Vera Farmiga made her screen debut in the fantasy adventure television series ‘Roar’ in 1997. The show was canceled after 8 episodes due to low ratings. In 1998, she made her big-screen debut in the American drama-thriller film, ‘Return to Paradise’ directed by Joseph Ruben. The film received positive reviews from critics and holds a 72% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. Following her debut, she went on to star in films like ‘The Opportunists’ (2000), ‘Autumn in New York’ (2000), ‘15 Minutes’ (2001), ‘Love in the Time of Money’ (2002), ‘Dummy’ (2002), ‘Down to the Bone’ (2004), ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ (2004), ‘Neverwas’ (2005), and ‘Running Scared’ (2006). In 2006, she starred as ‘Oana’ in the Anthony Minghella-directed romantic crime drama film ‘Breaking and Entering.’ The film opened to a negative reception and received a 34% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. That same year, she also played the role of ‘Dr. Madolyn Madden’ in the American epic crime thriller film ‘The Departed’ directed by Martin Scorsese. The film saw massive acclaim upon release and went on to win 4 ‘Academy Awards’ including Best Picture and Best Director. It was also a major box office success, grossing over $291.5 million on a $90 million budget.
Farmiga next starred in films like ‘Never Forever’ (2007), ‘Joshua’ (2007), ‘Quid Pro Quo’ (2008), ‘In Transit’ (2008), ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ (2008), and ‘Orphan’ (2009). She portrayed ‘Alex Goran’ in the 2009 Jason Reitman-directed American comedy-drama film ‘Up in the Air.’ The film opened to critical acclaim and grossed over $166.8 million on a $25 million budget. Farmiga also received several award nominations, including ‘Academy Award,’ ‘BAFTA Award,’ and ‘Golden Globe Award’ nominations, for her performance in the film. She was next seen in films such as ‘Henry's Crime’ (2010), ‘Higher Ground’ (2011), ‘Source Code’ (2011), ‘Goats’ (2012), ‘Safe House’ (2012), ‘At Middleton’ (2013), and ‘The Conjuring’ (2013). In 2013, she joined the cast of the American psychological horror drama television series ‘Bates Motel’ as ‘Norma Louise Bates.’ The series ran for 5 seasons and aired its final episode in 2017. Farmiga next starred in films like ‘The Judge’ (2014), ‘Special Correspondents’ (2016), ‘The Conjuring 2’ (2016), ‘The Commuter’ (2018), ‘Boundaries’ (2018), ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ (2019), ‘Annabelle Comes Home’ (2019), ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ (2021), and ‘The Many Saints of Newark’ (2021). She was last seen playing the role of ‘Dr. Anna Pou’ in the 2022 American disaster medical drama television miniseries ‘Five Days at Memorial.’