Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and the child of two teachers, Brian and Mary Paquin, Paquin moved to New Zealand when she was four. Her debut performance, in the 1993 film The Piano, which was widely praised by critics, earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the age of eleven, making her the second-youngest Oscar winner in history after Tatum O'Neal.
While in New Zealand Paquin attended Hutt Intermediate School from 1994-1995, where she completed Form 1 and 2. Having begun her secondary education in Wellington, New Zealand, she completed her high school diploma in Los Angeles, where she moved with her mother following her parents' divorce, and took several well-regarded roles in various movies while doing so. She graduated from Windward School in West Los Angeles, California in June 2000 and completed the school's community service requirement by working in an LA soup kitchen and at a special education center. She studied at Columbia University for one year, but has since been on a leave of absence in order to continue her acting career. In 2001, she acquired New Zealand citizenship.
Paquin returned to worldwide prominence with her role as Rogue in the blockbuster X-Men movie in 2000, its sequel X2: X-Men United in 2003, and its third installment X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006.
Paquin made her stage debut in 2001 in a production of The Glory of Living at the MCC Theater. She was nominated for a Drama Desk Award, and won a Theatre World Award for her performance. In 2002, Paquin appeared on the West End stage in a production of This is Our Youth.
In the summer of 2006, she completed filming Blue State which she also executive-produced. In November 2006 she completed Margaret, scheduled for release by Fox Searchlight in 2007.
She lives in the West Village in New York City.
