Mary Elizabeth Winstead (born November 28, 1984) is an American actress
and recording artist. Winstead is known for her scream queen roles in
the horror films: Final Destination 3, Black Christmas, Death Proof, The
Thing, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, but has also branched out
to other genres, including as John McClane's daughter Lucy in Live Free
or Die Hard and A Good Day to Die Hard, Ramona Flowers in the
comic-to-film adaptation ofScott Pilgrim vs. the World and as an
alcoholic who struggles through sobriety in theSundance-selected drama
Smashed.Her singing career started in 2013, with her formation of the
music duo Got a Girl with Dan the Automator.The youngest of five
children of James Ronald and Betty Lou (née Knight) Winstead, Winstead
was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Winstead's grandfather was a
cousin of actress Ava Gardner. Winstead was only five years old when her
family moved to Sandy, Utah, a Salt Lake City suburb. As a girl,
Winstead attended Peruvian Park Elementary, where she excelled
academically and attended advanced classes. A talented dancer and
singer, Winstead studied dance in a Joffrey Ballet summer program in
Chicago, Illinois and was also a member of the International Children's
Choir.During her youth, Winstead initially hoped to pursue a career as a
ballerina and appeared in local ballet productions.As she entered her
teens Winstead was forced to quit ballet due to her height. She later
stated "I realized pretty early on that I was already too tall by the
time I was 13... You know, your body has to stay that way for your
entire life, and it's pretty hard on your muscles and your bones".
Realizing that her career as a ballerina was unlikely, Winstead turned
to acting instead; as she was still a teenager at the time, this
required her to be homeschooled through most of high school.