Erika Christensen(I)
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
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.
