Alison Lohman is a native of Palm Springs, California. She grew up in a family with no showbiz connections but she always wanted to perform. By age 9 she had landed her first professional, theatrical role playing Gretyl in "The Sound of Music" at Palm Desert's McCallum Theater. At 11, Alison won the Desert Theater League's award for "Most Outstanding Actress in a Musical" for the title role in "Annie" and by age 17 she had appeared in 12 different productions. An accomplished singer, she performed as a featured solo vocalist for Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and the Desert Symphony. As a senior in high school, Alison was an awardee of the National Foundation of the Advancement of the Arts. The offer of a scholarship to NYU's Tisch School soon followed, but instead she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film. She attended a session of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.



She played a older teen pretending to be a 14-year-old girl in Matchstick Men (2003). In real life, she was 22-23 at the time (she had a birthday midway through shooting). She studied acting, ballet, dance, and eventually won awards and scholarships for her talent. Is an environmentalist, supports many charities which improve and protect the environment. Is of Irish descent. She went to the audition for Matchstick Men (2003) dressed as and acting like a 14-year-old girl. Ridley Scott only realized her real age when she told him. She was 22 at the time. Was cast as "Christine Brown" in the film Drag Me to Hell (2009) after Ellen Page dropped out due to scheduling problems.