Alison Lohman

Here’s a detailed, citation-supported biography of Alison Lohman (American actress, born September 18, 1979):

Alison Lohman – Life, Career, and Legacy

Alison Lohman is an American former actress known for roles in White Oleander, Matchstick Men, Big Fish, and Drag Me to Hell. She retired from acting in 2009 to focus on her family and now works as an acting coach.

Introduction

Alison Marion Lohman (born September 18, 1979) is an American actress best known for her lead and supporting roles in the early 2000s. White Oleander, Matchstick Men, and Big Fish. Drag Me to Hell (2009), she stepped away from a full acting career to prioritize her personal life.

Early Life & Background

• Lohman was born and raised in Palm Springs, California.

• She is the daughter of Diane (née Dunham), who owned a bakery, and Gary Lohman, an architect.

• She has a younger brother named Robert.

• As a child, Lohman was shy yet had an affinity for performing.

• At age 9, she landed her first theatrical role playing Gretl in The Sound of Music at Palm Desert’s McCallum Theater.

• At age 11, she won a Desert Theater League award for her performance in Annie.

• In high school, she excelled academically in most subjects; drama was more challenging for her due to shyness.

• She was offered a scholarship to attend New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts but declined it and moved to Los Angeles to pursue film acting.

Acting Career

Early career & breakthrough

• Lohman began with small roles in short films and television.

• She starred in Tucker (2000–2001) and the soap opera Pasadena (2001–2002).

• Her breakthrough came with White Oleander (2002), where she played Astrid—this role earned her significant recognition.

• In 2003, she appeared in Matchstick Men (as a teenager con artist) and Big Fish (as the young version of Jessica Lange’s character).

• She lent her voice to the 2005 English dub of the animated film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

Later roles & final major film

• In mid-2000s, she took on diverse roles: Where the Truth Lies (2005), The Big White (2005)

• She starred in Flicka (2006) and Things We Lost in the Fire (2007).

• Her most commercially successful and final major role was in the horror film Drag Me to Hell (2009).

• After 2009, Lohman largely stepped away from acting.

Personal Life & Retirement

• In 2009, Alison Lohman married filmmaker Mark Neveldine.

• The couple have three children.

• With her marriage, she chose to retire from active acting to focus on family and personal life.

• She has occasionally appeared in small roles (cameos) in her husband’s projects (for instance, The Vatican Tapes (2015), Urge and Officer Downe (2016)).

• In her later years, she has pursued work as an acting coach.

Legacy & Significance

Though her period of full engagement in film was relatively short, Alison Lohman earned a reputation for depth and versatility in her roles. Her performances in White Oleander and Matchstick Men allowed her to portray complex emotional states, and her leap into horror in Drag Me to Hell showed a willingness to expand range.

Her decision to step away from acting at a high point to prioritize personal and family life is often noted in discussions about balancing career and privacy in Hollywood.