Elizabeth Banks Bipgraphy

Birth Name : Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell 

Date of Birth : 10 February 1974, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA 

Height : 5' 5" (1.65 m) 

Occupation : Actress

Originally from Massachusetts, Elizabeth Banks received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, then went on to earn a graduate degree at the American Conservatory Theater. Her first film role was in the indie film, Surrender Dorothy (1998). She next landed a small role in the Hollywood blockbuster Shaft (1999), starring Samuel L. Jackson. On television, she made guest appearances on hit shows such as Third Watch (1999), Sex and The City (2000), and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2001), before landing several more roles in big budget motion pictures such as Spider-Man (2002) starring Tobey Maguire, Swept Away (2002) starring Madonna, and Catch Me If You Can (2002) starring Leonard DiCaprio.

Before she was a recognizable name, Elizabeth Banks was a familiar face in scene-stealing comic cameos and memorable dramatic roles opposite high-profile actors like Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeff Bridges and Mark Wahlberg. Her fresh-scrubbed New England looks and girl-next-door appeal were refreshingly countered with her adventurous tomboy spirit and fearless embrace of over-the-top goofiness. A stage-trained actress with a fun-loving attitude towards a big screen career, Banks' energy and versatile talent were finally featured front and center in the popular but very different comedies "Slither" (2006) and "Definitely, Maybe" (2008). Prior to those two roles, she gained widespread recognition for playing Betty Brant in "Spider-Man" (2002), which she reprised for the second (2004) and third (2007) installments. After returning to comedy opposite Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti in "Fred Claus" (2007), Banks was surprisingly convincing as former First Lady Laura Bush in Oliver Stone's "W" (2008). Whether comedy or drama, Banks always delivered a quality performance while continually broadening her appeal.