relationship prior to marrying Bell was with Minghella, who she dated on and off for four years, from 2010-2014. As sad as she was at the time, it seems to have been for the best, as she's never been happier than she is with Bell.

Mara has a very interesting connection to two of the NFL's biggest franchise teams. New York Giants founder Tim Mara is her paternal great-grandfather and Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney, Sr is her maternal great-grandfather. Her mother's side of the family has owned the Steelers since they were formed in 1933 and her father's side has owned the Giants since they were formed in 1925. She's been surrounded by football her entire life and jokes that when she's upset at one parent she roots for the opposite football team. She's performed the National Anthem at both the Giants' and the Steelers' games when she was younger, although now she knows better than to take on that responsibility.

Due to missing the Steelers' Super Bowl win over the Seattle Seahawks in 2006, Mara has added a special clause to all of her contracts. She was unable to attend the game because of her filming schedule and vowed to never make that mistake again. Since then her contracts all state that in the event of either the Steelers or the Giants appearing in the Super Bowl, Mara is free to attend the big game. She's attended three Super Bowls since. She eagerly cheered on the Giants in 2008 when they beat the Patriots, the Steelers the following year when they beat the Cardinals, and the Giants again in 2012 when they beat the Patriots once more.

From a recurring spot on "24" to starring in the incredibly anticipated "Chappaquiddick", Mara has come a long way in her career. She's proven herself to be one of the most promising talents of her generation and is definitely one to watch in the future. Her time on "House of Cards" might be up, but she has another TV show in the works for 2018 and multiple films set to release next year. Mara has the work ethic, the movie star good looks and the talent to lead to a long and award-filled career. Prepare to see much more of her over the next decade.