Jessica Marie Alba knew early on that she wanted to be an actress. Through hard work and determination she has established herself as an A-list actress best known for her roles in Fantastic Four and Into the Blue. She is often listed as being one of the sexiest women in the world.

Alba was born on April 28, 1981, in Pomona, California. Her father, Mark, is of Mexican descent while her mother, Cathy, is Danish and French. Alba and her brother, Joshua, grew up on secondhand clothes and coupons, while her father moved the family across the country for his career in the Air Force. The Albas lived in Biloxi, Mississippi, for a while, before they returned to California.

As a girl, Alba suffered from poor health. At one point she contracted pneumonia four to five times a year. She has also suffered through a burst appendix, a cyst on her tonsils, and collapsed lungs. She has said in interviews that as a child she suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder as well.

Alba decided she wanted to be an actress at the age of five. She began taking acting lessons at age twelve and shortly afterwards was signed by an agent. Her first appearance in a film was Camp Nowhere in 1994. Although she only landed a small part in the film, when the lead actress had to drop out, because they had the same hair color, Alba was asked to take her place.

After her stroke of good luck, Alba steadily worked on several TV commercials and regularly landed guest spots on shows like The Secret World of Alex Mack, Flipper, Beverly Hills 90210, and P.U.N.K.S.

Following high school, Alba began studying at the Atlantic Theater Company under the tutelage of William H Macy and his wife Felicity Huffman. The acting lessons paid off and in 1999 Alba began earning starring roles in films like Never Been Kissed, alongside Drew Barrymore, David Arquette, and Molly Shannon; and Idle Hands, opposite Devon Sawa.