A. J. Cook facts for kids

Quick facts for kids A. J. Cook
Cook in 2010
Born	Andrea Joy Cook (1978-07-22) July 22, 1978 (age 47) Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1997–present
Spouse(s)	Nathan Andersen ​ (m. 2001)​
Children	2

Andrea Joy Cook (born July 22, 1978), known as A. J. Cook, is a Canadian actress. She is most famous for playing Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau in the popular CBS television series Criminal Minds.

Cook has also acted in many movies and TV shows. .....

Early Life and Education

A. J. Cook was born in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. She grew up in the nearby town of Whitby and went to Anderson Collegiate Vocational Institute. She has three siblings named Nathan, Paul, and Angela.

When she was in the second grade, Cook was told she was legally blind. This was because of a condition called astigmatism, which made her vision very blurry. She had to wear very thick glasses and contact lenses to see properly. She said that it was hard because "everything looked like a smear of colour with no shapes." This made it difficult for her to read what was on the board at school. In 2007, she had surgery that fixed her eyesight.

Cook started dancing when she was only four years old. She took lessons in jazz, tap, and ballet. She competed in dance for many years. Dancing was a big part of her life, and she has said that if she didn't become an actress, she would have opened her own dance studio. At age 16, she decided to focus on acting.

Acting Career

First Roles

Cook's first acting job was in a McDonald's commercial in 1997. Soon after, she appeared in an episode of the TV show Goosebumps and in two TV movies. .....

In 2000, she starred in the TV series Higher Ground. She played Shelby Merrick, a teenager at a special school in the wilderness. The show also starred Hayden Christensen. After Higher Ground, she acted in movies like Out Cold and Final Destination 2.

Personal Life

Cook grew up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). On August 3, 2001, she married her husband, Nathan Andersen. They met in a film class at Utah Valley University. They live in Los Angeles, California, and have two sons.

Their first son, Mekhai, was born in 2008. He has appeared on Criminal Minds as JJ's son, Henry LaMontagne. Their second son, Phoenix, was born in 2015. He has also been on the show, playing JJ's younger son, Michael.

Filmography

Film

Television

Director

See also

In Spanish: A. J. Cook para niños