Jessica Biel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jessica Biel
Biel at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival
Born	Jessica Claire Biel (1982-03-03) March 3, 1982 (age 43) Ely, Minnesota, U.S.
Occupation	Actress producer
Years active	1991–present
Spouse(s)	Justin Timberlake ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	2

Jessica Claire Timberlake (born March 3, 1982), known professionally as Jessica Biel, is an American actress. She started her career singing in musicals. She became well-known for her role as Mary Camden in the TV show 7th Heaven, which ran from 1996 to 2006.

In 1997, Jessica won a Young Artist Award for her part in the movie Ulee's Gold. She also gained attention for her main role in the horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003). Jessica Biel has starred in many other films, including Blade: Trinity (2004), Stealth (2005), The Illusionist (2006), and The A-Team (2010).

In 2017, Biel was both the main actress and an executive producer for the TV series The Sinner. For her work on this show, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Primetime Emmy Award.

Early Life and Education

Jessica Claire Biel was born on March 3, 1982, in Ely, Minnesota. Her mother, Kimberly, was a homemaker, and her father, Jonathan, worked as a business consultant. Jessica found out on the show Who Do You Think You Are? that some of her family came from Hungarian-Jewish immigrants. She also has German, French, English, and Scandinavian family roots.

Jessica's family moved often when she was a child. They lived in Texas, Connecticut, and Woodstock, Illinois, before settling in Boulder, Colorado. As she grew up, Jessica played soccer and trained as a gymnast. From 2000 to 2002, she went to Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

Acting Career

Starting Out (1991–2002)

Jessica Biel first trained to be a singer. When she was nine, she performed in several musicals in her hometown. She played lead roles in shows like The Sound of Music and Beauty and the Beast. At age 11, she joined a competition in Los Angeles. There, she found an agent and a manager. She started modeling for ads and appeared in commercials for brands like Pringles.

Her first movie role was in the musical film It's a Digital World. At 14, after trying out for many TV shows, Biel was chosen to play Mary Camden. Mary was the oldest daughter in the family drama 7th Heaven.

Biel got her first big movie role as Peter Fonda's granddaughter in the drama Ulee's Gold in 1997. Her acting in this film earned her a Young Artist Award. In 1998, during a break from 7th Heaven, she co-starred in I'll Be Home for Christmas. In 2001, Biel played the love interest of Freddie Prinze Jr. in the baseball movie Summer Catch. In 2002, she starred as Lara in the film The Rules of Attraction. This movie became very popular with a certain group of fans.

Becoming Well-Known (2003–2012)

Jessica Biel on board the USS Abraham Lincoln in June 2004

Jessica Biel got her first main role in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Even though critics didn't love the film, it was a big success. It earned over $80 million in the U.S. In 2003, Biel started working on Blade: Trinity, the third movie in the Blade series. This movie also did well at the box office, making $150 million worldwide.

After that, she filmed the action movie Stealth in Australia. Biel also appeared in the 2004 film Cellular. She played a supporting role in the romantic comedy Elizabethtown (2005) and starred in the independent film London.

In 2006, Biel played a duchess in the historical film The Illusionist. She acted alongside Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti. Critics praised her performance in this movie. Jessica also played a soldier who returned from the Iraq War in the 2006 film Home of the Brave. In Next, Biel starred with Nicolas Cage and Julianne Moore. She also appeared in the comedy I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry with Adam Sandler. Later in 2007, Biel joined the cast of Powder Blue.

In 2008, Biel filmed Easy Virtue, a movie based on a play. She played a young widow named Larita. The film was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, and critics liked Biel's acting. She also sang two songs for the movie's soundtrack.

In 2009, Biel lent her voice to the animated science fiction film Planet 51. She also performed in a concert version of Guys and Dolls at the Hollywood Bowl. She received a standing ovation from 17,000 people.

In 2010, Biel was part of the large cast in Valentine's Day. She also starred in The A-Team, based on the TV show. In 2011, she appeared in New Year's Eve. In 2012, Biel starred in the remake of the science fiction movie Total Recall. She also played actress Vera Miles in the film Hitchcock. She appeared in Playing for Keeps as well.

Producing and Recent Work (2013–Present)

Jessica Biel at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009

Biel starred in the thriller film Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes, which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013. She also worked on the film Accidental Love.

In 2015, Biel starred in Bleeding Heart. Critics praised her performance in this movie. Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair said Biel played her character with "appealing nuance" and showed "untapped hardness and anger and strength."

In 2016, Biel co-starred in the thriller A Kind of Murder. She also voiced the character Vix in the animated film Spark. Biel appeared in the drama The Book of Love, where she also served as a producer.

On August 2, 2017, Jessica Biel's TV series The Sinner premiered on USA Network. She was both an executive producer and the main actress, playing Cora Tannetti. Biel has said she started producing so she could create interesting roles for herself.

In 2021, it was announced that Biel would star in and produce the true-crime miniseries Candy for Hulu. She is also set to lead the upcoming sci-fi thriller Ursa Major.

Personal Life

In January 2007, Jessica Biel began dating singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. They got engaged in December 2011. They were married on October 19, 2012, in Fasano, Italy. The couple has two sons.

Charity Work and Businesses

On July 18, 2006, Jessica Biel took part in a charity auction. It was to raise money for a teenager named Molly Bloom, who was hurt in an accident. A man from Minnesota bid $30,000 to have lunch with Biel, and they had lunch in Denver.

In early 2007, Biel helped start the Make the Difference Network with her father. In 2010, Biel climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro with members of the United Nations Foundation. This was to help raise awareness about the worldwide water shortage. That same year, Biel was nominated for a Do Something Award.

Biel also worked with WomanCare Global, a health care group. They created content to help educate girls about sex education. In 2021, Biel helped launch Kinderfarms, a health and wellness brand for families.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	It's a Digital World	Regrettal	Short film; debut
1997	Ulee's Gold	Casey Jackson
1998	I'll Be Home for Christmas	Allie Henderson
2001	Summer Catch	Tenley Parrish
2002	The Rules of Attraction	Lara Holleran
2003	The Texas Chainsaw Massacre	Erin Hardesty
2004	Cellular	Chloe
	Blade: Trinity	Abigail Whistler
2005	Stealth	Lt. Kara Wade
	London	London
	Elizabethtown	Ellen Kishmore
2006	The Illusionist	Duchess Sophie von Teschen
	Home of the Brave	Vanessa Price
2007	Next	Liz Cooper
	I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry	Alex McDonough
2008	Hole in the Paper Sky	Karen Watkins	Short film; also executive producer
	Easy Virtue	Larita Whittaker
2009	Powder Blue	Rose-Johnny
	Planet 51	Neera	Voice
2010	Valentine's Day	Kara Monahan
	The A-Team	Capt. Charisa Sosa
2011	New Year's Eve	Tess Byrne
2012	The Tall Man	Julia Denning
	Total Recall	Melina
	Hitchcock	Vera Miles
	Playing for Keeps	Stacie Dryer
2013	The Truth About Emanuel	Linda
2015	Accidental Love	Alice Eckle
	Bleeding Heart	May
2016	The Book of Love	Penny Herschel	Also producer
	A Kind of Murder	Clara Stackhouse
	Spark	Vix	Voice
2017	Shock and Awe	Lisa
TBA	Matchbox		Filming

Television

Music videos

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Jessica Biel para niños