Jessica Stroup

Jessica Stroup is an American former actress who was born on October 23, 1986. She is best known for her main television roles as Erin Silver on 90210, Max Hardy on The Following, and Joy Meachum on the Marvel Cinematic Universe series Iron Fist. Over the course of her career, Stroup also earned recognition as a scream queen due to her performances in horror films such as Vampire Bats, Left in Darkness, The Hills Have Eyes 2, Prom Night, and Homecoming.

Stroup spent her childhood in Charlotte, North Carolina, born to Judith and Don Stroup, a senior vice president at MUFG Union Bank. She completed her secondary education at Providence High School, graduating in 2004. Shortly after finishing school, she launched her professional acting career on television, debuting with a guest role on a 2005 episode of the series Unfabulous.

Following her debut, Stroup secured guest appearances on several television series, including Grey's Anatomy, October Road, and True Blood. In 2007, she appeared in four episodes of the television show Reaper, playing the ex-girlfriend of the main protagonist. During this early period, she also performed in independent film productions, including Left in Darkness, Pray for Morning, and Vampire Bats.

Stroup's film career expanded in March 2007 when she starred as the female lead in the horror sequel The Hills Have Eyes 2. She portrayed Amber, a U.S. Army National Guard soldier fighting for survival against mutants. Despite negative critical reviews, the movie grossed over $67 million worldwide. That same year, she played a supporting role in the film This Christmas. She continued working in the horror genre with roles such as Claire in the 2008 remake of Prom Night and the starring production Homecoming, which completed filming in February 2008 and received a limited cinema release in July 2009. In 2008, she also appeared as Rachel in the ensemble film The Informers.

In April 2008, Stroup was cast as series regular Erin Silver on 90210, a reboot of Beverly Hills, 90210. Her character was the younger sister of original series characters David Silver and Kelly Taylor. The pilot premiered on September 2, 2008, to 4.65 million viewers, and Stroup remained with the series through 2013. Her performance on the show earned her the Sparkling Performance award at the Young Hollywood Awards in 2010.

Alongside her television work, Stroup expanded into comedy and voice work. In 2011, she voiced characters across two episodes of the animated series Family Guy. She subsequently worked with director Seth MacFarlane in his feature film debut Ted, playing Tracy, a workplace friend of Mila Kunis's character, Lori.

In August 2013, Stroup joined the second season of the drama series The Following as series regular Max Hardy, an NYPD Intel Division cop and the niece of Kevin Bacon's character, Ryan Hardy. She stayed with the show through 2015. In March 2017, she joined the cast of Iron Fist as Joy Meachum, playing the role through 2018.

Stroup retired from acting in 2019. Outside of her career, she lives in Los Angeles and married businessman Neil Hutchinson in 2022.