Jessica Biel

Jessica Claire Timberlake (née Biel) is an American actress and producer. Born on March 3, 1982, in Ely, Minnesota, to Kimberly and Jonathan Biel, she grew up moving across several states before her family settled in Boulder, Colorado. During her youth, she played soccer, trained as a level six gymnast, and began training as a vocalist. At age nine, she performed in local musical productions, including lead roles in The Sound of Music and Beauty and the Beast. After attending an International Modeling and Talent Association competition at age 11, she signed with an agent, landed print modeling jobs, appeared in commercials, and made her feature film debut in the musical It's a Digital World. From 2000 to 2002, she attended Tufts University.

Biel achieved early widespread recognition on television at age 14 when she was cast as Mary Camden in the family drama series 7th Heaven (1996–2007). In 1997, she made her major feature film debut in Ulee's Gold, winning a Young Artist Award. She subsequently appeared in films such as I'll Be Home for Christmas (1998), Summer Catch (2001), and The Rules of Attraction (2002). Her breakthrough as a cinematic lead came with the commercially successful remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003).

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Biel built a prominent film career across various genres. Her film credits include Blade: Trinity (2004), Cellular (2004), Stealth (2005), Elizabethtown (2005), London (2005), The Illusionist (2006), Home of the Brave (2006), Next (2007), I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007), Easy Virtue (2008), Powder Blue (2009), Planet 51 (2009), Valentine's Day (2010), The A-Team (2010), New Year's Eve (2011), Total Recall (2012), Hitchcock (2012), Playing for Keeps (2012), Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes (2013), Accidental Love (2015), Bleeding Heart (2015), A Kind of Murder (2016), Spark (2016), and The Book of Love (2017). She also performed in a 2009 Hollywood Bowl concert production of Guys and Dolls.

Biel expanded into producing to create challenging roles for herself. In 2017, she executive produced and starred as Cora Tannetti in the USA Network limited drama series The Sinner, earning nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. She later produced and starred in the 2022 Hulu true-crime miniseries Candy. Her upcoming projects include leading the sci-fi thriller Ursa Major and executive producing a 7th Heaven reboot under her banner, Iron Ocean.

Biel married singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake in October 2012, and the couple has two sons. Outside of acting, she co-founded the Make the Difference Network and the family health and wellness brand Kinderfarms. She has supported numerous charitable initiatives, including a fundraising auction for medical care, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with the United Nations Foundation to raise awareness of the global water crisis, and partnering with WomanCare Global on sex education content.