# Emma Stone
**Emma Stone** (born Emily Jean Stone, 1988) is an American actress and producer, a two-time Academy Award winner for Best Actress for *La La Land* (2017) and *Poor Things* (2024), known for a career that runs from mainstream comedy to collaborations with the Greek director [Yorgos Lanthimos](https://www.edgepedia.org/yorgos-lanthimos).[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/stone-emma-1988-emily-stone-riley-stone) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/0c0316f1767edc9efc8180cfd192163f) She is also a producer through Fruit Tree, the company she runs with her husband, the writer-director [Dave McCary](https://www.edgepedia.org/dave-mccary).[3](https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/business/who-are-the-producers-getting-movies-made/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Emily Jean Stone, 1988, in Scottsdale, Arizona[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/stone-emma-1988-emily-stone-riley-stone) |
| Professional name | "Emily Stone" was already taken in the Screen Actors Guild registry when she registered at 16; she used "Riley Stone" for about six months before settling on Emma[4](https://time.com/5536906/emma-stone-emily-oscars-2019/) |
| Academy Awards | Two wins for Best Actress, *La La Land* (89th ceremony, 2017) and *Poor Things* (96th ceremony, 2024), from five acting nominations[5](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2017) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/0c0316f1767edc9efc8180cfd192163f) • [6](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/red-carpet/emma-stone-oscars-red-carpet-fashion-retrospective) |
| Golden Globes | 9 nominations, 2 wins[7](https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/emma-stone/) |
| Career totals | About 113 awards and more than 280 nominations across her career[8](https://as.com/meristation/cine/cuantos-oscar-tiene-emma-stone-y-cuantas-veces-ha-sido-nominada-a-los-premios-oscar-f202603-n/) |
| Signature collaborator | Yorgos Lanthimos: *The Favourite* (2018), *Kinds of Kindness* (2024), *Poor Things* (2023), *Bugonia* (2025)[7](https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/emma-stone/) • [9](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/critics-seen-bugonia-emma-stone-performance) |
| Producing | Fruit Tree, with Dave McCary and Ali Herting, signed a first-look deal with Universal Pictures in 2024[3](https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/business/who-are-the-producers-getting-movies-made/) |
## Early life and name
Stone grew up in [Scottsdale, Arizona](https://www.edgepedia.org/scottsdale-arizona), the daughter of Jeff and Krista Stone, co-owners of a golf course.[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/stone-emma-1988-emily-stone-riley-stone) She began acting as a child at the Valley Youth Theatre in Phoenix, where her stage debut was in a production of [Kenneth Grahame](https://www.edgepedia.org/kenneth-grahame)'s *The Wind in the Willows*.[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1297015/?showAllCredits=true) At fifteen she decided to make acting her career and, by the account she has told in interviews, made a PowerPoint presentation titled "Project Hollywood," set to Madonna's "Hollywood," to persuade her parents to let her leave school and move to Los Angeles; she and her mother moved, and she was homeschooled while auditioning.[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1297015/?showAllCredits=true)
Her first break was on television: she won the part of Laurie Partridge on the VH1 talent show *In Search of the Partridge Family* (2004), followed by small television roles.[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1297015/?showAllCredits=true) The stage name came from a bureaucratic collision. When she registered with the [Screen Actors Guild](https://www.edgepedia.org/screen-actors-guild) at 16, the name Emily Stone was already taken by another actress, so she tried "Riley Stone" for about six months before switching to Emma; she has said she would like her real name back.[4](https://time.com/5536906/emma-stone-emily-oscars-2019/) Friends and colleagues who know her privately, such as [Olivia Colman](https://www.edgepedia.org/olivia-colman), have called her Emily in public, which drew attention when Colman used the name in her 2019 Oscar acceptance speech.[4](https://time.com/5536906/emma-stone-emily-oscars-2019/)
## Breakthrough and early career
**Comedy beginnings.** Her film debut was as Jules in *Superbad* (2007), for which the naturally blond actor dyed her hair red.[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1297015/?showAllCredits=true) • [11](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/nov/02/emma-stones-20-best-performances-ranked) Roles in *The House Bunny* (2008) and *Zombieland* (2009) followed, and her leading role as Olive in *Easy A* (2010), a comic retelling of *The Scarlet Letter*, established her as a star and brought a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1297015/?showAllCredits=true) • [7](https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/emma-stone/) • [12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/emma-stone)
Through the early 2010s she moved between studio films and prestige projects: [Gwen Stacy](https://www.edgepedia.org/gwen-stacy) in *The Amazing Spider-Man* (2012) and its 2014 sequel, the ensemble drama *The Help* (2011), [Woody Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/woody-allen)'s *Magic in the Moonlight* (2014) and *Irrational Man* (2015), and [Michael Keaton](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-keaton)'s daughter in Alejandro González Iñárritu's *Birdman* (2014), which earned her first Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actress, in 2015.[7](https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/emma-stone/) • [6](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/red-carpet/emma-stone-oscars-red-carpet-fashion-retrospective) One misstep drew public criticism: her casting as a pilot of Chinese and Hawaiian heritage in Cameron Crowe's *Aloha* (2015) triggered a whitewashing controversy, and both Crowe and Stone apologized.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/nov/02/emma-stones-20-best-performances-ranked)
## Oscars and awards
Stone won her first [Academy Award for Best Actress](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-actress) at the 89th ceremony in February 2017, for her performance as Mia, an aspiring actress in [Damien Chazelle](https://www.edgepedia.org/damien-chazelle)'s musical *La La Land*, opposite [Ryan Gosling](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-gosling).[5](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2017) The role also won her the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.[7](https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/emma-stone/)
Her second Best Actress Oscar came at the 96th ceremony on March 10, 2024, for *Poor Things*, and it was one of the night's genuine surprises. Most prognosticators had picked [Lily Gladstone](https://www.edgepedia.org/lily-gladstone) of *Killers of the Flower Moon*, whose win would have been the first for a Native American in the Oscars' history; Gladstone had won the Screen Actors Guild award, historically the most predictive acting prize, while Stone had taken the BAFTA and the Golden Globe.[13](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-emma-stone-native-american-martin-scorsese-lily-gladstone-b2510911.html) Stone's win, at 35, made her one of the few actors to win the Best Actress category more than once.[2](https://apnews.com/article/0c0316f1767edc9efc8180cfd192163f) In her speech she addressed Gladstone directly: "Lily, I share this with you."[14](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/emma-stone-lily-gladstone-oscars-best-actress-b2510481.html)
Her broader honors include the [Venice Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/venice-film-festival)'s Volpi Cup, two BAFTAs, two Golden Globes, and three Screen Actors Guild awards.[15](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-08/emma-stone-could-win-second-oscar-with-poor-things/103490106) At the 2026 ceremony she received her seventh Oscar nomination, for Best Actress for *Bugonia*, competing against [Jessie Buckley](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessie-buckley), Rose Byrne, Kate Hudson, and Renate Reinsve.[8](https://as.com/meristation/cine/cuantos-oscar-tiene-emma-stone-y-cuantas-veces-ha-sido-nominada-a-los-premios-oscar-f202603-n/) • [16](https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/celebrity-news/jennifer-lawrence-emma-stone-sag-award-text-exchange)
## Work with Yorgos Lanthimos
Stone's most distinctive recent work has come through her partnership with the Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos. She played the scheming lady-in-waiting Abigail Masham in *The Favourite* (2018), alongside Olivia Colman and Rachel Weisz, earning another Oscar nomination.[7](https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/emma-stone/) • [12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/emma-stone) In *Poor Things* (2023), an adaptation of Alasdair Gray's novel, she played Bella Baxter, an adult woman reanimated with an infant mind who matures across the film; critics described the performance in superlatives, and Lanthimos, accepting the Golden Lion at the Venice festival, said the character "wouldn't exist without Emma Stone."[17](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/29/entirely-astounding-emma-stones-star-continues-to-rise-with-poor-things) The film received 11 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.[18](https://cdn.festival-cannes.com/media/uploads/2025/05/189364.pdf) In *Kinds of Kindness* (2024) she played three different characters across the film's three segments, and *Bugonia* (2025) brought her the 2026 nomination.[19](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2024/05/18/emma-stone-l-art-de-la-replique_6233974_3246.html) • [8](https://as.com/meristation/cine/cuantos-oscar-tiene-emma-stone-y-cuantas-veces-ha-sido-nominada-a-los-premios-oscar-f202603-n/)
She has also taken television risks in the same register. She joined Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie's Showtime series *The Curse* (2023) before she even knew what it was about, having become friends with Fielder after watching his series *Nathan for You*; she has described a continuity between the show's surrealism and films like *Birdman* and *La La Land*.[20](https://apnews.com/article/749c063a6967e8baefa25e5f3205a65b) Earlier television work included the Netflix limited series *Maniac* (2018) with Jonah Hill.[7](https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/emma-stone/)
## Producing and Fruit Tree
Stone has built a parallel career as a producer. Her company Fruit Tree, founded with her husband Dave McCary and Ali Herting, signed a first-look deal with Universal Pictures in 2024.[3](https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/business/who-are-the-producers-getting-movies-made/) Its credits include Julio Torres's *Problemista* and *Fantasmas*, Jane Schoenbrun's *I Saw the TV Glow*, Jesse Eisenberg's *A Real Pain*, and *Poor Things*, which she co-produced.[21](https://apnews.com/article/618441f0da3479801f8faa5ee8239c72) • [11](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/nov/02/emma-stones-20-best-performances-ranked) At the 2025 Independent Spirit Awards, Eisenberg, accepting the best screenplay prize for *A Real Pain*, credited her support since they met on the set of *Zombieland* in 2009.[21](https://apnews.com/article/618441f0da3479801f8faa5ee8239c72) Upcoming Fruit Tree projects include *The Catch*, an original romantic comedy at Universal starring Stone and Chris Pine.[3](https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/business/who-are-the-producers-getting-movies-made/)
## Public image
Stone has been a Louis Vuitton brand ambassador since signing with the French house in October 2017, and her red-carpet choices since then have often departed from traditional gowns; at the 2026 Actor Awards, the rebranded Screen Actors Guild ceremony with its first-ever dress code, she wore a lilac-encrusted Louis Vuitton slip gown with a matching bolero.[6](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/red-carpet/emma-stone-oscars-red-carpet-fashion-retrospective) • [22](https://www.independent.co.uk/celebrity-news/jessie-buckley-teyana-taylor-emma-stone-twenties-rose-byrne-b2929994.html) Commentators have noted the combination of mainstream appeal and arthouse risk-taking in her choices, from *Easy A* and *Crazy, Stupid, Love* to the Lanthimos films.[23](https://www.timeout.com/film/the-10-best-emma-stone-movies-ranked)
## References
1. [Stone, Emma 1988- (Emily Stone, Riley Stone), Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/stone-emma-1988-emily-stone-riley-stone)
2. [Oscar Moments: Talk of war and peace, a coronation for Nolan, a naked John Cena and Ken-demonium!, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/0c0316f1767edc9efc8180cfd192163f)
3. [Who Are the Producers Getting Movies Made?, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/business/who-are-the-producers-getting-movies-made/)
4. [There's a Reason Why Olivia Colman Called Emma Stone 'Emily' in Her Charming Oscars Speech, TIME](https://time.com/5536906/emma-stone-emily-oscars-2019/)
5. [The 89th Academy Awards | 2017, Oscars.org](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2017)
6. [Emma Stone's Oscars Style Evolution, Explained by a Fashion Editor, Who What Wear](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/red-carpet/emma-stone-oscars-red-carpet-fashion-retrospective)
7. [Emma Stone, Golden Globes Awards Database](https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/emma-stone/)
8. [¿Cuántos Oscar tiene Emma Stone y cuántas veces ha sido nominada a los Premios Oscar?, AS](https://as.com/meristation/cine/cuantos-oscar-tiene-emma-stone-y-cuantas-veces-ha-sido-nominada-a-los-premios-oscar-f202603-n/)
9. ['A Mesmerizing Riot.' Critics Have Seen Bugonia, And They Can't Stop Talking About Emma Stone's Performance, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/critics-seen-bugonia-emma-stone-performance)
10. [Emma Stone, IMDb biography](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1297015/?showAllCredits=true)
11. [Emma Stone's 20 best performances – ranked!, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/nov/02/emma-stones-20-best-performances-ranked)
12. [Emma Stone Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/emma-stone)
13. [Emma Stone won, but Lily Gladstone didn't lose, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-emma-stone-native-american-martin-scorsese-lily-gladstone-b2510911.html)
14. [Emma Stone's Best Actress Oscar win over Lily Gladstone doesn't feel right – and Stone herself seems to know it, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/emma-stone-lily-gladstone-oscars-best-actress-b2510481.html)
15. [From Easy A to Poor Things, here's how Emma Stone's 'exquisite strangeness' on screen won her a second Oscar, ABC News](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-08/emma-stone-could-win-second-oscar-with-poor-things/103490106)
16. [Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone's Surprising Texts After the SAG Awards Snub Are Going Viral, Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/celebrity-news/jennifer-lawrence-emma-stone-sag-award-text-exchange)
17. ['Entirely astounding': Emma Stone's star continues to rise with Poor Things, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/29/entirely-astounding-emma-stones-star-continues-to-rise-with-poor-things)
18. [Emma Stone, Festival de Cannes biography (PDF)](https://cdn.festival-cannes.com/media/uploads/2025/05/189364.pdf)
19. [Emma Stone, l'art de la réplique, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2024/05/18/emma-stone-l-art-de-la-replique_6233974_3246.html)
20. ['The Curse' embraces cringe and absurdism. Emma Stone wanted in before she even knew what it was, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/749c063a6967e8baefa25e5f3205a65b)
21. [Oscar favorite 'Anora' wins best film, director and actor at the Independent Spirit Awards, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/618441f0da3479801f8faa5ee8239c72)
22. [Emma Stone, Jessie Buckley and Teyana Taylor lead vintage glamour at 2026 Actor Awards, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/celebrity-news/jessie-buckley-teyana-taylor-emma-stone-twenties-rose-byrne-b2929994.html)
23. [10 Best Emma Stone Movies, Ranked, Time Out](https://www.timeout.com/film/the-10-best-emma-stone-movies-ranked)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Sp to S*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license