Tiffani Thiessen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tiffani Thiessen
Thiessen in 2018
Born	Tiffani Amber Thiessen (1974-01-23) January 23, 1974 (age 51) Long Beach, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress model
Years active	1989–present
Spouse(s)	Brady Smith ​ (m. 2005)​
Children	2

Tiffani Amber Thiessen (born January 23, 1974) is an American actress. She became famous as a teen idol in the 1990s. This was thanks to her roles as Kelly Kapowski on the TV show Saved by the Bell. She also played Valerie Malone on Beverly Hills, 90210.

As an adult, Tiffani has continued acting. She played Billie Chambers in Fastlane. She was also Natasha Drew in What About Brian. Later, she played Elizabeth Burke in White Collar. More recently, she was Lori Mendoza in Alexa & Katie on Netflix. For her role in Alexa & Katie, she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award.

Tiffani has also appeared in several movies. These include Son in Law (1993) and Hollywood Ending (2002). She even directed a short film called Just Pray (2005). She also hosted the cooking show Dinner at Tiffani's and the comedy show Deliciousness.

Early Life and Beginnings

Tiffani Thiessen was born in Long Beach, California. Her mother, Robyn, was a homemaker. Her father, Frank, was a park designer. Tiffani has said her brother, Todd, was a big inspiration. She also looks up to her mother and grandmother.

Tiffani has a mix of different backgrounds. She told InStyle magazine that she has German, Greek, Turkish, and Welsh heritage. She gets her blue eyes from her dad.

Career Highlights

Tiffani started her career by entering beauty pageants. In 1987, she was crowned Miss Junior America. The next year, she won Teen magazine's "Great Model Search". She even appeared on the magazine's cover. In 1989, she was named Cover Girl's "Model of the Year".

• Saved by the Bell: In 1989, Tiffani got her first big acting job. She played Kelly Kapowski on the NBC sitcom Saved by the Bell. This show was very popular and ran until 1993. The show's success really helped her career. She was nominated for several Young Artist Awards for her role.
• Guest Roles and TV Movies: While on Saved by the Bell, Tiffani also appeared in other TV shows. These included Married... with Children and Step by Step. In 1992, she starred in TV movies like Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style. Her first movie role was in Son in Law (1993). She also starred in the spin-off Saved by the Bell: The College Years. This led to the TV movie Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas in 1994.

Becoming a Teen Star

After Saved by the Bell ended, Tiffani joined another popular show. In 1994, she got the role of Valerie Malone on Fox's Beverly Hills, 90210. She played Valerie until 1998. While on 90210, Tiffani also starred in many TV films. These included The Stranger Beside Me (1995) and Sweet Dreams (1996).

After leaving 90210, she appeared in several movies. Some of these were Speedway Junky (1999) and The Ladies Man (2000). She also made guest appearances on shows like NewsRadio and Just Shoot Me!. In 2000, she was in the music video for "You're a God" by Vertical Horizon. Around this time, she also started using just "Tiffani Thiessen" professionally.

Directing and Hosting

Tiffani starred in the movie Hollywood Ending (2002). She then played Wilhelmina 'Billie' Chambers in the action-drama series Fastlane (2002–2003). For this role, she was nominated for a Teen Choice Award.

In 2003, Tiffani started her own production company. She directed a short film called Just Pray in 2005. This film won awards at several film festivals. Later, she starred in TV movies like Stroller Wars (2006) and Pandemic (2007). She also joined the cast of What About Brian (2007).

Thiessen at San Diego Comic-Con in 2010

From 2009 to 2014, Tiffani starred in the USA Network crime series White Collar. She played Elizabeth Burke in the show. In 2015, Tiffani reunited with her Saved by the Bell co-stars. They appeared in a special sketch on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In the same year, Tiffani began hosting her own cooking show. It was called Dinner at Tiffani's and aired on Cooking Channel until 2017.

In 2017, Tiffani was cast in the Netflix sitcom Alexa & Katie. She played Lori Mendoza, the mother of the family. The show premiered in 2018. In 2021, she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for her work on the show.

In 2020, Tiffani returned to her role as Kelly Kapowski. She appeared in the Saved by the Bell sequel series on Peacock. She also started hosting the MTV comedy show Deliciousness.

Charity Work

Tiffani Thiessen cares about the environment. In April 2013, she took part in the One Bag party. This event was part of Earth Month. The Glad company promoted "clean, green living" at the event.

Personal Life

Tiffani Thiessen is married to actor Brady Smith. They got married on July 9, 2005. They have two children together. Their daughter was born in 2010, and their son was born in 2015.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Music Videos

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Tiffani Thiessen para niños