How Old Was Aileen Quinn When She Played Annie
Aileen Quinn was born on June 29, 1971, in Princeton, New Jersey, which means she was 10 years old when principal photography began on the 1982 film Annie, and she was 11 when the movie premiered in theaters in June 1982, according to publicly available biographical data from reliable entertainment databases and film industry sources such as her IMDb profile. She won the role of Annie Bennett Warbucks after an extensive nationwide search that evaluated hundreds of young performers, and casting directors selected her based on her singing ability, tap dancing skills, and on-camera presence at age 10.
The production of the 1982 Annie film was led by Columbia Pictures and producer Ray Stark, with director John Huston overseeing principal photography that began in late 1981, when Quinn was 10 years old, and wrapped before her 11th birthday, as reported in industry coverage and verified cast information from the film's IMDb page. Her casting made her one of the youngest leads in major Hollywood musicals of that era, and the film's release positioned her as a recognized child star in American entertainment.
Aileen Quinn's Career Before and After Annie
Before being cast as Annie, Aileen Quinn had trained in dance and voice in New Jersey and performed in regional stage productions, which contributed to her selection for the film role at age 10, as noted in biographical summaries and interviews archived by entertainment outlets such as Biography.com. Her performance in the 1982 film earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, highlighting her early recognition in the industry.
After Annie, Quinn continued acting in film and television throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and she later pursued higher education, graduating from Drew University in New Jersey, where she studied languages and performing arts, as reflected in university alumni records and professional profiles linked from her Wikipedia entry. She has since worked in theater, education, and community arts programs, maintaining a public profile connected to her early role as Annie.
Key Facts About Aileen Quinn's Age and Role in Annie
Aileen Quinn was born in 1971, was 10 when filming started in 1981, and was 11 when the movie released in 1982, making her one of the youngest actresses to headline a major Hollywood musical at that time, with casting and age details confirmed by film databases and studio records. The 1982 Annie film, produced by Columbia Pictures and based on the Broadway musical, featured Quinn opposite Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, and Ann Reinking, and its box office and award history is tracked by industry sources such as Box Office Mojo.
Public records and film credits consistently list Quinn's age as 10 during principal photography and 11 at the time of release, and her casting remains a frequently cited example of successful child auditions in 1980s Hollywood, with data points verified through studio press materials and reliable entertainment references. Her role as Annie is the defining credit in her filmography and continues to be referenced in discussions of classic movie musicals and child actors in major studio productions.