Sara Paxton[Paxton's birth certificate lists no middle name, despite the sometime reported middle name of "Emily." See the California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com] (born April 25, 1988) is an American
actress and
singer. She grew up in
California and began acting at an early age, appearing in many minor roles in both films and television shows, before coming to wider renown in 2004, after playing the title role in the series
Darcy's Wild Life and Sarah Borden in
Summerland. Paxton has also starred in the films
Sleepover,
Aquamarine,
Return to Halloweentown,
The Last House on the Left,
Sydney White, and
Superhero Movie.
Early life
Paxton, an
only child, was born in
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles,
California to what she has described as "a very mixed family."
Her father, Steve, is of
Irish, Scottish and English descent, and is distantly related to actor
Bill Paxton. Her mother, Lucia, was born in
Monterrey,
Mexico and raised in
Ciudad Acuña.
[www.break.com/tv-shows/attack-of-the-show/sara-paxton-from-the-last-house-on-the-left-684542.html] Paxton's mother is
Jewish and Paxton's father
converted to Judaism upon marrying her mother.
Paxton speaks some Spanish, although not fluently.
Both her parents are
dentists.
During her childhood, Paxton put on shows and wanted to perform, sometimes dressing up in costume and coming to school as a particular character.
She grew up in the
San Fernando Valley, choosing to attend a public high school instead of accepting home-schooling.
Paxton graduated high school in June of 2006.
