Timeline
October 4, 1979
Rachael Leigh Cook is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1989
Rachael begins modeling at the age of ten.
1995
Rachael appears in her first movie, "The Baby Sitters Club."
1998
She graduates from Minneapolis South High School, and continues to pursue her acting career.
1999
Rachael's big break, in the form of playing the ugly-duckling-turned-gorgeous-swan in "She's All That."
2001
Rachael appeared opposite Josh Hartnett in "Blow Dry."
2005
She's currently filming a TV mini-series called "Into the West."
|
Lost & Found: Movies/TV |
| Rachael Leigh Cook was born on October 4, 1979 in Minneapolis Minnesota. She grew up there with her mother, JoAnne (a former cooking instructor, now a weaver), her father Tom (a former stand-up comedian, now a social worker for public school children), and her younger brother, Ben (now an aspiring filmmaker himself).
Rachael's career in entertainment began early when she started modeling at the age of ten. Very early on she appeared in ads for Milk-Bone and Target, among others. When she was fourteen, she did a now-famous anti-drug commercial in which she went around a kitchen smashing things to illustrate the effects of heroin.
Her big break in acting came in 1995 when her modeling agent suggested she read the script for an independent film called "26 Summer Street" (not released until 1996). Rachael nailed the part on her first attempt, and her face was soon seen in cinemas across the country multiple times throughout the next year.
Rachael's big-screen debut came in 1995 with "The Baby Sitters Club" movie, followed three months later by "Tom and Huck," in which she played Becky Thatcher opposite Jonathon Taylor Thomas, teen heartthrob of the 90's.
She continued hopping back and forth between her hometown and L.A. for a few years, in order to both finish school and continue to further her acting career. She graduated from Minneapolis South High School in 1998, and then was finally able to concentrate more fully on her acting.
Rachael's biggest role came just a year later. She was finally labeled with Hollywood "starlet" status in 1999 after starring alongside Freddie Prinze Jr. in the romantic comedy "She's All That." From there her career took off - a career in which Rachael has appeared in over 30 movies to date, along with more than a few made-for-TV movies and television cameos.
Her film credits include "The Bumblebee Flies Anyway" (1999), in which she appeared opposite Elijah Wood, "Josie and The Pussycats" (2001), "Blow Dry" (2001) with Josh Hartnett who, incidentally, attended the same high school as Rachael, and "The Big Empty" (2003), along with many other movies. She has also appeared on several episodes of TV dramas, such as "Dawson's Creek."
Today, Rachael spends most of her time in Los Angeles working on small independent films. But she visits home frequently to spend time with her family and friends. She is one Hollywood starlet who still manages to capture the hearts of audiences every time, and will undoubtedly continue to do so for a while to come.
- Amanda Williams, Managing Editor
|
