The Birth of Jessica Biel

Good looks and talent may be two characteristic traits that Jessica Biel possesses, but it was her rise as an action heroine that made Hollywood give the sought-out actress her merited position in the industry. Born in Ely, Minnesota to parents Kimberly and Jonathan Edward Biel, this action movie icon started showing signs of being a child star at the early age of nine.

The Beginning of Biel 

While being raised in Boulder, Colorado, Jessica Biel started to pursue her stardom as a singer. She performed in musical theater and starred in various plays like “Annie,” Beauty and the Beast,” and “The Sound of Music.” She was a natural on stage and off and with such captivating beauty, it was no surprise that she ended up modeling and doing commercial work. That face could sell anything! In 1994, she competed in The International Modeling and Talent Association’s Annual Conference just two years shy of her television acting debut.

The WB Network didn’t waste any time finding a place for Biel, and she was cast to play Mary Camden on their number one rated show in 1996, “7th Heaven.” Her role on the show helped her emerge into a real breakout star, and she then went on to winning the Young Artist Award for her role as Peter Fonda’s granddaughter in the movie “Ulee’s Gold” in 1997. The following season she took a break from “7th Heaven” and co-starred alongside Jonathan Taylor Thomas in “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” where she played the girlfriend of Taylor’s character.

Although it is unclear whether or not she was looking for sexy points or just wanted to shock her audience, Jessica posed topless in March 2000 in an issue of Gear at the young age of 17. Of course, the producers of “7th Heaven” were absolutely outraged and filed suit against Gear. Like a true professional, Jessica Biel shook off the bad rap for her indiscretion and landed a role on the athletic film “Summer Catch.” By 2002, she was back to displaying her promiscuity as a college student in the movie “The Rules of Attraction.”

Going from child plays like “Annie” to a wholesome role on a television show like “7th Heaven,” and then a part in a horror film stirred up the public’s curiosity. Who exactly is Jessica Biel the actress?

Jessica Biel’s Rise as an Actress

Biel’s career started off pretty diverse and it just seemed like you never knew what you’d see her in next. One day she’s on a wholesome show and the next she’s playing a scream-queen part as she did in “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” which became a commercial success and climbed to the number one spot during the very first week. The movie brought in over $80 Million dollars in the U.S. box office despite negative reviews. Biel then went on to trying her hand at an action flick, “Blade: Trinity” which grossed $150 Million worldwide. Her role in this film was when her fans starting to really sink their interest in her as an action heroine.

Jessica headed out to Australia to start filming “Blade: Stealth” immediately after the previous action thriller. The very same year she appeared in the movie “Cellular” and was then cast for a role in the movie “Elizabethtown.”

With a variety of roles under her belt, Biel was ready to change her pace a bit and took on the title role in the Indie film “London” in 2005. She was named the “Sexiest Woman Alive” by Esquire magazine in a six-month series they ran where they would reveal a different part of her body each month as a clue to her identity.

After the world saw what she was working with she quickly moved on to playing a turn-of-the-century duchess in “The Illusionist” with co-stars Paul Giamatti and Edward Norton. As she gained traction as the sexy geek heroine she is, she kept the Biel-a-thon going by taking on an immediate role in the 2006 movie “Home of the Brave.” Jessica played a war veteran alongside her soldiers in Iraq as they tried to readjust to society after returning home from their hardships.

We then saw her in:

• “Next”
• “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry”
• “Powder Blue”
• “Easy Virtue”

A Little Bit of Everything 

In between “Powder Blue” and “Easy Virtue,” came her feature in Stuff magazine’s “100 Sexiest Women” where she was chosen for the number one spot. As this force of nature came into her own and demonstrated what a well-rounded artist she is, she took on a voiceover in the animated sci-fi film, “Planet 51.” We then heard her abilities as a vocalist when she played Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls in a staged Los Angeles Philharmonic concert. She received a standing ovation during the show that took place at the Hollywood Bowl in 2009.

After revisiting her stage persona and fine tuning her vocals the inner geek action heroine started to break free again and in 2012, she was back at it as she starred in the remake of “Total Recall” with her fellow action heroine Kate Beckinsale and Collin Farell.

Like the versatile geek, Jessica is, her recent roles in movies like the 2013 thriller “Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes” and then the political parody “Nailed” she continues to show us just how broad her acting abilities stretch. Following “Nailed” she played a yoga instructor who gets to meet her biological sister for the first time in the Indie film “Bleeding Heart” in 2015. Since then she has maintained a busy schedule in several projects that are currently in the production stages. She will keep her geek heroine title as she stars in “The Blunderer” which is a thriller based on the novel, and then we will see her again in “The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.” This drama is based on an introverted architect that loses his wife and then dedicates his time helping a teenager. Biel was also the voice of Vis, who is a character in a animated film called “Spark.”