Jena Malone, an American actress, gained recognition for her role in the independent psychological thriller Donnie Darko (2001), which achieved cult status.
Following this, she featured in the drama film Life as a House and the miniseries Hitler: The Rise of Evil (both 2003), as well as the dark comedy Saved! (2004), solidifying her status as a mature performer. She further showcased her talent in the historical drama Pride & Prejudice (2005).
Early Life
Jena Malone, officially known as Jena Laine Malone, was born on November 21, 1984, in Sparks, Nevada. Jena has shared that her mother, Deborah Malone, became pregnant with her from a brief encounter with Edward Berge, who was married at that time.
Despite being separated from her father during her early years, Jena was able to repair their relationship as she grew older. Malone’s family moved around a lot when she was young. They lived in almost 30 different places before she was 9, and sometimes they didn’t have a home.
Jena developed an interest in acting after being inspired by her mother, Deborah, who was a well-known actor. When their family relocated to Las Vegas in 1995, Jena began taking acting classes. Eventually, she convinced her mother to move with her to Los Angeles.
During her middle school years, Jena received her education at home. However, when she reached ninth grade, she enrolled in the Professional Children’s School in New York City. In 1999, she left high school and earned her GED two years later. Jena’s mother has a younger half-sister named Madison.
Jena Malone’s Career
Jena Malone’s acting career took off in 1995 when she starred in Michael Jackson’s music video for “Childhood.” She was praised for her portrayal of Ruth Anne “Bone” Boatwright in the movie “Bastard Out of Carolina” the following year.
In addition, she made guest appearances on “Chicago Hope” (1996), “Homicide: Life on the Street” (1998), and “Touched by an Angel” (1999). She also had roles in two TV movies, “Hope” and “Ellen Foster,” in 1997.
In 1997, Malone starred in “Contact” with Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey. In 1998, she starred in “Stepmom” with Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, and Ed Harris. Malone won a Saturn Award for “Contact”, a Young Artist Award, and a Young Star Award for “Stepmom.”
In 1999, Jena Malone starred in “For Love of the Game” with Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston. She went on to appear in several films, including “Donnie Darko”, “Life as a House”, “The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys”, “The Badge”, “American Girl”, “The United States of Leland”, and “Cold Mountain”. She also starred in the TV movies “Cheaters” and “The Ballad of Lucy Whipple”.
In the 2003 Canadian miniseries “Hitler: The Rise of Evil,” Malone played the role of Geli Raubal, Adolf Hitler’s half-niece. The miniseries received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Miniseries.
In 2004, Jena voiced Lettie in the English dub of the Japanese animated film “Howl’s Moving Castle.” She also starred as a pregnant teenager in the comedy “Saved!” alongside Mandy Moore and others.
Over the next few years, she starred in several films such as “The Ballad of Jack and Rose,” “Pride & Prejudice,” “The Ruins,” “The Messenger,” and “The Soloist.” In 2008, she appeared on “Law & Order”. In 2012, she rejoined Kevin Costner in the History Channel miniseries “Hatfields & McCoys”.
Malone played Rocket in Zack Snyder’s 2011 fantasy action movie “Sucker Punch.” She then starred in “For Ellen” (2012), “In Our Nature” (2012), “The Wait” (2013), “Time Out of Mind” (2014), “Angelica” (2015), “The Neon Demon” (2016), “Nocturnal Animals” (2016), “Bottom of the World” (2017), and “The Public” (2018).
Jena Malone portrayed Johanna Mason in the films “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” (2013), “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” (2014), and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” (2015), which collectively earned an impressive $2.278 billion in ticket sales.
In 2019, she had a leading role in the miniseries “Too Old to Die Young,” and in 2021, she acted as Samantha Margolis in the Amazon Prime Video show “Goliath.”
Malone also had roles in the movies “Lorelei” (2020), “Antebellum” (2020), and “Adopting Audrey” (2021), as well as playing Angie Bowie, the first wife of David Bowie, in the 2020 biographical film “Stardust.”
Personal Life
In 2014, Jena Malone and photographer Ethan DeLorenzo started dating. Their son, Ode Mountain, was born in May 2016. After giving birth, Malone faced postpartum depression. On August 30, 2016, Malone and DeLorenzo shared news of their engagement.
Malone and DeLorenzo called it quits in 2017. As of 2019, she has been romantically involved with musician Alex Ebert. In August 2022, Jena Malone revealed her sexual identity as pansexual and her relationship preference as polyamorous.
Net Worth
Jena Malone is an American actress, producer, and musician with a net worth of $4 million. She co-produced “American Girl” (2002), and executive produced “Lorelei” (2020) and “Adopting Audrey” (2021).
She’s an experimental musician who releases music under her name and as The Shoe. In 2007, she released the single “The Social Registry” with Jena Malone and the Bloodstains.
