Mara Wilson is best remembered as the adorable 6-year-old Natalie Hillard in the 1993 hit Mrs. Doubtfire. Now, at 36, she’s all grown up! Born on July 24, 1987, in Los Angeles, Mara was just 5 years old when she followed in the footsteps of her older brother, who had started acting in commercials. After landing a few of her own, she was cast in Mrs. Doubtfire, playing the youngest daughter of Robin Williams and Sally Field.
Despite her growing fame, Mara’s home life remained fairly normal. In an interview, she recalled how her parents kept her grounded. “When I was cast in Mrs. Doubtfire, my parents were proud, but they always reminded me I was just a kid. If I ever got too full of myself, my mom would say, ‘You’re just an actor.’”
Mara’s career quickly took off after Mrs. Doubtfire. In 1994, she starred in A Time to Heal and then in the remake of the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street. Interestingly, the role of Susan, which she played in the latter, was initially written as a boy named Jonathan. After auditioning, Mara’s charm won over the producers, and they rewrote the part for her.
In 1996, she landed her most iconic role as Matilda in the film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved book. Mara instantly connected with the script and the film’s director, Danny DeVito. Her portrayal of the telekinetic, clever girl charmed audiences and remains one of her most memorable performances.
However, after her role in Matilda, Mara began to step back from acting. She appeared in a few more films, including A Simple Wish (1997) and Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000), before retreating from the spotlight. In recent years, Mara opened up about why she left Hollywood so early, explaining that being a child star can have lasting effects. Though she never experienced harm on set, she shared that she was sexualized at a young age by strangers, which contributed to her decision to leave acting.
Mara chose to live a more typical life, attending high school and later New York University. Nowadays, she has shifted her focus to writing, stage performances, voice acting, and playwriting, embracing a creative life away from the Hollywood limelight.