Jessica Biel
Birth name Jessica Claire Biel
Born March 3, 1982 (1982-03-03) (age 25)
Flag of United States Ely, Minnesota USA
Official site www.jessebiel.com
Notable roles Mary Camden in 7th Heaven
Tenley Parrish in Summer Catch
Erin Hardesty in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Duchess Sophie von Teschen in The Illusionist
Jessica Claire Biel (born March 3, 1982) is an American actress and former
fashion model best known for her roles in Hollywood feature films such as
Summer Catch, the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Illusionist,
as well as her early television role playing Mary Camden in the long-running
family-drama series 7th Heaven.
Biography
Early life
She was born in Ely, Minnesota to Jonathan Edward Biel and Kimberly Conroe.
Biel, who has a younger brother, Justin, grew up in Boulder, Colorado, where
her family had moved when she was very young. She initially trained to
become a vocalist with the hope of performing in musical theater and
appeared in several musicals at an early age including The Sound of Music,
Annie, Beauty and the Beast and Anything Goes.
Career
It wasn't until Biel attended the International Modeling & Talent
Association Convention in Los Angeles in 1994 when her career started to
take off as a fashion model. However, her big break came when at 14 years
old she landed the role of Mary Camden on the WB TV Series 7th Heaven. The
family drama from Aaron Spelling and Brenda Hampton became the most popular
(and remains the longest running) series on the fledgling network. Jessica's
film career also began at age 15 when she played alongside Peter Fonda in
his Golden Globe winning performance in Ulee's Gold (1997). Aside from
acting, Jessica became a spokesmodel for L'Oreal cosmetics in 2002.
In 2000, Biel posed topless in a layout of Gear magazine. It was
controversial because she was only 17 at the time of the shoot. Her
frustration and fear about being typecast was one of the reasons that led to
her decision. She blamed her saintly image on 7th Heaven for limiting her
film career, including losing a lead role in American Beauty, which
eventually went to Thora Birch. Jessica also hoped that by posing she would
get out of her 7th Heaven contract, which she accomplished. She later said
she regretted posing for the magazine and regards it as a learning
experience. Jessica returned to 7th Heaven full time for the 2001—2002
season and then focused her attention on her movie career and has made
minimal TV appearances since then.
After her departure from 7th Heaven she accepted projects mainly geared to
teens and young adults including Summer Catch (2001), The Rules of
Attraction (2002) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003). The movies were
met with mild reaction from the box office and received mixed reviews, with
at least as many negative as positive ones as well. She has also had
starring roles in Blade: Trinity (2004) and Stealth (2005), the latter of
which was a box-office flop, losing a significant amount of money. Biel was
also rumored to be up for the part of Elizabeth in The Fog (a part
originated by scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis). Later reports stated Biel did
not want to do any more horror films. The part eventually went to Maggie
Grace of Lost. Turning down the role proved to be a wise move: the remake
was a box office flop, which had been predicted by various critics, as the
film was not screened for the press prior to its release. After a nearly
three year absence, Jessica surprised her fans by making one final
appearance in the series finale of 7th Heaven in May 2006. The series was
later renewed, at last minute, for an 11th season. Biel has not made any
future appearances as of early 2007. After several indifferent feature
films, her film career finally blossomed when she played a
turn-of-the-century duchess in The Illusionist (2006), which received good
reviews and generated a profit at the box office.[1]
Her latest film, Home of the Brave (2006), about soldiers returning from
Iraq,[2] premiered in Los Angeles on December 5, 2006.[3]
She next starred opposite Nicolas Cage and Julianne Moore in Next (2007), a
science fiction action film based on The Golden Man, a short story by noted
author Philip K. Dick. She also appeared opposite Adam Sandler in the comedy
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and will appear in A Woman of No
Importance, taking over Lindsay Lohan's part, since the latter recently
dropped out of the project.
Personal life
Jessica attended the exclusive private Lycée Français de Los Angeles for
high school. In fall 2000, she enrolled in undergraduate study at Tufts
University in Medford, Massachusetts. Having attended there during fall
2000, spring 2001 and fall 2002 semesters, she left before completing a
degree program to concentrate on her acting career.
Biel's hobbies include ballet, soccer, running, yoga and hiking. She has a
dog named East. She recently bought a house close to her parents in
Colorado. Biel is the co-founder of MTDN (Make the Difference Network) and
she supports several non-profit groups, including PETA and the home
rehabilitation organization Rebuilding Together, as well as GLAAD. She is
also a vegan.
Biel currently resides in Los Angeles. She dated fellow actor Chris Evans
from 2001 to 2006, with at least one time "off" during that period.[4][5]
Together, they appeared in the films London and Cellular. She also dated
another fellow actor, Adam LaVorgna, who portrayed the character of Robbie
in 7th Heaven, for about two years. Jessica had been linked to New York
Yankees star shortstop Derek Jeter.[6][7]
On July 18, 2006, Biel auctioned herself for a charity event to help raise
money for medical expenses for Colorado teen Molly Bloom, who lost her leg
and part of her pelvis in an auto accident. The winning bid for the lunch
date with Biel was $30,000 paid by 28-year-old John Schiffner. Biel quipped,
"I promise, I'm a cheap date." The charity event raised $38,000 total. The
lunch date was set for August 18, 2006.[8] Biel also donated money to the
daughter of actor Rey-Phillip Santos for her appendix operation.
In January 2007, Biel was linked to singer Justin Timberlake when pictures
surfaced of the two snowboarding in Park City, Utah during the Sundance Film
Festival. On May 12, 2007, the gossip was refueled with the release of
romantic pictures of Timberlake and Biel on multiple dates, specifically
caught kissing while dining in the UK accompanied by producer/mogul
Timbaland and the Manchester United footballer Alan Smith. Timberlake has
said he is drawn to independent women.[9][10]
Awards
* 2007: Rising-star Award - Palm Springs International Film Festival 2007
Gala Awards
* 2005: ShoWest Award Female Star of Tomorrow - 2005 ShoWest Convention
* 1998: Young Artist Award - Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting
Young Actress in Ulee's Gold
Rankings
* Ranked #5 by AskMen.com readers in the list "Top 99 Women 2007".
* Esquire magazine named her the "Sexiest Woman Alive" in a 2005 six-part
series with each month, revealing a different body part and clue to the
woman's identity. One clue given was that her last name rhymes with what
sigillographers are interested in (document seals).
* Ranked #98 on VH1's "100 Hottest Hotties".
* Ranked #99 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women In The World" (2002).
* Ranked #1 in Stuff magazine's "100 Sexiest Women" (2007).[11]
* Ranked as #5 on Maxim's Hot 100 for 2007.[12]
Filmography
Biel on the set of Stealth.
Biel on the set of Stealth.
Year Movie Role Other notes
1996-2001 7th Heaven Mary Camden television series
1997 Ulee's Gold Casey Jackson
1998 I'll Be Home for Christmas Allie
2001 Summer Catch Tenley Parrish
2002 The Rules of Attraction Lara Holleran
2003 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Erin Hardesty
2004 It's a Digital World voice
2004 Cellular Chloe
2004 Blade: Trinity Abigail Whistler
2005 Stealth Lieutenant Kara Wade
2005 Elizabethtown Ellen Kishmore
2005 London London
2006 The Illusionist Duchess Sophie von Teschen
2006 Home of the Brave Vanessa Price
2007 Next Liz Cooper
2007 I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry Alex McDonough
2007 Hole in the Paper Sky TBA
2008 A Woman of No Importance Hester Worsley
2008 Powder Blue Rose-Johnny
2008 Invisible Monsters TBA
Notes
1. ^ http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117929353_search_dictionary.html?categoryId=31&cs=1
Variety.com
2. ^ http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&id=1809422422&cf=info
Movies.yahoo.com. Retrieved on July 15, 2005
3. ^ http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/rc_homeofthebravepremiere_search_dictionary.html
Movies.yahoo.com. Retrieved on July 15, 2005
4. ^ Keck, William. "Chris Evans' career ready to sizzle", usatoday.com,
2004-09-09.
5. ^ Malcom, Shawna. "Bombshell Next Door: Jessica Biel", Cosmopolitan.
6. ^ http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/news/celebrity/mmx-0611290322nov29,0,5064522.story?coll=mmx-celebrity_heds
Metromix.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved on July 15, 2005
7. ^ http://www.hollywoodrag.com/index.php?/weblog/jessica_biel_and_derek_jeter_on_the_beach/
Hollywoodrag.com. Retrieved on July 15, 2005
8. ^ Peterson, Todd. "Jessica Biel Date Raises Money for Teen", people.com,
2006-07-20.
9. ^ Justin gets affectionate with his love Jessica
10. ^ JT: No Biel on the Road
11. ^ http://www.hollywood.com/news/Biel_Beats_Johansson_in_Sexy_Women_Poll/3677035
Hollywood.com
12. ^ http://www.maximonline.com/slideshows/index.aspx?imgCollectId=190&src=ad156
Maximonline.com
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