Kristen Stewart

Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. She has also starred in films such as Panic Room (2002), Zathura (2005), In the Land of Women (2007), The Messengers (2007), Adventureland (2009) and The Runaways (2010).

Kristen Stewart interview for Twilight


NYLON TV + KRISTEN STEWART


Early life

Kristen Stewart was born and raised in Los Angeles, California.[1][2][3] Her father, John Stewart, is a stage manager and television producer who has worked for Fox.[4] Her mother, Jules Mann-Stewart, is a script supervisor originally from Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia.[3][5][6][7] She has an older brother, Cameron Stewart, and an adoptive brother, Taylor.[8][9] Stewart attended school until the seventh grade, and then continued her education by correspondence.[3] She has since completed high school.[10]
Career

Her whole family all worked behind the camera, and Stewart thought she would become a writer/director, but never considered being an actor. "I never wanted to be the center of attention — I wasn't that 'I want to be famous, I want to be an actor' kid. I never sought out acting, but I always practiced my autograph because I love pens. I'd write my name on everything."[11] Stewart's acting career began at the age of eight, after an agent saw her perform in her elementary school's Christmas play.[12] After a year of auditioning, Stewart's first role was a nonspeaking part in the film The Thirteenth Year.[4] Then, she had another part in the film The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas as the "ring toss girl".[4] She subsequently appeared in the independent film The Safety of Objects, in which she played the tomboy daughter of a troubled single mother (Patricia Clarkson). Stewart had a major role in the Hollywood film Panic Room, playing the diabetic daughter of a divorced mother (Jodie Foster). The film received generally positive reviews, and Stewart garnered positive notices for her performance. She was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her performance.[13]

After Panic Room's success, Stewart was cast in another thriller, Cold Creek Manor, playing the daughter of Dennis Quaid's and Sharon Stone's characters; the film generally failed at the box office. She was again nominated for a Young Artist Award for her performance.[13] It was revealed that at about this time in her career, she had to be homeschooled due to her irregular schedule, which was affecting her grades. She said, "I started homeschooling because my teachers were failing me. I think it was just resentment — I made more work for them. But homeschooling is great; you can study what you want, which allows you to get more excited about what you're doing".[13]

Her first starring role followed, in the children's action-comedy Catch That Kid, opposite Max Thieriot and Corbin Bleu. Stewart also played the role of Lila in the thriller Undertow. To date, Stewart's most critically acclaimed role may be in the Showtime television film Speak (2004), based on the novel by Laurie Halse Anderson. Stewart, 13 at the time of filming, played high school freshman Melinda Sordino, who stops almost all verbal contact after being raped. Stewart received great praise for playing the character, who had only a few speaking lines, but kept up a darkly humorous commentary inside her head throughout the film.
Kristen Stewart in Hollywood, 2007

In 2005, Stewart appeared in the fantasy-adventure film Zathura, playing the role of Lisa, the irresponsible older sister of two little boys, who turn their house into a spacecraft hurtling uncontrollably in outer space by playing a board game. The film received praise by critics, but Stewart's performance did not garner much media attention, as it was noted that her character is immobilized during most of the film.[14] The following year, she played the character Maya in Fierce People, directed by Griffin Dunne. After that film, she received the lead role of Jess Solomon in the supernatural thriller film The Messengers.

In 2007, Stewart appeared as teenager Lucy Hardwicke in In the Land of Women, a romantic drama starring Meg Ryan and Adam Brody. The film, as well as Stewart's performance, received mixed reviews. That same year, Stewart appeared in Sean Penn's critically acclaimed adaptation film Into the Wild. For her portrayal of Tracy — a teenage singer who has a crush on young adventurer Christopher McCandless — Stewart received generally positive reviews. Salon.com considered her work a "sturdy, sensitive performance",[15] and the Chicago Tribune noted that she did "vividly well with a sketch of a role."[16] Her performance was not without detractors, however; Variety's critic Dennis Harvey wrote, "It's unclear whether Stewart means to be playing hippie-chick Tracy as vapid, or whether it just comes off that way."[17] After Into the Wild, Stewart had a cameo appearance in Jumper and also appeared in What Just Happened, which was released in October 2008.[18] She also co-stars in The Cake Eaters an independent film that has only been screened at film festivals.

On November 16, 2007, Summit Entertainment announced that Stewart would play Isabella "Bella" Swan in the film Twilight, based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling vampire romance novel of the same name.[19] Stewart was on the set of Adventureland when director Catherine Hardwicke visited her for an informal screen test which "captivated" the director.[20] She stars alongside Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen, her character's vampire boyfriend. The film began production in February 2008 and finished filming in May 2008. Twilight was released domestically on November 21, 2008.[21] After the release of Twilight, Kristen Stewart was awarded the MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance for her portrayal as Bella Swan. Stewart reappeared as Bella in the sequel, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, and reprised this role in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

Stewart has been nominated and presented with the BAFTA Rising Star award.[22] At the 2010 82nd Annual Academy Awards, Stewart and Twilight co-star Taylor Lautner presented a tribute in honour of the horror movie genre.[23]

In 2009, Stewart starred in The Yellow Handkerchief, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and was released into theaters in 2010 by Samuel Goldwyn Films. She also starred alongside James Gandolfini in Welcome to the Rileys, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010.

Stewart most recently portrayed rock star Joan Jett in The Runaways, a biopic of the titular band from writer-director Floria Sigismondi.[24] Stewart met with Jett over the 2008–2009 New Year to prepare for the role, and ended up prerecording songs in a studio for the film.[25] She received nearly unanimous praise for her performance. Josh Tyler of Cinema Blend pronounced her to be "a modern day James Dean. She gives the kind of performance in The Runaways that hasn’t been seen on screen since his death. The Runaways is her Rebel Without a Cause ... she’s absolutely brilliant as Joan Jett."[26] The Metro Times wrote, "It turns out that Stewart is actually really good at capturing Jett's icy, tough-but-cool girl swagger, adding the needed touches of vulnerability that transform it into a pretty terrific performance... Stewart is a genuine rock star here."[27] Also, A.O. Scott of The New York Times noted "Ms. Stewart, watchful and unassuming, gives the movie its spine and soul."[28]

Stewart will star in a film called K-11 with Jason Mewes.[5] The film, which is being directed by Stewart's mother, takes place in a dorm of the Los Angeles County Jail, and will feature Stewart as a male character.[5][29] She has also been cast in the role of Mary Lou in an upcoming film adaptation of Jack Kerouac's cult classic novel On the Road. Shooting began in August 2010.[30]

Stewart was listed as the highest earning female actress in Hollywood in the "2010's Top Hollywood Top Earners List" compiled by Vanity Fair. Throughout 2010, Stewart earned an estimated $28.5 million for all her movie appearances.[31]

In March 2011, it was confirmed that Stewart will playing the leading role in the film Snow White and the Huntsman.[32]
Personal life

Stewart currently lives in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. Stewart has expressed a desire to live and work in Australia, saying, "I want to go to Sydney University in Australia. My mom's from there."[33] Apart from acting, she is also interested in attending college in the near future, saying, "I want to go to college for literature. I want to be a writer. I mean, I love what I do, but it's not all I want to do — be a professional liar for the rest of my life."[34] In an interview with Vanity Fair, Stewart stated that she dated Michael Angarano, her co-star from Speak.[35]
Filmography
Film and television Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1999 The Thirteenth Year Girl waiting for drink[36] Uncredited
2000 The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas Ring toss girl[37] Uncredited
2001 The Safety of Objects Sam Jennings Limited release
2002 Panic Room Sarah Altman
2003 Cold Creek Manor Kristen Tilson
2004 Speak Melinda Sordino
2004 Catch That Kid Maddy
2004 Undertow Lila
2005 Fierce People Maya Osbourne Limited release
2005 Zathura Lisa
2007 The Messengers Jessica "Jess" Solomon
2007 In the Land of Women Lucy Hardwicke
2007 The Cake Eaters Georgia Limited release
2007 Into the Wild Tracy Tatro
2007 Cutlass Young Robin Short film
2008 Jumper Sophie Cameo
2008 What Just Happened Zoe
2008 Twilight Bella Swan
2009 Adventureland Emily "Em" Lewin
2009 The Twilight Saga: New Moon Bella Swan
2010 The Yellow Handkerchief Martine Limited release
2010 The Runaways Joan Jett
2010 Welcome to the Rileys Mallory
2010 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Bella Swan
2011 On the Road Marylou Post-production
2011 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 Bella Swan Filming
2012 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 Bella Swan Filming
Awards and nominations
List of awards and nominations Year↓ Title of work↓ Award↓ Category↓ Result↓ Notes
2002 Panic Room Young Artist Awards Best performance in a feature film- Leading Young Actress Nominated
2003 Cold Creek Manor Young Artist Awards Best performance in a feature film- Supporting Young Actress Nominated
2004 Undertow Young Artist Awards Best performance in a feature film- Supporting Young Actress Nominated
2007 Into the Wild Young Artist Awards Best performance in a feature film- Supporting Young Actress Nominated
2007 Into the Wild Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture Nominated Entire Cast
2008 Twilight MTV Movie Awards Best Female Performance Won
2008 Twilight MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss Won Shared with Robert Pattinson
2008 Twilight Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actress Drama Won
2008 Twilight Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Liplock Won Shared with Robert Pattinson
2008 Twilight Scream Awards Best Fantasy Actress Won
2008 Twilight Scream Awards Best Ensemble Cast Nominated
2008 Twilight People's Choice Awards Favourite On-Screen Team Won Shared with Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner
2008 Twilight People's Choice Awards Favourite Movie Actress Nominated
2009 Adventureland Gotham Awards Best Ensemble cast Nominated Entire cast
2009 The Twilight Saga: New Moon BAFTA Awards Rising Star Award Won
2009 The Twilight Saga: New Moon Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Cutest Couple Won Shared with Taylor Lautner
2009 The Twilight Saga: New Moon Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Cutest Couple Nominated Shared with Robert Pattinson
2009 The Twilight Saga: New Moon MTV Movie Awards Best Female Performance Won
2009 The Twilight Saga: New Moon MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss Won Shared with Robert Pattinson
2009 The Twilight Saga: New Moon Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Screen Couple Nominated Shared with Robert Pattinson
2009 The Twilight Saga: New Moon Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Screen Couple Nominated Shared with Taylor Lautner
2009 The Twilight Saga: New Moon Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Actress Fantasy Won
2010 The Runaways Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Actress Drama Nominated
2010 The Runaways MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss Nominated Shared with Dakota Fanning
2010 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse People's Choice Awards Favorite Movie Actress Won
2010 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse People's Choice Awards Favourite On-Screen-Team Won Shared with Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson
2010 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse People's Choice Awards Favorite Movie Star Under 25 Nominated
2011 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Movie Actress Nominated
2011 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse MTV Movie Awards Best Female Performance Pending
2011 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss Pending Shared with Taylor Lautner
2011 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss Pending Shared with Robert Pattinson
References from Wikipedia.com

Cameron Diaz

Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other notable movie credits include Charlie's Angels, and voicing the character Princess Fiona for the Shrek series. Diaz received Golden Globe award nominations for her performances in the movies There's Something About Mary, Being John Malkovich, Vanilla Sky, and Gangs of New York.

Gorgeous Cameron Diaz video I`ve made long time ago. sexy


Early life

Diaz was born in San Diego, California, the younger daughter of Emilio Diaz (1949–2008), who worked for the California oil company UNOCAL for more than 20 years as a field gauger, and Billie (née Early), an import-export agent.[1][2] Her father was born in Los Angeles County, and his family came from Spain via Cuba (her paternal grandparents settled in Tampa's Ybor City).[3] Her mother is of English, German, Native American and Dutch descent.[4][5][6][7] She has two older siblings: Chimene (1970-) and Michael.[citation needed] She attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School, where she was in the theater program for one year.[citation needed]
[edit] Career
[edit] Modeling

At age 16, she began her career as a fashion model. Diaz contracted with modeling agency Elite Model Management. For the next few years she worked around the world for contracts with major companies. She modeled for designers such as Calvin Klein and Levi's. When she was seventeen years old she was featured on the front cover of the July 1990 issue of the magazine Seventeen.[8]
[edit] Acting
Diaz at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival with Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio for the movie Gangs of New York.
Tom Cruise and Diaz at the MTV Movie Awards, June 6, 2010

At age 21, Diaz auditioned for the movie The Mask, even though she had no previous acting experience,[9] based on the recommendation of an agent for Elite who met the film's producers while they were searching for the female main actress. After obtaining the main female role, she immediately started acting lessons. The Mask became one of the top ten highest grossing films of 1994,[10] and earned Diaz nominations for several awards.[11]

During the next three years, she had roles in low-budget independent films, such as The Last Supper (1995), Feeling Minnesota (1996), She's the One (1996), Keys to Tulsa (1996), and A Life Less Ordinary (1997), preferring to feel her way effectively into the business. She was scheduled to feature in the film Mortal Kombat, but had to resign after breaking her hand while training for the role.[12]

She returned to mainstream films with the major movie successes My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) and There's Something About Mary (1998), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the category of Best Actress — Musical or Comedy. She received critical acclaim for her performance in Being John Malkovich (1999), which earned her Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Golden Globe Award, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG Awards). During 1990–2000, Diaz featured in many movies, such as Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her, Very Bad Things, Any Given Sunday, and the successful adaptation of Charlie's Angels. During 2001, she won nominations for Best Supporting Actress for the Golden Globe Awards, the SAG Awards, the Critics' Choice Awards, and the American Film Institute Awards for Vanilla Sky, and also voiced Princess Fiona in the movie Shrek, for which she earned $10 million.

During 2003, Diaz received another Golden Globe nomination for Martin Scorsese's epic Gangs of New York, and became the third actress (after Wedding costar Julia Roberts) to earn $20 million for a role, receiving the sum for Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Her next movies were In Her Shoes (2005), and The Holiday (2006). She was preparing to work again with The Mask co-star Jim Carrey for the film Fun with Dick and Jane, but resigned to feature in In Her Shoes. Diaz reportedly earned $50 million during the period of a year ending June 2008, for her roles in What Happens in Vegas opposite Ashton Kutcher, and the Shrek sequels.[13][14][15] In 2009, she starred in My Sister's Keeper and The Box.

During 2010, Forbes Magazine ranked Cameron Diaz as the richest Hispanic female celebrity, ranking number 60 among the wealthiest 100.[16][17] Also that year, Diaz was cast as the female lead in a live action/animation hybrid film version of The Smurfs, and as well as voicing Princess Fiona for the movie Shrek Forever After, also reunited with her Vanilla Sky co-star Tom Cruise in the action/comedy Knight and Day, and on the 14 January, she played "Lenore Case", the journalist in the remake of the 1940's film, The Green Hornet. She was listed among CEOWORLD magazine's Top Accomplished Women Entertainers.[18]
[edit] Personal life
Diaz during June 2007

Diaz received "substantial" defamation damages from suing American Media Incorporated, after The National Enquirer had claimed she was cheating on then-paramour Timberlake.[19]

During 1992, Diaz featured in a soft-core sadomasochism video entitled "She's No Angel" filmed by photographer John Rutter. During 2003, she won an injunction against Rutter preventing him from distributing the video or accompanying photographs, but during 2004, the video was distributed online by a Russian internet website.[20][21]

When Diaz was asked if she can speak Spanish she said:
“ I go, 'God, you know, it all sounds so familiar. I know what you're saying, I really do. I just cannot respond to you back in Spanish. I can barely speak English properly.' I didn't grow up in a Cuban community. I grew up in Southern California on the beach, basically. And I'm third generation. I'm of Cuban descent.[22] ”

She endorsed Al Gore publicly during 2000. Diaz wore a t-shirt that read "I won't vote for a son of a Bush!" while making publicity visits for Charlie's Angels.[23]

Diaz has also been involved with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the first and largest nonprofit organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has spoken as an advocate for military families.[citation needed]

Although she was quoted by a 1997 Time magazine article as saying she was germophobic,[24] Diaz specifically denied this on the June 26, 2009, edition of Real Time with Bill Maher, saying that a small comment she made 12 years earlier regarding public bathroom doorknobs was distorted out of proportion.[25]

On April 15, 2008, her father, Emilio Diaz, died of pneumonia, aged 58.[26]
[edit] Relationships

During 1995, she began a relationship with actor Matt Dillon, with whom she co-starred in There's Something About Mary; the relationship ended during 1998.[27] She then had a relationship with singer/actor Jared Leto from 1999 to 2003. Diaz dated singer Justin Timberlake from 2003 to 2006.[27] During October 2004, Diaz and Timberlake were in an altercation with a tabloid photographer outside a hotel. When the photographer and another man tried to photograph them, the couple snatched the camera. Pictures of the incident appeared in Us Weekly. Representatives for the pair claimed that they were acting a scene on a set.[28] As of July 2010, Diaz has been in a romantic relationship with New York Yankees baseball star Alex Rodriguez.[29]
[edit] Filmography and awards

During 1996, Diaz received an award at the ShoWest Convention for "Female Star of Tomorrow." During 2006, she won a People's Choice Award for "Favorite Leading Lady." On June 22, 2009, she was commemorated by a star-figure on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
[edit] Films
Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1992 "She's No Angel: Cameron Diaz" Naked Girl Video short
1994 The Mask Tina Carlyle
1995 The Last Supper Jude
1996 She's the One Heather
Feeling Minnesota Freddie Clayton
Head Above Water Nathalie
Keys to Tulsa Trudy
1997 My Best Friend's Wedding Kimberly Wallace ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film in a Crossover Role
Blockbuster Award for Favorite Supporting Actress – Comedy
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
A Life Less Ordinary Celine Naville
1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Blonde TV Reporter
There's Something About Mary Mary Jensen American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Blockbuster Award for Favorite Actress – Comedy
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
Nominated — ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film in a Crossover Role
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Very Bad Things Laura Garrety
1999 Man Woman Film Random Celebrity cameo
Being John Malkovich Lotte Schwartz Nominated — American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated — Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her Carol Faber
The Invisible Circus Faith
Any Given Sunday Christina Pagniacci ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film
Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress - Drama
2000 Charlie's Angels Natalie Cook Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated — MTV Movie Awards for Best Line (For "I signed the release, so you can stick anything you want in my slot!".)
2001 Shrek Princess Fiona
Vanilla Sky Julie Gianni Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — AFI Award for Best Actress
Nominated — ALMA Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated — Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
2002 The Sweetest Thing Christina Walters
Gangs of New York Jenny Everdeane Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Acting Ensemble
2003 Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Natalie Cook
2004 Shrek 2 Princess Fiona Voice
2005 In Her Shoes Maggie Feller Nominated — Imagen Foundation Award for Best Actress
2006 The Holiday Amanda Woods
2007 Shrek the Third Princess Fiona Voice
2008 What Happens in Vegas Joy McNally
2009 My Sister's Keeper Sara Fitzgerald Nominated — ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress – Motion Picture
The Box Norma Lewis
2010 Shrek Forever After Princess Fiona Voice
Nominated — Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production
Knight and Day June Havens
2011 The Green Hornet Lenore Case
Bad Teacher Elizabeth Halsey
2012 Gambit PJ Puznowski Filming [30]
[edit] Television
Year Title Role Notes
2005 Trippin' [31] Herself MTV - Travel Documentary
2007 Shrek the Halls Princess Fiona Voice
Made for television
2008–2009 Saturday Night Live Kiki Deamore 3 episodes
2009 Sesame Street
2010 Top Gear Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car Series 15, Episode 5 - appeared alongside Tom Cruise
2010 Scared Shrekless Princess Fiona Voice
Made for television
2011 The Adventure of Jenny XJ9 Nora Wakeman Voice
Made for television
References from Wikipedia.com

Eliza Dushku

Eliza Patricia Dushku (born December 30, 1980) is an American actress known for her television roles, including recurring appearances as Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer[2] and its spinoff series Angel. She starred in two Fox series, Tru Calling and Dollhouse.[3] She is also known for her role in films including True Lies, The New Guy, Bring It On, Wrong Turn and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

One Shot ft. Eliza Dushku


eliza dushku bikini , from the new guy


Early life

Dushku was born in Watertown, Massachusetts, the daughter of Philip R. Dushku, an administrator and teacher in the Boston Public Schools, and Judith "Judy" (née Rasmussen), a political science professor.[5] Dushku's father is Albanian and her mother is of Danish and English descent.[6][7] Dushku attended Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, and graduated from Watertown High School. She was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the faith of her mother, though she is not practicing.[8] She has three older brothers: Aaron, Benjamin (Ben), and Nathaniel (Nate). Her parents divorced when she was an infant.[9] In 2006, she visited her father's family in Albania after an invitation from the Prime Minister of Albania, Sali Berisha. She visited Kosovo and got an Albanian Eagle tattoo on the back of her neck.[10][11]
[edit] Career
[edit] Early career

Dushku came to the attention of casting agents when she was 10. She was chosen in a five month search for the lead role of Alice in the film That Night. In 1993, Dushku landed a role as Pearl alongside Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in This Boy's Life, a role that she said opened a lot of doors. The following year, she played the teenage daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies. She had parts as Paul Reiser's daughter in Bye Bye Love, as Cindy Johnson in Race the Sun, and roles in a television movie and a short film.

Dushku took time off from acting to finish her junior and senior years of high school. She was accepted to the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and Suffolk University in Boston, where her mother serves as professor of government and previously served as dean of the campus in Dakar, Senegal.
[edit] Later roles
Dushku at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con.

After completing high school, Dushku returned to acting with the role of Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a Slayer much more troubled than the main character Buffy Summers. Though initially planned as a five episode role, the character became so popular that she stayed on for the whole third season and returned for a two-part appearance in season four, after which the remainder of her original story arc was played out as part of the first season of the Buffy spin-off series Angel. Repentant and rededicated, Faith returned as a heroine in other episodes of Angel and in the last five episodes of Buffy. Dushku was inundated with piles of fan mail from legions of prisoners. She said:

I've been getting fan mail from maximum security penitentiaries and death row. What are the authorities thinking of in playing a show with young teenage girls to Death Row inmates? They write everything – disgusting things that you don't even want to know about. And they send me pictures – 'Oh, here's a picture of me before I was incarcerated!' – and there's some guy sat on the sofa with a bottle of beer and a moustache, and a big gut. It's so creepy. Way more creepy than Buffy.[12]

In 2000, Dushku starred in the hit cheerleader comedy Bring It On.[4] She followed that up with Soul Survivors,[4] reuniting her with Race The Sun co-star Casey Affleck. One reviewer described the film as "84 minutes of everyone's wasted time."[13] In 2001, she appeared in The New Guy with DJ Qualls and City by the Sea with Robert De Niro and James Franco.[4] The latter film garnered attention from a wider adult audience and several good reviews. The same year, Kevin Smith invited Dushku to be a part of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.[4]

In 2003, Dushku starred the horror film Wrong Turn,[4] and The Kiss, an independent comedy-drama. Starting that same year, she starred in a new Fox TV series, Tru Calling, where she played the main character, medical student Tru Davies. After having a grant pulled out from under her, Tru is forced to take a job at a local morgue where she discovers her power to "re-live" the previous day over again if one of the deceased asks for her help to change what has happened. Dushku turned down a role in a spin-off of Buffy The Vampire Slayer which would have been about Faith. She has had many roles as a "bad girl" in movies and relishes the opportunities. In an interview with Maxim in May 2001, Dushku says of her roles, "It’s easy to play a bad girl: You just do everything you’ve been told not to do, and you don’t have to deal with the consequences, because it’s only acting."[8]

Dushku starred in an Off-Broadway production entitled Dog Sees God from December 2005, playing "Van's sister", a character paralleled with Lucy Van Pelt from the Peanuts comic strip on which the play production is based. She quit in February 2006 along with other members of the cast amidst rumours of abuse from the producer (which were later dismissed).

She played the lead character on Nurses, a hospital comedy/drama for Fox. This was the second Fox pilot in which she was cast, but not broadcast.[14] She appeared in the Simple Plan music video, "I'm Just a Kid", as the band's love interest, as well as Nickelback's video for "Rockstar".

Dushku has roles in two video games. She voiced the role of Yumi Sawamura in the English language version of Yakuza for the PlayStation 2, which was published and developed by SEGA, and released in September 2006. Dushku also stars as Shaundi, one of the lead characters in Saints Row 2, which was developed by Volition and published by THQ.[15] It was released (in North America) on October 14, 2008 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. She was the voice talent for the role of Rubi Malone, the main character in the game WET. She appeared at Spike TV's 2008 Video Game Awards in December 2008.[3]
[edit] More recent work
Tribeca Film Festival, April 2007

On October 1, 2005, she announced at Wizard World Boston that shooting had begun for Nobel Son in which she would star with Alan Rickman, Danny DeVito, Bill Pullman, and Peter Boyle. The movie was released at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.[16] Another project is On Broadway, an independent movie filmed in her native Boston. The movie is receiving great reviews[17] and a few of them highlight Dushku's performance. It is shown in independent film festivals and has won six awards.

Variety announced on August 2, 2006 that Dushku would co-star with Macaulay Culkin in Sex and Breakfast, a dark comedy written and directed by Miles Brandman. A reviewer described Dushku as "charming" and giving the character "an edge."[18] The movie was released in Los Angeles on November 30, 2007 and on DVD on January 22, 2008. She starred in Open Graves, a 2008 horror-thriller about a satanic game co-starring Mike Vogel. She played the main character in The Thacker Case and The Alphabet Killer, both thrillers based on real-life events, one of them directed by Rob Schmidt with whom she had worked on Wrong Turn. Both movies were released in 2008.[19] The Alphabet Killer contains Dushku's first topless scene.[20] The film earned mixed reviews, but reviewers praised Dushku's performance, commenting "Eliza Dushku commands the screen but cannot reconcile the script's conflicted and increasingly idiotic agendas."[21] She appeared in Bottle Shock, a drama about Napa valley wine.[2] The film was directed by Randall Miller, who helmed Nobel Son.[2][22]

On August 26, 2007, Dushku signed a development deal with Fox Broadcasting and 20th Century Fox. Under the pact, the network and the studio would develop projects tailor-made for the actress. They approached her with existing pitches and scripts.[23]

Consequently, it was announced on October 31 that Dushku had lured Joss Whedon, of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, back to TV, as they agreed to create a show called Dollhouse. Dushku produced the show and played the main character, 'Echo', which aired on Fox during the 2008–09 TV Season. One TV reviewer said Dushku "does wonderful things to a tank top, but her grasp of this vague, personality-changing character is a bit of a muddle."[24] In an interview, Dushku talked about how Dollhouse, and how her reconnection with Whedon came about:

I invited Joss Whedon to lunch after I did the business deal with Fox. We'd had a cool relationship in the past and I so wanted to do something else, and I wanted to get back into a television show. I had him on the brain for sure but I hadn't called him yet, but I sort of took a leap of faith and set things up with Fox and then called Joss. We went to a four-hour lunch where I just sort of used my womanly wiles. No, we've become such good friends, kind of like brother and sister and kind of like he was my watcher, my handler from when I first moved out to L.A. when I was 17 and I was a little bit of a wild child. He's watched me and helped me and taught me over the years. I told him how bad I wanted and needed him back and he accepted and here we are.[25]

Dushku described Whedon as "my favorite genius ... favorite friend ... big brother ... and the only person out here I've ever wholeheartedly trusted, because he's never let me down."[26] Dollhouse was renewed for a second season. The producers cited their confidence in the strength of Joss Whedon's fan base and high DVR numbers as their reasons for keeping the show. FOX cancelled Dollhouse on November 11, 2009. The show officially wrapped filming on the second and final season on December 16, 2009.

Dushku was the voice actor for contract killer "Rubi Malone" in the action video game Wet.[27] Dushku secured exclusive rights to make "The Perfect Moment", a film based on the life of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and enlisted the help of Ondi Timoner.[2]

Dushku provides her voice for Noah's Ark: The New Beginning and will appear in the film Locked In set for release in 2010.[28]

Dushku guest-starred in CBS' comedy The Big Bang Theory in the fall of 2010[29] which aired on November 4, 2010.[30]

In 2011, Dushku featured alongside Jayson Floyd in "One Shot", a short action clip on YouTube directed by and starring Freddie Wong, which was released on May 13, 2011.[31] Dushku will have a lead role in an online animated "motion comic" series, titled Torchwood: Web of Lies, based on Starz' upcoming Torchwood: Miracle Day.[32]
[edit] Personal life

Dushku resides in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, California.[33]

Dushku is the CEO of her production company, Boston Diva Productions.[34]

Dushku began dating former Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Rick Fox in October 2009, and in August 2010 the couple confirmed that they are living together.[35][36]
[edit] Awards and nominations
Dushku in 2004

She was twice nominated in 2004: for a Teen Choice Award at the Teen Choice Awards for Choice Breakout Star – Female for Tru Calling and for a Saturn Award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films at the 30th Saturn Awards for Best Actress in a Television Series for Tru Calling.

Maxim magazine ranked Dushku 6th on the "Hot 100 Women of 2009" list.[37]

Dushku was nominated in 2009 for a Scream Award for Best Science Fiction Actress for her role of Echo.[38]
[edit] Filmography
Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1992 That Night Alice Bloom
1993 This Boy's Life Pearl
1994 Fishing with George Piper Reeves Short film
1994 True Lies Dana Tasker
1995 Bye Bye Love Emma
1995 Journey Cat TV movie
1996 Race the Sun Cindy Johnson
1998–2003 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Faith 20 episodes
2000 Bring It On Missy Pantone
2000–2003 Angel Faith 6 episodes
2001 Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Sissy
2001 Soul Survivors Annabel
2002 The New Guy Danielle
2002 City by the Sea Gina
2002 King of the Hill Jordan Hilgren-Bronson (voice) Episode: "Get Your Freak Off"
2003 Wrong Turn Jessie Burlingame
2003 The Kiss Megan Video
2003–2005 Tru Calling Tru Davies 27 episodes
2005 That '70s Show Sarah Episode: "It's All Over Now"
2006 The Last Supper Waitress Short film
2007 Nurses Eve Morrow TV movie
2007 On Broadway Lena Wilson
2007 Nobel Son City Hall
2007 Ugly Betty Cameron Ashlock Episode: "Giving Up the Ghost"
2007 Sex and Breakfast Renee
2008 Bottle Shock Joe
2008 The Alphabet Killer Megan Paige
2008 The Coverup Monica Wright
2009 Open Graves Erica
2009–2010 Dollhouse Echo 27 episodes
2010 Locked In Renee
2010 The Big Bang Theory FBI Special Agent Angela Page Episode: "The Apology Insufficiency"
2011 Robotomy Shockzana (voice) Episode: "From Wretchnya with Love"
2011 Noah's Ark: The New Beginning Zalbeth (voice) Post-production
2011 Batman: Year One Selina Kyle/Catwoman (voice)
Video games Year↓ Title↓ Role↓
2003 Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds Faith
2005 Yakuza Yumi
2008 Saints Row 2 Shaundi
2009 Wet Rubi Malone
2011 Fight Night Champion Megan McQueen
References from Wikipedia.com