Mischa Anne Marsden Barton was born on January 24, 1986, in born in Hammersmith, London, England. Her father, Paul Marsden Barton, is English, and her mother, Nuala Quinn is Irish. She has an older sister, Zoe, and a younger sister, Hania.
The family moved to New York City when Barton was just five years old, and she eventually became a naturalized citizen of the United States, though she still retains her British citizenship as well. She attended the Professional Children's School in Manhattan, and she graduated in 2004.
Barton first began acting at nine years old, working in many Broadway plays. She soon was cast in films, including
The Sixth Sense, and
Notting Hill. She had a role on the daytime drama,
All My Children, and did a several episodes on the show,
Once and Again. Not long after that, she got the role of Marissa Cooper on the TV series
The O.C., which has made her famous.
Barton has modeled for Calvin Klein, Neutrogena Cosmetics, Bebe, Keds, and many other companies. She is not married, but has in the past been romantically linked to oil heir Brandon Davis, and Whitestarr singer
Cisco Adler.