Summer Bishil Bio

Summer Bishil was a Pasadena, California native. Her family and she moved overseas when she was three. Summer attended American and British schools and her family was living abroad. They returned to Pasadena in the days before her 14th birthday. Enticed by the thought of being an actor since when she was just five years old, Summer took her first acting class at the age of 14. Nine months later, she got an agent as well as a manager and began to pursue her dreams full-time. She is enrolled in college in her spare time, working towards her degree. Was one of the young stars featured in Vanity Fair's cover story, "Hollywood's New Wave: The Hottest Kids in Hollywood" in August 2008.Was selected as one of the "Ten actors to Watch" by Variety (2007).Nominee for Best Actress - Spirit Award. Bishil began taking acting lessons when she was 14. Within a year, she was hired by an agent and a manager. Her first appearance was on the brief-lived Nickelodeon television show Just for Kicks, followed by appearances on a variety of other children's shows.Bishil's first big break came when she played the lead actress in Alan Ball's film Towelhead in 2007 as an adaptation of the novel with the same name. Dana Stevens, a critic for Slate, said that Bishil's performance was "the most authentic thing" in the film which, despite its best intentions, felt thoroughly fake and mildly embarrassing. It was as if it was an extended PSA about inappropriate touching. Bob Strauss, who writes for various Los Angeles newspapers, states that Bishil, "...is one of the finest natural actresses in film to appear over the last few years." Gary Goldstein, in a September 12, Los Angeles Times, review of Towelhead stated that Summer Bishil ("...newcomer) provides a compelling and stunning performance as Jasira. In 2009, she filmed Wayne Kramer's Crossing Over movie starring Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, and Ashley Judd. Jay Reiner, Associated Press, appreciated her portrayal. She was in the role of Azula in M. Night Shyamalan's film The Last Airbender (2010). The sequel was not produced.