Jennifer Garner Biography

news-details More than just a pretty actress, Jennifer Garner is a sought after Hollywood movie star that has built a fan base of her own around the world. Began her acting career starred in the quickly-cancelled Fox series "Significant Others" (1998) and "The Time of Your Life" (1999-2000), she made it though, making a memorable recurring turn on The WB's "Felicity" (1998-1999) and a supporting role in Michael Bay's 2001 World War II feature "Pearl Harbor," before landed her feet on numbers of other box-office hits.

Born Jennifer Anne Garner on April 17, 1972 in Houston Texas to a teacher mother, Patricia Ann English, and a chemical-engineer father Billy Jack Garner, she is the middle child between two sisters, Melissa Garner Wylie and Susannah Garner Carpenter. Developed an interest in ballet at her early age, the young lady attended Denison University in Granville, Ohio, where she became interested in drama following her graduation from George Washington High School in Charleston. She eventually received a degree in theater in 1994 and soon moved to New York and began auditioning for stage roles, landing her first part only a month after arriving in town in 1995 as an understudy in the Broadway production of +A Month in the Country with a $150 earning per week.

Keen for experience, Garner made another move to Los Angeles, aimed at TV and film and finally made her screen debut in the 1995 NBC's made-for-TV movie "Zoya," based on the Danielle Steel novel. Work came quickly and quite easy over the next two years with her securing guest roles on several television shows, including "Spin City" and "Law & Order" and small parts in several motion pictures, among them "Deconstructing Harry," "In Harm's Way," and "Mr. Magoo" (1999). All in all, it was during the airing of "Significant Others" that Garner fared a lot better with a recurring role in the "Spy-fi" television series "Alias" in 2001 which saw her portrayed the role of CIA agent Sydney Bristow.

The series did bring Garner her career breakthrough while also earned her four consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series as well as four Golden Globe nominations for the same category. She won the award for "Best Actress in a Television Series - Drama" at the January 2002 Golden Globes plus the "Actor Award" from the Screen Actors Guild in 2005. Subsequent to her rising popularity, she began dating co-star Scott Foley soon after meeting him on the set of the series and the couple walked down the aisle on October 19, 2000. Her part in "Alias" eventually won her a major supporting role on "The Time of Your Life," which was quickly canceled due to ratings disappointment, and a recurring role in the series "Felicity."

It was through the latter project that she gained notice, billed to play the fun supporting role of the increasingly fed-up girlfriend of Ashton Kutcher's lame-brained hero in the goofy comedy "Dude, Where's My Car?" in 2000. It was a commercial success at the box office, taking more than three times its $13 million budget, earning Garner notable notices followed thereafter by high-profile movie projects. The following year, she secured the lead role in the big-budget epic "Pearl Harbor," co-starring with Kate Beckinsale and her then husband Ben Affleck. After the success of the flick, she went on making numbers of such memorable appearances, as that in Steven Spielberg's 2002 "Catch Me If You Can" and the action movie "Daredevil, The Movie" (2002).

Turning from small-screen superstar to A-list actress, Garner took on her first big-screen starring role, playing an adolescent girl who wakes up to suddenly find herself all grown up in the romantic comedy "13 Going On 30" (2004). While her acting career kept rising to the next level, the movie star had to unfortunately face a bitter tale in her love life that her marriage to Foley proved to be short-lived, announcing they were getting a divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. While kept staying on "Alias," Garner took time reprising her role as Elektra in the 2005 spin-off to "Daredevil," entitled "Elektra." By the year 2007, she added three more film projects into her resume, they were "Juno," "Catch and Release," and "The Kingdom," and was after that being booked to star in the 2008 comedy romance "Christmas in Connecticut."

Awaiting for her divorce to Foley to become official, Garner dated her "Alias" co-star Michael Vartan, yet kept their relationship low key until she came up with confirmation of their break up in August 2003. She became single again on March 30, 2004 and started dating her "Daredevil" co-star Ben Affleck in July the same year. Their romance remained low key as well until she was reported pregnant. After repeated denials, it was apparent that Affleck popped the question during her 33rd birthday and soon then they tied the knot on June 29, 2005. On December 1, 2005 Garner gave birth to their first child, a daughter whom they named Violet Anne Affleck.