Dakota Fanning has been impressing Hollywood since she was a kid. See photos of the star from her childhood acting days up to now in our gallery.
Let’s talk about Dakota Fanning, the Georgia-born actress who has been captivating audiences since she was a child. Acting professionally before she was even a teenager, Dakota quickly became one of Hollywood’s most recognizable young stars — and over the years, she has seamlessly transitioned into complex, adult roles.
She made her early television appearances on E.R., The Practice, Spin City, Ally McBeal and The Ellen Show, but it was her breakthrough performance opposite Sean Penn in I Am Sam (2001) that launched her career. At just 7 years old, she became the youngest nominee in Screen Actors Guild Award history — a milestone that signaled the arrival of a major talent.
From there, Dakota’s career took off like a rocket, and she starred in a string of hit films including Uptown Girls (2003), The Cat in the Hat (2003), War of the Worlds (2005), Charlotte’s Web (2006), and Coraline (2009). She even got her rocker on as Cherie Currie in The Runaways (2010) and as Jane in The Twilight Saga (2009–2012). This girl can do it all!
Dakota’s talent has only grown with time, and she’s taken on more mature roles as she’s gotten older. Who could forget her sass as Squeaky Fromme in Quentin Tarantino‘s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood? She also led TNT’s period crime drama The Alienist as Sara Howard, earning praise for anchoring the series across two seasons. More recently, Dakota has expanded her résumé with high-profile streaming projects, including Netflix’s 2024 mystery The Perfect Couple and the psychological thriller series Ripley. In 2025, she starred in Peacock’s limited series All Her Fault and led the horror film Vicious. With additional film projects and producing credits on the horizon, Dakota continues to prove she’s far more than a former child star.
If you want to see Dakota’s journey from pint-sized prodigy to the stunning starlet, scroll through the gallery here. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed!
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Dakota Fanning at the Premiere of ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’
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Dakota Fanning at the Premiere of ‘Wild Thornberrys’
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‘Uptown Girls’
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Dakota Fanning Promotes ‘Hide and Seek’
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Dakota Fanning in France
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Dakota Fanning in 2007
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Dakota Fanning in ‘The Secret Life of Bees’
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Dakota Fanning at the 2009 People’s Choice Awards
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Dakota Fanning at the 2009 Critics Choice Awards
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Dakota Fanning Signs Autographs at the Premiere of ‘The Runaways’
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Dakota Fanning at a Photocall for ‘The Runaways’
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Dakota Fanning at Tribeca Film Festival in 2012
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Dakota Fanning at Sundance 2013
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Dakota Fanning Strikes a Pose in 2013
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Dakota Fanning at the Premiere of ‘Night Moves’
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Dakota Fanning at TIFF 2013
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Dakota Fanning During Tribeca Film Festival 2015
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Dakota Fanning at Christian Dior in 2015
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Dakota Fanning in Paris in 2016
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Dakota Fanning at Valentino
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Dakota Fanning at 2017 Upfronts
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Dakota Fanning in 2017
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Dakota Fanning at the 2019 Golden Globes
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Dakota Fanning at Rodarte
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Dakota Fanning at 2019 Cannes
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Dakota Fanning at the 2020 Golden Globes
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Dakota Fanning at the Premiere of ‘The First Lady’


