Elisha Cuthbert Elisha Cuthbert, a multi-talented and versatile Canadian actress, has already seen her fair share of success, even though she isn’t even twenty-five. She’s mostly known for hosting the Canadian-based Popular Mechanics for Kids series as a young teen, for her role as Kim Bauer on 24, and for starring in the 2004 teen comedy The Girl Next Door with a role as an ex-porn star. The blonde beauty was born in Calgary Alberta, Canada on November 30, 1982, but mostly grew up in Quebec’s Greenfield Park, close to Montreal. Cuthbert broke into show business as a child model, modeling for children’s fashion and clothing lines, as well as working as a foot model. She transitioned from modeling to acting as co-host alongside Jay Baruchel, and reporter on the Canadian children’s TV series Popular Mechanics for Kids, and with a television appearance in an episode of the children’s horror series Are You Afraid of the Dark? She soon landed a recurring role and became a regular on the show. During her stint on Popular Mechanics, Cuthbert acted as a foreign correspondent, and caught the eye of Hillary Clinton, who reportedly extended an invitation to the budding young star to come visit the White House.
Cuthbert moved to Los Angeles when she was seventeen, and then landed the role of Kim Bauer on the hit thriller series 24, starring Kiefer Sutherland, Carlos Bernard, Dennis Haysbert, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Reiko Aylesworth, and Jude Ciccolella. Cuthbert also starred in Lucky Girl in 2001, a Canadian made-for-TV movie, for which she won a Gemini Award. In 2003, she also snagged smaller roles in Old School, alongside a stellar cast of Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Ellen Pompeo of Grey’s Anatomy, Jeremy Piven, Juliette Lewis, and Leah Remini from King of Queens; and in Love Actually, which had another great cast, including Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Laura Linney, and Alan Rickman.
However, her first feature film came the following year, with a lead role as a former pornography star in The Girl Next Door, starring opposite Emile Hirsch. Cuthbert’s character and, consequently, the film in its entirety, were quite controversial. She went on to star in the horror House of Wax in 2005 with Chad Michael Murray from One Tree Hill, socialite heiress Paris Hilton, and Jared Padalecki from Supernatural and Gilmore Girls. However, the film was met with much criticism, although Cuthbert’s character was noted to come out on top as the most believable and tolerable. More recently, Cuthbert appeared in the indie film The Quiet as Nina, a sexually abused cheerleader, and has made various music video appearances, including in Weezer’s “Perfect Situation,” Bon Jovi’s “Have a Nice Day,” and Hilton’s “Nothing in This World.” Cuthbert is slated to appear in three new feature films come 2007 and 2008: He Was a Quiet Man, My Sassy Girl, and the animated Cat Tale. In her personal life, Cuthbert was engaged to Trace Ayala, Justin Timberlake’s personal assistant, but is now reportedly dating Los Angeles Kings player Sean Avery. YUDDY |
