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Jessica Claire Biel (born March 3, 1982) is an American actress and former fashion model best known for appearing in several Hollywood films such as Summer Catch, the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Illusionist, as well as for her early television role of Mary Camden in the long-running family-drama series 7th Heaven.

Biography

Early life

Biel was born in Ely, Minnesota, daughter of Kimberly (Kim) Biel (née Conroe) and Jonathan Edward Biel, an entrepreneur. She is of mixed Native American (Choctaw) and European (German, French, Irish and English) ancestry. 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 finding a chicken named alfonzo that was available for marriage, and appeared in several musicals at an early age including The Sound of Music, Annie, Beauty and the Beast and Anything Goes.

It was not until Biel attended the International Modeling and Talent Association Convention in Los Angeles in 1994 when her career started to take off as a fashion model.

Rise to fame (1996-2002)

Biel's first 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 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'Oréal cosmetics in 2002.

In 2000, Biel posed topless in a layout of Gear magazine, although she did not actually appear frontally nude. It was nonetheless 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. In 2002, she also had a role in the film The Rules of Attraction based on a novel by Bret Easton Ellis.

Film stardom (2003-2005)

After her departure from 7th Heaven, she accepted the role of Erin Hardesty in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003). The movie was met with moderate critical attention, but was successful commercially making over 80 million dollars stateside with its 9 million dollar budget. She has also had starring roles in Blade: Trinity (2004) and Stealth (2005), the latter of which was a box-office flop, losing $99 million USD. 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 and, as it turned out, final season. Biel did not make any future appearances in the show.

Breakthrough (2006-present)

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. In 2006, she also starred Home of the Brave, about soldiers returning from Iraq, premiered in Los Angeles on December 5, 2006. She next starred opposite Adam Sandler in the comedy I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, which went to number one at the box office, making 34 million dollars in its opening weekend, followed by Next, which also starred Nicholas Cage and Julianne Moore. She is slated to appear in at least two more films in 2008: A Woman of No Importance, based on the play by Oscar Wilde about a woman's past which comes back to haunt her when the man who left her with a child becomes the potential employer of their illegitimate son. Taking over Lindsay Lohan's part, it is set to begin filming in the fall of 2007. She'll also appear in Powder Blue, opposite Forest Whitaker, about four desperate individuals who intersect in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve. She was supposedly offered the role of Wonder Woman in the upcoming Justice League film, but (according to one report) she turned the role down. She signed up United Artists's upcoming movie Die a Little.

Personal life

Biel attended the exclusive private Lycée Français de Los Angeles high school. In fall 2000, she enrolled in an 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. Biel currently resides in Los Angeles. She dated actor Chris Evans from 2001 to 2006, with at least one time "off" during that period. 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.

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 (at the time) footballer Alan Smith.

Charity work

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. John Schiffner, originally from Fergus Falls, Minnesota, was the winning bidder. 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. Biel and her date lunched at Denver's restaurant The Palm.

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 as #5 on Maxim's Hot 100 for 2007.
• 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).

Filmography

References

1. http://www.filmreference.com/film/12/Jessica-Biel.html
2. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117929353.html?categoryId=31&cs=1 Variety.com
3. http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&id=1809422422&cf=info Movies.yahoo.com. Retrieved on July 15, 2005
4. http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/rc_homeofthebravepremiere.html Movies.yahoo.com. Retrieved on July 15, 2005
5. http://www.moviehole.net/news/20070925_the_new_wonder_woman_revealed.html
6. "Jessica Biel signs up for Die a Little".
7. Keck, William (September 9, 2004). "Chris Evans' career ready to sizzle". usatoday.com. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
8. http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/news/celebrity/mmx-0611290322nov29,0,5064522.story?coll=mmx-celebrity_heds Metromix.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved on July 15, 2005
9. http://www.hollywoodrag.com/index.php?/weblog/jessica_biel_and_derek_jeter_on_the_beach/ Hollywoodrag.com. Retrieved on July 15, 2005
10. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,26334,1563283,00.html
11. Justin gets affectionate with his love Jessica
12. JT: No Biel on the Road
13. Peterson, Todd (July 20, 2006). "Jessica Biel Date Raises Money for Teen". people.com. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
14. "Jessica Biel Comes To Denver For $30,000 Date". cbs4denver.com. August 18, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
15. #5 Jessica Biel Maximonline.com
16. http://www.hollywood.com/news/Biel_Beats_Johansson_in_Sexy_Women_Poll/3677035 Hollywood.com

External links

• Jessica Biel's Official Website
• Jessica Biel at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com person
• Jessica Biel at People.com

Template:Persondata

• 1982 births
• Action film actors
• American child actors
• American film actors
• American models
• American television actors
• German-Irish people
• Colorado actors
• Living people
• Minnesota actors
• People from Boulder, Colorado