Fanning, üç yaşında, kız kardeşi Dakota Fanning'in karakterinin gençliğini canlandırdığı I Am Sam (2001) filmiyle sinema dünyasına adım attı. Üretken bir çocuk oyuncu olarak, Daddy Day Care (2003), Babil (2006), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ve Phoebe in Wonderland (her ikisi de 2008) gibi filmlerde rol aldı.
Sofia Coppola'nın draması Somewhere (2010), J. J. Abrams'ın bilim kurgu filmi Super 8 (2011) ve Sally Potter'ın Ginger & Rosa (2012) filmlerindeki başrolleriyle tanındı. Disney'in fantastik filmi Maleficent'te (2014) Prenses Aurora'yı canlandırmasıyla uluslararası ilgi gördü.
Yetişkinlik döneminde Fanning'in kariyeri, Nicolas Winding Refn'in The Neon Demon (2016), Mike Mills'in 20th Century Women (2016), Sofia Coppola'nın The Beguiled (2017) ve Joachim Trier'in Sentimental Value (2025) gibi beğenilen bağımsız filmlerdeki performanslarıyla ilerledi; sonuncusu ona En İyi Yardımcı Kadın Oyuncu dalında Akademi Ödülü adaylığı kazandırdı. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) devam filmi, James Mangold'un A Complete Unknown (2024) ve Dan Trachtenberg'in Predator: Badlands (2025) filmleriyle ana akım filmlere geri döndü.
Televizyonda, dönem hiciv dizisi The Great'te (2020–2023) Büyük Katerina ve mini dizi The Girl from Plainville'de (2022) Michelle Carter rollerini canlandırdı ve ilk rolüyle Komedi Dizisinde En İyi Başrol Kadın Oyuncu dalında Primetime Emmy Ödülü'ne aday gösterildi. Sahneye ise Branden Jacobs-Jenkins'in Appropriate (2023) adlı oyunuyla Broadway'de ilk kez çıktı.
Filmografi
Film
- 2001 — I Am Sam — Young Lucy Dawson — Jessie Nelson
- 2003 — Daddy Day Care — Jamie — Steve Carr
- 2004 — The Door in the Floor — Ruth Cole — Tod Williams
- 2005 — Because of Winn-Dixie — Sweetie Pie Thomas — Wayne Wang
- 2005 — My Neighbor Totoro — Mei Kusakabe (seslendirme) — Hayao Miyazaki — Disney İngilizce dublajı
- 2005 — P.N.O.K. — Rebecca Bullard — Carolyn McDonald — Kısa film
- 2006 — Déjà Vu — Abbey — Tony Scott
- 2006 — Babel — Debbie Jones — Alejandro González Iñárritu
- 2006 — I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With — Penelope — Jeff Garlin
- 2007 — Day 73 with Sarah — Sarah — Brent Hanley — Kısa film
- 2007 — The Nines — Noelle — John August
- 2007 — Reservation Road — Emma Learner — Terry George
- 2008 — The Curious Case of Benjamin Button — Daisy Fuller (7 yaşında) — David Fincher
- 2008 — Phoebe in Wonderland — Phoebe Lichten — Daniel Barnz
- 2009 — Astro Boy — Grace (seslendirme) — David Bowers
- 2010 — The Nutcracker in 3D — Mary — Andrei Konchalovsky
- 2010 — Somewhere — Cleo — Sofia Coppola
- 2011 — The Curve of Forgotten Things — Kız — Todd Cole — Kısa film
- 2011 — Super 8 — Alice Dainard — J. J. Abrams
- 2011 — Twixt — V — Francis Ford Coppola
- 2011 — We Bought a Zoo — Lily Miska — Cameron Crowe
- 2012 — Ginger & Rosa — Ginger — Sally Potter
- 2012 — Leaning Toward Solace — Sara — Floria Sigismondi — Kısa film
- 2014 — Young Ones — Mary Holms — Jake Paltrow
- 2014 — Low Down — Amy-Jo Albany — Jeff Preiss
- 2014 — Maleficent — Aurora — Robert Stromberg
- 2014 — The Boxtrolls — Winnie (seslendirme) — Graham AnnableAnthony Stacchi
- 2015 — Trumbo — Nikola Trumbo — Jay Roach
- 2015 — 3 Generations — Ray — Gaby Dellal
- 2016 — The Neon Demon — Jesse — Nicolas Winding Refn
- 2016 — 20th Century Women — Julie Hamlin — Mike Mills
- 2016 — Ballerina — Félicie Le Bras (seslendirme) — Éric SummerÉric Warin
- 2016 — Live by Night — Loretta Figgis — Ben Affleck
- 2017 — The Vanishing of Sidney Hall — Melody Jameson — Shawn Christensen
- 2017 — How to Talk to Girls at Parties — Zan — John Cameron Mitchell
- 2017 — The Beguiled — Alicia — Sofia Coppola
- 2017 — Mary Shelley — Mary Shelley — Haifaa al-Mansour
- 2018 — I Think We're Alone Now — Grace — Reed Morano
- 2018 — Galveston — Rocky — Mélanie Laurent
- 2018 — Teen Spirit — Violet — Max Minghella
- 2019 — A Rainy Day in New York — Ashleigh Enright — Woody Allen
- 2019 — Maleficent: Mistress of Evil — Aurora — Joachim Rønning
- 2020 — The Roads Not Taken — Molly — Sally Potter
- 2020 — All the Bright Places — Violet Markey — Brett Haley — Ayrıca yapımcı
- 2022 — The Nightingale — Isabelle Rossignol — Mélanie Laurent
- 2025 — Sentimental Value — Joachim Trier
Televizyon
- 2002 — Taken — Allie Keys (3 yaşında) — Bölüm: "Charlie and Lisa"
- 2003 — Judging Amy — Rochelle Cobbs — Bölüm: "Maxine Interrupted"
- 2003 — CSI: Miami — Molly Walker — Bölüm: "Death Grip"
- 2004 — CSI: NY — Jenny Como — Bölüm: "Officer Blue"
- 2006 — House — Stella Dalton — Bölüm: "Need to Know"
- 2006 — Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Eden — Bölüm: "Cage"
- 2006 — The Lost Room — Anna Miller — 3 bölüm; mini dizi
- 2006–2007 — Criminal Minds — Tracy Belle — 2 bölüm
- 2007 — Dirty Sexy Money — Kiki George — Bölüm: "Pilot"
- 2014 — HitRecord on TV — Kız evlat — Bölüm: "RE: The Number One”
- 2020 — The Disney Family Singalong — Kendisi — Televizyon programı
- 2020–günümüz — The Great — Catherine the Great — Başrol; 20 bölüm ve aynı zamanda yönetici yapımcı
- 2021 — Robot Chicken — Sarah, Logan's Friend, Nerd's Wife — Seslendirme; Bölüm: “May Cause the Need for Speed”
- 2022 — The Girl from Plainville — Michelle Carter — Başrol; aynı zamanda yönetici yapımcı
Ödülleri
- Aday gösterildi — 2004 — Young Artist Award — Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film — Daddy Day Care
- Aday gösterildi — 2007 — Young Artist Award — Best Supporting Young Actress — The Lost Room
- Aday gösterildi — 2007 — Young Artist Award — Best Young Actress Age Ten or Younger - Film — Babel
- Aday gösterildi — 2011 — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award — Best Young Actor/Actress — Somewhere
- Kazandı — 2011 — Young Hollywood Award — Actress of the Year Award — Somewhere
- İkinci — 2011 — International Cinephile Society Awards — Best Supporting Actress — Somewhere
- Aday gösterildi — 2011 — Young Artist Award — Best Leading Young Actress - Feature Film — The Nutcracker in 3D
- Kazandı — 2011 — Hollywood Film Festival — Spotlight Award — Super 8
- Aday gösterildi — 2011 — Satellite Award — Best Actress in a Supporting Role — Super 8
- Aday gösterildi — 2011 — Scream Award — Breakout Performance: Female — Super 8
- Aday gösterildi — 2011 — Teen Choice Award — Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy — Super 8
- Aday gösterildi — 2011 — Teen Choice Award — Choice Movie Chemistry — Super 8
- Aday gösterildi — 2012 — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award — Best Young Actress — Super 8
- Aday gösterildi — 2012 — Young Artist Award — Best Leading Young Actress - Feature Film — Super 8
- Aday gösterildi — 2012 — Young Artist Award — Best Young Ensemble Cast - Feature Film — Super 8
- Aday gösterildi — 2012 — MTV Movie Award — Best Breakthrough Performance — Super 8
- Aday gösterildi — 2012 — British Independent Film Award — Best Actress in a British Independent Film — Ginger & Rosa
- Aday gösterildi — 2013 — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award — Best Young Actress — Ginger & Rosa
- Aday gösterildi — 2014 — Teen Choice Award — Choice Movie Actress: Action — Maleficent
- Aday gösterildi — 2015 — Saturn Award — Best Performance by a Younger Actor — Maleficent
- Aday gösterildi — 2015 — Kids' Choice Award — Favorite Movie Actress — Maleficent
- Aday gösterildi — 2016 — Critics' Choice Movie Award — Best Acting Ensemble — Trumbo
- Aday gösterildi — 2016 — Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Cast Ensemble in a Motion Picture — Trumbo
- Aday gösterildi — 2016 — Critics' Choice Movie Award — Best Acting Ensemble — 20th Century Women
- Aday gösterildi — 2020 — TCA Award — Individual Achievement in Comedy — The Great
- Aday gösterildi — 2021 — Independent Spirit Awards — Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series — The Great
- Aday gösterildi — 2021 — Golden Globe Awards — Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy — The Great
- Kazandı — 2021 — Satellite Awards — Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series — The Great
- Aday gösterildi — 2021 — Screen Actors Guild Awards — Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series — The Great
