Trivia

Started recording the voice of Coraline (2009) when she was just 10 years old, but this movie was not released until she was fourteen, almost fifteen.

When she received the Best Young Actor/Actress award from the Broadcast Film Critics Association for her performance in I Am Sam (2001), she was too short to reach the microphone to give her acceptance speech. Presenter Orlando Bloom held her up to the mike for the duration of her speech, which turned out to be quite long.

Loves to knit and has knitted scarfs for Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro, Denzel Washington, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Tim Robbins.

For the 'sad' scenes in I Am Sam (2001), she thought of her pet goldfish, Flounder, dying.

On her 10th birthday, Robert De Niro gave her a doll that looked like Dakota's character in Hide and Seek (2005), with the brown hair and blue eyes.

Her father named her Dakota, her mother named her Hannah. She then was named Hannah Dakota Fanning.

She began her acting career at the age of five when she was picked for a Tide detergent commercial.

After filming Dreamer (2005), Kurt Russell, who plays her father, bought her a palomino horse, whom she named Goldie. Goldie lives on a ranch near Dakota's home where she can visit him often.

For Dakota's 16th birthday, Cherie Currie (who Dakota portrayed in the movie The Runaways (2010)) gave her a custom made guitar.

She chose her costumes and looks in Push (2009). Some of the clothes were actually her own.

Looks up to Meryl Streep and Hilary Swank, "not just because they're great actresses, but because they are amazing people".

Has mentioned in numerous interviews that she would love to work with her sister, Elle Fanning.

Plays the piano and the violin, knits, collects dolls, ride horses and dances ballet.

She was friends with her late Uptown Girls (2003) co-star Brittany Murphy.

Her favorite movie, which made her cry, is What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993).

At the age of eight, she became the youngest person to be nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award - for her supporting acting in the movie I Am Sam (2001).

Is learning to speak French. She also learned to speak some Spanish for her role in Man on Fire (2004).

While she was filming Man on Fire (2004) in Mexico, her sister Elle Fanning was filming The Door in the Floor (2004), so their parents had to go to and from their daughters' destinations.

Her scene in Nine Lives (2005) was done in just one take. She was only required to work on this movie for one day.

Her first word was "Momo", which was the family cat's name.

Her favorite scary movie as a child was The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Dakota was schooled at home and on sets by her tutor, but she joined high school in her freshman year.

For her, the hardest thing at the end of a movie is saying goodbye to the cast.

She was a cheerleader and was voted homecoming queen in high school.

Because of rape scenes that she was involved in, her movie Hounddog (2007) was banned in many cities.

She was the youngest member of the "Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences", which admitted her in 2006.

On her eleventh birthday, her War of the Worlds (2005) co-star Tom Cruise gave her her very first a cell phone, a Motorola Razor.

Often wears pieces from the "Elizabeth and James" clothing line, designed by Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen.

Has said she would love to be a director.

She donated many signed items to Rocky Stone to be given away as prizes in a Dakota Fanning Contest to benefit less fortunate kids as part of the Toy Mountain Campaign 2005 and Toy Mountain Campaign 2006.

She helped in raising 2,206 toys for the Less Fortunate Kids as part of the 2005 Toy Mountain Campaign with Rocky Stone. (December 2005)

She graduated with honors from North Hollywood's Campbell Hall Episcopal High School on June 6, 2011.

Carried a book of baby names with her wherever she went as a child.

Missed the premiere of Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005) to go to Mexico while her sister Elle Fanning filmed Babel (2006).

Dakota began attending New York University in 2011 intermittently, as her schedule allowed. It inspired her sister Elle Fanning to attend college. Dakota graduated in 2018.

She became close friends with Tom Cruise after working with him on War of the Worlds (2005).

Announced that she would begin her first semester of college at New York University in fall 2011. (June 2011)

Ranked number 19 along with her sister, Elle Fanning, on Entertainment Weekly magazine's "30 Under 30" actress list in 2008.

A doll was made of her (as her character Cale Crane) for the movie Dreamer (2005).

Is a member of the Girl Scouts USA, and her sister Elle Fanning is a Brownie.

Her favorite films include Gone with the Wind (1939), Steel Magnolias (1989) and Titanic (1997).

During the filming of War of the Worlds (2005), the airplane crash set was Dakota's favorite set.

Her favorite book is "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White, and her favorite book series are "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling, "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Daniel Handler, and "Nancy Drew" by Mildred Wirt Benson.

She learned to read a little at the age of two.

Fanning is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Fionn, meaning "fair", and may have Norman roots from the Viking invasion of northern France. Her mother's maiden name Arrington has links to the east of England, notably Cambridgeshire.

During filming of War of the Worlds (2005), Tom Cruise gave her an iPod.

Has been in three productions with her sister Elle Fanning, yet they have never shared scenes. Elle played the younger version of Dakota's characters in I Am Sam (2001) and Taken (2002), and the two girls voiced sisters in a dub for My Neighbor Totoro (1988).

Dakota is a huge fan of Hello Kitty, and she states that she has gotten into it more now she has gotten older.

She had not read all of the books from the Twilight series by the writer Stephenie Meyer before she got hired for the cast of the movie The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009), but she wanted to take the role because she loved the cast and the script.

Blue Valentine (2010) is one of her favorite movies and it inspired her to do more indie films.