Keri Russell Golden Globe-winning actress, Keri Russell was born on March 23 1976, in Fountain Valley, California. The family frequently moved around due to Russell’s father’s job as a Nissan Motors executive, and lived in Dallas, Texas; Mesa, Arizona; and Denver, Colorado. A precocious and cute youngster, Russell first came to fame as a cast member of the New Mickey Mouse Club, a virtual factory for future stars such as Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake.
In 1996, Russell landed a role on the short-lived Aaron Spelling soap series Malibu Shores, also starring Michelle Phillips and Charisma Carpenter. That same year, Russell also appeared in the made-for-TV movie, The Babysitter's Seduction, and starred in Bon Jovi's music video for his song “Always.” In 1998, Russell landed the starring role in the WB series Felicity, the tale of a university freshman who follows her high school crush to attend university in New York. Producers of the show, which also starred Scott Speedman, Scott Foley, and Jennifer Garner were initially hesitant to cast Russell as the demure wallflower Felicity Porter, mainly because she was so beautiful. Russell’s looks actually did prove to be an impediment to the show during the second season, when she chopped off her long curly locks, and the show saw a subsequent dramatic drop in ratings. After Felicity ended in 2002, Russell moved to New York City to take a break from Hollywood. In 2004, she made her off-Broadway debut, sharing the stage with Jeremy Piven, Andrew McCarthy, and Ashlie Atkinson in the production Fat Pig. The following year, she starred in The Upside of Anger, alongside Kevin Costner, Joan Allen, and Evan Rachel Wood.
On the big screen, Russell has appeared in The Curve in 1998; Mad About Mambo in 2000; and We Were Soldiers in 2002, also starring Mel Gibson, Chris Klein, and Sam Elliott. Although her Felicity co-star, Jennifer Garner, went on to star in another hit series, Alias, Russell declined invitations to appear on the show from Felicity and Alias producer, J.J. Abrams. She did, however, accept Abrams’ invitation to join the cast of Mission: Impossible III, alongside Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Billy Crudup, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Laurence Fishburne. In 2006, Russell became a spokeswoman for Cover Girl Cosmetics. In 2007, she will star in the independent film, Waitress, written and directed by Adrienne Shelly. Russell is also currently acting opposite Sigourney Weaver, Kate Bosworth, and Alessandro Nivola in the not-yet-released thriller The Girl in the Park. YUDDY |
