Katherine Heigl facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Katherine Heigl
Heigl at the premiere of 27 Dresses in 2008
Born	(1978-11-24) November 24, 1978 (age 46) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Occupation	Actress, model
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Josh Kelley ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	3
Relatives	Charles Kelley (brother-in-law)

Katherine Heigl (born November 24, 1978) is an American actress and former model. She is famous for playing Dr. Izzie Stevens on the popular TV show Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2010. This role made her a star and won her a Primetime Emmy Award in 2007.

Heigl began her career as a child model before becoming an actress. She appeared in movies like My Father the Hero (1994) and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995). She later starred in the TV series Roswell from 1999 to 2002.

She became well-known for her roles in romantic comedy movies. These include Knocked Up (2007), 27 Dresses (2008), and Life As We Know It (2010). More recently, she starred in the Netflix series Firefly Lane and the legal drama Suits.

Early Life

Katherine Heigl was born in Washington, D.C.. She is the youngest of four children. Her family moved to New Canaan, Connecticut, when she was five years old.

When she was a child, her family went through a difficult time when her older brother Jason died in a car accident. This event had a big impact on her family. Heigl was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints faith.

Career

Starting as a Model and Actress

When Heigl was nine, her aunt sent her photos to a modeling agency. She was quickly signed as a child model with Wilhelmina Models. She appeared in catalogs for stores like Sears and was in a national TV commercial for Cheerios.

She started acting and her first movie was That Night (1992). She then had a leading role in the comedy My Father the Hero (1994). While acting, she continued to go to high school. She later left high school to focus on her acting career in Hollywood.

In 1995, she acted in the action movie Under Siege 2: Dark Territory with Steven Seagal. She played a teenager taken hostage on a train. In 1996, she starred in the Disney TV movie Wish Upon a Star. She also appeared in the horror film Bride of Chucky in 1998.

Rise to Fame with Roswell and Grey's Anatomy

In 1999, Heigl got the role of Isabel Evans in the science fiction TV show Roswell. She played an alien-human hybrid for three seasons. The show made her popular, and she appeared in many teen and men's magazines.

In 2005, Heigl's career took a huge leap forward when she was cast as Dr. Izzie Stevens in the medical drama Grey's Anatomy. The show was a massive success and became one of the most-watched shows on television. For her role, Heigl won an Emmy Award in 2007.

Heigl at the 59th Annual Emmy Awards in 2007

Success in Movies

While on Grey's Anatomy, Heigl also became a movie star. In 2007, she starred in the hit comedy Knocked Up with Seth Rogen. The movie was a box office success and made Heigl a major Hollywood star.

She then starred in the popular romantic comedy 27 Dresses (2008), where she played a woman who was always a bridesmaid. She also starred in The Ugly Truth (2009) with Gerard Butler and Life As We Know It (2010). For these movies, she earned millions of dollars per film.

Career Challenges and Speaking Out

Heigl became known for sharing her honest opinions. In an interview, she called the movie Knocked Up "a little sexist" because of how it showed women. These comments caused a lot of discussion in the media.

She also had disagreements about her character's storyline on Grey's Anatomy. In 2010, she decided to leave the show to spend more time with her family. For a while, she gained a reputation for being difficult to work with, which she later said affected her career.

Years later, many people, including her former co-star Ellen Pompeo, have said that Heigl was ahead of her time for speaking out about issues like long working hours on TV sets.

Return to Television

After focusing on movies for a few years, Heigl returned to television. She starred in the political drama State of Affairs (2014–2015). In 2018, she joined the cast of the popular legal show Suits for its final two seasons.

From 2021 to 2023, she starred in and was an executive producer for the Netflix series Firefly Lane. The show, about two best friends over many years, was very successful.

Personal Life

In 2007, Heigl married singer Josh Kelley. They met when she appeared in his music video for the song "Only You". The couple has three children.

They adopted their first daughter from South Korea in 2009. She was born with a heart condition and had surgery before coming to the United States. In 2012, they adopted a second daughter from the U.S. In 2016, Heigl gave birth to their son. The family lives in Oakley, Utah.

Charity Work

Heigl is a strong supporter of animal rights. She works with the Best Friends Animal Society to help save animals from shelters. She and her mother started a foundation called Heigl's Hounds of Hope. It rescues larger dogs from shelters and helps train them so they can find new homes.

She is also a spokesperson for Donate Life America, an organization that promotes organ donation. Her family chose to donate her brother Jason's organs after his death, and this inspired her to support the cause.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992	That Night	Kathryn
1993	King of the Hill	Christina Sebastian
1994	My Father the Hero	Nicole Arnel
1995	Under Siege 2: Dark Territory	Sarah Ryback
1997	Prince Valiant	Princess Ilene
	Stand-ins	Taffy / Rita Hayworth's Stand-in
1998	Bug Buster	Shannon Griffin
	Bride of Chucky	Jade Kincaid
2000	100 Girls	Arlene
2001	Valentine	Shelley Fisher
2003	Descendant	Ann Hedgerow / Emily Hedgerow
2005	Side Effects	Karly Hert	Also executive producer
	The Ringer	Lynn Sheridan
2006	Zyzzyx Road	Marissa
	Caffeine	Laura
2007	Knocked Up	Alison Scott
2008	27 Dresses	Jane Nichols
2009	The Ugly Truth	Abby Richter	Also executive producer
2010	Killers	Jennifer "Jen" Kornfeldt Aimes
	Life as We Know It	Holly Berenson	Also executive producer
2011	New Year's Eve	Laura Carrington	Segment: "Jensen and Laura's Story"
2012	One for the Money	Stephanie Plum	Also executive producer
2013	The Big Wedding	Lyla Griffin
2014	The Nut Job	Andie	Voice role
	Jackie & Ryan	Jackie Laurel
2015	Home Sweet ...	Mona Champagne
	Jenny's Wedding	Jenny Farrell
2017	Unforgettable	Tessa Connover
	The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature	Andie	Voice role
2021	Fear of Rain	Michelle Burroughs
TBA	That's Amore!	Patty Amore

Television

See also

In Spanish: Katherine Heigl para niños