Morena Baccarin: ‘Firefly’ Actress Headed For A Breakout After Emmy Nomination

Morena Baccarin was best known to fans of the short-lived but cult favorite series Firefly, but now an Emmy nomination for her role in Showtime’s Homeland has the actress ready to become a breakout star.

Morena got a supporting actress nomination for her role as Jessica Brody in the acclaimed series, marking what seems to be the peak in her career so far.

The 34-year-old Baccarin was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the daughter of stage and television actress Vera Setta and journalist Fernando Vaccarin. At age seven her family moved to Greenwich Village, New York, when her father took a job at the headquarters of Globo TV.

In New York she attended the New York City Lab School for Collaborative Studies, where she was actually classmates with her future Homeland costar, Claire Danes.

In 2001 Morena Baccarin scored her first movie role, in the improvised fashion comedy Perfume. She continued stage work, serving as understudy to Natalie Portman in the Central Park production of The Seagull.

But her big break came in the short-lived series Firefly. It was her first television role, and though the show was canceled after one season she made an indelible mark on fans.

This led to a series of other science-fiction roles, including the villain Adria in the tenth season of Stargate SG-1. Baccarin would reprise the role in the movie Stargate: The Ark of Truth.

In Homeland, Morena Baccarin has won acclaim with her portrayal of the wife of a prisoner of war. She’ll find out on September 23 if the Emmy Award voters feel its worthy of a trophy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

Whether or not she wins, Morena Baccarin has a big event planned in her life. In May she announced that she’s pregnant with her first child. The due date has yet to be revealed.