Rachael Leigh Cook Biography
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Rachael Leigh Cook
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| Rachael Leigh Cook | |
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| Born | Rachael Leigh Cook October 4, 1979 Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1995 — present |
| Spouse(s) | Daniel Gillies (2004—present) |
| Official website | |
Rachael Leigh Cook (born October 4, 1979) is an American actress. She came to fame after her role in the 1999 teen romantic comedy, She's All That, and has since appeared mostly in lower-profile films.
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Biography
Early life
Cook was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Thomas H. Cook, a social worker and former stand-up comic, and JoAnn, a cooking instructor and weaver.[1] Cook attended school at Clara Barton Open, Laurel Springs School and Minneapolis South High School. She began working as a print model at the age of 10, most notably in nationwide advertisements for Target and appearing on the boxes of Milk-Bone dog biscuits for medium sized dogs.
Career
At the age of 14, Cook began auditioning for acting work. Her modeling agency sent her to read for a short film, 26 Summer Street (1996). She first gained national attention when she was featured in a This is Your Brain on Drugs public-service television advertisement, in which she proceeds to destroy a kitchen with a frying pan as she lists the things that heroin harms (in 1998). Cook began her feature film career some years earlier, debuting in The Baby-Sitters Club (1995) as shy 13-year-old babysitter Mary Anne Spier. The movie was based on Ann M. Martin's book series of the same name. Her second movie role was in Tom and Huck as Rebecca "Becky" Thatcher.
In 1997, Cook appeared in a leading role in the film Country Justice.
Cook's two highest-profile lead roles to date have been in the films She's All That (1999) and Josie and the Pussycats (2001). Cook has also appeared in a number of independent films and in the 2005 television miniseries Into the West.
In 2000, she was the cover girl for the premier issue of FHM US (March/April issue). Cook also provided the voice for Chelsea Cunningham on the Kids' WB animated series Batman Beyond in the episode "Last Resort" and in the animated film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. In 2002, she was ranked #26 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World".
Cook has provided the voice of Tifa Lockhart in the video games Kingdom Hearts II and Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, as well as the CG movie Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. She also starred in the video for New Found Glory's 2002 single "Dressed to Kill". Cook's latest voice-over role is for the video game Yakuza where she voices the role of Reina, a beautiful barkeep. She has also appeared in Daniel Powter's Love You Lately.
Cook owns her own production company, Ben's Sister Productions (in reference to her younger brother, an aspiring filmmaker). Cook eventually stepped away from the spotlight to focus on spending time with friends and family. She later returned to mainstream films when she signed on to a new casting agency. Cook was later cast in a role in the big screen adaptation of Nancy Drew, the female lead in the independent sports drama The Final Season, and playing a small supporting lead in Blonde Ambition.
Personal life
Cook has dated actors Ben Foster, Thomas Montgomery, Vincent Kartheiser, Ryan Reynolds, Shane West, Rider Strong, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Colin Hanks. She is now married to actor Daniel Gillies. Cook, a vegetarian,[2] lives mostly in Los Angeles with her three dogs, but frequently goes back to visit her family in Minnesota.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | The Baby-Sitters Club | Mary Anne Spier | |
| Tom and Huck | Rebecca "Becky" Thatcher | ||
| 1996 | Carpool | Kayla | |
| 26 Summer Street | The Girl | ||
| 1997 | True Women | Young Georgia Lawshe | |
| The House of Yes | Young Jacqueline "Jackie-O" | minor role | |
| Country Justice | Emma | ||
| 1998 | The Eighteenth Angel | Lucy Stanton | direct-to-video |
| The Hairy Bird | Abigail 'Abby' Sawyer | ||
| The Naked Man | Delores | ||
| Dawson's Creek | Devon | guest role (Season 2 Episode 13) | |
| 1999 | The Bumblebee Flies Anyway | Cassie | made-for-television |
| She's All That | Laney Boggs | ||
| 2000 | Get Carter | Doreen | |
| Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker | Chelsea Cunningham | voice | |
| 2001 | Texas Rangers | Caroline Dukes | |
| Josie and the Pussycats | Josie McCoy | ||
| Blow Dry | Christina Robertson | ||
| AntiTrust | Lisa Calighan | ||
| 2002 | 29 Palms | The Waitress | direct-to-video |
| Tangled | Jenny Kelley | ||
| 2003 | 11:14 | Cheri | |
| Bookies | Hunter | ||
| Scorched | Shmally | limited release | |
| The Big Empty | Ruthie | ||
| Tempo | Jenny Travile | direct-to-video | |
| 2004 | Stateside | Dori Lawrence | |
| My First Wedding | Vanessa | ||
| 2005 | Into the West | Clara Wheeler | miniseries |
| 2005 | Las Vegas | Penny Posin | |
| 2005 | Final Fantasy VII Advent Children | Tifa Lockhart | voice |
| 2007 | The Final Season | Polly Hudson | |
| Matters of Life and Death | Emily Jennings | ||
| Blonde Ambition | Haley | ||
| Nancy Drew | Jane Brighton | ||
| 2008 | Psych | Abagail Lightar | Season 3, Episode 2 |
| Falling Up | Caitlin O' Shea | awaiting release | |
| Bob Funk | Ms. Thorne | awaiting release | |
| Ghost Whisperer | Grace Adams | Season 4, Episode 2 | |
| post-production | The Lodger | Amanda | |
| filming | The Disposables | Marilyn |
Robot Chicken
Rachael Leigh Cook has appeared in numerous episodes of the Seth Green-created comedy, Robot Chicken. Although Robot Chicken featured an episode that parodied Final Fantasy VII which involved Tifa Lockhart, who she voiced in Advent Children, in this parody there were no voices, but simply text like in the original game. She has, however, parodied the "This is Your Brain on Drugs" role she made famous, by proceeding to attack her neighborhood with her frying pan.