Hailee Steinfeld is an American actress, singer and songwriter. Her breakthrough role was as Mattie Ross in the drama western film True Grit, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Thereafter, Steinfeld gained further prominence for roles in Ender’s Game, Romeo and Juliet, Begin Again and 3 Days to Kill. Take a look below for 28 more awesome and interesting facts about Hailee Steinfeld.

1. Steinfeld was born in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, the daughter and younger of two children of Cheri, an interior designer, and Peter Steinfeld, a personal fitness trainer.

2. She has an older brother, Griffin.

3. Her paternal uncle is fitness trainer Jake Steinfeld, and her maternal great uncle is former child actor Larry Domasin.

4. Her maternal first cousin, actress True O’Brien, appeared in a television commercial when Steinfeld was eight years old, inspiring her to try acting as well.

5. Steinfeld’s father is Jewish, whereas her mother is Christian.

6. Her maternal grandfather, Ricardo Domasin, was of half Filipino, from Panglao, Bohol, and half African-American descent.

7. Steinfeld was raised in Agoura Hills and later in Thousand Oaks, California, attending Ascension Lutheran School, Conejo Elementary, and Colina Middle School.

8. She was home-schooled from 2008 until her high school graduation in June 2015.

9. Steinfeld has endorsed a variety of charities, most of them are focused on improving children’s lives.

10. The list of charities endorsed by the actress/singer includes: “What’s Your Mission?”  A charitable Initiative with Mission apparel and accessories brand, “No Kid Hungry” a charity working to eradicate child hunger in the United States, WE Movement a Canadian based initiative that fights child labor on a global scale and empowers youth to bring social change to their communities, The Ryan Seacrest Foundation, Make a Wish foundation and more.

11. In 2016, Steinfeld participated in singing “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” with fellow singers and celebrities.

12. The single raised money to aid New York City’s homeless during the holiday season through “Robin Hood”, a New York City organization that focuses on fighting poverty.

13. Steinfeld has made several public appearances during charity events, such as during WE Day California 19, iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2015 tour, and Breast Cancer Foundation’s 2014 Hot Pink Party.

14. In 2019, Steinfeld visited Israel for a week long trip with her family, where she endorsed the Shalva National Children’s Center for young individuals with disabilities.

15. She prayed at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, explored the Western Wall Tunnel, the archaeological site of City of David, the Holocaust museum of Yad Vashem.

16. She was also spotted visiting a winery, horseback riding and boating in the Galilee, floating in the Dead Sea, touring Caesarea, taking pictures of herself alongside female Israeli soldiers, and then finished it strong with Tel Aviv’s night life.

17. Steinfeld began acting at the age of 10; she appeared in several short films, including playing the role of Talia Alden in the award-winning She’s a Fox.

18. She made several television guest appearances and commercials.

19. Steinfeld was chosen for the role of Mattie Ross in True Grit when she was 13.

20. In 2011, Steinfeld was cast at age 14 to play Juliet Capulet in a 2013 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. The role was originally intended for a 22-year-old actress; there was concern about nudity in the film, its director explained that when Steinfeld was cast, the script was changed to make it age-appropriate.

21. Steinfeld starred as Petra Arkanian in Ender’s Game, a science-fiction action-adventure film based on the book by Orson Scott Card.

22. Steinfeld played Violet, one of the leads in the romance-drama Begin Again.

23. Steinfeld was cast as Eliza opposite Ender’s Game co-star Asa Butterfield in the film adaption of Ten Thousand Saints, which premiered on January 23, 2015, at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

24. Steinfeld was originally cast to play the female lead in the 2015 film, For the Dogs, but was replaced by actress Emma Roberts.

25. In spring 2014, Steinfeld narrated as the voice of Anne Frank for an exhibition on Frank at the Museum of Tolerance.

26. In 2015, Steinfeld co-starred in Pitch Perfect 2, alongside Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, and Elizabeth Banks, who also directed.

27. Steinfeld played the lead role in The Edge of Seventeen, a coming-of-age comedy co-starring Blake Jenner, Woody Harrelson and Kyra Sedgwick, and written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig. The film was released on November 18, 2016, to positive reviews, and Steinfeld’s performance was praised by critics and earned a Golden Globe Award nomination.

28. In September 2018, she was featured on Logic’s album YSIV, on the song “Ordinary Day”.