Mikey Madison's Real Name: Mikaela Madison Rosberg

Quick answer: Mikey Madison was born Mikaela Madison Rosberg on March 25, 1999, in Los Angeles. She won the Academy Award for best actress for the title role in Sean Baker's Anora (2024). She earlier starred in FX's Better Things, Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood, and Scream (2022) (Britannica; Library of Congress).

Real name and early life

Britannica's quick facts list her as "Born as: Mikaela Madison Rosberg," with a birth date of March 25, 1999, in Los Angeles. The Library of Congress name authority files her under her screen name, "Madison, Mikey," with the citation "b. Mar. 25, 1999 in Los Angeles, Calif."

According to Britannica, she grew up in the San Fernando Valley with a twin brother and three other siblings. Both of her parents are psychologists. She was homeschooled from seventh grade and first wanted to be a competitive horseback rider. Her father was a movie fan, and she grew up watching classic films. When she said she wanted to act, her mother signed her up for a class and later drove her to auditions.

Career highlights

Madison started in short films, including Pani's Box and Retirement (both 2013). Her first full-length feature was Liza, Liza, Skies Are Grey (2015). Her breakout came in 2016 on the FX comedy-drama Better Things (2016–22).

She played a member of the Manson Family in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood (2019). Britannica says director Sean Baker felt she "stole the last 15 minutes of the movie." She voiced a character in The Addams Family (2019), took a major role in Scream (2022), and appeared in the miniseries Lady in the Lake (2024).

After seeing her in Scream, Baker wrote Anora with her in mind, and she signed on without auditioning. She played a Brooklyn sex worker who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. To prepare, she learned Russian and pole dancing and did her own stunts. The film won the 2024 Palme d'Or and five Academy Awards, including best picture. Madison won the Oscar for best actress and a BAFTA. Britannica reports that Anora grossed more than $57 million worldwide on a $6 million budget.

Britannica also lists her next role as whistleblower Frances Haugen in Aaron Sorkin's The Social Reckoning (2026).

Name notes for searchers

"Mikey" is a nickname drawn from her first name, Mikaela, and Madison is her middle name. Her professional name drops the surname Rosberg. Because "Mikey" is often a male nickname, some searchers assume the actor is male. She is a woman who has been credited as Mikey Madison since her early films.