Jessica Biel

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

Biel was born in Ely, Minnesota, the daughter of Kimberly "Kim" (née Conroe) and Jonathan Edward Biel, an entrepreneur.^[1] Biel, who has a younger brother, Justin, grew up in Boulder, Colorado, where her family had moved when she was very young. She went to Angevine Middle School in Lafayette. She is of Choctaw, German, French, and English descent.^[2]


Biel initially trained to become a vocalist with the hope of performing in musical theater and appeared in several musicals at an early age including The Sound of Music, Annie, Beauty and the Beast and Anything Goes. It was not until Biel attended the International Modeling and Talent Association Convention in Los Angeles in 1994 when her career started to take off as a fashion model.

Biel's first big break came when at 14 years old she landed the role of Mary Camden on the WB TV Series 7th Heaven. The family drama from Aaron Spelling and Brenda Hampton became the most popular series on the fledgling network. Jessica's film career also began at age 15 when she played alongside Peter Fonda in his Golden Globe winning performance in Ulee's Gold (1997). Aside from acting, Jessica became a spokesmodel for L'Oréal cosmetics in 2002.

In 2000, Biel posed topless in a layout of Gear magazine, although she did not actually appear frontally nude. It was nonetheless controversial because she was only 17 at the time of the shoot. Her frustration and fear about being typecast was one of the reasons that led to her decision. She blamed her saintly image on 7th Heaven for limiting her film career, including losing a lead role in American Beauty, which eventually went to Thora Birch. Jessica also hoped that by posing she would get out of her 7th Heaven contract, which she accomplished. She later said she regretted posing for the magazine and regards it as a learning experience. Jessica returned to 7th Heaven full time for the 2001—2002 season and then focused her attention on her movie career and has made minimal TV appearances since then. In 2002, she also had a role in the film The Rules of Attraction based on a novel by Bret Easton Ellis.

Biel attended the exclusive private Lycée Français de Los Angeles high school but graduated from Concord High School in Santa Monica, CA. In fall 2000, she enrolled in an undergraduate study at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Having attended Tufts during fall 2000, spring 2001 and fall 2002 semesters, she left before completing a degree program to concentrate on her acting career.

Her hobbies include ballet, soccer, running and yoga. Biel currently resides in Los Angeles. She dated actor Chris Evans from 2001 to 2006, with at least one time "off" during that period.^[8] Together, they appeared in the films London and Cellular. She also dated other actors, Adam LaVorgna, who portrayed the character of Robbie in 7th Heaven, for about two years and briefly Rey-Phillip Santos. Jessica had been linked to New York Yankees star shortstop Derek Jeter.^[9][10][11]

In January 2007, Biel was linked to Justin Timberlake when pictures surfaced of the two snowboarding in Park City, Utah during the Sundance Film Festival. On May 12, 2007, the gossip was refueled with the release of romantic pictures of Timberlake and Biel on multiple dates, specifically caught kissing while dining in the UK accompanied by producer/mogul Timbaland and then Manchester United footballer Alan Smith. Since then, both Timberlake and Biel have publicly acknowledged their relationship, choosing not to comment in further detail. The two have also been reportedly seen near the campus of The University of South Carolina, shooting for her upcoming film Nailed. Biel supports Democratic presidential hopeful, Barack Obama, in the 2008 U.S. election.^[12]