Emily Erin Deschanel was born October 11, 1976, in Los Angeles, California. Born into an acting family, her father is Oscar-nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, and her mother is actress Mary Jo Weir. Her sister, Zooey Deschanel, is also an established film and television star best known for her work opposite Will Ferrell in the holiday comedy Elf.
Deschanel pursued her secondary education at Boston University's Professional Actors Training Program. Not surprisingly, she received a degree in theater.
Deschanel made her onscreen debut with the romantic comedy It Could Happen to You, starring Nicolas Cage, Bridget Fonda, Rosie Perez, Isaac Hayes, Stanley Tucci, and Red Buttons. It would be six lean years before her next film role opposite Kelli Williams, Garry Marshall, and Eric Stoltz in the film festival product It's a Shame About Ray.
She busied herself with bit parts on television shows such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, with Christopher Meloni and Ice T; Providence; and Crossing Jordan, opposite Jill Hennessy, Miguel Ferrer, and Jerry O Connell.
One notable film role included a small part among the all-star cast of Cold Mountain in 2003. Working with Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger, Brendan Gleeson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi, and Donald Sutherland, Deschanel was gaining both exposure and popularity.
The following year, Deschanel took a part in a less critically lauded work—The Alamo, with Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton, and Jason Patric. Despite the minimal exposure of her preceding work, Deschanel won a very small part in the smash blockbuster hit Spider-Man 2, with Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, and Willem Dafoe.
In 2005, she won her first major lead in the tepidly received horror/mystery Boogeyman, with Barry Watson and Lucy Lawless. This was the same year she won the lead in her highly successful forensics-centered television series, Bones. With co-stars David Boreanaz, Michaela Conlin, Eric Millegan, TJ Thyne, and Tamara Taylor, Deschanel truly became a household name.
2006 brought the continuation of her series as well as a supporting role opposite Josh Lucas and Jon Voight in the inspirational sports film Glory Road.
In her personal life, Deschanel has never married. She splits her time between New York and Los Angeles, and she is an avid supporter of PETA and the Humane Society. In accordance with these causes, Deschanel is a vegan.
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