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Happy Birthday Mia Sara: Celebrating the ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ Actress’s Best Moments

It’s not every day a movie like “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” comes along. And Mia Sara made the most of her opportunity playing Sloane Peterson. She created an iconic character in a beloved movie. Today, the talented actress turns 54. To celebrate, we’re going to take a look back at her career.

Born Mia Sarapochiello, the “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” actress hails from Brooklyn, New York. And given the length of her surname, it’s not surprising that she decided to shorten it for the sake of her acting career. Although, “Sarapochiello” definitely has some music to it.

Regardless, it wasn’t long from the start of Mia Sara’s acting career until she was playing starring roles in feature films. According to IMDb, Sara’s first official credit came on an episode of the long-running soap opera, “All My Children.” Just two years later, she starred opposite a young Tom Cruise in the Ridley Scott-directed 1985 film “Legend.”

Then came “Bueller.” In 1986, Sara played the role of Sloane Peterson in the classic film as a teenager. And being that young had some serious drawbacks. In an interview she did with Games Radar in 2010, she talked about what it was like to be involved with “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” at that age.

“Of the main cast, I was the only actual adolescent, so unfortunately for me it was like having your most awkward adolescent year forever memorialised,” Sara said. “The cast were all lovely but mostly my experience was feeling very out of my depth and, you know, flailing.”

Fortunately, Sara had more opportunities to work in the industry as she matured. She later starred in (and had fun working on) the 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme flick “Timecop.”

You can watch some of her best Sloane Peterson moments below.

What is the Delightful Mia Sara Working on These Days?

Mia Sara continued working through the 1990s and 2000s. Her most recent official credit on IMDb is from a 2013 short called “Pretty Pretty.” But these days, she’s staying busy raising her family.

She married Jason Connery, the son of late “James Bond” legend Sean Connery in 1996. They had a son together and divorced in 2002. Mia Sara is now married to another familiar name. In 2005, Sara had a daughter with Brian Henson, the eldest son of Muppet man Jim Henson.

At 54 years old, after a career spanning four decades and raising two kids, Mia Sara is as recognizable as ever. But in a 2009 interview with “Glamour,” she said it’s for a reason you won’t expect.

“Most of the time people think they went to high school with me,” Sara said.

Apparently, she just has one of those faces.

A very happy 54th birthday to you, Mia Sara. And many more.