Jessica Alba
| Jessica Alba | |
 Jessica Alba at the 2007 Scream Awards | |
| Born | Jessica Marie Alba April 28, 1981 Pomona, California, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse(s) | Cash Warren (2008–present) |
Jessica Marie Alba (born April 28, 1981)[1] is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994). Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel (2000–2002).[2][3] Alba later appeared in various films including Honey (2003), Sin City (2005), Fantastic Four (2005), Into the Blue (2005), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Good Luck Chuck both in 2007.[4][5]
Alba appears frequently on the "Hot 100" section of Maxim and was voted AskMen.com's number one on their list of "99 Most Desirable Women" in 2006, as well as "Sexiest Woman in the World" by FHM in 2007.[6][7][8] The use of her image on the cover of the March 2006 Playboy sparked a lawsuit by her, which was later dropped.[9] Alba has won various awards for her acting, including the Choice Actress Teen Choice Award and Saturn Award for Best Actress (TV) for her acting in the series Dark Angel,[10] though her acting has also been criticized, as she has been nominated for numerous Razzie Awards as well.
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Early life
Alba was born in Pomona, California[1] to Catherine Alba (née Jensen) and Mark Alba. Her mother is of Danish and French Canadian descent. Her father is of Mexican American descent. Both of her paternal grandparents were born in California.[11][12] She has a younger brother, Joshua. Her father's Air Force career took the family to Biloxi, Mississippi, and Del Rio, Texas before settling back in California when she was nine years old.[3][12]
Alba's early life was marked by a multitude of physical maladies; she suffered collapsed lungs twice, had pneumonia 4-5 times a year, a ruptured appendix, and a tonsillar cyst. This isolated her from other children at school because she was in the hospital so often that no one knew her well enough to befriend her.[13] She has also acknowledged suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder during childhood.[14][15] Her health improved, however, when her family returned to California. She graduated from high school at age 16,[16] and subsequently attended the Atlantic Theater Company.[17]
Career
Alba expressed interest in acting since the age of five. In 1992, the 11-year-old Alba persuaded her mother to take her to an acting competition in Beverly Hills, California whose grand prize was free acting classes. Alba won the grand prize, and took her first acting lessons. An agent signed Alba nine months later.[3][18][19] Her first appearance on film was a small role in the 1994 feature Camp Nowhere as Gail. She was originally hired for two weeks but her role turned into a two-month job in a leading role when one of the prominent actresses dropped out.[2]
Alba appeared in two national television commercials for Nintendo and J.C. Penney as a child. She was later featured in several independent films. She branched out into television in 1994 with a recurring role as the vain Jessica in three episodes of the Nickelodeon comedy series The Secret World of Alex Mack.[3] She then performed the role of Maya in the first two seasons of the television series Flipper.[2][3] Under the tutelage of her lifeguard mother, Alba learned to swim before she could walk, and she was a PADI-certified scuba diver, skills which were put to use on the show, which was filmed in Australia.[3][20]
In 1998, she appeared as Melissa Hauer in a first-season episode of the Steven Bochco crime-drama Brooklyn South, as Leanne in two episodes of Beverly Hills 90210 and as Layla in an episode of The Love Boat: The Next Wave. In 1999, she appeared in the Randy Quaid comedy feature P.U.N.K.S..[2] After Alba graduated from high school, she studied acting with William H. Macy and his wife, Felicity Huffman, at the Atlantic Theater Company, which was developed by Macy and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and film director, David Mamet.[17][21]
Alba rose to greater prominence in Hollywood in 1999 after appearing as a member of a snobby high school clique in the Drew Barrymore romantic comedy Never Been Kissed, and as the female lead in the 1999 comedy-horror film Idle Hands, opposite Devon Sawa.[5]
Her big break came when writer/director James Cameron picked Alba from a pool of 1,200 candidates for the role of the genetically-engineered super-soldier, Max Guevara, on the FOX sci-fi television series Dark Angel. Co-created by Cameron, the series starred Alba, and ran for two seasons until 2002, earning her critical acclaim as well as a Golden Globe nomination.[5][22] Alba later revealed that she had suffered from an eating disorder while in preparation for Dark Angel.[23]
Alba's most notable film roles have included an aspiring dancer-choreographer in Honey, exotic dancer Nancy Callahan in Sin City and as the classic Marvel Comics character Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman in the Fantastic Four, of which movie critic Mick LaSalle said that her performance while talking for long periods of time was on "shaky ground". She then appeared in its sequel, in Into the Blue later that year, and Good Luck Chuck a few years later.[4][24][25] Alba went on to host the 2006 MTV Movie Awards and performed sketches spoofing the movies King Kong, Mission Impossible 3, and The Da Vinci Code.[26]
In 2008, Alba appeared in her first horror-film role in The Eye, a remake of the Hong Kong original.[12] In February, she hosted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences's Science and Technical Awards.[27] Later in the year, she starred in The Love Guru.[4] She has signed on to star in An Invisible Sign of My Own[28] to be released in 2009.[29]
Alba has been represented by talent agents Patrick Whitesell[30] and Brad Cafarelli.[9]
Public image
In 2006, readers of Askmen.com voted Alba No. 1 on 99 Most Desirable Women,[7] while in 2007, Maxim Magazine placed Alba on the number 2 spot of their "Top 100", after Lindsay Lohan.[8] Both GQ and In Style had Alba on their June covers,[31][32] and in May, after eight million votes, FHM (UK and USA editions) named Alba the winner as "2007’s Sexiest Woman in the World".[6] Alba continues to be regarded as one of the world's most attractive women, being named to Maxim's Hot 100 in 2008.[33]
Alba has been well-received in popular culture. She received the Teen Choice Award for Choice Actress and Saturn Award for Best Actress (TV) for her role in Dark Angel. She has frequently appeared on Maxim's Hot 100 list. In 2006, Alba received an MTV Movie Award for "Sexiest Performance" for Sin City.[8][10][34]
Her acting has also drawn criticism, however, as she was nominated for a 2007 Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her performances in Awake, Good Luck Chuck, and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.[35] She was also nominated for the same award in 2005 for her performances in Fantastic Four and Into the Blue.[36]
On the cover of the March 2006 issue, Playboy magazine named Alba among its 25 Sexiest Celebrities, and the Sex Star of the Year. Alba was involved in litigation against Playboy for its use of her image (from a promotional shot for Into the Blue) without her consent, which she contends gave the appearance that she was featured in the issue in a "nude pictorial". However, she later dropped the lawsuit after receiving a personal apology from Playboy owner Hugh Hefner, who agreed to make donations to two charities that Alba has supported.[9]
Alba fears being typecast as a sex kitten based on the bulk of parts offered to her, commenting, "Somehow, I don't think this is happening to Natalie Portman."[37] In the interview, Alba said she wants to be taken seriously as an actress but believes she needs to do movies that she would otherwise not be interested in to build her career, stating that eventually she hopes to be more selective in her film projects.[37] Alba also maintains a strict no-nudity clause in her contract. She was given the option to appear nude in Sin City by the film's directors, Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, but declined the offer, saying, "I don't do nudity. I just don't. Maybe that makes me a bad actress. Maybe I won't get hired in some things. But I have too much anxiety".[38] She remarked of a GQ shoot in which she was scantily clad, "They didn't want me to wear the granny panties, but I said, 'If I'm gonna be topless I need to wear granny panties."[39]
Personal life
Religion
Alba was a Christian throughout her teenage years,[40] but left the church after four years because she felt she was being judged for her appearance, explaining:
"Older men would hit on me, and my youth pastor said it was because I was wearing provocative clothing, when I wasn't. It just made me feel like if I was in any way desirable to the opposite sex that it was my fault, and it made me ashamed of my body and being a woman".[41]
Alba also had objections to the church's condemnations of premarital sex and homosexuality, and the lack of strong female role models in the Bible, explaining "I thought it was a nice guide, but it certainly wasn't how I was going to live my life."[38] However, she has stated that she still holds her belief in God despite leaving the church.[42]
Relationships
While filming Dark Angel, Alba began a four year romance with co-star Michael Weatherly, which caused controversy due to their 12 year age gap.[43] He proposed to her on her twentieth birthday.[12] They eventually broke up after a four-year relationship. In July 2007, Jessica spoke out about the break up. "I don't know [why I got engaged]. I was a virgin. He was 12 years older than me. I thought he knew better. My parents weren't happy. They're really religious. They believe God wouldn't allow the Bible to be written if it wasn't what they are supposed to believe. I'm completely different."[44]
Alba had at one time said she envisioned a much older man as her ideal partner, making references to Morgan Freeman, Sean Connery, Robert Redford, and Michael Caine. "I have this thing for older men. They've been around and know so much."[45] Regarding children, Alba said, "I'm really girly when it comes to kids. I've been surrounded by kids my whole life because I'm the oldest of 15 cousins — I've been changing diapers since I was six. I want to have a couple, for sure".[46]
Alba met Cash Warren, son of actor Michael Warren, while making Fantastic Four in 2004.[47][48] Alba married Warren in Los Angeles on Monday, May 19, 2008.[49][50] On June 7, 2008, Alba gave birth to a baby girl, Honor Marie Warren,[51] at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.[52] The first pictures of Honor Marie appeared in OK! magazine, which paid a reported $1.5 million for them.[53]
Charity and politics
Alba's charity work includes participation with Clothes Off Our Back, Habitat for Humanity, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Project HOME, RADD, Revlon Run/Walk for Women, SOS Children Villages, Soles4Souls, and Step up.[54] Alba endorsed Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama during the 2008 primary season.[55]
Alba posed for a bondage-themed print advertising campaign by Declare Yourself, a campaign encouraging voter registration among youth for the 2008 United States presidential election. The ads by photographer Mark Liddell,[56][57] which feature Alba wrapped in and gagged with black tape, drew national media attention. Alba said of the advertisements, "It didn't freak me out at all."[58]
Filmography
Films
| Film | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | |
| 1994 | Camp Nowhere | Gail | Voice (Film Debut) | |
| 1995 | Venus Rising | Young Eve | Supporting Role | |
| 1999 | P.U.N.K.S. | Samantha Swoboda | Supporting Role | |
| Never Been Kissed | Kirsten Liosis | Supporting Role | ||
| Idle Hands | Molly | Supporting Role | ||
| 2000 | Paranoid | Chloe | Lead Role | |
| 2003 | The Sleeping Dictionary | Selima | Lead Role DVD Exclusive Award – Best Actress in a DVD Premiere Movie | |
| Honey | Honey Daniels | Lead Role Teen Choice Award Nominations – Choice Movie Liplock (Shared with Mekhi Phifer), Choice Movie Chemistry (Shared with Mekhi Phifer), Choice Movie Actress - Drama/Action Adventure, Choice Breakout Movie Star - Female | ||
| 2005 | Sin City | Supporting Role Nancy Callahan | Teen Choice Award Nomination – Choice Movie Actress: Action/Adventure/Thriller Saturn Award Nomination – Best Supporting Actress MTV Movie Award – Sexiest Performance | |
| Fantastic Four | Lead Role Sue Storm / Invisible Woman | Teen Choice Award Nomination – Movies - Choice Actress: Drama/Action Adventure Razzie Award Nomination – Worst Actress Imagen Foundation Award Nomination – Best Actress MTV Movie Award Nomination – Best Hero | ||
| Into the Blue | Sam | Lead Role Razzie Award Nomination – Worst Actress | ||
| 2007 | Knocked Up | Herself | Cameo (Uncredited) | |
| Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer | Lead Role Sue Storm / Invisible Woman | Teen Choice Award Nominations – Choice Movie: Hissy Fit, Choice Movie Actress: Action Adventure Razzie Award Nominations - Worst Actress, Worst Screen Couple (Shared with Ioan Gruffudd) | ||
| The Ten | Liz Anne Blazer | Supporting Role | ||
| Good Luck Chuck | Cam Wexler | Supporting Role Razzie Award Nominations - Worst Actress, Worst Screen Couple (Shared with Dane Cook) | ||
| Awake | Sam Lockwood | Lead Role Razzie Award Nominations - Worst Actress, Worst Screen Couple (Shared with Hayden Christensen) | ||
| 2008 | The Eye | Sydney Wells | Lead Role Teen Choice Award - Choice Movie Actress: Horror/Thriller | |
| Meet Bill | Lucy | Supporting Role | ||
| The Love Guru | Jane Bullard | Lead Role Razzie Award Nominations - Worst Actress | ||
| 2009 | An Invisible Sign of My Own | Mona Gray | Lead Role (Post-production) | |
| 2010 | The Killer Inside Me | Joyce Lakeland[59] | Lead Role (In production) | |
| Sin City 2 | Nancy Callahan | Supporting Role (Pre-production) | ||
| Television | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1995-1997 | Flipper | Maya Graham | Recurring Role | |
| 2000–2002 | Dark Angel | Max Guevara/X5-452 | Main Lead Role | |
| Television Guest Appearance(s) | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Episodes | |
| 1994 | The Secret World of Alex Mack | Jessica | "School Dance" "Hoop War" "The Accident" | |
| 1996 | ABC Afterschool Special | Christy | "Too Soon for Jeff" | |
| Chicago Hope | Florie Hernandez | "Sexual Perversity in Chicago Hope" | ||
| 1998 | Brooklyn South | Melissa Hauer | "Exposing Johnson" | |
| Beverly Hills, 90210 | Leanne | "Making Amends" "The Nature of Nurture" | ||
| The Love Boat: The Next Wave | Layla | "Remember?" | ||
| 2003 | Mad TV | Jessica Simpson | "Episode #9.5"" | |
| 2004 | Entourage | Herself | "The Review" | |
| 2005 | Trippin' | Herself | "Costa Rica" "Honduras" | |
| 2009 | The Office | Herself/Sophie | "Stress Relief" | |
Awards and nominations
- Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series - Drama for Dark Angel (2000)[60]
- Winner: Breakthrough Actress of the Year (2001)
Young Hollywood Awards
- Winner: Superstar of Tomorrow (2005)
- Nominated: "Actríz que se roba la pantalla" for: Awake, Good Luck Chuck, Fantastic Four and The Eye (2008)[61]
- Nominated: Little Screen/Big Screen Star (Women) (2007)
- Winner: Hottest Jessica (2007)
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
- Winner: Best Movie Actress for Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer as Susan Storm (2008)
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