Jessica Chastain was born in Sacramento, California. Her mother is a chef and her step-father is a fireman. At the age of nine, she became interested in dancing and joined a dance troupe, and by  the age of 13 she was performing in Shakespearean productions. She studied drama at Julliard in New York, and before graduation with a Bechelor in Fine Arts, she was signed by TV writer and producer John Wells which led to her appearing in several of his TV shows.  She still acts in live theater including roles in "The Cherry Orchard", "Rodney's Wife", "Salome" and "Othello".  She splits her time between New York and Los Angeles, working in theater, film and TV.  Some of her many films include, "Zero Dark Thirty" as  Maya, "The Tree of Life" as  Mrs. O'Brien", "Interstellar" as Murph, and "Molly's Game" as  Molly Bloom.  Jessica Chastain's accomplishments include a Golden Globe Award and two Academy Award nominations. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012. In 2011, she was nominated for and won a number of awards, including a 2012 Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for "The Help".