Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress and singer. She is well-known for her television and film roles in the Fox television series Party of Five, as Sarah Reeves, from (1995-1999), and also starred in the I Know What You Did Last Summer films, as Julie James. Hewitt can currently be seen on the CBS television series Ghost Whisperer, as Melinda Gordon, a young newlywed who communicates with the dead.

Biography

Early life and career

Hewitt was born in Waco, Texas, to Herbert Daniel Hewitt and Patricia Mae Shipp. Her father is a technician and her mother worked as a speech-language pathologist. Hewitt grew up in Harker Heights, Texas. After the divorce of her parents, Hewitt and her only sibling, Todd Hewitt, were brought up by her mother. Her first name was given to her by her brother, after a girl he was fond of as a youngster, while her middle name, "Love", was given to her by her mother after her best friend in college.

As a young girl, Hewitt was attracted to music which led to her first encounters with the entertainment industry. At the age of three, she sang "The Greatest Love of All" (as recorded by Whitney Houston) at a livestock show. Just a year after that, at a restaurant-dance hall, she entertained an audience with her version of "Help Me Make It Through the Night". By the time she was five, Hewitt already had tap dancing and ballet in her portfolio. At nine, she became a member of the Texas Show Team (which also toured in the Soviet Union). At the age of ten, at the suggestion of talent scouts, she moved to Los Angeles, California, with her mother to pursue a career in both acting and singing.

Film and music career

After moving to Los Angeles, Hewitt appeared in more than twenty television commercials. Her first break came as a child actor on the Disney Channel variety show Kids Incorporated (1989-1991). In 1992, she played Pierce Brosnan's daughter in a pilot for NBC called Running Wilde, which featured Brosnan as a reporter for Auto World magazine whose stories cover his own wild auto adventures, but the series wasn't picked up and the pilot never aired. She later played on television in several short-lived series, such as Fox's Shaky Ground (1992-1993), ABC's Byrds of Paradise (1994), and McKenna (1994-1995). Finally, Hewitt became a young star after landing the role of Sarah Reeves on the popular Fox Television show Party of Five (1995-1999), joining the cast during its second season. She continued the same role in the short-lived Party of Five spinoff, Time of Your Life (1999). Hewitt was also one of the producers, but the show was cancelled after only half a season.

She made her film debut in the independent film Munchie (1992). Hewitt became a film star after a lead role in the horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). The film had great box-office appeal (125,000,000 U.S. dollars worldwide), and Hewitt became one of the most popular young stars in the USA (together with her co-stars: Freddie Prinze Jr., Ryan Phillippe, and Sarah Michelle Gellar). She also played in the sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998). Other notable film roles included the high-school comedy Can't Hardly Wait (1998) and a starring role with Sigourney Weaver in the romantic comedy hit Heartbreakers (2001).

Jennifer Love Hewitt was considered for the role of Paige Matthews on the WB hit Series Charmed but actress Rose McGowan was given the role. In 2000, Hewitt appeared in The Audrey Hepburn Story. That same year, she was the "most popular actress on television" due to her Q-rating (a measurement of a celebrity's popularity) of thirty-seven. For that reason, Nokia chose her to become its spokesperson, because of her "fresh image", and her being "a symbol of youthfulness and wholesomeness".

In 2001 she appeared in the music video for the Enrique Iglesias song, Hero as the singer's love interest.

In 2002, she was paired with Jackie Chan in the action comedy The Tuxedo, which was a box office bomb.

Hewitt to write I'm Gonna Love You for the movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame II because, although she was a well-known singer at the time, her character Madellaine was the only character who didn't sing in the movie.

Since September 2005, Hewitt has starred in the television series Ghost Whisperer. In Australia, Ghost Whisperer has been popular since its introduction; in the United States, the show averages 9-10 million viewers for each new episode.

Hewitt has also auditioned for many roles. She lost the role of "Juliet" in Romeo + Juliet to Claire Danes at the last moment. She also had to give up the role of "Darlene" in Brokedown Palace because of scheduling conflicts. Hewitt also auditioned for the role of "Elektra" in Daredevil.

To date, she has released four albums with some success, most notably in Japan. Her first album was released in Japan, where she is widely considered a pop star. Her explanation for her success in Japan is that the Japanese "love perky music. The poppier the music, the better."

Personal life

Jennifer contributes to charity. She is known as 'godmother' of the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund.

On a September 21, 2006 appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, she expressed her desire to be a spokesperson for Sizzler.

Hewitt has been dating actor Ross McCall since January 2006. She has also dated singer John Mayer.

Polls and Honors

  • #14 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women In The World 2007

Awards

  • Blockbuster Entertainment Award - Favorite Female Newcomer (I Know What You Did Last Summer) (1998)
  • Blockbuster Entertainment Award - Favorite Actress (I Know What You Did Last Summer) (1998)
  • Teen Choice Award - Movie Actress Of The Year (I Still Know What You Did Last Summer) (1999)
  • Teen Choice Award - Female Hottie Of The Year (2000)
  • People's Choice Award - Favorite Female Television Performer in a New Series (Time of Your Life) (2000)
  • DVD Awards - Best Song from an Animated Movie (I'm Gonna Love You from Hunchback of Notre Dam 2 Soundtrack) (2003)
  • Kid's Choice Award - Favorite Female Buttkicker (The Tuxedo) (2003)
  • Family TV Awards - Favorite Female Actress (Ghost Whisperer) (2006)
  • Saturn Awards - Best TV Actress (Ghost Whisperer) (2006)
  • Lake Arrowhead Film Festival - Humanitarian Award (2006)