Rachel Bilson biography

Name: Rachel Sarah Bilson

Birth date: 25 August 1981

Birth place: Los Angeles, California (USA)

Recidence: Los Angeles, Hollywood Hills

Profession: Actor

Education: Graduated from Walter Reed Middle School in 1996 and Notre Dame High School in 1999

Height: 5' 3"

Eye color: Brown

Hair color: Dark Brown

Family: Danny Bilson & Janice Stango

Siblings: Has a younger step-sister (born 2001) and several older brothers.

Favorite books: « Edie » par Jean Stein et George Plimpton

Favorite music: Bruce Springsteen, Billie Holiday, Jeff Buckley

Favorite actresses: Cameron Diaz, Katie Holmes, Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore

Favorite actors: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Sean Penn

Favorite athletes: Corey Maggette of L.A. 's Clippers

Favorite designers: Coco Chanel, Stella McCartney

Favorite films/TV shows: "Goonies", "Welcome to Dollhouse", "Friends", "Sex and the city"

Favorite fashion labels: Chanel, Vintage

Interests: Shopping, Collecting vintage shoes and purses

Generations before Rachel Bilson was born on Aug. 25, 1981, her family established firm roots in the entertainment business. At the time of her birth, her father Danny was a budding screenwriter and director. His father Bruce had directed dozens of sitcoms and dramas throughout the 1960s and 70s, and her paternal great-grandparents George and Hattie were, respectively, the head of the trailer department at RKO and a screenwriter. With a natural flair for drama since she was born, it was natural that the youngest Bilson would also make inroads in Hollywood. Her first role came at seven years old, when she was cast alongside comedian Louie Anderson in the comedy "The Wrong Guys" (1988). She enjoyed a small stint in the comic book adaptation miniseries "The Human Target" (ABC, 1992) but did not go full-throttle for the child star life right away, maintaining a fairly normal Los Angeles upbringing. As a student at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Bilson took the stage regularly in both musicals and dramas including "Bye Bye Birdie," "Once Upon a Mattress," and "The Crucible."

Early life

Bilson was born in LA, California to a Jewish American father, writer/director/producer Danny Bilson, and a Philadelphia-born Italian American mother, sex therapist Janice Stango. Her father comes from a show business family; her great-grandfather, George Bilson, was the head of the trailer department at RKO Pictures, while her Brooklyn-born great-grandmother, Hattie Bilson, was a screenwriter and her grandfather, Bruce Bilson, is a film director. Bilson's parents divorced during her childhood, and in 1997, her father remarried Heather Medway, an actress and the mother of Bilson's half-sister Hattie (born December 19, 2001).

Career

Bilson attended Grossmont College in San Diego, but dropped out after one year, taking her father's advice to pursue a professional acting career and making several appearances in commercials, including advertisements for Raisin Bran and Pepto-Bismol. She made her screen acting debut in early 2003, appearing in episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, and in the short film, Unbroken. Bilson was subsequently cast in The O.C., which debuted in August of 2003. Her character, Summer Roberts, was initially intended to appear in only a few episodes, but became a series regular after a successful run, as Bilson's on-screen romance with Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) became a noted aspect of the series.

As a result of the success of The O.C., Bilson has become well-known among teenage audiences. At the 2005 Teen Choice Awards, Bilson collected three awards - "Choice Hottie Female", "Choice TV Actress (Drama)" and "Best Onscreen TV Chemistry" (jointly won with Adam Brody). In 2005, Maxim magazine named her sixth in their annual "Hot 100 List"; in 2006, the publication awarded her #14. The UK edition of FHM Magazine named her 28th in the 2006 100 Sexiest Women in the World list, while the US Edition Ranked her 77th in 2005. Bilson was also named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2006 People magazine.

Bilson's first film role was in The Last Kiss, a romantic comedy/drama also starring Zach Braff and Jacinda Barrett. In the film, which opened on September 15, 2006, Bilson plays a college student who seduces Braff's character. Bilson had long wanted to work with Braff, having admired the film Garden State, which he directed and starred in. A body double was used for the film's sexual scene between Bilson and Braff's characters, as Bilson specified that she "feel[s] really strong[ly]" about not appearing in a nude scene. One review of the film noted that Bilson played the role with "surprising depth", although another critic described her role as "Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction as an airhead valley girl with a hot bod".

Rachel Bilson has slowly but surely built up her acting resume. Following brief appearances in shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and 8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter, she landed a role that left everyone talking: that of Summer Roberts on FOX's hit drama, The O.C. With the success of this show, Rachel Bilson became a hot commodity. She followed up that role with a part on the prime-time comedy Chuck and on the big screen in the thriller Jumper.