Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972 in Houston, Texas) is an
American film and television actress and producer.
Although Garner was born in Texas, her father's engineering job with
Union Carbide forced the family to relocate to Charleston, West
Virginia when she was three years old, where she remained until
college. Jennifer studied ballet for nine years before enrolling at
Denison University to study chemical engineering. Upon the realization
that she loved the stage more than science she changed her major to
drama.
She currently stars as the character Sydney Bristow on the TV show
Alias.
Garner enjoys cooking, gardening, hiking and kickboxing (a hobby
inspired by her character on Alias). She is a notable graduate of
George Washington High School in Charleston, West Virginia (1990).
In 2005, Garner entered the Forbes Power 100 List of celebrities.
Garner ranked as the 5th best paid actress in Hollywood - accumulating
an estimated US$14 million over the year 2004/05. She came 8th behind
Cameron Diaz in the power rankings.
Garner is known for performing her own stunts, and in January 2005 she
was forced to bow out of some publicity duties for her film Elektra
due to what was first thought to have been a viral infection. Media
reports indicated that she was in fact suffering the effects of nerve
damage to her back, caused by a stunt during the filming of Alias.
In addition to action films Garner has also starred in the comedy 13
Going on 30 and the upcoming drama from Susannah Grant (writer of Erin
Brockovich) named Catch and Release.
Her production company, Vandalia Films will produce its first film in
2007; a remake of a Japanese Mystery Romance titled "Ima, ai ni
yukimasu" roughly translated to "Be With You". She will produce
alongside American Beautys' producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen.
Garner is set to star in the remake.
In March 2005, Garner directed the episode "In Dreams" for her series,
Alias, which aired in May.
For the fifth season of the show she has been promoted to
writer/producer level.
She has received four consecutive Emmy (the most prestigous television
acting award) nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama
Series. During her first nomination in 2002, she was expected by many
people to win but lost out to "The West Wing"'s Allison Janney. The
year of her second nomination, she lost to Edie Falco for her powerful
performance in "The Sopranos." For Garner's third nomination, she
again lost out to Janney. The most recent nomination in 2005 was not
met with a win as "Medium"'s Patricia Arquette won.
She has received four consecutive Golden Globe nominations for Best
Actress in a Television Series - Drama, and won once. She won on her
first nomination, which was in January of 2002. "Alias" had just begun
a few months ago, meaning Garner beat the other nominees even though
only half the season (roughly 11 or twelve episodes) had aired.
She won the Actor Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2005. The
category had only five nominees and is composed of all actresses in
any dramatic roles, both lead and supporting.
Relationships
In 2000, Garner married Scott Foley, who had played her love interest
on the television show Felicity. The two later separated and
co-star Michael Vartan until mid 2004. Nevertheless, Garner and Vartan
remained close friends.
Garner has since been together with her Daredevil co-star Ben Affleck,
a relationship which has garnered significant media attention. On May
7, 2005 E! News reported that multiple sources close to Garner
confirmed that she was pregnant. On June 30, 2005 publicists for both
Affleck and Garner confirmed that the couple married the day before at
the Parrot Cay resort in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the
Caribbean, and that Garner is pregnant with her first child, a girl
due in November. On September 27, 2005, on The Tonight Show with Jay
Leno, Garner accidently referred to her unborn child as "she,"
acknowledging that she and her husband are expecting a girl.
Her pregnancy will be incorporated into her hit ABC show Alias.
Filmography
Acting Filmography
Be With You (2006)
Charlotte's Web (2006) (voice)
Catch and Release (2005) Grey
Elektra (2005) Elektra
13 Going on 30 (2004) Jenna Rink
Alias: The Video Game (2004) Sydney Bristow (voice)
The Simpsons (2003) Herself (voice)
Ep.: Treehouse of Horror XIV
Daredevil (2003) Elektra
Catch Me If You Can (2002) Cheryl Ann
Alias (2001-present) Sydney Bristow
Rennie's Landing (2001) Kiley Bradshaw
Pearl Harbor (2001) Nurse Sandra
Dude, Where's My Car? (2000) Wanda
Aftershock: Earthquake in New York (1999) Diane Agostini
Time of Your Life (1999) Romy Sullivan
The Pretender (1999) Billie H. Vaughn/DuPree
Significant Others (1998) Nell Glennon
1999 (1998) Annabell
Felicity (1998-2002) Hannah Bibb
Fantasy Island (1998) Sally
Deconstructing Harry (1997) Woman in elevator
Washington Square (1997) Marian Almond
Mr. Magoo (1997) Stacey Sampanahoditra
In Harm's Way (1997) Kelly
Harvest of Fire (1996) Sarah Troyer
Zoya (1995) Sasha