Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Elisha Cuthbert

 Elisha Ann Cuthbert (born November 30, 1982) is a Canadian film and television actress. Cuthbert is known as the former co-host of the Canadian children's television series Popular Mechanics for Kids. In 1998, she had her first film role in Airspeed. She followed this in 2003 with a role in Old School. Her most prominent role is as Kim Bauer in the American action-thriller television series 24. She stars as Alex Kerkovich on the ABC comedy series Happy Endings.

Early life

Cuthbert was born in Calgary, Alberta, the daughter of Patricia, a homemaker, and Kevin, an automotive design engineer. She has two younger siblings, Jonathan and Lee-Ann, and she grew up in Greenfield Park, near Montreal, Quebec. In 2000, she graduated from Centennial Regional High School and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 17 to pursue an acting career.

Career


Early career

When she was 9, Cuthbert started modeling for various lines of children's clothing and also became a foot model. She made her first televised appearance as an extra in the horror-themed series for children Are You Afraid of the Dark?; she later became a series regular on the show. Cuthbert also co-hosted Popular Mechanics for Kids, which was filmed in Montreal. Her reporting captured the attention of then–First Lady Hillary Clinton, who invited her to visit the White House.
Cuthbert landed her first role in a feature film in the family drama Dancing on the Moon (1997). She appeared in several other Canadian family-themed movies and an airplane thriller, Airspeed. Cuthbert starred in the Canadian television movie Lucky Girl in 2001 and was awarded a Gemini Award for her performance.
Soon after her move to Hollywood, Cuthbert was cast in the role of Kim Bauer, daughter of federal agent Jack Bauer in the television series 24. She appeared in the show's first three seasons, but not in its fourth;[citation needed] she guest-starred in two episodes in the fifth season. She also reprised her role as Kim Bauer in 24: The Game and again guest-starred in five episodes of the seventh season and in two episodes of the eighth season.

2002–2005: Commercial success

She began her Hollywood film career with small roles in Old School and Love Actually in 2003.
Cuthbert's next film, The Girl Next Door, featured her first lead role. She plays ex–porn star Danielle opposite Emile Hirsch. Cuthbert had reservations about taking the part, but was persuaded by director Luke Greenfield into accepting. She researched the role, speaking to actual adult actresses from Wicked Pictures and Vivid Entertainment. Upon its release, the film received comparisons to Risky Business, – although Cuthbert claims her character was not directly based on Rebecca De Mornay's character. Critics were divided; some praised the film for its boldness, while others, notably Roger Ebert, decried it as gimmicky and exploitative. Ebert wrote that he saw Cuthbert's character Danielle as "quite the most unpleasant character I have seen in some time."
In her next big-screen outing, Cuthbert starred with Paris Hilton and Chad Michael Murray in the 2005 remake of the classic horror film House of Wax. Cuthbert, along with the rest of the cast, was made up to look haggard. In one scene, her character was to attempt to open her mouth while her lips were sealed with glue. For the sake of realism, Cuthbert opted for real superglue over prosthetics. House of Wax was largely panned, with critics citing a range of flaws. It was called "notable for having some of the most moronic protagonists ever to populate a horror film," though out of those characters, critics tended to think Cuthbert "fares the best." Though receiving negative reviews the film was a box office success. Others noted Cuthbert as an "exception," playing her role "earnestly" and "fine."

2006–2007: Career transition

Cuthbert's next film project was the indie film The Quiet, which she not only co-starred in but also co-produced and helped finance. She played Nina, a temperamental 17-year-old cheerleader who suffers from sexual abuse. Cuthbert looked to her younger cousin for inspiration as to how to play a teenager. The Quiet, distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival and received a limited release in Los Angeles and New York City on August 25, 2006, before expanding regionally on September 1.
Cuthbert appeared in the music video for Weezer's "Perfect Situation" in early 2006, where she played the group's fictional original singer who threw a tantrum that led to Rivers Cuomo, the unlikely roadie, becoming the frontman of the band. Cuthbert also had a small role in Paris Hilton's music video for the song "Nothing In This World".
In 2007, Cuthbert appeared in the film, Captivity, a thriller centered around a fashion model taunted by a psychopath who has imprisoned her in a cellar, a role for which she was nominated for a Razzie award as "worst actress."
In He Was a Quiet Man, Cuthbert played Vanessa, a quadriplegic, starring opposite Christian Slater. The film was in limited release in 2007, and it was released on DVD in early 2008.

 


2008–present

In 2008, Cuthbert appeared in My Sassy Girl, a remake of a Korean film, starring alongside Jesse Bradford. Her next film is the family comedy The Six Wives of Henry Lefay with actor Tim Allen, in which she plays his daughter. She starred in the Canadian miniseries Guns. She appeared as a guest judge in season two, episode two of Project Runway Canada, where designers were challenged to create a "party dress" for Cuthbert.
Cuthbert reprised her character Kim Bauer in the seventh season of 24 for five episodes. She also was scheduled to star in the CBS drama pilot Ny-Lon, playing a New York literacy teacher/record-store clerk who embarks on a transatlantic romance with a London stockbroker. The project, which was based on a British series starring Rashida Jones and Stephen Moyer, has since been canceled.
Cuthbert is slated to voice Cleo, "the feline daughter of a wealthy kitty litter baron," in Cat Tale, an animated film set in a civilized world of cats and dogs.
In December 2009, ABC announced Cuthbert had joined the cast of The Forgotten in a recurring role as Maxine Denver, a Chicago professional. As of 2011, Cuthbert stars in the ABC ensemble comedy series Happy Endings with Zachary Knighton, Casey Wilson, Adam Pally, Damon Wayans Jr. and Eliza Coupe.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1996 Dancing on the Moon Sarah
1997 Mail to the Chief Madison Osgood
1997 Nico the Unicorn Carolyn Price
1998 Airspeed Nicole Stone
1999 Believe Katherine Winslowe
1999 Time at the Top Susan Shawson
2000 Who Gets the House? Emily Reece
2001 Lucky Girl Katlin Palmerson CTV
2003 Love Actually American Goddess Carol
2003 Old School Darcie Goldberg
2004 The Girl Next Door Danielle (aka "D")
2005 House of Wax Carly Jones
2006 The Quiet Nina Deer
2007 Captivity Jennifer Tree
2007 He Was a Quiet Man Vanessa
2008 My Sassy Girl Jordan Roark
2008 Guns Frances Dett
2009 The Six Wives of Henry Lefay Barbara Lefay/Barby
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1997–2000 Popular Mechanics for Kids Herself
1999–2000 Are You Afraid of the Dark? Megan
2001 Largo Winch Abby
2004 MADtv Herself and Kim Bauer 24 parody
2001–2004, 2006, 2009–2010 24 Kim Bauer 79 episodes
2010 The Forgotten Maxine Denver 6 episodes
2011–present Happy Endings Alex Kerkovich 26 episodes
Music video
Year Title Artist Role
2005 Perfect Situation Weezer Lead
2006 Nothing in This World Paris Hilton Popular girl

[edit] Awards

Year Award Category Work Result
2001 Gemini Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series Lucky Girl Won
2003 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Breakout Star – Female 24 Nominated
2005 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actress: Action/Adventure/Thriller House of Wax Nominated
2005 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Rumble House of Wax Nominated
2007 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actress: Horror/Thriller Captivity Nominated
2003 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series 24 Nominated
2005 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series 24 Nominated
2005 MTV Movie Awards Best Breakthrough Performance, Female The Girl Next Door Nominated
2005 MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss The Girl Next Door Nominated



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