Category: Girls

Holly Valance
Valance in 2006, advertising the reverse charges service 1800 Reverse
Born	Holly Rachel Vukadinović (1983-05-11) 11 May 1983 (age 41) Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia
Other names	Holly Candy
Citizenship	Australia United Kingdom
Occupations	Actress singer model activist
Years active	1997–present
Political party	Reform UK
Spouse	Nick Candy ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	2
Relatives	Olympia Valance (half-sister)
Musical career
Genres	Pop dance-pop[1]
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Labels	London
Website	hollyvalance.com
Musical artist

Holly Rachel Candy (née Vukadinović; born 11 May 1983), known professionally as Holly Valance, is an Australian and British former actress, singer and model, and a right-wing political activist.

Valance became well known for her role as Felicity Scully on the Australian soap opera Neighbours (1999–2002) and later played Nika Volek in Prison Break (2005–2006). Her film roles include DOA: Dead or Alive (2006), Pledge This! (2006), Taken (2008), and Kambakkht Ishq (2009). Her first album, Footprints (2002), provided three top three singles: "Kiss Kiss", "Down Boy" and "Naughty Girl". The title song of her second and final album, State of Mind (2003), was also a UK top ten single. She has become involved in UK and US politics as a prominent supporter and fundraiser for Nigel Farage and Donald Trump.

Early life[edit]

Holly Valance was born on 11 May 1983, as Holly Rachel Vukadinović,^[2] in Fitzroy, Victoria, to a Serbian father from Montenegro, Rajko Vukadinović, and an English mother Rachel (née Stephens) from Southampton.^[3][4][5] Her father was a former pianist and model in his native Belgrade, Serbia, former Yugoslavia.^[6][7] Her mother, whose father was a relative of comedian Benny Hill, was a model in the United Kingdom.^[5][6][7] Valance's parents divorced in 1986. Valance has a sister, Coco. Rajko later remarried and Holly has a half-sister, Olympia, who has also acted in Neighbours as Paige Smith (2014–2018, 2020, 2022).^[8] In Melbourne Rajko ran a "trendy imported European clothes store".^[9][10]

Valance started modelling as a teenager, when "she posed for supermarket catalogues and ad campaigns and by 14 she was earning $200 an hour modelling children's clothes and teenage lingerie."^[9] She grew up in Melbourne and moved to the UK when she was 18; she holds both Australian and British citizenship.^[11][12] After two years she moved to Los Angeles, where she spent seven years before returning to the United Kingdom.^[11]

Career[edit]

1999–2003: Neighbours and music[edit]

In 1999 at age 16, Valance was cast in the Australian TV soap opera, Neighbours, as Felicity "Flick" Scully.^[13] Soon after gaining the role she left her Catholic school, "where girls were given detention for wearing make-up or having a hem above the knee."^[9] She appeared in Human Nature's music video for "He Don't Love You" (November 2000), "in a raunchy shower scene."^[9][14] Valance left Neighbours in 2002 to start her music career.^[15] Her first single, released in April 2002, was "Kiss Kiss", an English language cover version of Turkish singer, Tarkan's "Şımarık".^[14] It entered both the ARIA Singles and UK Singles Charts at No. 1. It charted in the top ten in seventeen countries, and went to number one in North Macedonia. The song was nominated for four ARIA Music Awards in 2002.^[16]

Valance's second single, "Down Boy" (September), peaked at No. 2 in the UK and No. 3 in Australia. Her first album, Footprints, was released on 14 October 2002, which reached No. 9 in the UK and No. 15 in Australia. She co-wrote the album track "The Harder They Come" with Rob Davis, who supplied guitar for the album.^[17][18] The album's third and final single, "Naughty Girl", peaked at No. 3 in Australia and No. 16 in the UK. Valance's second album, State of Mind, appeared in November 2003 and its title track was the lead single.^[14] It peaked at No. 8 in the UK and at No. 14 in Australia. Valance dropped London Recordings in 2004 and said she was no longer interested in recording music.^[19]

2004–2013: Prison Break and films[edit]

In 2004, Valance returned to acting, this time in the United States, appearing in episodes of the television series CSI: Miami and Entourage. In 2005, she appeared in an episode of CSI: NY. In 2005 Valance returned to music, albeit briefly, when she appeared on Har Mar Superstar's album The Handler singing on the tracks, "DUI", "Back the Camel Up" and "Body Request".^[20] She appeared in Prison Break in 2006 as Nika Volek, a role which she continued to portray in the show's second season. Also in 2006, Valance appeared in the National Lampoon comedy Pledge This!, alongside American socialite Paris Hilton. The same year, she starred in DOA: Dead or Alive, an adaptation of the popular video game Dead or Alive, in which she played Christie. In 2007, she appeared in the TV series Shark and Moonlight. In 2008 she had a role in the film Taken alongside Liam Neeson, and appeared in an episode of The CW series Valentine.

In 2009, she appeared in Frankmusik's video for his single "Confusion Girl". She also leaked a track called "Superstar" in 2009. In 2009 Valance played Brenda Snow for the video game Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising. She also appeared in Scott Caan's film Mercy.^[21] Valance took part in the 2011 series of Strictly Come Dancing,^[22] where she was paired with the professional winner of series 8, Artem Chigvintsev.^[23] Valance and Chigvintsev were eliminated in the semi-final of the competition on 11 December 2011, giving them a fourth-place finish. She also starred in the Miss Marple television episode called "The Pale Horse". In 2011, Valance appeared in an advert for Foster's Gold bottled beer.^[24]

In 2013, Valance was mentor and judge of fashion competition Shopaholic Showdown.^[25]

2013–present: Hiatus and other projects[edit]

In 2013, Valance took a hiatus from her artistic career to prioritise her family, and has since been doing charity work as Ambassador of The Children's Trust, the UK's leading charity for children with brain injury and neurodisability.^[26] Since then, her only new role has been an appearance in the movie Red Herring, released in 2015 and shot in 2013.^[27] On 28 July 2022, Valance was seen in a cameo appearance as Felicity Scully, in what was intended to be the final-ever Neighbours episode. Her appearance was filmed in England alongside that of Natalie Imbruglia's character, Beth Brennan.^[28][29]

Personal life[edit]

From 2005 to 2009 Valance dated Australian actor Alex O'Loughlin.^[30] In 2010 she started dating billionaire British property developer Nick Candy, whom she married on 29 September 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.^[31] In November 2013, Valance gave birth in London to their first child, a daughter.^[32] In September 2017, they had a second daughter.^[33]

Political views[edit]

According to The Guardian in 2024, Valance has "rapidly risen to become radical-right royalty".^[34] In February that year, she attended the launch of the new British conservative movement Popular Conservatism, led by former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss. In a series of clips posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), Valance was interviewed by Christopher Hope of GB News,^[35] and was asked about her views on various issues. Her view on "the climate crisis or lack of" was that "cleaner, cheaper energy is what we need".^[36] Asked about her political views, she said, "I would say that everyone starts off as a leftie and then wakes up at some point after making money, working, trying to run a business, trying to buy a home then realises what crap ideas they all are, and then you go to the right."^[37] Valance said her top political priority was Britain leaving the European Convention on Human Rights and the establishment of a British bill of rights, adding that "the trickle-down effect would be a huge step in the right direction".^[34]

A close personal friend of Nigel Farage,^[38] Valance said she persuaded him to stand for Parliament in the 2024 general election.^[39] In a 2024 interview she stated she was a member of Reform UK^[39] and would be voting for them in the general election. She said, "I support anybody that sticks to what they believe in and isn't a turncoat, and doesn't do a million flip-flops and U-turns."^[40][41] She helped the party raise £1.5 million within days of Farage's return as leader.^[42]

Having previously stayed at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort,^[34] in 2024 she became the "UK poster girl"^[38] for Trump's US presidential campaign, and co-hosted a large fundraiser in London on 11 June.^[43]

Legal issues[edit]

In January 2002, Valance dismissed her then-manager Scott Michaelson by telephone, 15 months before his contract was due to expire. In 2003, Biscayne Partners sued Valance Corp., won the case and was awarded damages by the Supreme Court of New South Wales.^[44][45] During the trial, Valance's mother said Michaelson had been negligent as a manager, which forced her to take over from him.^[46] The former Neighbours co-star Kym Valentine also gave evidence that Valance "said she was feeling bad, a bit stressed out, because she was leaving Scott" and that "she said the solicitors for her record company would get her out of the contract and would be faxing him the paper work (from the UK) to do so."^[47] In court, Valance denied that she had said this to Valentine, even though she had signed an affidavit stating she had no recollection of the conversation.^[48][49]

Justice Clifford Einstein said, "I have given close consideration to the question of whether or not the circumstances presently before the Court which do, it seems to me, show a calculated disregard of the rights of Biscayne as well as a cynical pursuit of benefit".^[44] The court subsequently ordered Valance Corp. pay $350,000 to Biscayne Partners Pty. Ltd. Of this amount, $47,264.56 was "from shares Ms Valance and Mr Michaelson had bought together on the London Stock Exchange",^[50] though the court did not award in favour of Biscayne getting a percentage of sales of her album, State of Mind.^[44][51]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Television[edit]

Video game[edit]

• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 – Uprising (2009), as Brenda Snow (voice role)

Discography[edit]

• Footprints (2002)
• State of Mind (2003)

Awards and nominations[edit]

References[edit]

Angelina Jolie
Jolie in 2022
Born	Angelina Jolie Voight (1975-06-04) June 4, 1975 (age 49) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names	Angelina Jolie Pitt[1]
Citizenship	United States Cambodia[a]
Occupations	Actress filmmaker humanitarian
Years active	1982–present
Works	Full list
Spouses	Jonny Lee Miller ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 2000)​ Billy Bob Thornton ​ ​ (m. 2000; div. 2003)​ Brad Pitt ​ ​ (m. 2014; div. 2019)​
Children	6
Parents	Jon Voight (father) Marcheline Bertrand (mother)
Relatives	James Haven (brother) Barry Voight (uncle) Chip Taylor (uncle)
Awards	Full list
Special Envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
In office April 17, 2012 – December 17, 2022
High Commissioner	António Guterres (2012–2015) Filippo Grandi (2016–2022)
Preceded by	Office established

Angelina Jolie^[3] (/dʒoʊˈliː/; born Angelina Jolie Voight;^[4] June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award and three Golden Globe Awards, she has been named Hollywood's highest-paid actress multiple times.

Jolie made her screen debut as a child alongside her father, Jon Voight, in Lookin' to Get Out (1982). Her film career began in earnest a decade later with the low-budget production Cyborg 2 (1993), followed by her first leading role in Hackers (1995). After starring in the biographical television films George Wallace (1997) and Gia (1998), Jolie won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing a sociopath in the 1999 drama Girl, Interrupted. Her portrayal of the titular heroine in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) established her as a household name. Her fame continued with roles in the action films Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Wanted (2008), and Salt (2010). She also received acclaim for her performances in the dramas A Mighty Heart (2007) and Changeling (2008), the latter earning her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her other commercial successes include the fantasy film Maleficent (2014), its 2019 sequel, and the superhero film Eternals (2021). She played a voice role in the Kung Fu Panda animated film series from 2008 to 2016. Jolie has directed and written the war dramas In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011), Unbroken (2014), and First They Killed My Father (2017).

Jolie is known for her humanitarian efforts. The causes she promotes include conservation, education, and women's rights. She has been noted for her advocacy on behalf of refugees as a Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She has undertaken various field missions to refugee camps and war zones worldwide. In addition to receiving a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award among other honors, Jolie was made an honorary Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George.

As a public figure, Jolie has been cited as one of the most powerful and influential people in the American entertainment industry. She has been cited as the world's most beautiful woman by various publications. Her personal life, including her relationships and health, has been the subject of widespread attention. Jolie is divorced from actors Jonny Lee Miller, Billy Bob Thornton, and Brad Pitt. She has six children with Pitt.

Early life and education[edit]

Angelina Jolie Voight was born on June 4, 1975, at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California, to actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand.^[5][4][6] She is the sister of actor James Haven, and the niece of singer-songwriter Chip Taylor^[7] and geologist and volcanologist Barry Voight.^[8] Her godparents are actors Jacqueline Bisset and Maximilian Schell.^[9] On her father's side, Jolie is of German and Slovak descent.^[10] Jolie has claimed to have distant Indigenous (Iroquois) ancestry through her French-Canadian mother. However, her father says Jolie is "not seriously Iroquois", saying it is something he and Bertrand made up to make Bertrand seem more "exotic".^[11]

Following her parents' separation in 1976, she and her brother lived with their mother, who had abandoned her acting ambitions to focus on raising her children.^[12] Jolie's mother raised her as a Catholic but did not require her to go to church.^[13] As a child, she often watched films with her mother and it was this, rather than her father's successful career, that inspired her interest in acting,^[14] though she had a bit part in Voight's Lookin' to Get Out (1982) at age seven.^[15] When Jolie was six years old, Bertrand and her live-in partner, filmmaker Bill Day, moved the family to Palisades, New York;^[16] they returned to Los Angeles five years later.^[12] Jolie then decided she wanted to act and enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, where she trained for two years and appeared in several stage productions.

Jolie first attended Beverly Hills High School, where she felt isolated among the children of some of the area's affluent families because her mother had a more modest income. She was teased by other students, who targeted her for being extremely thin and for wearing glasses and braces.^[14] Her early attempts at modeling, at her mother's insistence, proved unsuccessful.^[17][18] She transferred to Moreno High School, an alternative school, where she became a "punk outsider",^[17] wearing all-black clothing, going out moshing, and engaging in knife play with her live-in boyfriend.^[14] She dropped out of her acting classes and aspired to become a funeral director,^[15] taking at-home courses on embalming.^[19] At age 16, after the relationship had ended, Jolie graduated from high school and rented her own apartment before returning to theater studies,^[12][17] though in 2004 she referred to this period with the observation, "I am still at heart—and always will be—just a punk kid with tattoos."^[20]

As a teenager, Jolie found it difficult to emotionally connect with other people, and as a result she self-harmed,^[21] later commenting, "For some reason, the ritual of having cut myself and feeling the pain, maybe feeling alive, feeling some kind of release, it was somehow therapeutic to me."^[22] She also struggled with insomnia and an eating disorder^[19] and began using drugs; by age 20, she had used "just about every drug possible," particularly heroin.^[23] Jolie had episodes of depression and planned to commit suicide twice—at age 19 and again at 22, when she attempted to hire a hitman to kill her.^[15] When she was 24, she experienced a nervous breakdown and was admitted for 72 hours to UCLA Medical Center's psychiatric ward.^[15] Two years later, after adopting her first child, Jolie found stability, later stating, "I knew once I committed to Maddox, I would never be self-destructive again."^[24]

Jolie has had a lifelong dysfunctional relationship with her father, which started when Voight left the family when she was less than a year old.^[25] She has said that from then on their time together was sporadic and usually carried out in front of the press.^[26] They reconciled when they appeared together in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), but their relationship again deteriorated.^[12] Jolie petitioned the court to legally remove her surname, Voight, in favor of her middle name, which she had long used as a stage name; the name change was granted on September 12, 2002.^[27] Voight then went public with their estrangement during an appearance on Access Hollywood, in which he claimed Jolie had "serious mental problems."^[28] At that point, her mother and brother also broke off contact with him.^[29] They did not speak for six and a half years,^[30] later rebuilding their relationship in the wake of Bertrand's death from ovarian cancer on January 27, 2007,^[29][31] before going public with their reconciliation three years later.^[29]

Career[edit]

Early work (1991–1997)[edit]

Jolie committed to acting professionally at the age of 16, but initially found it difficult to pass auditions, often being told that her demeanor was "too dark."^[15] She appeared in five of her brother's student films, made while he attended the USC School of Cinema-Television, as well as in several music videos, such as those for Lenny Kravitz's "Stand by My Woman" (1991), Antonello Venditti's "Alta Marea" (1991), The Lemonheads's "It's About Time" (1993), and Meat Loaf's "Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through" (1993). In 1993, she appeared on the cover of the Widespread Panic album Everyday.^[32] Jolie then learned from her father by noticing his method of observing people to become like them. Their relationship was less strained during this time, with Jolie realizing that they were both "drama queens".^[14]

Jolie started her professional film career in 1993, when she played her first leading role in the direct-to-video science-fiction sequel Cyborg 2, as a near-human robot designed for corporate espionage and assassination. She was so disappointed with the film that she did not audition again for a year.^[15] Following a supporting role in the independent film Without Evidence (1995), she starred in her first major studio film, Hackers (1995). The New York Times critic Janet Maslin wrote that Jolie's character "stands out ... because she scowls even more sourly than [her co-stars] and is that rare female hacker who sits intently at her keyboard in a see-through top."^[33] Hackers failed to make a profit at the box office, but developed a cult following after its video release.^[34] The role in Hackers is considered Jolie's breakthrough.^[35][36][37]

After starring in the modern-day Romeo and Juliet adaptation Love Is All There Is (1996), Jolie appeared in the road movie Mojave Moon (1996). In Foxfire (1996) she played Legs, a drifter who unites four teenage girls against a teacher who has sexually harassed them. Jack Mathews of the Los Angeles Times wrote of her performance, "It took a lot of hogwash to develop this character, but Jolie, Jon Voight's knockout daughter, has the presence to overcome the stereotype. Though the story is narrated by Maddy, Legs is the subject and the catalyst."^[38]

In 1997, Jolie starred with David Duchovny in the thriller Playing God, set in the Los Angeles underworld. The film was not well received by critics; Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert wrote that Jolie "finds a certain warmth in a kind of role that is usually hard and aggressive; she seems too nice to be [a mobster's] girlfriend, and maybe she is."^[39] Her next work, as a frontierswoman in the CBS miniseries True Women (1997), was even less successful; writing for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Robert Strauss dismissed her as "horrid, a fourth-rate Scarlett O'Hara" who relies on "gnashed teeth and overly pouted lips."^[40] Jolie also starred in the music video for the Rolling Stones's "Anybody Seen My Baby?" as a stripper who leaves mid-performance to wander New York City.^[41]

Rise to prominence (1998–2000)[edit]

Jolie's career prospects improved after she won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in TNT's George Wallace (1997), a film about segregationist Alabama Governor and presidential candidate George Wallace, played by Gary Sinise. Jolie portrayed Wallace's second wife, Cornelia Wallace, a performance Lee Winfrey of The Philadelphia Inquirer considered a highlight of the film.^[42] George Wallace was well received by critics, and Jolie received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her performance.^[43]

Jolie portrayed supermodel Gia Carangi in HBO's Gia (1998). The television film chronicles the destruction of Carangi's life and career as a result of her addiction to heroin, and her decline and death from AIDS in the mid-1980s. Vanessa Vance of Reel.com retrospectively noted, "Jolie gained wide recognition for her role as the titular Gia, and it's easy to see why. Jolie is fierce in her portrayal—filling the part with nerve, charm, and desperation—and her role in this film is quite possibly the most beautiful train wreck ever filmed."^[44] For the second consecutive year, Jolie won a Golden Globe Award and received an Emmy Award nomination. She also won her first Screen Actors Guild Award.^[45]

In accordance with Lee Strasberg's method acting, Jolie preferred to stay in character in between scenes during many of her early films. While shooting Gia, she told her husband, Jonny Lee Miller, that she would not be able to phone him: "I'd tell him: 'I'm alone; I'm dying; I'm gay; I'm not going to see you for weeks.'"^[46] After Gia wrapped, she briefly gave up acting, because she felt that she had "nothing else to give."^[15] She separated from Miller and moved to New York, where she took night classes at New York University to study directing and screenwriting.^[12] Encouraged by her Golden Globe Award win for George Wallace and the positive critical reception of Gia, Jolie resumed her career.^[15]

Following the previously filmed gangster film Hell's Kitchen (1998), Jolie returned to the screen in Playing by Heart (1998), part of an ensemble cast that included Sean Connery, Gillian Anderson, and Ryan Phillippe. The film received predominantly positive reviews, and Jolie was praised in particular; San Francisco Chronicle critic Peter Stack wrote, "Jolie, working through an overwritten part, is a sensation as the desperate club crawler learning truths about what she's willing to gamble."^[47] She won the Breakthrough Performance Award from the National Board of Review.^[48]

In 1999, Jolie starred in the comedy-drama Pushing Tin, alongside John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, and Cate Blanchett. The film met with mixed reception from critics, and Jolie's character—Thornton's seductive wife—was particularly criticized; writing for The Washington Post, Desson Howe dismissed her as "a completely ludicrous writer's creation of a free-spirited woman who weeps over hibiscus plants that die, wears lots of turquoise rings and gets real lonely when Russell spends entire nights away from home."^[49] Jolie then co-starred with Denzel Washington in The Bone Collector (1999), playing a police officer who reluctantly helps Washington's quadriplegic detective track down a serial killer. The film grossed $151.5 million worldwide,^[50] but was critically unsuccessful. Terry Lawson of the Detroit Free Press concluded, "Jolie, while always delicious to look at, is simply and woefully miscast."^[51]

Jolie next took the supporting role of Lisa, a sociopathic patient in a psychiatric hospital, in Girl, Interrupted (1999), an adaptation of Susanna Kaysen's 1993 memoir. For Variety, Emanuel Levy deemed her "excellent as the flamboyant, irresponsible girl who turns out to be far more instrumental than the doctors in Susanna's rehabilitation."^[53] Jolie won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film.

In 2000, Jolie appeared in her first summer blockbuster, Gone in 60 Seconds, which became her highest-grossing film to that point, earning $237.2 million internationally.^[50] She had a minor role as the mechanic ex-girlfriend of a car thief played by Nicolas Cage; The Washington Post writer Stephen Hunter criticized that "all she does in this movie is stand around, cooling down, modeling those fleshy, pulsating muscle-tubes that nest so provocatively around her teeth."^[54] Jolie later explained that the film had been a welcome relief after her emotionally demanding role in Girl, Interrupted.

Worldwide recognition (2001–2004)[edit]

Although widely praised for her acting and performances, Jolie had rarely found films that appealed to a wide audience, but 2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider made her an international superstar. An adaptation of the popular Tomb Raider video games, the film required her to learn an English accent and undergo extensive martial arts training to play the archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft. Although the film generated mostly negative reviews, Jolie was generally praised for her physical performance; Newsday's John Anderson commented, "Jolie makes the title character a virtual icon of female competence and coolth."^[55] The film was an international hit, earning $274.7 million worldwide,^[50] and launched her global reputation as a female action star.

Jolie next starred opposite Antonio Banderas as his mail-order bride in Original Sin (2001), the first of a string of films that were poorly received by critics and audiences alike. The New York Times critic Elvis Mitchell questioned Jolie's decision to follow her Oscar-winning performance with "soft-core nonsense."^[56] The romantic comedy Life or Something Like It (2002), though equally unsuccessful, marked an unusual choice for Jolie. Salon magazine's Allen Barra considered her ambitious newscaster character a rare attempt at playing a conventional women's role, noting that her performance "doesn't get off the ground until a scene where she goes punk and leads a group of striking bus workers in singing 'Satisfaction'".^[57] Despite her lack of box office success, Jolie remained in demand as an actress;^[20] in 2002, she established herself among Hollywood's highest-paid actresses, earning $10–15 million per film for the next five years.^[58]

Jolie reprised her role as Lara Croft in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life (2003), which was not as lucrative as the original, earning $156.5 million at the international box office.^[50] She also starred in the music video for Korn's "Did My Time", which was used to promote the sequel. Her next film was Beyond Borders (2003), in which she portrayed a socialite who joins an aid worker played by Clive Owen. Though unsuccessful with audiences, the film stands as the first of several passion projects Jolie has made to bring attention to humanitarian causes.^[59] Beyond Borders was a critical failure; Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times acknowledged Jolie's ability to "bring electricity and believability to roles," but wrote that "the limbo of a hybrid character, a badly written cardboard person in a fly-infested, blood-and-guts world, completely defeats her."^[60]

In 2004, Jolie appeared in four films. She first starred in the thriller Taking Lives as an FBI prof

Julia Stiles
Stiles in 2007
Born	Julia O'Hara Stiles (1981-03-28) March 28, 1981 (age 43) New York City, U.S.
Education	Columbia University (BA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1993–present
Spouse	Preston J. Cook ​ (m. 2017)​
Children	3

Julia O'Hara Stiles (born March 28, 1981)^[1] is an American actress. Born and raised in New York City, Stiles began acting at the age of 11 as part of New York's La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club.^[2] Her film debut was a small role in I Love You, I Love You Not (1996), followed by a lead role in Wicked (1998) for which she received the Karlovy Vary Film Festival Award for Best Actress. She rose to prominence with leading roles in teen films such as 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Down to You (2000), and Save the Last Dance (2001). Her accolades include a Teen Choice Award and two MTV Movie Awards, as well as nominations for a Golden Globe Award, and Primetime Emmy Award.

Stiles added to her list of credits with films such as The Business of Strangers (2001), Mona Lisa Smile (2003), and The Omen (2006), and became known to audiences worldwide with her portrayal of Nicky Parsons in the Bourne franchise (2002–2016). Her other notable film credits include Hamlet, State and Main (both 2000), O (2001), A Guy Thing (2002), Carolina (2003), The Prince & Me (2004), Edmond, A Little Trip to Heaven (both 2005), The Cry of the Owl (2009), Silver Linings Playbook (2012), Out of the Dark (2014), Blackway (2015), 11:55 (2016), Hustlers (2019) and Orphan: First Kill (2022).

Outside of film, Stiles played Lumen Pierce on the fifth season of Dexter (2010), earning nominations for the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress. From 2012 to 2014 she appeared as the titular character in the web series Blue, for which she earned two IAWTV Awards for Best Actress. From 2017 to 2020 she starred as Georgina Ryland on the Sky Atlantic series Riviera. She currently stars in the Amazon series The Lake (2022–present).

Early life and education[edit]

Stiles was born in New York City^[1] to Judith Newcomb Stiles, a Greenwich Village artist, and John O'Hara, a businessman. She is the oldest of three children; her siblings are John Junior and Jane (also an actress).^[3] Stiles is of English, Irish, and Italian descent.^[4] She started acting at age 11, performing with New York's La MaMa Theatre Company.^[5]

Career[edit]

Film career[edit]

Stiles's first appearance in a video series was in 1993 in Ghostwriter as Erica Dansby.^[6]

Stiles's first film role was in I Love You, I Love You Not (1996), with Claire Danes and Jude Law.^[7] She also had small roles as Harrison Ford's character's daughter in Alan J. Pakula's The Devil's Own (1997) and in M. Night Shyamalan's Wide Awake (1998). Her first lead was in Wicked (1998), playing a teenage girl who might have murdered her mother so she could have her father all to herself. Critic Joe Baltake wrote she was "the darling of the 1998 Sundance Film Festival."^[8] She next starred in the TV miniseries The '60s in 1999.^[8]

Later that year, she portrayed Kat Stratford, opposite Heath Ledger in Gil Junger's 10 Things I Hate About You, an adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew set in a high school in Seattle, Washington. She won an MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Female Performance for the role. The Chicago Film Critics voted her the most promising new actress of the year. Her next starring role was in Down to You (2000), which was panned by critics, but earned both her and her co-star Freddie Prinze, Jr. a Teen Choice Award nomination for their on-screen chemistry. She subsequently appeared in two more Shakespearean adaptations. The first was as Ophelia in Michael Almereyda's Hamlet (2000), with Ethan Hawke in the lead. The second was in the Desdemona role, opposite Mekhi Phifer, in Tim Blake Nelson's O (2001), a version of Othello set at a boarding school. Neither film was a great success; O was subject to many delays and a change of distributors, and Hamlet was an art house film shot on a minimal budget.

Stiles next commercial success was in Save the Last Dance (2001) as an aspiring ballerina forced to leave her small town in downstate Illinois to live with her struggling musician father in Chicago after her mother dies in a car accident. At her new, nearly all-black school, she falls in love with the character played by Sean Patrick Thomas who teaches her hip-hop dance steps that help get her into the Juilliard School. The role won her two more MTV awards for Best Kiss and Best Female Performance and a Teen Choice Award for best fight scene for her battle with Bianca Lawson. Rolling Stone named her "the coolest co-ed" and put her on the cover of its April 12, 2001, issue.^[9] She told Rolling Stone that she performed all her own dancing in the film, except for some closeups of the feet.^[9]

In David Mamet's State and Main (2000), about a film shooting on location in a small town in Vermont, she played a teenage girl who seduces a film actor (Alec Baldwin) with a weakness for teen girls. Stiles also appeared opposite Stockard Channing in the dark art house film The Business of Strangers (2001) as a conniving, amoral secretary who exacts revenge on her boss. Channing was impressed by her co-star: "In addition to her talent, she has a quality that is almost feral, something that can make people uneasy. She has an effect on people."^[10] Stiles also had a small role as Treadstone operative Nicolette "Nicky" Parsons in The Bourne Identity (2002), a role that was enlarged in The Bourne Supremacy (2004), then greatly expanded in The Bourne Ultimatum (2007).

Between the Bourne films, she appeared in Mona Lisa Smile (2003) as Joan, a student at Wellesley College in 1953, whose art professor (Julia Roberts) encourages her to pursue a career in law rather than become a wife and mother. Critic Stephen Holden called her one of cinema's "brightest young stars",^[11] but the film met with generally unfavorable reviews. Stiles played a Wisconsin college student who is swept off her feet by a Danish prince, played by Luke Mably, in The Prince and Me (2004), directed by Martha Coolidge. Stiles told an interviewer that she was very similar to her character Paige Morgan. Critic Scott Foundas said she was "irrepressibly engaging" and the film was a "strange career choice for Stiles".^[12] This echoed criticism in reviews of A Guy Thing (2003), a romantic comedy with Jason Lee and Selma Blair. Critic Dennis Harvey wrote that Stiles was "wasted"^[13] and Holden called her "a serious actress from whom comedy does not seem to flow naturally".^[14] In 2005, Stiles was cast opposite her Hamlet co-star Liev Schreiber in The Omen, a remake of the 1976 horror film. The film was released on June 6, 2006.^[15] She returned to the Bourne series with a much larger role in The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), her highest-grossing film to date.

Stiles began filming Between Us in May 2011 with co-stars Taye Diggs, David Harbour, and Melissa George. Between Us is the screen adaptation of the off-Broadway play of the same name by Joe Hortua.^[16] In 2012, Stiles starred alongside David Cross and America Ferrera in the dark comedy It's a Disaster.^[17] The film premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival and was picked up by Oscilloscope Laboratories and received a commercial release in April 2013. Stiles had a small but pivotal role as a reporter in the 2013 British-American film Closed Circuit. In April 2013, it was announced that Stiles would be starring in the indie supernatural thriller Out of the Dark alongside Scott Speedman and Stephen Rea. Filming began in Bogotá, Colombia.^[18]

In 2015, Stiles signed on to reprise her role as Nicky Parsons in Jason Bourne, the fifth installment of the Bourne franchise.^[19] She also featured as Courtney, the wayward mother of Sophie Nélisse, in The Great Gilly Hopkins, which premiered in U.S. cinemas on October 7, 2016.^[20]

In 2019, Stiles appeared in the movie Hustlers as the journalist, Elizabeth. The film opened on September 13, 2019, and became a box office success.^[21]

Stage career[edit]

Stiles's first theatrical roles were in works by author/composer John Moran with the group Ridge Theater in Manhattan's Lower East Side from 1993 to 1998. From July to August 2002, she performed on stage in Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues,^[22] and appeared as Viola, the lead role in Shakespeare in the Park's production of Twelfth Night with Jimmy Smits.^[23]

In 2004, she made her London stage debut opposite Aaron Eckhart in a revival of David Mamet's play Oleanna at the Garrick Theatre.^[24][25] She reprised the role of Carol in a 2009 production of Oleanna, directed by Doug Hughes and co-starring Bill Pullman at the Mark Taper Forum.^[26] The production moved to Broadway's John Golden Theatre for October 11 opening night.^[27]

Stiles was to play Jeannie in a production of Neil LaBute's Fat Pig directed by the playwright beginning in April 2011,^[28] but the show was postponed indefinitely.^[29]

Other work[edit]

Stiles appeared in the video for Cyndi Lauper's single "Sally's Pigeons" in 1993.^[30] On March 17, 2001, she hosted Saturday Night Live and eight days later she was a presenter at the 73rd Academy Awards.^[31] She returned to Saturday Night Live on May 5 appearing as then-President George W. Bush's daughter Jenna Bush in a skit that poked fun at the two first daughters for being arrested for underage drinking. MTV profiled her in its Diary series in 2003,^[32] and she was Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher at a Washington, D.C., museum in 2004.^[33]

Stiles made her writing and directorial debut with Elle magazine's short Raving starring Zooey Deschanel.^[34] It premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.^[35]

In May 2010, Stiles was cast in a major role in the Showtime series Dexter^[36][37][38] and signed for 10 episodes.^[39] For this role, she received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film,^[40] as well as a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

In June 2012, the web series Blue premiered. It stars Stiles as a single mother with a 13-year-old son. She works at an office and also as a call girl to make ends meet on an otherwise meager income fighting to protect her son from the collision between her complicated past and tenuous present.^[41] For her work on Blue, Stiles won two IAWTV Awards, in 2013 and 2014.^[42] The actress during the recordings shared set with artists like Michelle Forbes, JC Gonzalez, and Uriah Shelton.

In 2021, it was announced that Stiles was cast as Maisy-May in the Canadian Amazon Prime series The Lake. Maisy-May is the "picture-perfect" stepdaughter/stepsister who was given the family cottage by her stepfather, to the dismay of her stepbrother Justin. The series was shot in North Bay, Ontario in August and September 2021.^[43][44] Season 1 was released on June 17, 2022.^[44]

Personal life[edit]

Stiles graduated from Columbia University with a degree in English literature in 2005.^[45][46] In college, she dated actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the two lived in John Jay Hall.^[9] She and actor David Harbour were in a relationship between 2011 and 2015.^[47] In 2010, she received a John Jay Award, an honorary award given annually to five alumni by the Columbia College Alumni Association for professional achievements.^[48]

Stiles has also worked for Habitat for Humanity, building housing in Costa Rica,^[49] and has worked with Amnesty International to raise awareness of the harsh conditions of immigration detention of unaccompanied juveniles. In January 2004, Marie Claire featured Stiles's trip to see conditions at the Berks County Youth Center in Leesport, Pennsylvania.^[50][51]

Stiles is a former vegan, occasionally eating red meat.^[52] She says she gave up veganism after she developed anemia and found it difficult to get proper nutrition while traveling.^[52]

She has described herself as a feminist and wrote about the subject in The Guardian.^[25]

She is a fan of baseball and the New York Mets.^[53] She threw the ceremonial first pitch before their May 29, 2006 game.^[54]

In September 2017 Stiles married camera assistant Preston J. Cook with whom she worked on Blackway.^[55][56] They have two sons,^[57] and a third child born in late 2023.^[58]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Television[edit]

Web series[edit]

Theme park[edit]

Theatre[edit]

Awards and nominations[

Posted on January 18, 2008

Stacy Keibler

Stacy Keibler theme by Supermatt21

Download: StacyKeibler.p3t

(5 backgrounds)

American professional wrestler, dancer, and model (born 1979)

Stacy Keibler
Keibler in 2011
Birth name	Stacy Ann-Marie Keibler
Born	(1979-10-14) October 14, 1979 (age 44) Rosedale, Maryland, U.S.
Alma mater	Towson University
Spouse(s)	Jared Pobre ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	3
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Miss Hancock Skye Stacy Keibler Super Stacy[1]
Billed height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Billed weight	136 lb (62 kg)[3]
Billed from	Baltimore, Maryland[2]
Trained by	WCW Power Plant
Debut	1999
Retired	2006

Stacy Ann-Marie Keibler (born October 14, 1979) is an American actress and retired professional wrestler, cheerleader, dancer, and model. She is best known for her tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

Keibler began her professional wrestling career as a part of the Nitro Girls in WCW.^[4][5] She quickly moved on to a more prominent role in the company as the manager Miss Hancock. As Miss Hancock, Keibler was known for doing table dances, her relationship with David Flair, and a pregnancy angle.^[6][7] After WCW was purchased by the WWF (later WWE) in 2001, Keibler moved to the new company during the Attitude Era, using her real name and taking part in the Invasion storyline, also managing the Dudley Boyz.^[6] Keibler also managed Test and Scott Steiner. Before her departure from WWE in 2006, she was affiliated with The Hurricane and Rosey and nicknamed "Super Stacy".^[1][8]

Keibler was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars: season two, where she placed third.^[8] She has also appeared on other ABC series such as What About Brian, George Lopez, and October Road, as well as the 100th episode of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother as a bartender and on the USA Network show Psych. Keibler has also modeled, appearing in both Maxim and Stuff magazines.^[9][10]

Keibler is considered to be a sex symbol and is known for her unusually long legs.^[9][4][5] She has been known as both "The Legs of WCW" and "The Legs of WWE".^[8] During Keibler's time on Dancing with the Stars, judge Bruno Tonioli nicknamed her "The Weapon of Mass Seduction".^[7] Stacy Keibler was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 27, 2023.^[11]

Early life[edit]

Stacy Ann-Marie Keibler was born on October 14, 1979, in Rosedale, Maryland, the daughter of Patricia and Gary Keibler.^[4][12] Beginning at the age of three, Keibler took ballet, jazz, and tap dancing classes at Jean Kettell Studio of Dance in Dundalk, Maryland. She went to St. Clement Mary Hofbauer School in Rosedale for her early schooling.^[4][5]

In 1990, Keibler won the title of Miss Maryland Pre-Teen, after competing for the title in Timonium, and went on to win the National Miss Pre-Teen Crown. After attending The Catholic High School of Baltimore, an all-girls school, she attended Towson University, where she studied mass communication.^[5] She attended the university on a partial scholarship and had a 3.7 grade point average (GPA).^[5][13] Keibler had minor parts in movies such as Pecker and Liberty Heights, as well as small modeling jobs.^[4][5] Keibler became a cheerleader for the Baltimore Ravens football team when she was 18.^[4][5]

Professional wrestling career[edit]

World Championship Wrestling (1999–2001)[edit]

Keibler began watching wrestling with her boyfriend at the time, Kris Cumberland.^[5] She can be seen in the crowd on an episode of Nitro in 1997 and the Starrcade 1998 pay-per-view before the television title match, dancing in an NWO Wolfpac T-shirt.^[14] In September 1999, Keibler entered a nationwide contest held by World Championship Wrestling to find a new member of the Nitro Girls dance troupe, which was organized in an attempt to boost the show's declining ratings. A total of 300 women participated in the contest; the results were decided by a series of polls on WCW's website, which narrowed down the field to eight finalists. Keibler was declared the winner of the contest on the November 8, 1999 edition of Nitro after receiving the most online votes out of the eight finalists and was given a spot on the dance troupe along with a $10,000 prize. Her winning routine was watched by 4.4 million viewers.^[5] Keibler performed dance routines every week on WCW's flagship show Monday Nitro under the name Skye.^[5] By 2000, Keibler was appearing on WCW as a Nitro Girl, attending school full-time, and cheering for the Baltimore Ravens.^[5]

She soon accepted a larger role and became a heel valet using the stage name Miss Hancock (some weeks spelled "Handcock"),^[6][15] briefly serving as an associate for the tag team of Lenny Lane and Lodi dubbed Standards and Practices.^[16] Despite wearing business suits, her character was known to climb on top of the announcers' table and dance sensually.^[6] It was also during this period that she began using what would become her trademark ring entrance: slowly putting her forty-two inch legs through the second tier of ropes, pausing to let the crowd momentarily see her panties underneath her incredibly short skirts.^[17] At 5 feet 11 inches, Keibler was one of few women in professional wrestling tall enough to step over the middle of the three ropes that surround the ring.

During 2000, she dated David Flair (both on-screen and off-screen), who was already involved in an on-screen relationship with Daffney. Ms. Hancock set her eyes on Flair and ended up stealing him away from Daffney and continued to torment the woman whose boyfriend she stole, and the two would feud throughout the Summer of 2000. This led to Keibler's in-ring debut at the Bash at the Beach in a Wedding Gown match, which she lost after she removed her own gown.^[18] Hancock next briefly feuded with Kimberly Page, but the storyline ended abruptly when Page quit the company.^[5][19] Keibler and Flair then began a feud with the Misfits in Action stable, including a mud wrestling singles match against Major Gunns at New Blood Rising.^[6][18] During the match, she was kicked in the stomach, and she revealed herself to be pregnant the next night, beginning a new angle for herself and Flair.^[6] Two proposed endings to the storyline were for either Ric Flair or Vince Russo to be the father of her child.^[15] The angle, however, ended prematurely, as she revealed the pregnancy to be false, broke up with David Flair, and was taken off of television.^[7]

When Stacy returned in 2001, she dropped the name Ms. Hancock and went by her real name.^[6] On the March 12, 2001 edition of Nitro, Keibler revealed Shawn Stasiak as her "baby" and continued her role as a heel manager, siding with Stasiak. Shawn and Stacy would feud with Bam Bam Bigelow, with the evil Stacy using underhanded tactics to help Stasiak win 2 matches from a series of 3, including on the final edition of Nitro two weeks later on March 26.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE (2001–2006, 2011–2023)[edit]

The Invasion (2001)[edit]

Main article: The Invasion

When WCW was purchased by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 2001, Keibler's Time Warner contract was bought by the WWF. Stacy made her WWF television debut on the June 14, 2001 episode of SmackDown! when then-face, Shane McMahon brought her to the ring to distract then-heel, Rhyno, causing him to lose a match. Not long after this she turned into a heel character as part of The Alliance. Stacy showed herself to be an evil mean girl that had a sadistic side, as she loved watching other people's pain and misfortune, and regularly enjoyed mocking them by pointing and laughing. She originally teamed up with real-life friend, then-heel, Torrie Wilson, and the pair feuded with Trish Stratus and Lita. During this feud the four wrestlers competed in the first-ever tag team Bra and Panties Match at the Invasion pay-per-view, which Trish and Lita won by stripping Stacy and Wilson down to their bra & panties.^[6][20] After this she and Torrie moved on to targeting Jacqueline and were shown backstage enjoying watching Jacqueline cry over the elimination of Shadrick McGee from Tough Enough. Stacy and Torrie then defeated Jacqueline in a handicap match on Raw with help from Ivory. On the Heat before SummerSlam, Stacy along with Torrie and Ivory, brutally attacked Lita backstage by injuring her knee, with the intent of preventing her from competing against them later that night. Stacy also had a brief reunion with Shawn Stasiak, and a short alliance with Tazz, as they battled the likes of Spike Dudley and Tajiri. Stacy found it amusing how short these men were and told Torrie that their height made them lesser men. Torrie had begun dating Tajiri at this time and this caused the evil Stacy to begin an on-screen rivalry with her former friend. The feud started with a couple of mixed tag matches involving the women and included Stacy sneak attacking Torrie backstage on an episode of Raw.

Duchess of Dudleyville (2001–2002)[edit]

Main article: The Dudley Boyz

As the WCW/ECW Invasion was nearing its end, Keibler became the manager of the heel Dudley Boyz. She made her first appearance in this role on the October 1, 2001 episode of Raw, and was nicknamed the "Duchess of Dudleyville".^[6] During this time, Stacy continued to show her sadistic side as she took great pleasure in watching the likes of Torrie Wilson and Spike Dudley get driven violently through tables, and particularly enjoyed being the one to personally give the order to the Dudley Boyz to put Torrie through a table. Stacy couldn't hide her joy at seeing Torrie suffering at her feet and laughed at the sight. A few days later on Smackdown, Stacy watched with glee as the Dudley Boyz threw Spike to the outside of the ring and through a table, as commentator Michael Cole acknowledged how wicked Stacy was and called her “evil”. Torrie would return a couple of weeks later to get her revenge and gave Keibler a wedgie then pantsed her on an episode of SmackDown!. She then defeated Keibler in the first-ever lingerie match, a match wrestled in lingerie, at No Mercy.^[20] Keibler made her WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania X8 alongside The Dudleyz.^[20][21] Keibler's role with the Dudley Boyz came to an abrupt end during Raw after WrestleMania when she was powerbombed through a table after accidentally costing the team a match.^[22] She then set her sights on the WWE Women's Championship at Judgment Day, facing Trish Stratus in a losing effort.^[23] She faced Stratus several more times in the succeeding weeks, but she never won a match against her.^[7]

Mr McMahon's personal assistant (2002)[edit]

Keibler was originally drafted to the SmackDown! brand in 2002,^[24] where she immediately set her eyes on the man in charge, the heel WWE chairman, Vince McMahon.^[4] McMahon was ready to hire another attractive woman until Keibler interrupted and performed a seductive table dance in the ring to successfully become McMahon's personal assistant,^[4] as well as his on-screen mistress. She was frequently shown flirting and 'making out' with him in backstage segments.^[22] During her time alongside the boss she lied that the young rookie Randy Orton had forced himself on her, which caused Orton to be punished with a match against the mean veteran Hardcore Holly. A few weeks later she sat at ringside and enjoyed watching the rookie Orton get beaten up some more, this time by Test. She also had a personal ringside view when Triple H was ambushed in a 6 on 1 beatdown by some of McMahon's henchmen. The sadistic Stacy looked on and grinned with pleasure as Triple H was beaten and bloodied in the assault. She also continued her rivalry with Torrie Wilson during this time period, and even tried to throw Torrie off the stage on an episode of SmackDown!, but a referee saved Torrie just in time and stopped Stacy's evil plan from being a success. Her time with McMahon came to an end when Stephanie McMahon became general manager of the SmackDown! brand.^[25] Dawn Marie made her debut on SmackDown! as McMahon's legal assistant, who competed with Keibler for McMahon's affections.

Move to Raw and alliance with Test (2002–2003)[edit]

A key storyline for Keibler's on-screen character occurred when she left SmackDown! for Raw. Keibler made her official Raw debut on August 12, 2002, and immediately began feuding with the women there. She was given the role of being a special referee on a couple of occasions and used them as opportunities to abuse her power. Stacy liked counting quickly when her fellow bad girls were making pin attempts and counted slowly for the fan favorites. In another role as a special referee, Stacy was put in charge of a match between Test and D'Lo Brown. At the start of the match Stacy slapped D’Lo in the face and hindered his attempts to win the match with slow counts. After D'Lo argued with Stacy about her actions, he was smashed in the face by a big boot from Test, which Stacy thoroughly enjoyed watching. She then made a quick 3 count to help the villain Test win the match. This would begin the on screen pairing between her and Test which would last for the remainder of 2002 and most of 2003. She enjoyed watching him rip apart fan favourites, such as the superhero Hurricane and would also use her deviousness to help him win matches, such as when she delivered a low blow to Goldust.

As Test's on-screen marketing agent, she came up with the idea that Test should call his fans "Testicles," cut his hair, and reshape his image.^[26][27] This caused the gimmick to become popular with the audience and the couple switched from being villains into fan favorites in November 2002. This would be Stacy's first time as a babyface in WWE. In the spring of 2003, Test, however, became to verbally abuse Keibler, who also started managing Scott Steiner. After months of build-up, Keibler finally left Test for Steiner on the June 2 edition of Raw.^[28] Steiner defeated Test for Keibler's services at Bad Blood, and Keibler seemed happy as Steiner's new manager, as the two alluded to having more than a professional relationship.^[29] Test, however, continued to harass Keibler and Steiner until Steiner accepted a rematch with Stacy's services on the line. On the August 18 episode of Raw, Test won the match after faking a leg injury and then blindsiding Steiner with a big boot. A match was then set for Unforgiven with the stipulation that if Test won, he would not only retain Keibler's services,^[17] but would acquire Steiner's services as well. During the match, Keibler's interference backfired, and Test won the match.^[30] Steiner then turned heel by attacking Keibler after her interference in his match on the September 29 episode of Raw backfired.^[31] For a time, Test and Steiner worked as a tag team, sharing the services of Keibler as their on-screen sex slave.^[17] The storyline finally ended on the December 1 episode of Raw, when general manager Mick Foley freed Keibler from her obligatory contracts with Test and Steiner by temporarily firing them.^[32]

Various storylines (2003–2005)[edit]

Keibler was chosen to record a track on the album WWE Originals. She and WWE music producer Jim Johnston recorded the song "Why Can't We Just Dance?" for the album.^[33] She was then placed in a feud involving Torrie Wilson and then-babyface, Sable, both of whom had recently posed for a Playboy cover. Keibler aligned with Miss Jackie, neither of whom had posed for the magazine, claiming that they deserved to be in Playboy over Sable and Wilson. Keibler and Jackie challenged Sable and Wilson to a Tag Team Evening Gown match at WrestleMania XX, which they lost when Jackie was pinned by Wilson, and the feud was dropped afterward. Before the feud was dropped, all the performers were playing face characters at the time.^[34]

She took over the 2004 Raw Diva Search for a few weeks, which led to several tag matches against the heel gimmicks of Gail Kim, Trish Stratus, and Molly Holly and with partners Nidia and the face gimmick of Victoria.^[7] Keibler got upset victories over Kim, Stratus, and Holly.^[7] She earned a Women's Championship title match on October 11, 2004, but she was defeated by Stratus, who retained the title.^[7][35] Keibler also competed in the first-ever Fulfill your Fantasy Diva Battle Royal for the WWE Women's Championship at Taboo Tuesday along with Victoria, Nidia, Gail Kim, Molly Holly, Jazz, and then-champion Stratus.^[34] She was eliminated second to last after jumping over the top rope to avoid hitting the turnbuckle, followed by Holly knocking her off the apron to eliminate her.^[34]

In February 2005, Keibler began appearing in backstage segments with then-babyface, Randy Orton, and eventually became his on-screen girlfriend.^[36] When Orton challenged The Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania 21, Orton ended the relationship by hitting Stacy with an RKO, incapacitating her. He justified it by claiming he was demonstrating how ruthless he could be in order to defeat The Undertaker.^[37]

Super Stacy (2005–2006)[edit]

Keibler then joined forces with The Hurricane and Rosey.^[8] She became one-third of the trio as a superhero sidekick nicknamed Super Stacy, complete with her own superhero costume.^[1] She was ringside during several matches as they defended their World Tag Team Championship.^[7] During this time, Keibler feuded on-screen with then-heel, Victoria, including confrontations and a mixed-tag-team match on Raw and a singles match on Heat.^[7][38]

After a long tenure on Monday nights, Keibler and Christy Hemme, were moved to SmackDown! on August 25, as part of a trade that brought Torrie Wilson and Candice Michelle to Raw.^[39] On SmackDown! Keibler participated in lingerie matches and bikini contests.^[7] After a short absence, Keibler began a short feud with Jillian Hall, which led to the two having a match on Velocity, which Keibler lost.^[7] This would be Keibler's final match with WWE.^[40] Keibler then asked for time off to appear on Dancing with the Stars.^[41] During this time, Keibler's WWE.com profile was moved from SmackDown! to RAW, though she never made an appearance on the brand before leaving the company. Keibler's final mention on WWE programming occurred on the March 6, 2006 episode of RAW, where she was insulted by Candice Michelle for placing third on Dancing with the Stars during Michelle's unveiling of her Playboy magazine cover. After completing her stint on Dancing with the Stars, Keibler officially parted ways with WWE in July 2006 to move on to other endeavors.

Sporadic appearances and Hall of Fame induction (2011, 2019, 2023)[edit]

After leaving WWE in July 2006, Keibler made a special guest appearance for WWE's reality show, Tough Enough in 2011. Being a former NFL Cheerleader, she helped prepare the contestants to perform publicly in Universal Studios.

On April 6, 2019, Keibler made a surprise return to induct Torrie Wilson into the WWE Hall of Fame. In 2021, WWE Network listed Keibler as one of the women who made an impact in WWE outside the ring.^[42] On March 15, 2023, Keibler was reported to be entering the WWE Hall of Fame, being confirmed on March 27, 2023.^[43] She was inducted by both Mick Foley and Torrie Wilson at the official ceremony ahead of WrestleMania 39, appearing with fellow inductees on-stage during the second night of the event.^[44]

Modeling and acting career[edit]

As the Fitness Editor at Stuff magazine during 2005 and 2006, Keibler wrote and modeled for her own occasional column, Getting Fit with Stacy Keibler.^[10] She has appeared on the cover of that magazine twice -June 2005 and March 2006. Maxim named Keibler No. 5 in its 2006 Hot 100 issue, and No. 70 in its 2007 Hot 100.^[9][45] In 2008, she was named No. 89 in Maxim's annual Hot 100 list.;^[46] the following year she was No. 77.^[47] In 2010, she was No. 82^[48] and in 2011 she was No. 72. And in 2012 she was ranked 51.^[49] Keibler has declined two invitations from Playboy to pose in the nude for its magazine.^[4]

Keibler starred in a commercial for AT&T Corporation alongside Carrot Top.^[4] She also auditioned and earned a role in Big Momma's House 2,^[4] but she did not appear.

She competed in the second season of Dancing with the Stars, alongside her dance partner, Tony Dovolani.^[41][50] Keibler received a perfect score of 30 from the three judges for her samba dance routine in week five.^[8] This prompted judge, Bruno Tonioli, to nickname her a "weapon of mass seduction."^[7] Overall, Keibler and Dovolani received four perfect scores.^[8] Keibler was eliminated in the final episode,^[41] coming in third to Jerry Rice, who placed second in the final round of the competition, and Drew Lachey, the winner of the season. Two of the judges, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman, felt she should have at least placed second.^[51] Oddsmakers had considered her the favorite to win the competition.^[41]

Keibler has appeared on MTV's Punk'd twice. In season five Keibler took part in helping prank Triple H, which also included Stephanie McMahon. In season seven, however, Keibler was seen as a victim of a prank by her then-boyfriend, Geoff Stults.^[52]

In February 2007, Keibler began a recurring role in ABC's What About Brian.^[50] She played the role of Brian's new neighbor and love interest.^[50] This was Keib

Cameron Diaz
Diaz in 2012
Born	Cameron Michelle Diaz (1972-08-30) August 30, 1972 (age 51) San Diego, California, U.S.
Occupations	Actress entrepreneur
Years active	1990–2014; 2022–present
Works	Full list
Spouse	Benji Madden ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	2
Relatives	Joel Madden (brother-in-law) Nicole Richie (sister-in-law)
Awards	Full list

Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. Known for her work in both comedy and drama, her films have grossed over $3 billion in the U.S. box-office.^[1] Diaz established herself as a sex symbol and one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, and in 2013 she was named the highest-paid actress over 40.^[2] She has received various accolades, including nominations for a BAFTA Award and four Golden Globe Awards.

Born in San Diego, California, Diaz was raised in Long Beach. While still in high school, she signed a modeling contract with Elite Model Management. She made her film debut at age 21 opposite Jim Carrey in the comedy The Mask (1994). Following a supporting role in the romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), she starred as the titular character in the Farrelly brothers' comedy There's Something About Mary (1998), which brought her increased fame and her first Golden Globe nomination. Her following two projects—the sports drama Any Given Sunday and Spike Jonze's fantasy film Being John Malkovich (both 1999)—lent Diaz a reputation as a dramatic actress.

Diaz received praise for her supporting roles in Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky (2001) and Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York (2002) and had greater commercial success in the action comedy Charlie's Angels (2000) and its 2003 sequel, as well as for voicing Princess Fiona in the Shrek franchise (2001–2010). Her subsequent films include the comedies In Her Shoes (2005), The Holiday (2006), What Happens in Vegas (2008), Knight and Day (2010), The Green Hornet (2011), and Bad Teacher (2011). After starring in three successful comedies in 2014—The Other Woman, Sex Tape and Annie—Diaz retired from acting to focus on her family, but made a return to the profession in 2022.

Diaz has also written two health books: The Body Book (2013), a New York Times bestseller, and The Longevity Book (2016). Her personal life has drawn media attention throughout the course of her career, mostly regarding her relationships and fashion choices. In 2015, she married Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden; they had a daughter via surrogate in 2019, and a second child in 2024.

Early life and education[edit]

Cameron Michelle Diaz was born August 30, 1972,^[3] in San Diego, California, to Billie (née Early), an import/export agent, and Emilio Diaz,^[4] a foreman of the California oil company Unocal.^[5][6] Diaz has an elder sister, Chimene.^[5] Her father's family is Cuban, and Diaz's ancestors had originally moved from Spain to Cuba.^[7] Later, they settled in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida, before moving to the Los Angeles area, where her father was born.^[8][9] Her mother has predominantly English and German ancestry.^[10][11]

Diaz was raised in Long Beach^[6] and attended Los Cerritos Elementary School, and then Long Beach Polytechnic High School,^[12] where she was a schoolmate of Snoop Dogg.^[13] She recalled her upbringing as frugal, stating: "I had amazing parents, they were awesome. We weren't privileged—very much the opposite. My family would collect [soda] cans to turn in for extra money, because $20 meant something to us. But we were very happy."^[14]

While still attending high school, Diaz signed a modeling contract with Elite Model Management at age 16^[15] and appeared in advertisements for Calvin Klein and Levi's.^[16] The following year, at age 17, she was featured on the cover of the July 1990 issue of Seventeen magazine.^[15] Diaz also modeled for 2 to 3 months in Australia and shot a commercial for Coca-Cola in Sydney in 1991.^[17][18][19]

Career[edit]

In 1992, at age 19, she was photographed and videotaped topless for an S&M leather fashion lingerie editorial by John Rutter, a professional photographer. The photographs and video were never released. Rutter approached Diaz in 2003, ahead of the release of Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, offering to sell the pictures and video to her for $3.5 million before attempting to sell them to prospective buyers. He stated that he was offering her first right of refusal to them; she saw it as attempted blackmail and sued him.^[20][21][22] In July 2004, the 30-minute video of the photo shoot, entitled She's No Angel, was released on a Russian website.^[23] Rutter denied releasing it.^[24] On September 16, 2005, Rutter was sentenced to more than three years in prison for attempted grand theft, forgery, and perjury.^[22]

1994–1998: Early films and rise to fame[edit]

At the age of 21, Diaz auditioned for The Mask, playing a jazz singer named Tina Carlyle,^[25] based on the recommendation of an agent for Elite, who met the film's producers while they were searching for the lead actress. Having no previous acting experience, she started acting lessons after being cast. The Mask became one of the top ten highest-grossing films of 1994^[26] and launched Diaz as a sex symbol.^[27][28] During this period, Diaz dated video producer Carlos de la Torre.^[29]

Diaz subsequently starred in the independent black comedy The Last Supper (1995), playing one of several liberal graduate students who invite a group of extremist conservatives to a dinner in an attempt to murder them.^[30] Roger Ebert deemed the film "a brave effort in a timid time, a Swiftian attempt to slap us all in the face and get us to admit that our own freedoms depend precisely on those of our neighbors, our opponents and, yes, our enemies."^[31] She then had a lead role as an ex-stripper in the dramatic comedy Feeling Minnesota (1996), in which she co-starred opposite Keanu Reeves, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Courtney Love.^[32] Emanuel Levy of Variety noted: "Sadly, with the notable exception of the attractive Diaz, who's well cast as the sexual aggressor and romantic manipulator, there are no exciting performances in the film."^[32] The same year, she was cast opposite Jennifer Aniston in the Edward Burns-directed comedy She's the One (1996),^[33] followed by a starring role in Head Above Water (1996), a crime-comedy in which she played an unfaithful wife implicated in her ex-lover's murder.^[34]

She was scheduled to perform in the film Mortal Kombat, but had to resign after breaking her hand while training for the role.^[35] Besides a starring part in the little-seen A Life Less Ordinary, Diaz returned to mainstream in 1997 with the romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding. In it, she starred opposite Julia Roberts, playing the wealthy fiancée of a sportswriter who is the long-time friend of Roberts' character. The film was a global box-office hit^[36] and is considered one of the best romantic comedy films of all time.^[37][38]

In 1998, Diaz starred in There's Something About Mary, as the titular role of a woman living in Miami having several men vying for her affections. It was remarked in The Austin Chronicle: "As the Mary at the center of it all, Diaz certainly exudes that irresistible 'something' expressed in the title. In films such as My Best Friend's Wedding and A Life Less Ordinary, Diaz has shown herself to be a good comic sport who is game for just about anything. Here, it's no stretch to understand why, at the end of the movie, some half-dozen suitors have converged in her living room to throw themselves at her feet."^[39] The sleeper hit was the highest-grossing comedy of 1998 in North America as well as the fourth-highest-grossing film of the year; it made US$176 million in the United States and US$369 million worldwide.^[40] She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the category of Best Actress – Musical or Comedy.^[41] Diaz also starred in the critically panned comedy Very Bad Things (1998).

1999–2004: Dramatic roles and critical success[edit]

She starred in Spike Jonze's directorial debut Being John Malkovich (1999), portraying the pet-obsessed wife of an unemployed puppeteer who, through a portal, finds himself in the mind of actor John Malkovich. The film received widespread acclaim and was an arthouse success.^[42] Janet Maslin of The New York Times concluded that Diaz "does a hilarious turn" in her "frumpy wife" role,^[43] and Roger Ebert felt that the actress, "one of the best-looking women in movies, [...] here looks so dowdy we hardly recognize her [...] Diaz has fun with her talent by taking it incognito to strange places and making it work for a living".^[44] For her role, Diaz earned Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Golden Globe, BAFTA, and SAG Awards, however, she was snubbed for the Oscar, which was met with backlash. Her next film release in 1999 was Oliver Stone's sports drama Any Given Sunday (1999), in which veteran coach Tony D’Amato (Al Pacino) has fallen out of favor with her character Christina Pagniacci, the young woman who owns the team. While critical response was mixed, the film made US$100 million globally.^[45]

In the film adaptation Charlie's Angels (2000), Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu played the trio of investigators in Los Angeles. The film was one of the highest-grossing films of the year, grossing US$264.1 million.^[46] In 2001, Diaz starred in the Sundance-premiered independent drama The Invisible Circus, as a young woman who commits suicide in Europe in the 1970s, and next in the year, she appeared in Vanilla Sky, as the former lover of a self-indulgent and vain publishing magnate (Tom Cruise). A wide critical response and commercial success greeted Vanilla Sky upon its release; Los Angeles Times called her "compelling as the embodiment of crazed sensuality"^[47] and The New York Times said she gives a "ferociously emotional" performance. San Francisco Chronicle similarly stated of the film, "most impressive is Cameron Diaz, whose fatal-attraction stalker is both heartbreaking and terrifying."^[48] She earned nominations for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globe Awards, the SAG Awards, the Critics' Choice Awards, and the American Film Institute Awards for her performance in the film.

Also in 2001, she voiced Princess Fiona in the animated film Shrek.^[49] In the film, her character is plagued by a curse that transforms her into an ogress each and every sunset. Locked in a dragon-guarded castle for several years, she is rescued by the title character, whom she later comes to love. The film was a major commercial success, grossing US$484.4 million worldwide and became the first movie to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.^[50][51] In 2002, Diaz headlined the romantic comedy The Sweetest Thing, playing a single woman educating herself on wooing the opposite sex when she finally meets the man of her dreams. The film was a moderate commercial success with a global gross of US$68.6 million.^[52]

After completing Shrek, Diaz starred in Martin Scorsese's epic period drama Gangs of New York, set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City; she took on the role of a pickpocket-grifter and the love interest of Leonardo DiCaprio's character. The film received positive reviews by critics and was a box office success, grossing a total of US$193 million worldwide.^[53][54] A. O. Scott of The New York Times, agreeing with other top critics on co-star Daniel Day-Lewis's presence overshadowing Diaz and DiCaprio,^[55][56] felt that the actress "ends up with no outlet for her spitfire energies, since her character is more a structural necessity — the linchpin of male jealousy — than a fully imagined person. The limitations of her role point to a more serious lapse, which is the movie's lack of curiosity about what women's lives might have been like in Old New York".^[57] Diaz next reprised her roles in the commercially successful sequels Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), and Shrek 2 (2004).

2005–2011: Established actress[edit]

Diaz received substantial defamation damages from suing American Media Incorporated, after the National Enquirer posted an article and pictures with the headline "Cameron Caught Cheating" on their website in May 2005.^[58] The photos claimed to show Diaz cheating on her boyfriend at the time, Justin Timberlake, with the married MTV producer of her show Trippin', Shane Nickerson.^[58][59] After Diaz complained, the article and pictures were removed from the web and the hard copy did not contain any of the content. The magazine apologized to Diaz, Timberlake, Nickerson and his wife for the distress caused and said the story was untrue and the picture showed no more than a goodbye hug between friends.^[58]

In her following film, Diaz played opposite Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine in In Her Shoes (2005), a comedy-drama film based on the novel of the same name by Jennifer Weiner, which focuses on the relationship between two sisters and their grandmother. The film received generally positive reviews from critics,^[60] and Diaz garnered acclaim for her performance of a dyslectic wild child engaged in a love-hate struggle with her plain, sensible sister (Collette), with USA Today calling it "her best work" at the time.^[61] She followed In Her Shoes with a role in Nancy Meyers' romantic comedy The Holiday (2006), also starring Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Jack Black. In it she played Amanda, an American movie trailer producer who arranges a home exchange with a British woman (Winslet). The film became one of the biggest commercial successes of the year, grossing more than US$205 million worldwide.^[62]

Diaz's only film of 2007 was Shrek the Third, the third installment in the Shrek franchise, which also featured Timberlake in a supporting role. Although the film was met with mixed reviews from critics,^[63] it grossed US$798 million worldwide.^[64] The same year, Diaz also voiced Princess Fiona in a thirty-minute Christmas special, directed by Gary Trousdale.^[65] Diaz earned an estimated US$50 million during the period of a year ending June 2008, for her roles in the Shrek sequel and her next film What Happens in Vegas opposite Ashton Kutcher.^[66][67] A romantic comedy by Tom Vaughan, Diaz and Kutcher portrayed two strangers who awaken together to discover they have gotten married following a night in which they won a huge jackpot after playing the other's quarter. Critic reviews were negative but the film still grossed US$219 million with a budget of US$35 million.^[68][69]

In 2009, she starred in My Sister's Keeper and The Box. Based on Jodi Picoult's novel of the same name,^[70] My Sister's Keeper was released to mixed reviews in June 2009.^[71] In the drama, Diaz plays a former lawyer and mother of three, one of whom is dying of leukemia. A moderate commercial success, it grossed US$95 million worldwide, mostly from its domestic run.^[72] Set in 1976, The Box, written and directed by Richard Kelly, stars Diaz and James Marsden as a couple who receive a box from a mysterious man who offers them one million dollars if they press the button sealed within the dome on top of a box, knowing that someone, somewhere, will die from it.^[73] Critical response towards the psychological horror film was mixed,^[74] and, though having grossed its budget back, was considered a financial disappointment.^[75]

In 2010, Forbes ranked Diaz as the richest female celebrity, ranking her number 60 among the wealthiest 100.^[76][77] Also that year, Diaz reprised her voice role of Princess Fiona in Shrek Forever After, the fourth installment in the Shrek series. Although the film opened to mixed reviews from critics, it grossed a worldwide total of over US$752 million and became the fifth top-grossing film released that year.^[78] The same year, she also voiced Princess Fiona in a thirty-minute Halloween special.^[79] Also in 2010, Diaz reunited with her Vanilla Sky co-star Tom Cruise in the action comedy film Knight and Day. In it, Diaz plays a classic car restorer who unwittingly gets caught up with the eccentric secret agent Roy Miller, played by Cruise, who is on the run from the Secret Service. Knight and Day received mixed reviews,^[80] and while the comedy performed poorly at the box office in its debut, it became a sleeper hit at the box office with a worldwide gross of US$262 million.^[81]

In 2011, Diaz was cast as Lenore Case, a journalist, in the remake of the 1940s film The Green Hornet. Directed by Michel Gondry, Diaz starred alongside Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, and Christoph Waltz in the superhero action comedy film. Released to mixed to negative reviews from critics, who called it an "overblown, interminable and unfunny update",^[82] the film ended its theatrical run on April 21, 2011, with a worldwide gross total of US$228 million.^[81] The same year, she played opposite Timberlake and Jason Segel in Jake Kasdan's adult comedy Bad Teacher. In the film, Diaz plays an immoral, gold-digging Chicago-area middle school teacher at the fictional John Adams Middle School who curses at her students, drinks heavily, and smokes marijuana. Again, it received mostly negative reviews from critics who felt that "in spite of a promising concept and a charmingly brazen performance from Diaz, Bad Teacher is never as funny as it should be."^[83] A commercial hit however, the R-rated comedy grossed US$216 million worldwide.^[84] Also in 2011, Diaz was listed among CEOWorld Magazine's Top Accomplished Women Entertainers.^[85]

2012–2014: Focus on comedies[edit]

In 2012 Diaz was cast in What to Expect When You're Expecting, directed by Kirk Jones and based on the pregnancy guide of the same name.^[86] Diaz, who filmed her scenes in a two-week period, portrays Jules Baxter, a contestant on a celebrity dance show and a host to a weight-loss fitness show, who becomes pregnant with her dance partner's baby.^[87] Upon release, the ensemble comedy received mostly negative reviews, but became a moderate commercial success with a worldwide gross of US$84.4 million.^[88][89] Diaz's other film that year was Gambit, a remake of the 1966 film of the same name directed by Michael Hoffman and scripted by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews,^[90] and performed poorly at the box office, grossing only US$10 million internationally.^[91] Diaz also voiced Sigmund Freud in A Liar's Autobiography (2012), a British animated comedy film that is a (deliberately) completely inaccurate portrayal^[92] of the life of Monty Python alumnus Graham Chapman.

Diaz's only film project of 2013 was Ridley Scott's The Counselor, co-starring Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, and Brad Pitt. In the thriller about greed, death, the primal instincts of humans and their consequences, Diaz plays a pathological liar and a sociopath, an immigrant who is now living the high-life after escaping a sordid past as an exotic dancer. While the film's reception was negative, her performance was praised as one of her best in recent years.^[93]

Diaz's first film of 2014 was the romantic revenge comedy The Other Woman opposite Nikolaj Coster-Waldau,

Jessica Simpson theme by stu2b2

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American singer (born 1980)

Jessica Simpson
Simpson performing in 2011
Born	Jessica Ann Simpson (1980-07-10) July 10, 1980 (age 43) Abilene, Texas, U.S.
Education	J.J. Pearce High School Texas Tech High School
Occupations	Singer songwriter actress fashion designer
Years active	1993–present
Organization	The Jessica Simpson Collection
Spouses	Nick Lachey ​ ​ (m. 2002; div. 2006)​ Eric Johnson ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	3
Relatives	Ashlee Simpson (sister)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Pop dance-pop R&B country pop
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Labels	Columbia Epic Primary Wave BMG
Website	jessicasimpson.com
Musical artist

Jessica Ann Simpson (born July 10, 1980)^[1] is an American singer, actress, and businesswoman. After performing in church choirs as a child, Simpson signed with Columbia Records in 1997, aged seventeen. Her debut studio album, Sweet Kisses (1999), sold two million copies in the United States and was led by the Billboard Hot 100-top three single "I Wanna Love You Forever". Simpson adopted a more mature image for her second studio album, Irresistible (2001), and its namesake lead single track peaked within the top 20 of the chart. The album received gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In This Skin (2003), Simpson's third studio album, sold three million copies in the United States.

During her earlier career, Simpson became known for her relationship with and later marriage to Nick Lachey, with whom she also appeared on the MTV reality television series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica (2003–2005). Following the release of her first Christmas album ReJoyce: The Christmas Album (2004), which was certified gold, Simpson made her film debut as Daisy Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard (2005). She also recorded a cover of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" for the film's soundtrack. In 2006, she released her fifth studio album, A Public Affair and appeared in the romantic comedy film Employee of the Month. With the release of her sixth studio album Do You Know (2008), she moved into the country music genre. Simpson has sold 20 million albums worldwide.^[2]

Aside from her musical pursuits, Simpson launched The Jessica Simpson Collection in 2005, a fashion-focused line with 34 product categories. It has earned over US$1 billion in revenue, and remains as the most successful celebrity licensing brand in history. She also starred in the reality television series The Price of Beauty in 2010 and judged clothing designs on two seasons of Fashion Star from 2012 to 2013.

Life and career[edit]

1980–1998: Childhood and career beginnings[edit]

Simpson was born on July 10, 1980, in Abilene, Texas.^[1] She is the first child of Tina Ann Simpson (née Drew), a homemaker,^[3] and Joseph Simpson, a minister. Simpson's parents married in 1978; they divorced in 2013.^[4][5][6][7] Simpson has stated that she grew up in Dallas and Waco, but her parents now live in McGregor, Texas.^[8] Simpson has a younger sister, Ashlee.^[9] In her preteens she briefly attended Amelia Middle School while her father did outreach in Cincinnati, Ohio. After moving back to Texas 20 months later, she attended J. J. Pearce High School in Richardson during her teenage years, though she had to drop out in 1997 as her career began to take off; a year later she earned her GED via distance learning through Texas Tech High School.^[10][11][12] Simpson was raised in the Christian faith, and was given a purity ring by her father when she was twelve years old.^[13] Jessica and her family moved frequently due to her father's job as a minister, though they remained in Texas for the most part; however, they did live in the Midwest for a few years.^[14]

She began singing in the church choir as a child. When she was eleven, she dreamed of success as a singer while at a church retreat.^[14] Simpson auditioned for The Mickey Mouse Club at the age of twelve, auditioning with a performance of "Amazing Grace" and dancing to "Ice Ice Baby" (1990).^[14] She advanced through multiple rounds, eventually being a semi-finalist for the show alongside artists such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake.^[14] Simpson claimed that she became nervous about her final audition after seeing Aguilera perform, and she was ultimately not selected for the show.^[14] Simpson resumed performing in her church choir, being discovered by the head of a Christian music label eventually.^[14] He asked her for an audition initially and signed her immediately after she performed "I Will Always Love You" (1973) by Dolly Parton.^[14] She began working on her debut album with Proclaim Records and touring to promote the project.^[14] Simpson's father later claimed that she had to quit touring as the size of her breasts led to her being deemed too "sexual" for the genre.^[14]

Her debut album, Jessica, remained unreleased after Proclaim Records went bankrupt; despite this, her grandmother funded a limited pressing of the album personally.^[15][16] Shortly after this, Simpson landed several auditions as Jessica was sent to numerous labels and producers.^[14] Ultimately, she caught the attention of Tommy Mottola, then married to Mariah Carey and the head of Columbia Records.^[14] He went on to sign her to the label at the behest of Columbia talent scout Teresa LaBarbera Whites, claiming "She had a great little look and a great attitude, a fresh new face, and something a bit different than Britney and all of them; she could actually sing."^[14] Simpson began working on her debut album in Orlando, Florida.^[14] Mottola hoped to market Simpson as a contrast to Spears and Aguilera, both of whom had launched successful careers focused on dancing and sexuality.^[14] While working on her musical debut, Simpson enlisted her father Joe as her manager; her mother became her stylist.^[17] While at a Christmas party in 1998, Simpson met 98 Degrees singer Nick Lachey, and the two began dating; Lachey claimed that he left the party and told his mother that he would marry Simpson someday.^[14]

1999–2001: Breakthrough with early musical releases[edit]

Simpson began working on her debut studio album in 1998. Mottola wanted Simpson to embrace an "anti-sex appeal" image while promoting the record, in contrast to those of highly successful artists Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.^[18] He believed the image would make Simpson more "relatable" to listeners, therefore aiding in sales.^[18] Simpson went on to announce her plans to remain abstinent until marriage as a result of Mottola's decision.^[19] Her debut single, "I Wanna Love You Forever" (1999), was released on September 28.^[20][21] The single became a success in numerous territories, most notably reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.^[22] The song earned a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales exceeding one million copies in the country.^[23] The album had some success in other territories as well, most notably in several European countries.^[24][25]

Simpson's debut studio album, Sweet Kisses (1999), was released on November 23.^[26] The album sold 65,000 copies in its first week of release, debuting at number sixty-five on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States.^[27] To promote the record, "Where You Are" (2000) was released as the second single from the album; Simpson's boyfriend Nick Lachey was featured on the track.^[28] "I Think I'm in Love with You" (2000) served as the album's third and final single and achieved success in the United States.^[29] With the success of the album's third single, Sweet Kisses rose to a new peak of number twenty-five on the Billboard 200 in August 2000.^[29] The album sold over two million copies in the United States, earning a double platinum certification from the RIAA.^[30] Simpson embarked on the Heat It Up Tour with her boyfriend's band, 98 Degrees, as their opening act to promote Sweet Kisses throughout 2000.^[31]

Work on her second album began in 2000, opting to record more "radio-friendly" and upbeat songs for the record.^[32] During the recording of the album, Simpson adopted a more mature public image, a decision Simpson and her record label made in hopes to achieve the success of artists such as Spears.^[32] While working on the record, Simpson ended her relationship with Lachey to focus on furthering her career; however, the two reconciled romantically that September.^[31] In a July 2001 interview with Coventry Newspapers, Simpson explained "I recorded [Sweet Kisses] when I was seventeen years old and I'm twenty-one [this month] so there is four years of growth involved."^[33] Simpson released the record's title track, "Irresistible" (2001) as the lead single from the project in April.^[34] The single received a generally mixed reaction from critics due to its sexual themes,^[35] though it became her second top twenty hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[36][37]

Simpson released her second studio album, Irresistible (2001), in May.^[38] The album sold 127,000 copies in the United States during its first week of release, debuting at number six on the Billboard 200 chart.^[39] Though the album's first week sales nearly doubled those of her previous effort, Irresistible failed to match the success of her debut album; the record earned a gold certification from the RIAA for sales of 500,000 copies.^[30] "A Little Bit" (2001), the album's second and final single, failed to achieve much success. To promote the record, Simpson embarked as a co-headliner on the Total Request Live Tour (2001) alongside artists such as Destiny's Child and Nelly.^[40][41] She later left the tour to launch her own DreamChaser Tour (2001), for which Simpson added choreography and backup dancers to her performances; the tour was canceled following the September 11 attacks.^[42]

2002–2005: Marriage to Nick Lachey and heightened success[edit]

Simpson announced her engagement to Nick Lachey in February 2002,^[43] with the two holding their wedding ceremony on October 26 in Austin, Texas.^[44] Simpson also began working on her third studio album in 2002. The album's lead single, "Sweetest Sin" (2003), dealt lyrically with the topic of Simpson losing her virginity to Lachey.^[45] The song failed to achieve commercial success. Simpson's father pitched an idea to MTV about a reality show starring the couple, resulting in the creation of Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica.^[46] The series focused on the marriage between Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley initially, but the two backed out, allowing Simpson and Lachey to replace them.^[47] The show, which focused on the couple's marriage and the recording of Simpson's third studio album primarily, premiered on August 19, 2003.^[48][49] The show became a pop culture phenomenon instantly, with Simpson's perceived "dumb blonde" antics on the show helping to make the couple a household name.^[50][51] The series was a ratings success for MTV and aired for three seasons until 2005.^[51]

Simpson's third studio album, In This Skin (2003), was released the day that Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica premiered, with the show serving as a promotional tool for the record. In This Skin debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200, selling 64,000 copies in its first week of release.^[52] The album's opening numbers served as the lowest of Simpson's career at the time. In This Skin quickly declined the chart, and by December 2003 had sold just over 565,000 copies in the United States.^[52] Simpson released "With You" (2003) as the second single from the album in October.^[53] The single became a hit, reaching the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Mainstream Top 40 chart based on radio airplay.^[29] Simpson appeared in the halftime show of the Super Bowl XXXVIII. She recorded new material for a re-release of In This Skin, which was released in March 2004.^[54][55][56] The re-release aided in album sales dramatically; In This Skin went on to sell three million copies in the United States.^[57] Both "Take My Breath Away" (2004) and "Angels" (2004) were released as singles from the re-release.^[58]

Simpson and Lachey starred in the ABC special The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour in April, which featured guest appearances by celebrities such as Jewel and Mr. T, among others.^[59] That same month, she launched her Jessica Simpson Desserts by Jessica Simpson cosmetics line along with Randi Shinder; all of the products in the line were edible.^[60] Simpson embarked on her Reality Tour (2004) throughout North America beginning in June; the tour was a financial success, and ended in October.^[61] During this time, Simpson and her husband began making guest appearances on The Ashlee Simpson Show, chronicling the start of Jessica's sister's music career.^[62] Simpson's fourth studio album, a collection of Christmas-themed songs titled ReJoyce: The Christmas Album (2004), was released on November 23.^[63] The album reached a peak of number fourteen on the Billboard 200, and was certified gold by the RIAA for sales exceeding 500,000 copies.^[64] Also in 2004, Simpson filmed a sitcom pilot for ABC, which the network did not pick up.^[65] In February 2005, Simpson and Shinder launched the Dessert Treats edible cosmetics line, similar to their prior line but targeted towards a younger audience. Both lines were canceled following a string of lawsuits.^[66]

Simpson performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Indy 500 in 2005.^[67] Simpson launched The Jessica Simpson Collection in 2005, initially partnering with Tarrant Apparel Group to release the Princy and JS by Jessica Simpson clothing lines.^[68] The company has continued to grow throughout the years, and in 2014 was reported to earn $1 billion in annual sales.^[69] Simpson made her film debut as Daisy Duke in the film adaption of The Dukes of Hazzard (2005).^[70] While the film was met with negative reviews from film critics generally, it grossed over $111 million worldwide.^[71] Simpson recorded the song "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" (2005) to promote the film; it both samples and shares the title of a Nancy Sinatra song.^[72] The song entered the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming one Simpson's most successful singles to date.^[73] The music video, which featured Simpson in character as Daisy Duke, was controversial for featuring Simpson in "revealing" outfits and washing the General Lee car in her bikini.^[74] In November 2005, Simpson and Lachey announced they were separating.^[75] Simpson filed for divorce in December 2005, citing "irreconcilable differences."^[76] Their divorce was publicized worldwide and finalized on June 30, 2006.^[77]

2006–2009: A Public Affair, other movies, and Do You Know[edit]

Simpson began working on her fifth studio album in 2005. March 2006 saw her parted ways with Columbia Records, with whom she had worked since the launch of her career, and had signed a new recording contract with Epic Records.^[78] Simpson and stylist Ken Pavés launched a line of hair and beauty products on the Home Shopping Network in 2006.^[79] Simpson released her new single, "A Public Affair" (2006) on June 29.^[80] The song entered the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100, and earned a gold certification from the RIAA for sales exceeding 500,000 copies in the United States.^[30] The single, an upbeat breakup song, was released the day before her divorce from Lachey was finalized.^[80] Most notably, the song entered the top ten of the iTunes Store at the same time as her sister's single "Invisible" (2006), marking the first time that two siblings had appeared in the store's top ten simultaneously.^[81]

Her fifth studio album, A Public Affair (2006), debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 101,000 copies.^[29] The album failed to match the success of In This Skin (2003), selling just over 500,000 copies in the United States.^[30] The empowerment anthem "I Belong to Me" (2006), which served as the album's second and final single, failed to achieve commercial success.^[82] Simpson starred alongside Dane Cook and Dax Shepard in the comedy film Employee of the Month (2006), released that October.^[83] The film received a negative critical reaction and failed to achieve commercial success.^[84] Simpson performed a cover of the Dolly Parton song "9 to 5" (1980) as a tribute to the artist at the Kennedy Center Awards in December 2006. Simpson forgot the lyrics to the song and the performance received harsh criticism; she also received a chance to redo the song for the cameras, though her performance was cut from the broadcast ultimately.^[85][86] Critics noted the underperformance of both Simpson's fifth studio album and her second film as her sister Ashlee experienced a similar decline in success.^[87]

Simpson had an on-again, off-again relationship with singer-songwriter John Mayer from August 2006 to May 2007.^[88][89] Long after their breakup, Simpson described her relationship with Mayer in her 2020 memoir, Open Book.^[88]

In November 2007, Simpson began dating Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Cowboys fans considered the relationship controversial, as some blamed Simpson for Romo's poor performance in games after the pair got together. Some fans dubbed Simpson "Yoko Romo," a reference to Yoko Ono, to whom many fans of The Beatles attributed the quartet disbanding in 1970.^[90] Even then-president George W. Bush commented on the pair's relationship, blaming Simpson implicitly for Romo's lackluster performances.^[91] Reportedly, Simpson and Romo ended their relationship in July 2009.^[92] During the relationship, Simpson also appeared alongside Luke Wilson in the film Blonde Ambition (2007); it had a limited release in Texas before being released on home media.^[93] Later, she starred in the direct-to-video film Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous (2008), portraying an actress who joins the military. The film received a negative reaction overwhelmingly upon its release.^[94] Simpson collaborated with Parlux Fragrances to launch her first scent, Fancy, in 2008. The fragrance, unlike Private Valentine, received a positive commercial reaction.^[95]

Simpson began working on her sixth studio album in 2007, with her father claiming that she was experimenting with country music for the record.^[96] Simpson claimed to have grown up around country music, and wanted to "give something back."^[97] She released "Come On Over" (2008) as the project's lead single on June 20.^[98] The song debuted at number forty-one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, making it the highest debut for an artist's first entry on that chart.^[99] Do You Know (2008) was released on September 9.^[100] The project sold 65,000 copies in its first week of release, debuting at number four on the Billboard 200 chart.^[101] The album has sold just over 200,000 copies in the United States as of 2012.^[102] Simpson opened for country music group Rascal Flatts on their Bob That Head Tour (2009) from January to March 2009.^[103] Simpson's attempt to transition into country music received a negative reaction. Most notably, a crowd booed her following a performance at the Country Thunder Festival in Wisconsin.^[104] Simpson's work also garnered references in Eminem's 2009 song "We Made You" and Trisha Paytas portrayed her.

2010–present: Motherhood, second marriage, and focus on business ventures[edit]

Simpson's VH1 documentary series, The Price of Beauty, began airing in March 2010. The series followed Simpson around the world, introducing viewers to the different perceptions of beauty in different cultures.^{[105][106][107]} The premiere episode attracted one million viewers,^[108][109] but Simpson revealed that the series wo

Jennifer Love Hewitt
Hewitt in 2008
Born	(1979-02-21) February 21, 1979 (age 45) Waco, Texas, U.S.
Occupations	Actress singer producer director
Years active	1989–present
Spouse	Brian Hallisay ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	3
Musical career
Genres	Pop pop rock
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Labels	Atlantic Jive
Musical artist

Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979)^[1] is an American actress, producer and singer. Hewitt began her career as a child actress and singer, appearing in national television commercials before joining the cast of the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated (1989–1991). She had her breakthrough as Sarah Reeves Merrin on the Fox teen drama Party of Five (1995–1999) and rose to fame as a teen star for her role as Julie James in the horror films I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and its 1998 sequel, as well as her role as Amanda Beckett in the teen comedy film Can't Hardly Wait (1998).

Hewitt's other notable films include Heartbreakers (2001), The Tuxedo (2002) and the two Garfield live-action films (2004–2006). She has starred as Melinda Gordon on the CBS supernatural drama Ghost Whisperer (2005–2010), Riley Parks on the Lifetime drama series The Client List (2012–2013), Special Agent Kate Callahan on the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds (2014–2015), and since 2018, Maddie Buckley on the Fox first-responder procedural 9-1-1. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for The Client List pilot film (2010).

In music, Hewitt has released four studio albums to date. After her debut album, Love Songs (1992), was released at age 12 exclusively in Japan, she went on to record Let's Go Bang (1995), Jennifer Love Hewitt (1996) and BareNaked (2002), the latter of which became her first album to chart in the United States, peaking at number 37 on the Billboard 200 chart. Her most successful single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart was the 1999 release "How Do I Deal", which peaked at number 59.^[2] In addition to music and acting, Hewitt has served as a producer on some of her film and television projects. She has appeared in several magazines' lists of the world's most beautiful women.

Early life[edit]

Hewitt was born in Waco, Texas^[3] to Patricia Mae (née Shipp), a speech-language pathologist, and Herbert Daniel Hewitt, a medical technician. She grew up in Nolanville in Central Texas,^[4] and has close kinship ties in parts of Arkansas.^[5] After their parents divorced, Hewitt and her older brother Todd were raised by their mother.^[6]

As a toddler, Hewitt was attracted to music, which led to her first encounters with the entertainment industry. At age three, she sang "The Greatest Love of All" at a livestock show.^[7] The following year, at a restaurant-dance hall, she entertained an audience with her version of "Help Me Make It Through the Night".^[8] By age five, she had tap dancing and ballet in her portfolio.^[9] At nine, she became a member of the Texas Show Team, an L.A. Gear troupe,^[10][11][12] which also toured the Soviet Union.^[13][14][15]

Acting career[edit]

1989–1994: Early acting credits[edit]

Hewitt moved to Los Angeles, at age ten, with her mother, to pursue a career in both acting and singing, at the suggestion of talent scouts, and after winning the title of "Texas Our Little Miss Talent Winner".^[6] She attended Lincoln High School^[16] where her classmates included Jonathan Neville, who became a talent scout and recommended Hewitt for her role in Party of Five.^[8]

Hewitt appeared in more than twenty television commercials, including some for Mattel toys.^[17] Her first break came as a child actress on the Disney Channel variety show Kids Incorporated (1989–1991),^[18] which earned her, as a member of the cast, three Young Artist Award nominations. In 1992, she appeared in the live action video short Dance! Workout with Barbie (1992), which was released by Buena Vista,^[19] and obtained her first feature film role in the independent production Munchie, in which she played Andrea, the love interest of a bullied young boy.^[20] A year later, she had her first starring role in Little Miss Millions, as a wealthy nine-year old who runs away from her stepmother to find her real mother, and appeared as a choir member in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.^[21] Hewitt played Pierce Brosnan's daughter in a pilot for NBC called Running Wilde (1993), which featured Brosnan as a reporter for Auto World magazine, whose stories cover his own wild auto adventures, but the series was not picked up and the pilot never aired.^[22] Hewitt later had roles in several short-lived television series, such as Fox's Shaky Ground (1992–1993),^[23] ABC's The Byrds of Paradise (1994),^[24] and McKenna (1994–95).^[25]

1995–1999: Rise to stardom[edit]

Hewitt rose to teen idol status after landing the role of Sarah Reeves Merrin on the popular Fox show Party of Five (1995–99).^[26] Originally cast for a nine-episode arc in season two, reception from producers and audiences was so positive that she became a series regular, continuing to play the character until the show's sixth and final season.^[27] Co-creator Amy Lippman once stated: "She was a crazy professional. You didn't have to ask yourself, ‘I don't know if she'll be able to work up a head of steam here, I don't know if she'll be able to cry.' She wasn't running to her trailer [between takes] to smoke cigarettes or play with a toy poodle. She was reading material and trying to plot her career".^[28] For her performance, Hewitt garnered nominations for a Kids' Choice Award, a Teen Choice Award and a YoungStar Award.^{[citation needed]}

Hewitt became a film star with the release of the horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997),^[29] in which she starred opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze, Jr, portraying Julie James, the final girl.^[30] She was cast in the role based on her "ability to project vulnerability," which the producers, director Jim Gillespie, and writer Kevin Williamson unanimously agreed upon. While the film received mixed reviews, an Entertainment Weekly columnist praised Hewitt's performance, noting that she knows how to "scream with soul".^[31] Budgeted at US$17 million, the movie made US$125 million globally.^[32][33][34] For her role, she received a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Performance in a Feature Film — Leading Young Actress and the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Female Newcomer. She appeared in the sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), which, though not as successful as the first film, took in more money on its opening weekend.^[35]

Hewitt starred as Amanda Beckett, the most popular girl in school and the senior class prom queen, in the teen comedy Can't Hardly Wait (1998).^[36] Critic James Berardinelli asserted that Hewitt was "so likable that it's hard not to have at least a minor rooting interest" in her character,^[37] and with a US$25.6 million gross at the North American domestic box office, the film emerged as a moderate commercial success.^[38] Telling You, another 1998 teen comedy, featured Hewitt as the annoyingly sweet ex-girlfriend of a college student working in a pizza joint. In 1999, she played a record company executive in the independent comedy The Suburbans and starred in and produced Time of Your Life, a Party of Five spin-off following her character as she moved to New York City to learn more about her biological parents.^[39] Despite Hewitt's popularity at the time, the show received a lackluster viewership and was cancelled after only half the season had aired.^[40]

2000–2004: Steady film work[edit]

In The Audrey Hepburn Story (2000), a biographical drama television film based on the life of actress and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn, Hewitt starred as the title role and served as an executive producer.^[41] She had been recommended for the role by director Steven Robman, who had previously directed her in Party of Five.^[42] The production aired as a three-hour film on ABC on March 27, 2000, and drew mixed reviews. Entertainment Weekly wrote that Hewitt had "guts" to take on the role and called her "excellent at conveying Hepburn's studied modesty",^[43] while The Baltimore Sun review stated: "What's impossibly wrong with this film is that Hewitt has no physical grace while Hepburn was the very embodiment of it".^[44]

Hewitt starred alongside Sigourney Weaver in the romantic comedy Heartbreakers (2001), playing a mother-daughter team setting up an elaborate con to swindle wealthy men out of their money.^[45] Roger Ebert noted that Hewitt "spends the entire film with her treasures on display, maybe as product placement for the Wonderbra",^[46] while BBC.com asserted: "Hewitt though, lacks the necessary duplicity for her character and is too patently agreeable to bitch convincingly, ultimately reducing her to eye-candy among the professionals. Still, she has the right cleavage for the role, and there's sure to be legions of men thankful for that alone".^[47] The film made a moderate US$57.7 million globally.^[48]

Hewitt starred as a genius scientist with aspirations of field work, alongside Jackie Chan, in the action comedy The Tuxedo (2002).^[49] Robert Koehler of Variety noted that Hewitt "has displayed a Chan-like sweetness herself in past roles" and was disappointed that her character is "a haggling, high-strung shrew who's instantly repellent" rather than an amusing sidekick as Chan has had in other Hollywood films.^[50] The film made US$104.4 million worldwide.^[51] In 2002, she also lent her voice for two direct-to-DVD animated films —The Hunchback of Notre Dame II and The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina.^[52]

In 2004, Hewitt starred as a musician in the romantic fantasy drama If Only, the love interest of Ebenezer Scrooge in the television film A Christmas Carol, and Dr. Liz Wilson in the live-action comedy Garfield.^[53] With a worldwide gross of US$200 million, Garfield became Hewitt's highest-grossing film to date.^[54]

2005–2010: Return to television[edit]

Hewitt portrayed Melinda Gordon, a woman with the ability to see and communicate with ghosts, on the CBS television series Ghost Whisperer, which ran on CBS for five seasons and 107 episodes, from September 23, 2005, to May 21, 2010.^[55][56] She also served as a producer and directed three episodes, including the 100th episode. In his review for the first season, David Bianculli, of New York Daily News, wrote: "If [television] really wants a success built around this actress, someone in Hollywood should pay attention to her chameleonic and comedic role in Heartbreakers, and give her a role that plays to those strengths, instead of something this translucent".^[57] Nevertheless, the series emerged as a ratings success and earned Hewitt two Saturn Awards for Best Television Actress.^[58] In 2005, she played a happily married English woman in the romantic comedy The Truth About Love, and a 28-year-old advertising executive more concerned with being a well-known socialite than being a good person in the television film Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber.

Hewitt reprised her role as Dr. Liz Wilson for Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006),^[59] which, though it did not perform as well as its predecessor, achieved a strong box office gross.^[60] Her next film release was the comedy Shortcut to Happiness, in which she starred as The Devil, opposite Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. Filmed in NYC in early 2001, the film became an asset in a federal bank fraud trial when investor Jed Barron was convicted of bank fraud while the film was in production. The film was eventually acquired by The Yari Group and was finally released in 2007.^[61] In 2008, she made a cameo appearance in the successful action comedy Tropic Thunder, and reunited with Freddie Prinze Jr. in the animated production Delgo which, when released, was a massive box office bomb,^[62] taking in only US$694,782 in North America.^[63]

In 2010, Hewitt portrayed a good-hearted barista in the independent drama Café,^[64] and a struggling prostitute in the Lifetime film The Client List.^[65] While a reviewer felt that Hewitt did "a surprisingly credible job of acting seen-it-all exasperated and emotionally mature without once going giggly-girly" in Café,^[66] Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker felt that the actress was able to sell The Client List to the audiences due to her "talent for communicating sincerity and charm".^[67] She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for the latter.^[68]

2011–present: Continued television roles[edit]

Hewitt starred as a journalist, opposite Betty White, in the Hallmark Hall of Fame film The Lost Valentine (2011).^[69] While reviewers unanimously praised White's performance, Variety wrote: "The same can hardly be said of Hewitt, who —in her current TV movie phase— was put to better use as a mom turned hooker in Lifetime's The Client List.^[70] With 14.53 million viewers, the film won its time period and represented the most-watched Hallmark movie in four years.^[71]

In 2012, Hewitt starred as the love interest of a gentile pretending to be Jewish, alongside Ivan Sergei and Joel David Moore in the independent comedy Jewtopia,^[72] and played an erotic massagist in the television series The Client List.^[73] Based on the 2010 television film of the same name, the series ran for two seasons and featured Hewitt as a different character in a premise that was slightly different from the film.

Between 2014 and 2015, Hewitt played the regular role of Kate Callahan, an undercover agent who joins the BAU, in the tenth season of Criminal Minds.^[74][75] She left the series at the end of the season due to her second pregnancy,^[76] and decided to take a career hiatus for the next three years. In an interview with Elle magazine, Hewitt remarked: “I was looking in the mirror, talking with myself, going, ‘Hey, we started something, remember? We were gonna take a step back. So let's do that.'"^[28]

Beginning in 2018, Hewitt has played Maddie Buckley, an ER nurse working as a 9-1-1 operator after leaving an abusive relationship, on the Fox police procedural 9-1-1. Describing her character, she stated: "Maddie has a toughness to her. But she's also empathetic and sensitive. People will see her composed on the phone, but fully dealing with the pain and anguish of the callers [once she hangs up]".^[28]

Other endeavors[edit]

Music[edit]

Hewitt was one of the backing vocalists on Martika's number-one single, "Toy Soldiers" (1989). At age 12, Meldac funded the recording of Hewitt's debut studio album, Love Songs (1992).^[77] The album was released exclusively in Japan, where Hewitt became a pop star.^[78] Her explanation for her success in Japan is that the Japanese "love perky music. The poppier the music, the better."^[79] She was subsequently signed to Atlantic Records, who released her next two albums —Let's Go Bang (1995) and Jennifer Love Hewitt (1996).^[80] The albums, along with their singles, failed to chart and Atlantic dropped Hewitt, who did not return to the music scene for three years.^[77]

Hewitt recorded the single "How Do I Deal" (1999) for the I Still Know What You Did Last Summer soundtrack, which became her first charting single, climbing to No. 59 on the Hot 100 and No. 36 on the Top 40 Mainstream.^[81] It reached No. 8 in Australia.^[82] She also recorded a cover of the Gloria Gaynor song "I Will Survive", which is featured briefly in the film.^[83]

Hewitt appeared in the LFO video for "Girl on TV" (1999),^[84] a song which band member Rich Cronin band wrote for her while the two were dating.^[85] She also appeared in the music video for the Enrique Iglesias song, "Hero" (2001), as the singer's love interest.^[20]

In 2002, Hewitt signed to Jive Records^[86] and recorded her fourth studio album, BareNaked, with singer, songwriter, and producer Meredith Brooks.^[87] The first single, "BareNaked" (2002), became her biggest radio hit to date when it peaked at No. 24 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, No. 31 on the Adult Top 40 and No. 25 on the Top 40 Mainstream. It climbed to No. 6 in Australia, remaining there for two weeks,^[88] and reached No. 33 in the Netherlands.^[89] The song later featured in two episodes of Ghost Whisperer: "The Vanishing" (Season 1, episode 20)^[90] and "The Collector" (Season 2, episode 20).^[91] The moderate success of the single propelled the album to peak at No. 37 on the Billboard 200^[92] and No. 31 in Australia.^[93] However, it only remained on the chart for three weeks. The second single, "Can I Go Now" (2003), failed to chart in the US, while managing to peak at No. 8 in the Netherlands^[94] and No. 12 in Australia.^[95]

Since 2004, Hewitt has remained mostly inactive in the music industry, but she released the compilation albums Cool with You: The Platinum Collection (2006) in Asia and Hey Everybody (2007) in Brazil.^[96] In 2013, she recorded a cover of "I'm a Woman" to promote the second season of The Client List and shot a music video for the song, which reached the top ten in the iTunes Music Video chart.^[97]

Writing[edit]

In November 2009, Hewitt made a foray into comic books, when writer Scott Lobdell scripted the five-issue anthology, Jennifer Love Hewitt's Music Box (2009–2010), based on Hewitt's ideas.^[98] The series was published by IDW Publishing and was collected in a trade paperback.^[99]

She wrote a book titled The Day I Shot Cupid (2010), in which she speaks of her experiences with love and dating.^[100] While promoting the book during a January 2010, interview on Lopez Tonight, Hewitt said that there is a chapter in it about "vajazzling" (decorating a woman's pubis with crystals or rhinestones). This became a big internet hit with the video going viral, widespread news coverage and the term "vajazzling" becoming one of the most searched terms on Google the next day.^{[101][102][103][104]} She has since been credited for the popularization of this trend.^[105] Helium.com gave the book a positive review, stating: "Jennifer Love Hewitt's book provides some good guidelines for those that need to work on clarifying their relationship desires before trying to establish their relationships". It was commercially successful upon its release, becoming a New York Times bestseller within a week.^{[106] [107]}

Public image[edit]

Regarded as a sex symbol, Hewitt's public "narrative" throughout her career has been that of "the sexy girl next door [or] the MVP of Maxim". As noted by Elle magazine, it was "bequeathed" to her around the time she turned 18 and starred in I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and Can't Hardly Wait (1998), roles which, along with Party of Five, "cemented her status as an icon to a whole generation. Every girl wanted to be her, and every boy had a poster of her on his wall".^[28] On her public image, she said: "I think when you start [in Hollywood] younger, the narrative takes off without you. And you kind of go, ‘Oh, okay [...] so I'm that person? Great!’ Before I ever knew in my life what 'sexy' was, I was on the sexy list”.^[28]

Hewitt has appeared in several magazines' lists of the world's most beautiful women. In 2002, she was voted 7th in FHM's Sexiest Girls poll, 14th in Rush's Sexiest Women list, and 11th in Stuff's "102 Sexiest Women in the World". She has ranked 32nd, 20th, 35th, 20th, 6th, and 35th in Maxim magazine's Hot 100 Women in 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014 respectively.^[108][109] Hewitt was identified as the "number one reader choice" on the November 1999 and May 2009 covers of Maxim.^[110]