|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Erika Jane Christensen (born August 19, 1982) is an American actress whose film appearances include Traffic (2000) and The Perfect Score (2004), among others. She also co-starred in the drama Six Degrees on ABC. One of the clearest illustrations of Erika Christensen's talent as an actress is the fact that when she played a teenage drug addict to perfection, complete with heavy lids and desperate eyes, she had never so much as puffed a cigarette. Though she was only 17 when she landed her breakout role in the movie "Traffic" in 2000, Christensen had been doggedly pursuing her acting dream for over 5 years. With her round face and full lips, questioning eyes and flawless complexion, Christensen found acting work easily in her younger years. Growing up outside Los Angeles, she also had access to training and auditions. Christensen was born in Seattle, Washington, the daughter of Kathy, a construction manager, and Steven Christensen, an insurance worker/human-resources executive. She has an older half-brother, Nick, two younger twin brothers, Dane (who appeared in the film The Upside of Anger) and Brando. She had made up her mind by the age of 12 that she wanted to act for the rest of her life. Her mother helped her realize her goal by being supportive but was careful not to try and push Christensen into a life she wasn't sure she wanted. But she was absolutely sure of her calling and eventually her parents came to see that their daughter was very serious about her dream. She was trained in dance, singing and acting and was schooled at home. She received her G.E.D at the age of 16 to free her up to pursue acting full time. She is not related to Golden Globe Award-nominated Canadian actor Hayden Christensen. She has Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Welsh, and Irish ancestry. Christensen was raised in Los Angeles, California and started out on television in commercials for McDonald's. Christensen is a member of the Church of Scientology. Her parents became Scientologists during their 20s and raised her to be a Scientologist as well as home-schooling her. Christensen had several small roles in various television programs before starting her movie career. These shows include The Geena Davis Show, Frasier, The Practice, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Touched by an Angel. She was named one of People magazine's "Breakthrough Stars of 2001." For her performance in Traffic she received the awards for Female Breakthrough Performance at the MTV Movie Awards, Female Standout Performance at the Young Hollywood Awards, and Outstanding Performance by a Cast Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Following the success of "Traffic," Christensen chose her roles carefully. Staying with her girl-next-door appeal, she had a recurring role on the family sitcom "The Geena Davis Show" in the 2000-2001 season. Capitalizing on her newfound edgy and daring persona, she appeared in a couple of independent films in 2002. She played the survivor of a school shooting in "Home Room" and an obsessed seductress in "Swimfan." In 2002 she also appeared in the Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon feature "The Banger Sisters." A determined young woman who fearlessly went after her goals, Christensen has had the pleasure of enjoying the fruits of her labor at an early age. And given this gifted thespian's determination and persistence, it is likely she will celebrate many more successes as her career continues to progress for years to come. Following a turn as Emily Bronte's Cate in MTV's misguided contemporary telepic update of "Wuthering Heights" (2003), the actress appeared as Anna, a parent-pleasing high schooler desperately in need of excitement who joins a plot to heist the SAT key in "The Perfect Score" (2004). In 2005, she briefly went into music as she recorded a version of Let's Fall In Love with John Stevens for his debut album Red. In 2006, she starred in the series Six Degrees, which debuted on the ABC fall schedule in 2006 but went on hiatus due to low ratings and is not expected to film any more episodes. She made a cameo in the Joaquin Phoenix directed video "Tired of Being Sorry" for Balthazar Getty's band Ringside. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Celebrities Guide 
| WhoABC
Home : Disclaimer
: Terms
: Privacy
Policy : Contact
Us : Links All original content Copyright Celebrities Guide, WhoABC.com © 2004 - 2008. All Rights Reserved |