Favorite Actresses
My favorite actresses (There's A LOT!)
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Eliza Dushku was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Judith (Rasmussen), a political science professor, and Philip R. Dushku, a teacher and administrator. Her father is Albanian and her mother is American (of Danish, Irish, English, and German descent). She was discovered at the end of a five-month search throughout the United States for the perfect girl to play the lead role of Alice opposite Juliette Lewis in the film That Night (1992). Since then, she has been in several films and has worked with actors such as Robert De Niro, Ellen Barkin, Leonardo DiCaprio, Paul Reiser, and Jim Belushi. Born in Boston on December 30, 1980, she has studied the piano, drums, and several types of dance (jazz, tap, and ballet). Her previous acting experience includes numerous amateur presentations at the Watertown Children's Theater where she was part of the company since she was in the first grade. In addition to acting, she is sometimes seen on stage at the Children's Theater signing for the deaf.- Jaimie Alexander was born in Greenville, South Carolina, but moved with her family to Grapevine, Texas, when she was four years old. She took theatre classes in grade school as a hobby but was kicked out in high school because she could not sing, and so she took up sports instead. At age 17 she substituted for a friend at a meeting with a scouting agency and she met her manager, Randy James, who sent her some scripts. After graduating from high school she moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue acting.
Her career was launched in 2003 when she was cast in the leading role of Hanna Thompson in the low-budget award-winning film The Other Side (2006). According to the DVD commentary, she was originally at the audition to help out by reading against the male actors, but director Gregg Bishop decided to cast her in the leading role after hearing her perform the lines. Her second role was in 2004 in Squirrel Trap (2004), in which she played the co-lead role of Sara. A year later she was cast as Jessi XX on the ABC Family series Kyle XY (2006), in which she played the role of a superhuman being created by scientists as a laboratory experiment. She was nominated for the Saturn Awards as "Best Supporting Actress on Television" for that role in 2008.
Her biggest role came in 2011, when she was cast as Lady Sif, a warrior goddess of Asgard, in the blockbuster from Marvel Comics, Thor (2011). She later reprised her role in its sequel, Thor: The Dark World (2013). - Actress
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Yvonne Jaqueline Strzechowski was born and raised in Australia. Her parents were Polish immigrants. She attended the Santa Sabina College for her high school education. She then went on to study Performance at the University of Western Sydney's School of Contemporary Arts, graduating in 2003. Shortly afterwards, she landed her first role on television in an episode of Fear Factory (2004). Her next role was also on Australian television, appearing in several episodes of Headland (2005). In 2007, she made her big screen debut in Gone (2006). This performance caught the attention of casting directors in Hollywood. She decided to move from Australia to Los Angeles and, on her third day of arrival, she landed her breakthrough role as "Sarah Walker" in Chuck (2007).- Actress
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Rachel Alice Marie Skarsten was born April 23, 1985 in Toronto, to Mary Aileen (Self) and Dr. Stan Skarsten. She has a younger brother, Jonathan.
Rachel danced for the Royal Academy of Dance for twelve years, earning her Elementary Level with distinction in 1999. After an injury to her ankle, Rachel was forced to give up dance and turned to sports. She played at the highest level of competitive female hockey as a goalie for the Leaside Wildcats in Toronto, where in 2002 she won the Toronto City Championships in a shootout.
One of her first movie roles was Caroline Lofton on Virginia's Run (2002)
At 16 she won a major role -- that of superhero Black Canary/Dinah Lance -- in the WB series Birds of Prey (2002), after being discovered by Producer Brian Robins. After the show was canceled, she moved home from Los Angeles eager to take a hiatus from acting, to graduate high school and pursue an undergraduate degree. After graduating from Earl Haig Secondary School in the top 10% of her class, and being named an Ontario Scholar, she was accepted into the prestigious Canadian Queen's University. There she completed a double major in English Literature and Classical History. After graduation, she backpacked around Western Europe for four months with friends. She moved back to Los Angeles in the spring of 2008.
Following this, she returned to acting with arcs on Flashpoint, The Listener and The LA Complex.
Rachel represented the role of Tamsin in the supernatural crime drama television series Lost Girl (2010-2016), Andrea in the successful movie Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), Queen Elizabeth I in the CW series Reign; she was seen too in Aaron Sorkin's Molly's Game (2017) and recently she played Poppy Langmore in the second season of Bravo's Imposters (2018), from Universal Cable Productions.- Actress
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Emmy Award-winning Sarah Michelle Gellar was born on April 14, 1977 in New York City, the daughter of Rosellen (Greenfield), who taught at a nursery school, and Arthur Gellar, who worked in the garment industry. She is of Russian Jewish and Hungarian Jewish descent.
Eating in a local restaurant, Sarah was discovered by an agent when she was four years old. Soon after, she was making her first movie An Invasion of Privacy (1983). Besides a long list of movies, she has also appeared in many TV commercials and on the stage. Her breakthrough came with the television series Swans Crossing (1992). In 1997, she became known to the cinema audience when she appeared in two movies: I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and Scream 2 (1997). But she is most commonly known for her title role in the long-running television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997). She also won an Emmy Award for her performance as Kendall Hart on the soap opera All My Children (1970).
Sarah has since starred in many films, including Simply Irresistible (1999), Cruel Intentions (1999), and the live-action Scooby-Doo (2002) movies as the lovable Daphne Blake. She also provided her voice to several movies, including Small Soldiers (1998), Happily N'Ever After (2006) and TMNT (2007), starred in the box office hit The Grudge (2004), and co-starred with Robin Williams and James Wolk in the television series The Crazy Ones (2013).
She resides in Los Angeles, California, with her husband, Freddie Prinze Jr.. They have been married since 2002, and have two children.- Actress
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Tonkin was born in Sydney. When she was four, she attended dance courses in classical ballet, hip hop, contemporary dance, and tap dance. At the age of 12, Tonkin began courses at the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) at the Wharf Theatre. Tonkin attended Loreto Kirribilli and later graduated from the Queenwood School for Girls.
In December 2005, Tonkin was cast as the role of Cleo Sertori on the Australian children television series H2O: Just Add Water which follows the lives of three teenage girls who turn into mermaids. Tonkin improved on her swimming abilities during the pre-production of the series. The series premiered on 7 July 2006 on Network Ten and has since gone on to be aired to a worldwide audience of more than 250 million. To promote the series she and her co-stars presented the best band award at the Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards in October 2007. In 2008, Tonkin was nominated for "Best Lead Actress in a Television Series" at the prestigious Australian Film Institute Awards. The series ran for three seasons with the series finale airing on 16 April 2010.
Tonkin has also appeared on fellow Australian television shows Packed to the Rafters and Home and Away. In September 2010, Tonkin made her film debut starring in the Australian action ensemble film Tomorrow, When the War Began. In the film, which revolves around a group of teenagers waging a guerrilla war against an invading foreign power in their fictional hometown of Wirrawee, she played the role of the rich and uptight Fiona Maxwell. In December 2010, a sequel was announced with Tonkin expected to return, though production of a sequel never came to fruition.
In January 2011, Tonkin moved to Los Angeles to pursue an international acting career. She was cast in March 2011 as Faye Chamberlain on The CW supernatural drama series The Secret Circle which premiered on 15 September 2011 to over 3.5 million viewers. The series follows a group of young witches who are a part of a secret coven. For her performance, Tonkin has received critical acclaim, with critics referring to her as the breakout star of the series; she was featured on Variety's list of "new faces to watch" and named one of 2011's breakout TV stars by E! Online. The Secret Circle, however, had only one full season as it was canceled on 11 May 2012.
In August 2010, Tonkin was cast in the 3D horror film Bait 3D. Filming took place on Australia's Gold Coast and follows a group of strangers who are trapped in a supermarket after a freak tsunami with a pack of great white sharks. The film was expected to be released in Australia in September 2012. In August 2012, Tonkin joined the cast of The CW television series, The Vampire Diaries, in the recurring role of Hayley, a friend of Tyler. She joined her co-star from H2O: Just Add Water, Claire Holt, who portrays Rebekah Mikaelson on the show.
On 11 January 2013, The CW confirmed that a spin-off series to The Vampire Diaries was in the works, titled The Originals. The series revolves around the Original Vampire family members, and Tonkin would "be heavily featured in the prospective pilot" of the series. The CW confirmed on 13 February that Claire Holt would also join the cast of The Originals, marking the third time Tonkin and Holt have starred together on a show. Tonkin has had a main role in all the seasons.
Tonkin has appeared in a number of advertisements which include Vauxhall Motors and was previously signed to Chic Management. Her modeling career includes shoots for Girlfriend, Teen Vogue, ELLE Australia, Miss Vogue Australia, Vogue Australia, Dolly and Free People. Tonkin has also appeared in Miles Fisher's music video "Don't Let Go". In 2012 Tonkin opened a website about health with friend Teresa Palmer called YourZenLife.- Actress
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Erica Durance was born on June 21, 1978 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She is an actress and producer known for Smallville (2001) and Saving Hope (2012). She grew up with an older brother and sister on a turkey farm in Three Hills. After school, she moved to Vancouver to start her acting career. Durance started her career in commercials and guest-starring roles on different television series. In 2004 she was cast as Lois Lane on the television series Smallville, starting in season 4 as a guest-star and became a series regular in season 5. She played the character for seven seasons on Smallville, ending in 2011. In 2012, Durance was cast to played the lead role as Dr Alex Reid in the television medical drama, Saving Hope.- Actress
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Sophia Bush has captured film and television audiences with her range of roles and diverse characters She was born on July 8, 1982, in Pasadena, California, and is an only child. Her father, Charles William Bush, is a renowned advertising and celebrity photographer, and her mother, Maureen E. (Searson) Bush, runs a photography studio.
Growing up in Pasadena, Sophia made her acting debut there in a school theater production while attending Westridge School for Girls, a small private school. She was crowned Queen of the Royal Court for the 2000 Tournament of Roses and graduated from high school that same year. In 2002, Sophia made her screen debut as Sally, a college student, in the comedy National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002), opposite Ryan Reynolds. She attended University of Southern California for three years, and took a Journalism major and Theatre minor, albeit she did not graduate, taking her leave of absence after getting the part as Brooke Davis, a flirtatious cheerleader on the WB TV series One Tree Hill (2003). She was also cast to play opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger and Nick Stahl in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), but, after she began principal photography on the film, the director deemed her too young for the role and she was soon replaced by actress Claire Danes. She was also featured in a three-episode arc on the provocative FX drama, Nip/Tuck (2003).
Sophia got her big break when One Tree Hill (2003) developed a loyal following and became her steady gig. The show ran for nine seasons. Her character evolved from a trouble-making vixen to a fiercely loyal friend, and is a huge fan favorite. It was while working on the series that Bush began dating her on-screen love interest, actor Chad Michael Murray. They wed in April 2005, but split after five months, in September 2005. In December 2006, their divorce became final. Meanwhile, she continued to land big screen roles, such as October Bantum in Stay Alive (2006), a horror film by writer/director William Brent Bell, and as Beth in John Tucker Must Die (2006), a comedy by director Betty Thomas, co-starring Jesse Metcalfe and Brittany Snow. Bush is co-starring as Grace Andrews, who is terrorized by a killer played by Sean Bean, in the remake of The Hitcher (2007), for Focus Features.
She starred in Serenade Films' movie The Narrows (2008), a movie based on Tim McLoughlin's novel, "Heart of the Old Country". Bush played Kathy Popovich, an NYU student who attracts the attention of Mike Manadoro (Kevin Zegers), a fellow student with some shady connections. "The Narrows" was directed by François Velle. Bush was then seen in Table for Three (2009), an independent comedy that takes a look at the tangled relationships between couples and roommates. The film co-starred Brandon Routh and Jesse Bradford.
Bush garnered the most individual Teen Choice Awards in 2007, taking home awards in the categories of "Choice Movie Actress: Comedy", "Choice Movie Actress: Horror/Thriller" and "Choice Movie: Breakout Female". In addition, she was also a recipient of the "Rising Star" Award at the 2007 Vail Film Festival as well as the "New Hollywood Style Icon" Award at the 2008 Hollywood Style Awards.
Sophia is a passionate philanthropist whose causes focus on the celebration of arts as well as the environment. She is an advocate of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, a foundation committed to the preservation of biodiversity within the Maasai tribal lands of East Africa. Funds support conservation, education, and health services within the Maasai community, as well as a host of programs designed to conserve Africa's legendary wildlife. She also contributes her time and talents to the Art of Elysium, a non-profit that enriches the lives of children battling serious medical conditions by bringing together artists to share their time and talent. She has also worked as an Assignment Editor for Annenberg TV News in her spare time. Her other talents include horseback riding, boxing, and photography. She enjoys reading and spending time with her friends, and resided in Wilmington, North Carolina, where One Tree Hill (2003) was filmed.- Actress
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Kristin Kreuk was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to Deanna Che, who is of Chinese ancestry, and Peter Kreuk, who is of Dutch descent. Her parents are landscape architects. She attended and graduated from Eric Hamber Secondary School. Although she did some stage work in school, she focused more on her studies. She described herself as shy and boring.
For her first professional work, she went to an open casting audition for Edgemont (2000), a teen drama series aired on CBC Television in Canada. She plays the role as "Laurel Yeung". Laurel was the last main character to be cast because the casting director was having a problem finding an actress. Fortunately, for them (and us), they found Kristin just in time.
Her career was set to take off when she landed on the highly acclaimed serial drama series for The WB, Smallville (2001). It follows the story of "Clark Kent" in his pre-Superman days in a small town of Smallville, Kansas. Kreuk played the role as "Lana Lang", Clark Kent's object of desire before he meets "Lois Lane".
Smallville (2001) proved to be a giant step for Kristin's acting career, as she landed several interviews with several magazines, including YM (Young and Modern) and Rolling Stone. She also did a commercial for Neutrogena, popular for its skin care products.- Actress
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Holly moved to New York at the tender age of 7. Already her stunning looks had turned heads, resulting in jobs in print ads and commercials. Soon these experiences lead to a desire to act, a dream shared by Holly's mother, who herself was only 24. After a few bit parts, Holly landed a leading role as Kimberly in TV drama Picket Fences (1992). This show ran for 4 years, winning Holly critical acclaim and a Young Actors award. After the show ended, Holly starred in more roles in TV movies, enjoying her marriage and career success. This wasn't to last; in 1997, she divorced husband Bryan Travis Smith and yearned for more challenging roles. Then in 1998, Holly's good friend Shannen Doherty told her about a new television show based around three sisters who happen to be witches, who save the world from evil. Holly auditioned for the middle sister, won the role and is now known world wide for her portrayal of Piper Halliwell in the WB smash hit show Charmed (1998). Holly now lives in Burbank with her husband and their three sons.- Actress
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Jessica Marie Alba was born on April 28, 1981, in Pomona, CA, to Catherine (Jensen) and Mark David Alba, who served in the US Air Force. Her father is of Mexican descent (including Spanish and Indigenous Mexican roots), and her mother has Danish, Welsh, English, and French ancestry. Her family moved to Biloxi, MS, when she was an infant. Three years later her father's career brought the family back to California, then to Del Rio, TX, before finally settling in Southern California when Jessica was nine. In love with the idea of becoming an actress from the age of five, she was 12 before she took her first acting class. Nine months later she was signed by an agent. She studied at the Atlantic Theatre Company with founders William H. Macy and David Mamet.
A gifted young actress, Jessica has played a variety of roles ranging from light comedy to gritty drama since beginning her career. She made her feature film debut in 1993 in Hollywood Pictures' comedy Camp Nowhere (1994). Originally hired for two weeks, she got her break when an actress in a principal role suddenly dropped out. Jessica cheerfully admits it wasn't her prodigious talent or charm that inspired the director to tap her to take over the part--it was her hair, which matched the original performer's. The two-week job stretched to two months, and Jessica ended the film with an impressive first credit. Two national TV commercials for Nintendo and J.C. Penney quickly followed before Jessica was featured in several independent films. She branched out into TV in 1994 with a recurring role in Nickelodeon's popular comedy series The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994). She played an insufferable young snob, devoted to making life miserable for the the title character, played by Larisa Oleynik. That same year, she won the role of "Maya" in Flipper (1995) and filmed the pilot for the series. She spent 1995 shooting the first season's episodes in Australia. An avid swimmer and PADI-certified SCUBA diver, Jessica was delighted to be doing a show that allowed her to play with dolphins. The show's success guaranteed it a second season, which she also starred in. Her involvement in the show lasted from 1995 to 1997.
In 1996 she appeared in Venus Rising (1995) as "Young Eve." The next year she appeared on The Dini Petty Show (1989), a Canadian talk show, and spoke about her role in "Flipper" and her general acting career. She began working on P.U.N.K.S. (1999), featuring Randy Quaid, in 1998. In early 1998 she appeared in Brooklyn South (1997) as "Melissa." That same year she was in two episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) as "Leanne" and in two episodes of Love Boat: The Next Wave (1998).
She appeared in "Teen Magazine" in 1995 and various European magazines over the following years. More importantly, she was featured in the February 1999 issue of "Vanity Fair" magazine. She also had major roles in two movies that year: Never Been Kissed (1999) and Idle Hands (1999). In 2000 she had roles in Paranoid (2000) and starred in the sci-fi TV series Dark Angel (2000), gaining worldwide recognition.
Her first starring role in a major studio film was the Honey (2003), Universal Pictures' contemporary urban drama that grossed over $60 million worldwide. She has since made over 25 feature films that have earned a combined box-office total of over $800 million, including comedies and dramas, from gritty independents to major studio blockbusters. In 2005 she starred opposite Bruce Willis and an all-star cast in the provocative and critically acclaimed Sin City (2005), directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller. She next starred as Sue Storm--"The Invisible Girl"--in Marvel's action-franchise blockbuster Fantastic Four (2005), which was released by 20th Century-Fox in July 2005 and became a worldwide box-office success with over $300 million in revenue.
Jessica was part of Garry Marshall's all-star ensemble romantic comedy, Valentine's Day (2010), which broke box-office records with the largest opening on a four-day President's Day weekend in history. She starred opposite Casey Affleck and Kate Hudson in director Michael Winterbottom's controversial screen adaptation of The Killer Inside Me (2010), based on Jim Thompson's novel, as well as Robert Rodriquez's Machete (2010). She co-starred in the third installment of the hit "Meet the Parents" franchise Little Fockers (2010), as well as the 4D family adventure Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World (2011), marking her third of five collaborations with Robert Rodriguez. Jessica was part of an all-star voice cast for The Weinstein Company's animated adventure, Escape from Planet Earth (2012), also featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, Brendan Fraser and James Gandolfini.
She appeared in the comedy A.C.O.D. (2013), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and starred Adam Scott, Jane Lynch and Amy Poehler. She made a cameo appearance in Machete Kills (2013) and co-starred in Robert Rodriquez's highly-anticipated, star-studded sequel Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014). That year she had a full slate of acting projects, including the period drama Dear Eleanor (2016), The Englishman opposite Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek; the IFC parody mini-series The Spoils of Babylon (2014), produced by Funny or Die, with a stellar cast including Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Tobey Maguire, Michael Sheen and Tim Robbins; and Stretch (2014), co-starring Patrick Wilson, Chris Pine, Ray Liotta, Ed Helms and Brooklyn Decker.
Jessica has received Golden Globe and People's Choice Award nominations, was voted TV Guide readers' Breakout Star of the Year, and won Favorite TV Actress at the 2001 Teen Choice Awards for "Dark Angel." She won the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Female Actress for her performance in "Fantastic Four" and an MTV Movie Award for Sexiest Performance in "Sin City." She received another Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress in a Horror/Thriller for The Eye (2008) and was honored by the Young Hollywood Awards as Superstar of Tomorrow in 2005. She has received ALMA Awards for her performances in "Dark Angel" and "Machete," as well as a Fashion Icon in 2009.- Actress
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Mack was born in Germany but moved with her family to Long Beach, California, when she was 2. She began acting at 4 with print work and commercials, and began studying at The Young Actors Space in Los Angeles when she was 7. Before joining the cast of Smallville (2001), Allison starred in the short-lived and sorely under-rated Fox television comedy Opposite Sex (2000). Prior to that, she was a regular on Hiller and Diller (1997), working alongside great talents such as Richard Lewis, Kevin Nealon, and Eugene Levy. Allison has also guest-starred in the WB family drama 7th Heaven (1996) as a teenager caught up in the "cutting" trend.
Mack has starred in many movies for television, including the cable film My Horrible Year! (2001), which was directed by Eric Stoltz and starring Karen Allen, Mimi Rogers, and Stoltz himself. She was also in A Private Matter (1992) with Sissy Spacek and Aidan Quinn, Living a Lie (1991) with Peter Coyote and Jill Eikenberry, Unlikely Angel (1996) with Dolly Parton and Roddy McDowall, and Stolen Memories: Secrets from the Rose Garden (1996) starring Mary Tyler Moore and Linda Lavin. Allison is also an accomplished dancer and singer and she currently living in Los Angeles. She enjoys reading, going to movies and plays and spending time with her friends and family.- Actress
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Lucy Hale has captured the attention of millions through her dynamic on-screen performances in some of the most buzzed about projects in film and television. Hale recently starred as the lead, DC Lake Edmunds, in the new series, Ragdoll, which is streaming on AMC and Alibi. Last year, she finished production on The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, an adaptation of the New York Times best-selling novel by Gabrielle Zevin. Hale is also set to executive produce and star in the upcoming feature film Which Brings Me to You. Hale starred as the titular character in the HBO MAX series "Katy Keene," a "Riverdale" spin-off based off of the Archie Comics characters. "Katy Keene" was highly anticipated and premiered on The CW before moving to the streaming platform. Time Magazine referred to the show as "a Delightful Fairy Tale for a New Decade" and Variety called it "a winning series." In 2021, she starred in the romantic comedy THE HATING GAME based off the best-selling book, the rom-com A NICE GIRL LIKE YOU, BIG GOLD BRICK opposite Andy Garcia, Megan Fox and Oscar Issac, SON OF THE SOUTH from Executive Producer Spike Lee, and the thriller BORREGO which Hale is also an Executive Producer on. In 2020, Hale starred alongside Michael Peña and Maggie Q in Blumhouse Productions' thriller FANTASY ISLAND, directed by Jeff Wadlow. Hale also starred in The CW's drama series "Life Sentence" and in the thriller TRUTH OR DARE from Blumhouse Productions and alongside Tyler Posey. TRUTH OR DARE is one of Blumhouse's most profitable features to date. That same spring Hale was seen in the indie film THE UNICORN, which had its world premiere at SXSW in March 2018, and leading an ensemble cast in the Netflix film DUDE, alongside Kathryn Prescott and Alexandra Shipp. In 2010, Freeform's smash-hit series "Pretty Little Liars" premiered, launching Hale in stardom. For her portrayal of Aria Montgomery, Hale won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Cable TV Actress in 2014; she was nominated for the same award the following three years. She has also won seven Teen Choice Awards for Choice TV Actress/Star, and she was presented with the 2013 Gracie Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Rising Star. The seventh and final season of the show aired on June 27, 2017.- Actress
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Rachel Bilson was born in Los Angeles, to Janice (Stango), a sex therapist, and Danny Bilson. Her father is Ashkenazi Jewish and her mother is of Italian descent. She began acting while still at Notre Dame High School. She graduated high school in 1999 and went to Grossmont College but dropped out after a year and was encouraged to pursue a career in acting by her father, himself a writer, director and producer.
She worked in commercials and landed a few one-off roles in high profile TV shows before landing the part of Summer Roberts in the hit TV series The O.C. (2003), establishing herself as a household name.- Actress
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Ksenia Solo is a Latvian-Canadian actress. She was born in Riga, Latvia in to an artistic family. She is a recipient of many prestigious Canadian awards, including 3 Gemini Awards and a nominee of the first ever Canadian Screen Awards. Ksenia was the youngest actor in Canadian television history to win two consecutive Gemini Awards.
Solo is a highly versatile actress that comes from a classical ballet background. She is best known for playing the ambitious 'Veronica', rival to Natalie Portman's 'Nina' in the 5-time Oscar nominated film Black Swan, manipulative and disturbed 'Holly' opposite Dominic Monaghan in the psychological thriller Pet, and young and innocent 'Lucy' opposite Maria Bello in In Search of Fellini.
Solo's ability to transform has also earned her critical acclaim for her roles on television including fan favorite 'Kenzi' in the fantasy-noir Syfy hit Lost Girl, real life socialite and wife of America's most infamous traitor 'Peggy Shippen' alongside Jamie Bell in AMC's historical drama TURN: Washington's Spies and Cosima's romantic love interest 'Shay' opposite Tatiana Maslany in BBC's Orphan Black.
No stranger to the comic book world, Ksenia played Dodge in the highly anticipated FOX/DreamWorks comic book adaptation of Locke & Key, which was executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and directed by Mark Romanek. Her other work includes starring on CW's Life Unexpected alongside Brittany Robertson, Shiri Appleby and Austin Butler and playing Stephen Colbert's daughter in the The Ron Howard produced pilot The Untitled Ken Finkleman project, to name a few.
Solo's most recent indie feature, Tulipani, Love, Honour and a Bicycle, directed by Oscar winner Mike Van Diem, received a standing ovation at its world premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. Ksenia had to learn Italian for her role in the film.
In 2018 Solo was offered the role of Susie Miller in History Channels Project Blue Book, produced by Academy Award Winner Robert Zumeckis. The show premiered on January 8th, 2019 and became a break out hit as the most watched show on cable television. Project Blue Book was picked up for season 2 and will begin filming in the summer of 2019.- Actress
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Jessica Stroup was born October 23rd 1986, in Anderson, South Carolina, USA. At the age of 17, she received a scholarship to attend the University of Georgia, but turned it down to pursue acting. At only 17, she moved to Los Angeles and immediately took acting classes and received both modeling and acting offers. Since then, Jessica has starred in several hit horror movies including Prom Night (2008) and The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007), and is booked a lead role in the brand new spin-off 90210 (2008) as one of the lead characters, "Erin Silver". In her spare time, Jessica enjoys hanging out with friends and family, watching movies, playing volleyball and listening to music.- Actress
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Alyssa Milano comes from an Italian-American family; her mother Lin Milano is a fashion designer and father Thomas Milano is a film music editor. Alyssa was born in a working-class neighborhood in Brooklyn and grew up in a modest house on Staten Island. One day her babysitter, who was an aspiring dancer, dragged Alyssa along to an open audition for the first national tour of "Annie". However, it was Alyssa and not the sitter who was chosen from 1500 other girls for the role. So at the tender age of seven, with her mother in tow, Alyssa joined the tour as July, one of the orphans. After 18 months on the road Alyssa, who had begun to garner a reputation as an energetic and charismatic young actress, left Annie to be featured in off-Broadway productions and television commercials. Then in 1983, at age 10, she landed her breakthrough role on the sitcom Who's the Boss? (1984) as Tony Danza's saccharine sweet daughter, "Samantha Micelli", a kid whose native Brooklyn accent rivaled her TV dad's. In order for Alyssa to accept the gig, the Milano family had to uproot and move 3,000 miles to Hollywood.- Actress
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Bridget Regan is an American actress and producer. Her film credits include Devil's Gate (2017) opposite Milo Ventimiglia, John Wick (2014), The Leisure Class (2015), The Best and the Brightest (2010) alongside Neil Patrick Harris, Sex and the City (2008), Weak and the upcoming feature Canvas opposite Joanne Kelly. In television she presently appears on ABC's The Rookie (2018) where TVLine declared her performance as Monica Stevens "deserved her own spinoff series." In 2021 Regan brought to life the iconic DC supervillain Poison Ivy in Batwoman (2019). Cody Schultz of Bang Smack Pow declared "Regan delivered a performance nothing short of outstanding... Regan's portrayal of Poison Ivy was nuanced and layered, bringing a depth and complexity to the character that we haven't seen before in live-action." In 2020 Bridget Regan starred in Paramount's gothic mystery series Paradise Lost (2020) opposite Josh Hartnett, Barbara Hershey and Nick Nolte. Prior to that she starred as the villain Rose, a.k.a. Sin Rostro, the sexually fluid crime lord on the Golden Globe nominated series, Jane the Virgin (2014) for five seasons. This, as well as portraying the Marvel's original Black Widow, the Soviet trained assassin Dottie Underwood, in Agent Carter (2015) opposite Hayley Atwell, and the MI6 spy turned con artist, Rebecca Lowe, opposite Matt Bomer on USA's White Collar (2009) made E! News declare her "The Ultimate Kick-Butt Villain... she may seem sweet and unassuming but this redhead is playing the most basass villains on TV." From 2015-2018 Regan starred opposite Eric Dane as the bad ass, multi-lingual Navy Intel Officer, Sasha Cooper, on the TNT's hit action drama series The Last Ship (2014) produced by Michael Bay. In 2010, she completed her run bringing to life the heroine, Kahlan Amnell, in ABC Signature's cult hit Legend of the Seeker (2008), produced by Sam Raimi. Her other television credits include The Company You Keep (2023), Grey's Anatomy (2005), The Good Wife (2009), Sons of Anarchy (2008), Person of Interest (2011) opposite Jim Caviezel, Hide (2011) alongside Carla Gugino, Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) among many others. Originally from Carlsbad, California, Regan relocated to New York City upon graduating from North Carolina School of the Arts under the direction of theater legend Gerald Freedman (BFA '04). In 2007 Regan originated the role of Cecile Leroux on Broadway in the French farce IS HE DEAD? opposite Norbert Leo Butz written by Mark Twain, adapted by David Ives and directed by Michael Blakemore. Regan has produced multiple productions Off Broadway and at the iconic La MaMa Theater of the electro pop queer musical Camp Wanatachi written by Natalie Weiss and Bekah Brunstetter. She has a feature film off of Camp Wanatachi in development with Zaden Meron Productions. She lives in Los Angeles with her partner, film writer and director Eamon O'Sullivan, and their two children, Frankie Jean and Barney Moon.- Ashley McCall Scott is an American actress and model. She was born on July 13, 1977 in Metairie, Louisiana, but raised in Charleston, South Carolina. She began her modeling career as a young girl. She was a 1993 Elite Model Look finalist and became a Model for Elite Miami, she modeled internationally and graced the runways at fashion shows in Miami, Paris and London.
Ashley has appeared on the cover of the prestigious "Hollywood Reporter" and has been tracked by photographers from such publications as "WWD", "US Weekly", "Vegas", "Salon", "Victim", "ShortHair" and "Cosmo Girl". Her first screen credit was as "Gigolo Jane" in the feature film, A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001). In 2001, she also broke into TV, when she was cast as "Asha Barlow" in the second season of FOX's hit sci-fi show, Dark Angel (2000).
In 2002, Ashley joined the cast of Birds of Prey (2002) as "Helena Kyle" (a.k.a The Huntress). She followed her work on "Birds of Prey" with films such as S.W.A.T. (2003), Evil Remains (2004), Walking Tall (2004), Lost (2004) (voice), Into the Blue (2005), The Kingdom (2007), Strange Wilderness (2008), 12 Rounds (2009) and TV movies, such as Christmas Mail (2010), Unstable (2012), The Nightmare Nanny (2013), Summoned (2013), Holiday Road Trip (2013).
She played "Emily Sullivan" in the CBS drama, Jericho (2006) (2006-2008) and was a guest star on CSI: Miami (2002), NCIS (2003) . She voiced Maria in the 2013 video game, The Last of Us (2013).
Scott starred in a number of made-for-television movies in recent years, primarily for the Lifetime network, including Summoned (2013), and The Nightmare Nanny (2013), 16 and Missing (2015). She was cast as series regular "Mary Newhouse" in the Lifetime comedy-drama series, UnREAL (2015), opposite Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer. UnREAL was acclaimed by critics as the best summer TV drama.
She resides in Los Angeles and was married to Steve Hart, Worlds Apart lead singer until their divorce in 2019. They are the parents of two baby girls. - Actress
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Jennifer Love Hewitt was born in Waco, Texas, to Patricia Mae (Shipp), a speech-language pathologist, and Herbert Daniel Hewitt, a medical technician. She has English, Italian, French, Scottish, and German ancestry. She got her first name from her older brother Todd Daniel Hewitt (b. November 8, 1970), who picked the name after a little blonde girl on whom he'd had a crush. Her mother selected Jennifer's middle name, Love (which she goes by offstage), from her best college friend. Her parents separated when she was six months old and her mother raised her in Killeen, Texas.
Hewitt made her official performing debut at age 3 when she sang at a livestock show. At age 5, she was taking tap, jazz, and ballet lessons, which led to her joining the Texas Show Team, who toured the Soviet Union and Europe. When she was 10 her family moved to Los Angeles with encouragement from talent scouts, while Todd stayed behind to finish high school in Texas Jennifer quickly found commercial work and a role on Disney's Kids Incorporated (1984) in 1989. She went through a series of television flops before finally hitting it big on Party of Five (1994) in 1995.- Actress
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Hayden Lesley Panettiere was born on August 21, 1989 in Palisades, New York, to actress Lesley Vogel and fire department captain Skip Panettiere. Her younger brother was actor Jansen Panettiere (1994-2023). Her parents are both of half Italian descent, along with German and English. Her mother got her started in the business by doing commercials when she was just 11 months old. Then, at only 4 1/2, she was cast on the soap opera One Life to Live (1968), where she remained until 1997. Since then, she has gone on to appear in many feature films and TV movies. But she is probably best known in the United States for her role as "Claire" on the hit TV show, Heroes (2006).
As for movies, Hayden starred in Remember the Titans (2000) with Denzel Washington and Joe Somebody (2001) with Tim Allen. When Hayden isn't working, she enjoys singing, dancing, horseback riding, gymnastics, taking piano lessons, and swimming.
She has been involved with many animated movies, beginning with A Bug's Life (1998) as "Dot", later to follow was Dinosaur (2000), the video game Kingdom Hearts (2002), and The Mark of Kri (2002). Her next movie is Racing Stripes (2005), a partly animated film, but Hayden will star in the human role; other cast members include the voices of Whoopi Goldberg, Dustin Hoffman, Joshua Jackson and Mandy Moore.
In 2003, she joined the likes of Jessica Lange, Tom Wilkinson and Clancy Brown in Jane Anderson's Normal (2003), a film about a Midwestern husband and father who announces his plans to have a sex-change operation. In July of the same year, Hayden appeared in a John Guare play, "Landscape of the Body", for the Williamstown theater festival in Williamstown, Massachusetts.- Actress
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Bethany Joy Lenz was born in Hollywood Florida, an only child of Robert George Lenz (a history teacher and therapist) and Catharine Malcolm Holt Shepard (a personnel manager and entrepreneur). She is best known for her role on - the WB hit One Tree Hill (2003) - as "Haley James Scott", wife to James Lafferty's "Nathan" and childhood mate of Chad Michael Murray's "Lucas".
Prior to One Tree Hill (2003), Bethany spent most of her acting career on the stage. She has called Musical theater her passion, and has performed in various productions of "Annie", "The Wizard of Oz", "Gypsy", "Cinderella", "CATS for Cats" etc...
After moving from Texas to New York, Bethany portrayed "Michelle Bauer Santos" on CBS's Guiding Light (1952). When her two year contract ended there, she left New York and moved to Los Angeles and guest starred on shows like Charmed (1998), Felicity (1998) and The Guardian (2001). She also appeared in Los Angeles stage productions of "The Outsiders" - directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman and "Happy Days" (as Pinky Tuscadero) - directed by Garry Marshall.
After moving from North Carolina (One Tree Hill), Bethany spent a year raising her daughter Maria before taking any more roles. Although she started an internet rotating novel 'Diamond Gothic' with 'Abigail Spencer' and 'JC Coccoli' on 'Hello Giggles.
Bethany came back strong and guest starred on shows like Men at Work (2012) and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), joined the cast on Sock Monkee Therapy (2013) and Dexter (2006), and got her own TV show Songbyrd (2014). She also joined and performed original songs on Rock the Schools Concert (2012) and recorded several songs in 2012 (Album: 'Then Slowly Grows') and 2013 (Album: 'Your Woman').
She is an accomplished singer with an four-octave range, trained in New York by Richard Barrett, the director of the Brooklyn College of Opera, and in Los Angeles by renowned voice teacher Eric Vetro (Jennifer Garner, John Stamos and Ewan McGregor).- Actress
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Evangeline Lilly, born in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, in 1979, was discovered on the streets of Kelowna, British Columbia, by the famous Ford modeling agency. Although she initially decided to pass on a modeling career, she went ahead and signed with Ford anyway, to help pay for her University of British Columbia tuition and expenses.- Actress
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Julie Benz was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA on May 1, 1972. Julie's father is a Pittsburgh surgeon and her mother is a figure skater. The family settled in nearby Murrysville, when Julie was two, and she started ice skating at age three. She competed in the 1988 U.S. Championships in junior ice dancing with her partner David Schilling, coming in 13th. Her older brother and sister, Jeffrey and Jennifer, were 1987 U.S. Junior Champions in ice dancing and competed internationally. When Julie was 14, she had a bad stress fracture and had to take time off.
By 1989, with her figure skating career over, Julie turned to acting and got involved in the local theater where she got a role in the play "Street Law". Her first movie role was a small credited speaking part in the Black Cat segment of the Dario Argento/George A. Romero co-direction horror flick, Two Evil Eyes (1990), playing in one scene alongside Harvey Keitel. A year later, she got a role on a TV show called Hi Honey, I'm Home (1991).
After graduating from high school, Julie entered New York University to study acting there. After graduation, Julie moved to Los Angeles to further pursue her career and landed some small roles in movies and TV shows including a guest appearance on Married... with Children (1987) and in the Aaron Spelling TV pilot Crosstown Traffic (1995).
In 1996, Julie auditioned for the role of "Buffy" in the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997), but lost out to Sarah Michelle Gellar. However, she was offered a small role as a vampire girl in which she did such a good job that her part was expanded to a few more episodes in playing the vampire "Darla". With that, Julie Benz's career had finally taken off. She reprised her role as "Darla" in the Buffy spin-off series Angel (1999) for two years and has had several small roles in various film productions. She also had a small, but memorable, role playing a receptionist in the movie As Good as It Gets (1997).
Even after her role on Angel (1999) wrapped up, Julie continued to find work on television in playing many guest staring roles in numerous popular TV shows from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), to Supernatural (2005), to playing the lead and supporting roles in various made-for-TV movies. She landed another notable role on the TV-cable series Dexter (2006) playing "Rita", a troubled divorcée and lover of the title character played by Michael C. Hall. Benz played a leading role in the TV series No Ordinary Family (2010) playing Stephanie Powell along with actors Michael Chiklis, Kay Panabaker, Jimmy Bennett, Autumn Reeser, Romany Malco, and Stephen Collins.
In 2013, she had the starring role in the sci-fi / fantasy breakout hit show Defiance (2013).- Actress
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Katie Cassidy was born Katherine Evelyn Anita Cassidy on November 25, 1986, in Los Angeles, California. Her father, David Cassidy, was a pop star in the 1970s. Her famous relatives include uncles Shaun Cassidy, Patrick Cassidy and Ryan Cassidy, the sons by her grandfather Jack Cassidy's marriage to Shirley Jones; Katie's grandmother was Evelyn Ward. As a child, Katie took gymnastics, studied piano, guitar and singing, then took dancing and acting lessons and eventually became a cheerleader for the California Flyers. She attended Calabasas High School in her neighborhood. For years prior to graduation in 2005, Katie was modeling and studying acting in community theater. Katie had just been accepted to 'Tisch' at NYU when she was offered her first role as "Dee Dee", which was one month before graduating. Katie has not stopped working since. Katie's early exposure to show business, the cosmopolitan culture of Los Angeles, her family upbringing, and her comprehensive education altogether produced a remarkable result. She grew up as a multifaceted person showing her many talents in a variety of professions such as recording her father's 1970s hit "I Think I Love You" and singing in VH1's TV special Bubblegum Babylon (2002), writing her own songs, modeling for Abercrombie and Fitch and Guess?'s Rock and Republic clothing lines in 2004, and acting. She met her ex-boyfriend, Jesse McCartney, there and later appeared as his love interest in his video hit "She's No You". A story on Jesse and Katie appeared in the January 2006 issue of Teen People magazine. Jesse wrote the song "Bleeding Love" performed by Leona Lewis, about Cassidy and their relationship. At that time she was busy working on five feature film productions going on almost simultaneously. Katie made several appearances in TV series, such as 7th Heaven (1996) and Sex, Love & Secrets (2005), among others. She appeared as Samantha, the grown-up daughter of Adam Sandler and Kate Beckinsale in the comedy Click (2006). After the release of a teen horror film, When a Stranger Calls (2006),in which she co-starred as Tiffany, Cassidy went to Vancouver to work on her second horror film, Black Christmas (2006), in which she stars as a sorority girl. Katie recently beat out the likes of Jessica Simpson and Kristin Cavallari for the leading role opposite John Travolta as his daughter and the heir to the most powerful energy company in the world in Dallas, the big-screen remake of the cult TV series.- Claire Rhiannon Holt (born June 11, 1988) portrays the role of "Rebekah Mikaelson" in The Vampire Diaries (2009) and The Originals (2013). Her most notable roles are "Samara Cook" in Pretty Little Liars (2010), "Chastity Meyer" in Mean Girls 2 (2011) and "Emma Gilbert" in H2O: Just Add Water (2006).
Claire was born in Brisbane, Australia. She graduated from Stuartholme School in Toowong at the end of 2005. She is involved in several sports: swimming, volleyball, water polo, and Tae-Kwon-Do, in which she has a black belt. When she was younger, she was in her school's choir.
In 2006, she won the role of "Emma Gilbert" in the Network Ten children's television series, H2O: Just Add Water (2006). The show has earned a Logie Award and Nickelodeon Australia Kids' Choice Award. While the series was renewed for a third series, she left the show after series two, after signing on for the sequel to the 2007 film, The Messengers (2007), titled Messengers 2: The Scarecrow (2009). Filming took place in Sofia, Bulgaria throughout 2008. Starring alongside Norman Reedus and Heather Stephens, the film was released 21 July 2009 straight-to-DVD. In August 2011, she was confirmed to be in the TV series, The Vampire Diaries (2009) as "Rebekah Mikaelson". In addition to television and film roles, she has appeared in advertisements for Dreamworld theme park, Sizzler Restaurant, and Queensland Surf Lifesaving. BuddyTV ranked her #55 on its TV's 100 Sexiest Women of 2011 list. - Actress
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Julie Gonzalo was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and moved to Miami, Florida when she was 8 years old.
She won her first acting role when she was 20 and she made a few TV appearances during the early 2000s. She also appeared in some high-profile movies during that time, including Freaky Friday (2003)) but her breakthrough role came in 2006 when she won the role of Parker Lee in Veronica Mars (2004).
More TV and movie work followed (including several as producer) until she was cast as Rebecca Sutter in the revival of the hit 1980s soap Dallas (2012).- Actress
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Autumn Reeser saw her breakout role as the individualist Taylor Townsend on the popular Fox drama series "The O.C." Since then she's become known for her intelligent and heartfelt performances in roles such as firecracker junior agent Lizzie Grant on HBO's "Entourage" and become an in-demand and beloved star in Hallmark movies.
Acting came into Autumn's life as a clear calling when she was six years old and her parents took her to see her first play at the community theater in the small surf town of Carlsbad, California. She begged to audition for the next one, the jumping off point for a lifelong love-affair with art, musical expression and the exploration of the human character and psyche. Strongly connected to Spirit, she followed her guidance to apply for only one college, a new musical theatre program being launched at UCLA, and was accepted. After many late nights waitressing to support herself and rigorous training at various acting programs throughout Los Angeles, she began working steadily in film and TV and has not stopped since.
Her first role was as an alien girl on 'Star Trek: Voyager' at the age of 20, followed by honing her comedic chops on sitcoms such as 'The George Lopez Show' and 'Grounded For Life', and pouring her heart out in dramas such as 'Cold Case' and 'CSI'. Her breakout role came in 2005, as the quirky-cute and socially awkward Taylor Townsend on the final two seasons of The O.C. (2003), for which she received high critical acclaim. She's also known for her role as firecracker junior agent Lizzie Grant on HBO's 'Entourage' as scientist Katie Andrew in ABC's No Ordinary Family (2010), along with actors Michael Chiklis, Julie Benz. In 2012, she starred as sexy weapons expert Kylie Sinclair in Shawn Ryan's short-lived political thriller Last Resort (2012), on ABC. She also appeared as Dr. Gabrielle Asano on Hawaii 5-0, sports agent Abby Bruce opposite John Stamos on Necessary Roughness, and lead the cast in numerous romances for Hallmark.
In 2021 she directed her first short film and earned her first executive-producer credit for developing Hallmark's "The 27-Hour Day," followed by 'The Wedding Veil' trilogy with Lacey Chabert and Ali Sweeney, which was Hallmark's most-watched series of 2022.
In addition to her film and television career, she has appeared onstage in "For the Record: Tarantino" at Rockwell, "The OC Musical" at the Montelban, "Too Much Sun" at the Odyssey, and numerous cabarets. She is a member of The WorkJuice Players alongside Paul F. Tompkins and Busy Phillips, best known for their ongoing radio play series and podcast, "The Thrilling Adventure Hour." In the last few years, she has directed two new musicals: 'City of Light' at Feinsteins 54 Below in New York and 'Modern' in USC's LiveRead Workshop program and is the co-creator of the musical 'Particle.'
Autumn lives in Los Angeles with her sons Finn & Dash and has served on the board of the SAG-AFTRA union. She is an advocate for women, performers and working parents, as well as a counselor and intuitive guide. She offers mentorship to artists through her website.- Actress
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Shiri jumped in front of the lens as a youngster appearing in Norman Lear Sunday Dinner and Lawrence Kasden's I Love You To Death. At 19 she had her breakout performance on the series Roswell, playing the leading role of Liz Parker. She went on to appear in ER, Six Degrees, as well as Mike Nichols' Charlie Wilson's War, HBO's GIRLS, CW's Life Unexpected, before starring in Lifetime's critically acclaimed dramady UnReal, playing Rachel Goldberg, a producer working behind the scenes of a dating competition show, which received the Peabody Award. In 2016, Shiri was nominated for a Critics Choice Award for Best Actress for her work on the show. Shiri directed four episodes of UnReal before focusing most of her attention on directing. Shiri has directed shows such as Minx, UnPrisoned, Blackish, New Amsterdam, Young Sheldon, and many others, across all platforms.- Actress
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Eva Jacqueline Longoria was born on March 15, 1975 in Corpus Christi, Texas to Ella Eva Longoria (née Mireles), a special education teacher & Enrique Longoria Jr., a rancher. The youngest of four sisters who grew up in a Mexican-American family on a ranch near Corpus Christi, Longoria attended Texas A&M University-Kingsville, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology. After graduating from college, she entered a talent contest that brought her to Los Angeles, where she was spotted and subsequently signed by a theatrical agent. After landing roles on The Bold and the Beautiful (1987), General Hospital (1963) and co-starring on Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990), she auditioned for and won the role of Isabella Braña on the popular series, The Young and the Restless (1973). After Y&R, Eva became well known worldwide thanks to Desperate Housewives (2004), where she played a main character, Gabrielle Solis. She also has a contract with L'Oreal and has been named one of the most beautiful people. A passionate advocate of education, she founded The Eva Longoria Foundation which helps Latinas build better futures for themselves and their families through education and entrepreneurship and earned a Masters in Chicano Studies presenting her thesis on "Success STEMS From Diversity: The Value of Latinas in STEM Careers." Eva has also contributed writing to publications on the subject of education.- Actress
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Born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Ali began modeling at age thirteen, and traveled the world before moving to Los Angeles to study acting. Her first professional acting job was a role on the television series Chicago Sons (1997). She received her breakthrough in the high school football drama Varsity Blues (1999) which included her infamous whipped cream bikini scene. Roles in the horror films House on Haunted Hill (1999) and Final Destination (2000) further transitioned her career as an actress.
Acting alongside Colin Farrell, Larter starred in the Western comedy, American Outlaws (2001) which performed poorly at the box office. That year, she also starred as "Brooke Taylor Windham" in the comedy Legally Blonde (2001) with Reese Witherspoon.
Not happy with how things were going, Larter moved to New York in 2002 to reassess her life and career. She reprized her role as "Clear Rivers" in the sequel Final Destination 2 (2003) for which she received star billing. A year later, she made a cameo appearance as herself on the pilot to the HBO comedy drama Entourage (2004) and starred in Three Way (2004) as "Isobel Delano". She had a role in A Lot Like Love (2005) as "Gina."
Larter moved back to Los Angeles in 2006 where she auditioned for a role in the NBC sci-fi drama Heroes (2006). The pilot premiered on September 25, 2006 to successful ratings and many critics declaring it "the new Lost (2004)". The series ran for a total of 77 episodes in 4 Seasons when it was canceled due to diminishing ratings and high production costs. There has been interest in a mini-series or a movie to wrap up story lines.
During her time on Heroes (2006), Larter made several appearances on film. The first was the Bollywood film Marigold (2007) where she received a seven-figure salary. The movie was met with primarily negative reviews. She also starred in Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), part 3 of the popular film franchise based on the Capcom video games. She played "Claire Redfield", based on the video game character of the same name. The movie was a box office success tripling its production budget, albeit being a critical flop. Larter also appeared in the caveman comedy Homo Erectus (2007) which was released direct-to-DVD. The film co-starred Hayes MacArthur, an actor whom she was engaged to marry in December 2007.
In 2009, Larter starred opposite Beyoncé and Idris Elba in the thriller Obsessed (2009). The film opened at number one at the box office but was met with negative reviews, with some critics comparing it to Fatal Attraction (1987). It was also this year that Larter and MacArthur married in a small ceremony in Maine, among the guests was Larter's close friend, Amy Smart. The couple has two children.
She reprised her role as Claire Redfield in Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016), directed by Paul W.S. Anderson.- Actress
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Milla Jovovich is a Ukrainian-American actress, supermodel, fashion designer, singer and public figure, who was on the cover of more than a hundred magazines, and starred in such films as The Fifth Element (1997), Ultraviolet (2006), and the Resident Evil (2002) franchise.
Milica Bogdanovna Jovovich was born on December 17, 1975 in Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now in Ukraine). Her Serbian father, Bogdan Jovovich, was a medical doctor in Kyiv. There, he met her mother, Galina Jovovich (née Loginova), a Russian actress. At the age of 5, in 1981, Milla emigrated with her parents from the Soviet Union, moving first to London, UK, then to Sacramento, California, and eventually settled in Los Angeles. There her parents worked as house cleaners for the household of director Brian De Palma. Her parents separated, and eventually divorced, because her father was arrested and spent several years in prison.
Young Milla Jovovich was brought up by her single mother in Los Angeles. In addition to her native Ukrainian, she also speaks Russian and English. However, in spite of her cosmopolitan background, Milla was ostracized by some of her classmates, as a kid who emigrated from the Soviet Union amidst the paranoia of the Cold War. Many emotional scars had affected her behavior, but she eventually emerged as a resilient, multi-talented, albeit rebellious and risk-taking girl. She was coached by her actress mother since her childhood, first at home, then studied music, ballet, and acting in Los Angeles.
She shot to international fame after she was spotted by the photographer Richard Avedon at the age of 11, and was featured in Revlon's "Most Unforgettable Women in the World" advertisements, and on the cover of the Italian fashion magazine 'Lei' which was her first cover shoot. She made her first professional model contract at the age of 12, and soon made it to the cover of 'The Face', 'Vogue', 'Cosmopolitan' and many other magazines. In 1994, she appeared on the cover of 'High Times' in the UK, at the age of 18. The total number of her magazine covers worldwide was over one hundred by 2004, and keeps counting. In 2004, she made $10.4 million, becoming the highest paid supermodel in the world.
Milla appeared in ad campaigns for Chanel, Versace, Emporio Armani, Donna Karen, DKNY, Celine, P&K, H&H, and continues her role as the worldwide spokesperson and model for L'Oreal. Thanks to their continued success with Milla, Giorgio Armani chose her to be the face of his fragrance, Night. In addition to Armani's fragrance, Milla was the face for Calvin Klein's Obsession and Christian Dior's Poison for over 10 years and has most recently become the new face for Donna Karan's Cashmere Mist fragrance, which debuts in August 2009. Milla continues to shoot with the fashion industry's most sought after photographers, including Peter Lindbergh, Mario Sorrenti, Craig McDean and Inez & Vinoodh.
Milla made her acting debut in the Disney Channel movie The Night Train to Kathmandu (1988) and she made guest appearances on television series including Married... with Children (1987) (in 1989 as a French exchange student), Paradise (1988) and Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1990). In 1988, at age 12, she made her film debut credited as Milla in a supporting role in Two Moon Junction (1988) by writer/director Zalman King. During the 1980s and early 1990s, she played several supporting roles as a teenage actress in film and on television, then starred in Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991). In 1997, she co-starred opposite Bruce Willis in the sci-fi blockbuster The Fifth Element (1997), then she starred as the title character of The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999).
In the early 2000s, Milla had a few years of uncertainty in her acting career due to the uneven quality of her films, as well as some hectic events in her private life. She appeared with Mel Gibson in Wim Wenders' The Million Dollar Hotel (2000) which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. She went on to co-star with Wes Bentley and Sarah Polley in The Claim (2000) and in Ben Stiller's spoof of the world of models and high-fashion, Zoolander (2001).
Milla achieved box office success in the U.S. and around the world with the action-packed thriller, Resident Evil (2002), based on the wildly popular video game, Resident Evil. It was written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Milla reprised her role as the zombie slaying heroine, Alice, in Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010), Resident Evil: Retribution (2012), and again in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016) A seventh resident Evil movie is in pre-production.
She received glowing reviews opposite Oscar-winner Adrien Brody and Illeana Douglas in Dummy (2002) which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. In the spring of 2006, Milla returned to the big screen as action heroine, Violet, in the futuristic film Ultraviolet (2006) directed by Kurt Wimmer.
Focusing on her personal sense of style, her love of fashion led Milla and her friend and business partner, Carmen Hawk, to launch their Jovovich-Hawk clothing line, which achieved instant acclaim in the domestic and international fashion world. The fresh, unique line garnered the attention of red carpet watchers and fashion magazines, including American Vogue, who featured Jovovich-Hawk on their coveted list of "10 Things to Watch Out for in 2005." A student of voice and guitar since she was very young, Milla began writing songs for her first record at the age of 15.
Her first album, "The Divine Comedy", was released by EMI Records in 1994. Informed by her experiences as a child growing up as a Russian emigrant in the Red-bashing Reagan era, the introspective European-folkish debut drew favorable reviews for Milla's songwriting and performing. She continues to write music, and has had songs featured on several film soundtracks. She has been writing music and lyrics to her song-demos, playing her guitar and sampling other sounds from her computer, and allowing free download and remix of her songs from her website.
Charitable work also plays a major part in Milla's life. She has served as Master of Ceremonies and co-chaired with Elizabeth Taylor for the amfAR and Cinema Against AIDS event at the Venice Film Festival, and has been heavily involved with The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, as well as The Wildlands Project.
For many years Milla Jovovich has been maintaining a healthier lifestyle, practicing yoga and meditation, trying to avoid junk food, and cooking for herself. Since she was a little girl, Milla has been writing a private diary, a habit she learned from her mother. She has been keeping a record of many good and bad facts of her life, her travels, her relationships, and all important ideas and events in her career, planning eventually to publish an autobiography. After dissolution of her two previous marriages, Milla Jovovich became engaged to film director Paul W.S. Anderson; their daughter, Ever Anderson, was born on November 3, 2007. They got married on August 22, 2009. Their second daughter, Dashiel Edan, was born on April 1, 2015.- Actress
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Dianna Elise Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia to Mary and Ronald Agron and grew up in a middle-class family in Savannah before moving to Texas and, later, San Francisco, California, because her father was a general manager for Hyatt. Dianna and her brother Jason were raised Jewish and she graduated from Burlingame High School with honors.
While Dianna was growing up, she spent much of her time performing. She began dancing at age three, focusing mainly on jazz and ballet; she later began hip-hop dancing. She also appeared in many local musical-theater productions.
After graduating from high school, Dianna decided to pursue acting as a career and began appearing in commercials and television shows including CSI: NY (2004), Numb3rs (2005), Veronica Mars (2004), and Heroes (2006). In 2009, she won the role of high-school cheerleader Quinn Fabray on the FOX television series Glee (2009). Since the hit television show's premiere on May 19th, 2009, she and her castmates have received critical praise for well as her fellow cast mates, have received critical praise for their incredible work. In addition to her work on, Glee (2009), Dianna has ventured into films, such as Burlesque (2010), where she had the opportunity to star alongside Christina Aguilera, Cher, and Stanley Tucci, and the action thriller I Am Number Four (2011). There is no doubt that her beautiful talent will shine for years to come.- Actress
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Elizabeth Mitchell was born in Los Angeles in 1970. Shortly after her birth, her parents moved to Dallas, Texas. She was graduated from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas. Later, she earned a BFA degree in acting from Stephens College and also studied at the British American Drama Academy. Additionally, she spent six years at the respected Dallas Theatre Center and one year with that theater's Encore Company. Before her big screen debut, she started her acting career from theaters. Her theatrical stage credits include productions of "As You Like It", "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", "Measure for Measure", "Baby" and "Chicago", among many others.
Her breakthrough performance was opposite Angelina Jolie in Michael Cristofer's acclaimed HBO telefilm Gia (1998) endearing her to audiences and critics, alike. Following with the sci-fi time-travel adventure, Frequency (2000) with Dennis Quaid and Neil LaBute's highly anticipated Nurse Betty (2000) opposite Renée Zellweger, Elizabeth showed her charismatic acting skills. With numerous credits from theaters, TV series and movies, Elizabeth Mitchell continues to give her best in the acting field.- Actress
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Jessica Lowndes is a multifaceted Canadian actress, singer, and songwriter. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Jessica began her acting career at a young age, appearing in various television shows and films before landing her breakout role as drug addicted teen Adrianna Tate-Duncan on the CW TV series "90210." Originally written as a 3-episode arc, the character quickly became a series regular and a central character on 90210 for five seasons.
Beyond acting, Lowndes has expanded her career into production, having executive produced eight projects, two of which she has written the scripts and music for, as well as starred in.
In addition to her acting talents, Lowndes is also a gifted musician. She has released several singles and albums, showcasing her soulful voice and songwriting skills. She has self-released over 30 original songs and her single, Silicone in Stereo reached #11 on the Billboard charts in both the U.S. and Canada.
Lowndes starred alongside Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig in Lifetime's "A Deadly Adoption" and was the female lead in Bruce Willis and John Cusack's action flick "The Prince". In the past few years she has starred in over 15 projects with Lifetime, Hallmark, GAF and Tubi, many of which included original songs she wrote and performed for the projects. She wrote the original screenplay for Hallmark's "Over the Moon in Love" and co-wrote/performed the hit song "Paradise" for the film which hit #1 on iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts. She also starred in the 2021 film Mix Up in the Mediterranean for Hallmark Channel. Her duet "Alive," which she performed with her co-star Jeremy Jordan for the film, cracked the top 15 on iTunes last year.
Lowndes both wrote and starred in "Harmony From The Heart," for GAF and Hulu, alongside Jesse Metcalfe. Additionally, she wrote and produced the film's popular original song "11:11," which soared to #3 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart.- Actress
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Alexa Ellesse PenaVega was born Alexa Ellesse Vega on August 27, 1988 in Ocala, Florida and raised in Los Angeles, California to Gina Denise Rue, a former model & Baruch Jairo Vega, a photographer. She is known for her role as Carmen Cortez in the Spy Kids series and Shilo Wallace in the film Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008). In 2009, she starred as the title character Ruby Gallagher in the ABC Family series Ruby & The Rockits.- Actress
- Producer
From Cleveland to Hollywood, actress, producer, entrepreneur, funny woman, tear-jerker, designer, decorator, builder, creator, fixer, cook, cleaner, host, wife, Browns fan, homemaker, (very) amateur bowler and -her favorite title- mom, Monica Potter has achieved success in several different ways....save having a concise bio intro.
Monica Potter was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Nora Marie (Sexton), a homemaker and part-time cleaning lady, and Paul Ely Brokaw, Jr., who -among many other widely-used innovations- invented the first flame-resistant car wax. Her maternal grandparents were Irish.
A passionate creator by genes and trade, Potter, along with her 12-person "Monica Potter Home" team, is producing a line of natural, locally-crafted home and beauty products sold on mrspotter.com as well as the company's first standalone store, which opened in Garrettsville Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, in 2014. Building the company had been a dream for Potter. Through it, she aims to supplement the beauty and comfort of customers' homes at an affordable price, while creating sustainable job opportunities in the area. Appropriately enough, "Monica Potter Home" is headquartered in Potter's own childhood house in Cleveland; a structure Potter recently bought and renovated as part of an initiative to improve the neighborhood's condition.
When not running a company and knocking down walls, Potter is at work producing a sitcom, with Ellen DeGeneres and Warner Bros. Television, in which she will star as a mom, living under the same roof as her three ex-husbands. The script is in development and a pilot will be shot this spring. She is also producing a docu-series, tracking the renovation of her childhood home, with her favorite cast of characters...her family.
To the dismay of its extraordinarily vocal fans, Potter recently wrapped production on five seasons of NBC's acclaimed drama series, Parenthood (2010). For her portrayal of "Kristina Braverman" and her struggles to raise three children (including one with Autism), an emotional battle with breast cancer and run for mayor, Potter has garnered a 2014 Golden Globes nomination, a 2013 Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama, a TCA Award nomination for Individual Achievement in Drama & continued Emmy buzz.
Potter's previous television credits include roles in Boston Legal (2004), for which Potter and her cast mates were nominated for a 2005 Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, TNT's Trust Me (2009), USA's Reversible Errors (2004) and the beginning of it all, The Young and the Restless (1973).
Potter burst onto the film scene with her co-starring role, opposite Nicolas Cage in Simon West's Con Air (1997). She then starred, with Robin Williams, in the acclaimed dramedy, Patch Adams (1998) and appeared opposite Morgan Freeman in the thriller, Along Came a Spider (2001). Other film credits include the comedies, Head Over Heels (2001) and I'm with Lucy (2002), the mega-hit horror classic Saw (2004), Without Limits (1998), Lower Learning (2008) and The Last House on the Left (2009).
Potter resides in both Cleveland and Los Angeles with her family.- Actress
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Erika Jane Christensen was born in 1982 in Seattle, Washington, to Kathy (Hendricks), a construction manager, and Steven Christensen, a human resources executive and insurance worker. She was raised in the suburban outskirts of Los Angeles, California. At age 12, Erika knew that she was going to be an actress. Talented in acting, singing and dance, the young Christensen was determined, not just lucky; it wasn't long before she landed her first job: a commercial for national advertising giant, McDonalds. She followed up with a part in Michael Jackson's music video for "Childhood," then landed her big break: a lead role in Universal's Leave It to Beaver (1997). Christensen was only 13 years old, but acclaimed by critics for her "chemistry" and "radiant self-assurance." Guest spots on television followed. Christensen popped up everywhere including prime time heavy hitters like Frasier (1993), Nothing Sacred (1997), The Practice (1997), 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996) and Touched by an Angel (1994). Erika received a nomination by the Hollywood Reporter for the 1998 Young Star Award (Best Performance By A Young Actress in a TV Drama Series) for her outstanding performance in Nothing Sacred (1997). Erika also kept her big screen presence known, in 1999 she worked on a Disney made-for-tv movie called Can of Worms (1999). And in 2000 Erika was able to show the world her acting chops when she took the gritty role of Caroline Wakefield, a teenage daughter of the White House Drug Czar who is herself a drug addict, in the award-winning Steven Soderbergh film, Traffic (2000). Aside from the distinction of playing alongside Hollywood's elite, Erika earned critical acclaim for the realism of the role, and received multiple awards including Female Breakthrough Performance at the MTV Movie Awards, Female Standout Performance at the Young Hollywood Awards, and Outstanding Performance by a Cast Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Erika is of Norwegian (from her paternal grandmother), Danish, English, German, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish descent.- Actress
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Katherine Marie Heigl was born on November 24, 1978 in Washington, D.C., to Nancy Heigl (née Engelhardt), a personnel manager, and Paul Heigl, an accountant and executive. Her father is of German/Swiss-German and Irish descent, and her mother is of German ancestry. A short time after her birth, the family moved to New Canaan, Connecticut, where Katherine was to spend the majority of her childhood; the youngest member of her family, Katherine--or "Katie" as she is nicknamed--has two elder siblings, John and Meg. Tragically, her older brother Jason died in 1986 of brain injuries suffered in a car accident, after being thrown from the back of a pickup truck. When doctors determined he was brain-dead, the family made the difficult decision to donate his organs. Not only did this painful chapter give Katherine a greater perspective and appreciation for life, but it motivated her to use her celebrity to promote the importance of organ donation.
Katherine was first thrust into the limelight as a child model. An aunt, visiting the family in New Canaan, took a number of photographs of Katherine, then aged nine, in a series of poses to advertise a hair care product she had invented. Upon returning to New York, with permission from Katherine's parents, she sent the photos to a number of modeling agencies. Within a few weeks, Katherine had been signed to Wilhelmina, a renowned international modeling agency. Almost immediately, she made her debut in a magazine advertisement and soon followed this with an inaugural television appearance in a national commercial for Cheerios breakfast cereal.
Following a number of commercials and modeling assignments for Sears and Lord & Taylor, she made her big-screen debut in That Night (1992), which starred Juliette Lewis and C. Thomas Howell. It was then that she realized that acting rather than modeling was her passion. In 1993, Katherine appeared in Steven Soderbergh's critically-acclaimed Depression-era drama, King of the Hill (1993), before landing her first leading role as a rebellious teenager, alongside Gérard Depardieu, in My Father the Hero (1994). During this time, Katherine continued to attend New Canaan High School, balancing her academic studies with work on films and modeling, which she undertook during holidays, vacations and weekends.
In 1995, she played "Sarah Ryback", the niece of Steven Seagal's character, in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995), which was her "debut" in the action film genre. Acting was now becoming a stronger focus for Katherine, although she still modeled extensively, appearing regularly in magazines such as "Seventeen". Television appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) and Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) soon followed, before she took the lead role in Disney's Wish Upon a Star (1996) in 1996. It was also during that year that Katherine's parents divorced and, following her graduation from high school in 1997, she moved with her mother into a four-bedroom house in Los Angeles' Malibu Canyon area. This enabled her to focus upon acting with the guidance and support of her mother, who now managed her career.
In 1997, Katherine portrayed "Taffy Entwhistle", Rita Hayworth's stand-in, in Stand-ins (1997) and was also cast as the beauteous "Princess Ilene" in the European production, Prince Valiant (1997). She then made her made-for-TV movie debut, co-starring with Peter Fonda in a re-working of the classic Shakespearean play, The Tempest (1998), updated with an American Civil War theme. In this film, she played "Miranda Prosper", a young woman torn between her love for both her father and a Union soldier. Bug Buster (1998) and Bride of Chucky (1998) represented a venture into the horror genre for Katherine. While both films could be described as rather tongue-in-cheek despite their gory emphases, Bride of Chucky (1998) was the better received, both critically and commercially.
In 1999, Katherine decided to branch out into series television when she accepted the role of the haughty, yet vulnerable, "Isabel Evans", on Roswell (1999), a show that blended teen angst with sci-fi drama. Though she had never planned to embark on a career in television, the role of Isabel, a teenager with a secret life, was an offer she found impossible to refuse. In the series, Isabel, her brother Max (Jason Behr) and their friend Michael (Brendan Fehr) are aliens passing as humans in Roswell, New Mexico, as they desperately try to hide the truth from government agencies, the people of Roswell and even their own adopted families. To publicize her role on the show, Katherine graced the covers of magazines such as "TV Guide", "Maxim" and "Teen" and was interviewed on Later (1994) and The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (1999). Along with her mother Nancy, she also appeared in an episode of the Sci-Fi TV talk show, Crossing Over with John Edward (2001), during which she spoke with John Edward, a psychic medium, about her late brother, Jason. During the three years Roswell (1999) was in production, Katherine found time to work on several movies. 100 Girls (2000), an independent film released in 2001, is the story of a college freshman who meets the girl of his dreams in an elevator during a blackout, and spends the rest of the movie trying to find her again. Her cameo role is that of Arlene, the competitive tomboy. The second film, Valentine (2001), a horror film starring David Boreanaz and Denise Richards, appeared in U.S. theaters on February 2, 2001. In this movie, which is based upon the 1996 novel by Tom Savage, Katherine plays "Shelley", a medical student who meets a sudden demise.
In the spring of 2001, Katherine accepted a role in NBC's Critical Assembly (2002), a two-hour original television thriller. Katherine and Kerr Smith (Dawson's Creek (1998)) co-starred as brilliant and politically concerned college students who build a nuclear device to illustrate the need for a change in national priorities, but are betrayed by a fellow student when the bomb ends up in the hands of a terrorist. Unfortunately, the telefilm, directed by Eric Laneuville, written by Tom Vaughan, and based on the best-seller "The Seventh Power" by James Mills, was shelved when its storyline was deemed too close for comfort to the events of September 11, 2001. It was eventually broadcast in 2003. Since the cancellation of Roswell (1999) in the spring of 2002, Katherine has been busy with various projects, including an appearance on UPN's update of the classic television series, The Twilight Zone (2002). That episode, entitled Cradle of Darkness (2002), aired on October 2, 2002, and featured Katherine in the role of a woman who goes back in time to stop one of the most notorious murders in history. In addition, she completed a movie, Descendant (2003), a psychological thriller inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher". She has also starred as "Romy" in ABC/Touchstone's two-hour telepic, Romy and Michele: In the Beginning (2005), a prequel to the 1997 feature, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997). During the summer of 2002, Katherine made a major decision in the direction of her career when she signed on for representation in all areas with the William Morris Agency, one of the biggest and most prestigious agencies in the entertainment industry. She is now being represented by Norman Aladjem at Paradigm Agency and being managed by Nancy Heigl and Stephanie Simon and Jason Newman at Untitled Entertainment.- Actress
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Canadian born actress/director, AJ is best known for her role as "Special Agent Jennifer 'JJ' Jareau" in the CBS long running series CRIMINAL MINDS. She can currently be seen reprising her role on CRIMINAL MINDS: EVOLUTION for Paramount+, which will be going into a second season later this year. AJ has also directed an episode of CRIMINAL MINDS: EVOLUTION this season and did so in season 14 of CRIMINAL MINDS, as well. AJ's film credits include THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, OUT COLD, BACK FORK and FINAL DESTINATION 2.
After 15 years playing Special Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau on CBS' Criminal Minds, AJ Cook turned her eye toward directing and successfully directed an episode of the series in Season 14. Most recently, she directed episode 1608 for CRIMINAL MINDS: EVOLUTION, now on Paramount+.- Actress
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Born and raised in Dallas, Texas where she graduated Lake Highlands High School, Amy Acker is the oldest of four children; she has two sisters and one brother. An acting major at Southern Methodist University, Amy acted in several college theater productions. She appeared in various roles during the fantasy segments for the popular award-winning children's TV series Wishbone (1995), which was filmed in Texas and consisted of Dallas theater actors. Upon graduation she worked in Wisconsin and New York before winning the role of "Fred" on Angel (1999).- Actress
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Rose McGowan is an American actress and director, known for her contribution to independent film. Since the age of nineteen, she has appeared in acclaimed films by Gregg Araki, Wes Craven, Brian De Palma, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. In 2014, her directorial debut Dawn (2014) was nominated for the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Rose Arianna McGowan was born on September 5, 1973 in Florence, Tuscany, Italy, to American parents Terri and Daniel Patrick McGowan. She is the second eldest of six siblings, and has Irish, French, and English ancestry. As a young child, she was raised within the Italian chapter of the Children of God. During the early 1980s, her family severed ties with the community and migrated to Eugene, Oregon, USA. Following the divorce of her parents, Rose relocated to Gig Harbor, Washington, to live with her grandmother. At age 14, McGowan was accused of drug use by a family friend and committed to rehabilitation. She has consistently maintained the decision was unjustified. Upon release, she spent a year without a home and was emancipated from her parents by the age of 15. McGowan's career as an actor began with The Doom Generation (1995). Originally intended for Jordan Ladd, the character of Amy Blue was, coincidentally, awarded to McGowan by an associate of director Gregg Araki. For her performance, she was nominated at the 1995 Independent Spirit Awards for Best Debut Performance. Subsequently cast in Wes Craven's Scream (1996), she experienced further success when the project defied expectations to become one of the highest grossing films of the year. The innovative career of McGowan was overshadowed throughout much of the 1990s by her high-profile relationship with musician Brian Warner (aka Marilyn Manson). Strong performances in Going All the Way (1997), Lewis & Clark & George (1997), Southie (1998) and Jawbreaker (1999) were largely unseen by the general public. When the relationship ended between Rose and Manson in 2001, she remarked: "There is great love, but our lifestyle difference is, unfortunately, even greater". Rose continued to work solidly, appearing in a string of soft-sounding studio and independent films. Performances from this period included: a political activist in Showtime's The Killing Yard (2001), a grifter in Roads to Riches (2002) and a factory worker in "Stealing Bess" (aka Vacuums (2003)). She was re-introduced to the mainstream as Paige Matthews in Aaron Spelling's Charmed (1998), a popular television series for which she devoted five consecutive years. When "Charmed" finished its run in 2006, McGowan emerged in top form. Critics praised her efforts in Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror (2007), and Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (2007). In several interviews, McGowan has expressed a general apathy and disdain for Hollywood. Despite this, her work ethic remains strong. Following her recent marriage to LA-based artist Davey Detail, the actress has resolved to purse further projects as a director.- Actress
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Born in Overland Park, Kansas, Sarah moved to Mission Viejo, California, when she was 10 years old. In 1994, she secured her first role, as a series regular on Saved by the Bell: The New Class (1993). She then gained attention for her recurring role as "Madison Kellner" on the critically-acclaimed Warner Bros. series, Everwood (2002). She went on to star in Dr. Vegas (2004), for CBS from 2004-2006. Followed by ABC's What About Brian (2006), from 2006-2007. Sarah is perhaps best known for her lovable portrayal of "Ellie Bartowski" on NBC's long-running series, Chuck (2007). In 2014, Lancaster can be seen, alongside Robert Downey Jr., in The Judge (2014), for Warner Bros. Lancaster resides in Los Angeles with her husband, attorney Matt Jacobs, and their son, Oliver Jacobs.- Actress
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Summer is a native of San Antonio, Texas. She's been a ballerina most of her life. Her debut was in various commercials and a guest appearance on the WB's Angel (1999). She has gone on to star on the TV series Firefly (2002) as well as its follow-up movie Serenity (2005) and the TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008).- Actress
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Kaley Christine Cuoco was born in Camarillo, California, to Layne Ann (Wingate) and Gary Carmine Cuoco, a realtor. She is of Italian (father) and German and English (mother) descent. A model and commercial actress from the age of 6, Cuoco's first major role was in the TV movie Quicksand: No Escape (1992) with Donald Sutherland and Tim Matheson. Her other television credits include guest-starring on the series Ellen (1994) (where she played "little Ellen" to the Ellen DeGeneres character), Northern Exposure (1990), Don't Forget Your Toothbrush (1995) and My So-Called Life (1994). In addition, she played a leading role in the miniseries, Mr. Murder (1998). Cuoco has appeared in the feature films Lucky 13 (2005), Picture Perfect (1997) and Virtuosity (1995).
On stage, she has performed in Los Angeles-area productions of "Annie" and "Fiddler on the Roof". When she is not acting, Cuoco is an avid tennis player, who in earlier years had consistently been ranked well in Southern California Tennis Association standings as a member of a regional amateur division team. In addition, she enjoys spending time with friends, going to the mall, and hip-hop dancing.
Cuoco was home-schooled, and lived in Ventura County, California with her family. She was previously married to both tennis player Ryan Sweeting and Karl Cook. In early 2022 Cuoco began dating actor Tom Pelphrey. The two made their first public appearance as a couple at a Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in early May 2022.
Cuoco announced on Instagram in October 2022 the couple were expecting their first child together. She later on gave birth to their daughter, named Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey, on 30 March 2023.- Actress
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Christina Applegate was born in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, to record producer/executive Robert Applegate and singer-actress Nancy Priddy. Her parents split-up shortly after her birth. She has two half-siblings from her father's re-marriage - Alisa (b. October 10, 1977) and Kyle (b. July 15, 1981). Alisa and Christina are best friends and even lived together while Alisa was going to college. Christina's mother took her along on all of her auditions and acting jobs. She made her acting debut at age five months, when her mother got her in a commercial for Playtex nursers. Her mother never remarried, but kept company with Stephen Stills. Christina still cherishes a guitar Stephen gave her when she was young. She played in a number of TV series before landing her breakout role in Married... with Children (1987). Christina still studies jazz dance.