Quvenzhané Wallis is an American child actress. She is known for her leading role as Hushpuppy in the critically acclaimed drama film Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012),for which she became the youngest actress ever to receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress,Wallis was born in Houma, Louisiana to Qulyndreia (née Jackson) and Venjie Wallis Sr. She has a sister, Qunyquekya, and two brothers, Vejon and Venjie Jr."Quven", the first part of her name, combines the first syllables of her parents' first names, and "zhané" is Swahili for "fairy".