Suvari was born in Newport, Rhode Island. By the age of 12, Mena was modeling and starred in a Rice-a-Roni commercial by 13. By age 16 she was making appearances in television shows such as Boy Meets World and ER.
In 1999 Mena starred in the critically acclaimed American Beauty and the popular American Pie. She followed these movies with roles in such movies as Loser (2000), The Musketeer (2001), and Spun (2002).
She married cinematographer Robert Brinkmann on March 18, 2000.