Movies

Larisa Romanovna Oleynik (/ləˈrɪsə oʊˈleɪnɪk/; born June 7, 1981) is an American actress. Oleynik began her career as a child actor, first appearing onstage as young Cosette in a national touring production of Les Misérables (1989–1991). She was subsequently cast in the titular role on the Nickelodeon sci-fi series The Secret World of Alex Mack from 1994 to 1998. She also began a film career, starring in an ensemble cast as Dawn Schafer in the film adaptation The Baby-Sitters Club (1995), and in a lead role in the teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You (1999).

Oleynik subsequently had a supporting role in the comedy 100 Girls (2000), after which she starred opposite Nastassja Kinski and Scarlett Johansson in the period film An American Rhapsody (2001), and the independent drama Bringing Rain (2003). She later had supporting roles in Atlas Shrugged: Part II (2011) and the horror film Jessabelle (2014). From 2010 to 2015, she had a recurring role as Cynthia Cosgrove on the AMC series Mad Men, and a voice role as Icy on the Nickelodeon revival of Winx Club (2011–2014).

Early life and education
Larisa Romanovna Oleynik was born in Santa Clara, California, to Lorraine (née Allen), a former nurse, and anesthesiologist Roman Oleynik. Her father was of Russian and Ukrainian ancestry, and she was raised in the Russian Orthodox faith. Oleynik was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She graduated from the Pinewood School in Los Altos, California, in 1999. As her acting career flourished, she would "divide her time between normal childhood experiences in Northern California and auditions in Los Angeles."

After the success in her role as Alex Mack, Oleynik decided to attend college, enrolling at Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, New York, which she later described as "the best decision I’ve made".