Elizabeth Banks Biography American actress Elizabeth Banks first gained notoriety for her roles in Wet Hot American Summer and The 40 Year Old Virgin. Since, she has become an increasingly in demand actress, even appearing as a regular on the hit series Scrubs. She currently has a staggering seven projects in varying stages of completion.
Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell, known popularly as Elizabeth Banks, was born February 10, 1974 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Before she ever stepped in front of the camera in a professional capacity, Banks actually received exposure as a small child when she was a contestant on the game show Finders Keepers. Obtaining her initial education from Pittsfield High School, Banks graduated in 1992. She then went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania. Proving a dedicated and apt student, Banks was a magna cum laude graduate. She secured her degree in 1996 and went straight to the American Conservatory Theater. Two years later, she completed her courses there as well. Putting her acting skills to use, Banks made her onscreen debut in 1998 with the Kevin DiNovis art house picture Surrender Dorothy. She then set her sights on television, where she had bit parts in Third Watch as well as Sex and the City opposite the Manhattan foursome, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon.
Her first notable film role came in 2001 with the cult classic Wet Hot American Summer. Banks had a fairly small role, but she shared the screen with an all star cast, which included Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Molly Shannon, Amy Poehler, and others. Breaking into the mainstream in 2002, Banks landed the role of receptionist Betty Brant in the Spider-Man series. Reprising her role in 2004 and again in 2007, Banks shared the screen with series regulars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, and Rosemary Harris. 2002 proved to be a busy year for her as she also appeared in Guy Ritchie’s Swept Away with Madonna, Bruce Greenwood, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Adriano Giannini as well as Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. Continuing to find work with hit films, Banks teamed up with Maguire again for the critically acclaimed 2003 production Seabiscuit. She appeared with acting greats Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper.
Her breakout year came in 2005, however, when she played Beth in the well-received Judd Apatow comedy The 40 Year Old Virgin with Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, and others. She also increased her visibility with a starring role in 2006’s Slither opposite Nathan Fillion and Don Thompson. She then impressed audiences as the love interest of Mark Wahlberg in the family film Invincible. Greg Kinnear costarred in the film, which was based on the true story of 70s Philadelphia Eagles football player Vince Papale. One of her biggest roles to date was as Dr. Kim Briggs on Scrubs, where she played the love interest of Zach Braff. She was with the show from 2006 to 2007 beside Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, and Judy Reyes. Her latest work was opposite Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, Rachel Weisz, and Isla Fisher in Definitely, Maybe. In her personal life, Banks married college boyfriend Max Handelman on July 5, 2003. They are currently still married and are noted for their work together as a production team. Banks converted to Judaism in order to marry Handelman. | 
