Elisha Cuthbert

Elisha Cuthbert
Elisha cuthbert.jpg
Born Elisha Ann Cuthbert
November 30, 1982 (1982-11-30) (age 26)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Occupation Actress
Years active 1996–present

Elisha Ann Cuthbert (born November 30, 1982) is a Canadian actress. Cuthbert is known as the former co-host of the Canadian children's television series Popular Mechanics for Kids. She had her first lead role in the 2003 feature film, Old School followed by The Girl Next Door. She has also had starring roles in the 2005 House of Wax film and the 2007 horror film Captivity. Her most prominent role is as Kim Bauer in the American action-thriller television series 24.

Contents

Early life

Cuthbert was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the daughter of Patricia, a homemaker, and Kevin, an automotive design engineer.[1] She has two younger siblings, Jonathan and Lee-Ann and 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 seventeen to pursue an acting career.

Career

Early career

When she was 9, Cuthbert started modelling for various lines of children's clothing and also became a foot model.[2] 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. 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.[3]

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 Los Angeles, Cuthbert was cast in the role of Kim Bauer, daughter of CTU agent Jack Bauer in the television series 24. She appeared in the show's first three seasons, but not in its fourth; she guest-starred in only two episodes in the fifth season. She also reprised her role as Kim Bauer in 24: The Game.

2003-2005: Commercial success

Cuthbert auditioned for the role of Mary Jane Watson in the Spider-Man film, but the role went to Kirsten Dunst.[4]

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, cast her in her first lead role as an ex-porn star, Danielle, alongside Emile Hirsch. Cuthbert had initial 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.[5] Upon its release the film received comparisons to Risky Business[6][7] – although Cuthbert claims her character was not directly based on Rebecca De Mornay's character – and was noted for Cuthbert's sex appeal. Critics were divided; some praised the film for its boldness, while others, notably Roger Ebert, decried it as gimmicky and exploitative.[8][9] Ebert wrote that he saw Cuthbert's character Danielle as "quite the most unpleasant character I have seen in some time."[10]

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 her castmates, 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.[11] Despite her efforts, 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 reviews tended to think Cuthbert "fares the best".[12] Others noted Cuthbert as an "exception" playing her role "earnestly" and "fine".[13][14]

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.[15] 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.[16] Cuthbert also had a small role in Paris Hilton's music video for the song "Nothing In This World".[17]

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,[18][19] a role for which she was nominated for a Razzie award as worst actress.[20]

In He Was a Quiet Man, Cuthbert played Vanessa, a quadriplegic. The film was in limited release in 2007 and release on DVD in early 2008.

2008-present: Current and future projects

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.[21]

For 2008, Cuthbert is scheduled to appear in two films. The first is the family comedy The Six Wives of Henry LeFay with actor Tim Allen, in which she plays his daughter. She will also appear in My Sassy Girl, a remake of a Korean film, starring alongside Jesse Bradford.

She is one of the stars in the Canadian mini-series Guns, due to premiere sometime in 2008.

Cuthbert returns to television with 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 has since been canceled, and was based on a British series starring Rashida Jones and Stephen Moyer.

Cuthbert will reprise her character Kim Bauer in the seventh season of 24.[22]

Personal life

Cuthbert, who enjoys painting,[23] is an ice hockey fan and Los Angeles Kings season ticket holder. In 2005 she maintained a blog on the NHL web site.[24] She was previously involved romantically with Dallas Stars player Sean Avery, and is now dating Dion Phaneuf of the Calgary Flames.[25][26] Her relationship with the latter two hockey players turned into a minor scandal when ex-boyfriend, Avery, made comments to a Canadian reporter in December 2008 stating, "I'm really happy to be back in Calgary, I love Canada and I just wanted to comment on how it's become a common thing for guys in the NHL to fall in love with my sloppy seconds, I don't know what that's about." Subsequently, Avery was suspended six games for these remarks, [27] and not been invited to rejoin the team following his suspension. [28]

She regularly secures a place in FHM and Maxim's annual Top 100 Sexiest/Hottest lists. Her highest ranking was #4 in the 2008 UK Edition of FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World list. She was ranked #14 in 2003, #10 in 2004, #5 in 2005, #22 in 2006, and #10 in 2007. The U.S. Edition ranked her #53 in 2003, #63 in 2004, and #54 in 2006. She was not listed in the U.S. 2005 list. Maxim named her #92 in its 2006 Hot 100 list, and #6 in 2008 and features her in their Girls of Maxim Gallery.[29][30] As of 2006, Cuthbert has stated that she would refuse to be photographed nude in film roles or magazines, and uses body doubles whenever necessary, specifying that she would "like to keep some things to [herself]".[13] Cuthbert was ranked #10 by AskMen.com readers in the list "Top 99 Women of 2007".

Filmography

Films

Year Title Role Notes
1996 Dancing on the Moon Sarah
1997 Mail to the Chief Madison Osgood
Nico the Unicorn Carolyn Price
1998 Airspeed Nicole Stone
1999 Believe Katherine Winslowe
Time at the Top Susan Shawson
2000 Who Gets the House? Emily Reece
2001 Lucky Girl Katlin Palmerson
2003 Love Actually American Goddess Carol
Old School Darcie Goldberg
2004 The Girl Next Door Danielle
2005 House of Wax Carly Jones
2006 The Quiet Nina Deer
2007 Captivity Jennifer Tree
He Was a Quiet Man Vanessa
2008 My Sassy Girl Jordan Roark
Guns Frances Dett Post-production
The Six Wives of Henry Lefay TBA Post-production
Cat Tale Cleo (voice) In-production

Television

Year Title Role
2001 Largo Winch Abby
1997-2000 Popular Mechanics for Kids Herself
1999-2000 Are You Afraid of the Dark? Megan
2004 MADtv Herself and Kim Bauer ("24" parody)
2001- 2004, 2006, 2009 24 Kim Bauer
2008 Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job Herself

References

  1. ↑ "Elisha Cuthbert". FamousCelebrities.org. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  2. ↑ "Elisha Cuthbert Interview". CinemasOnline. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  3. ↑ Jake Bronstein (2002). "FHM Interview". FHM. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Roles turned down by Elisha Cuthbert:". notstarring.com. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  5. ↑ Todd Gilchrist (2004). "An Interview with Elisha Cuthbert". IGN. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  6. ↑ Kit Bowen. "Movie Review: The Girl Next Door (R)". Hollywood.com. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  7. ↑ Cynthia Fuchs (2004). "Unrisky Business". popmatters.com. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  8. ↑ "Girl Next Door, The". metacritic.com (2004). Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  9. ↑ boxofficemojo.com (2004). "The Girl Next Door". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  10. ↑ Roger Ebert (2004). "The Girl Next Door". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  11. ↑ Staci Layne Wilson (2005). "House of Wax Interview: Elisha Cuthbert ("Carly")". horror.com. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  12. ↑ James Berardinelli (2006). "House of Wax". Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Bruce Westbrook (2005). "House of Wax". Houston Chronicle Online. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  14. ↑ Rebecca Murray (2005). "2005 Remake Doesn't Hold a Candle to the Original". About.com. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  15. ↑ Jack Foley (2005). "House of Wax - Elisha Cuthbert interview". indieLondon.co.uk. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  16. ↑ James Montgomery (2005). "Elisha Cuthbert Takes Over Weezer — But Rivers Won't Have Any Of It". Mtv.com. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  17. ↑ "For The Record: Quick News". Mtv.com (2006). Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  18. ↑ Joel Corcoran (2007). "Captivity". BoxOfficeProphets.com. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  19. ↑ James Wray (2007). "Elisha Cuthbert faces Captivity". monstersandcritics.com. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  20. ↑ "Lohan and Murphy lead Razzie race". BBC NEWS (2008). Retrieved on January 21, 2008.
  21. ↑ "Cat Tale". awn.com (2007). Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  22. ↑ Ben Rawson-Jones (2008-09-04). "Report: Elisha Cuthbert returns to '24'". Digital Spy. Retrieved on 2008-09-06.
  23. ↑ "Elisha Cuthbert keeps Quiet in Texas". Chron.com. Retrieved on September 7, 2006.
  24. ↑ NHL Blog Central (2005). "The Art of Booing". NHL Blog Central. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  25. ↑ "Avery Appears on MTV's "Total Request Live"". New York Rangers. Retrieved on August 27, 2007.
  26. ↑ "Elisha Cuthbert Likes Hockey Players", Pacific Coast News Online (2008-05-06). 
  27. ↑ "Avery suspended indefinitely for comments about ex-girlfriend, Phaneuf", ESPN.com (2008-12-02). 
  28. ↑ Jaime Aron (Dec 14, 2008). "Avery, Stars parting ways", The Associated Press. Retrieved on 2008-12-14. 
  29. ↑ "Hot 100". Maximonline.com (2006). Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
  30. ↑ "Girls of Maxim Gallery". Maximonline.com (2006). Retrieved on December 3, 2008.

External links

Persondata
NAME Cuthbert, Elisha
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actor
DATE OF BIRTH 1982-11-30
PLACE OF BIRTH Calgary, Alberta, Canada
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH