Katherine Heigl life and biography

Katherine Heigl was born November 24, 1978, in Washington D.C., to parents Paul and Nancy. Raised in New Canaan, Connecticut, along with her two older brothers and older sister, Katherine Heigl's time in the spotlight began when she started modeling.

Once Wilhelmina, a modeling agency, got hold of photos of a then 9-year-old Katherine Heigl, it didn't take long for her to get modeling jobs. She appeared in magazine ads and a Sears catalogue, and made her television debut with a role in a Cheerios commercial.

Modeling paved the way to acting for Katherine Heigl, as it did for young actresses such as Rachael Leigh Cook and Mena Suvari. By the age of 12, she could be seen on the silver screen in the 1992 film That Night, making her feature film debut.

After a role in Steven Soderbergh's King of the Hill, Katherine Heigl appeared as Gerard Depardieu's daughter in the 1994 remake of the French film My Father the Hero. Her role as the beautiful teen having to bear with her father's strict rules was not a stretch for the actress; apparently, she was not allowed to date until she was 16.

She only pursued a full-time acting career after graduating from New Canaan High School, where she balanced acting and modeling with the hectic life of a student. With appearances in Seventeen magazine, as well as film and television roles under her belt, Katherine Heigl moved to the hub of acting to further her career.

Once in L.A., Katherine Heigl starred in independent films such as Prince Valiant, Stand-Ins (as Rita Hayworth's stand-in) and the Disney feature Wish Upon a Star. After a role in the 1998 Bride of Chucky, the latest installment of the Chucky slasher series, and the film Bug Buster, Katherine Heigl starred opposite Peter Fonda in the made-for-TV film The Tempest.

Katherine Heigl started making herself comfortable on television, becoming a regular on the 1999 short-lived drama Roswell -- a former hit alien series on the WB network. She actually auditioned for the three female lead roles before winning the role of Isabel, the "alien on earth" character she portrays on the show.

While working on Roswell, Katherine Heigl made time to take on two film projects, with roles in 100 Girls and Valentine.

In the spring of 2001, Katherine Heigl appeared in NBC's TV movie Ground Zero, but it was shelved by the network for two years and eventually broadcast in 2003. Also in 2005, Katherine Heigl was cast opposite Johnny Knoxville in The Ringer, a Farrelly brothers comedy. Soon after, she was cast as Isabella Linton in the MTV modern adaptation of Emily Bront's classic novel Wuthering Heights.

Katherine Heigl biggest break has come in the form of the hit series Grey's Anatomy where she can be seen every week as Dr. Isobel Stevens. With all the good press and accolades the show received, it was obvious Katherine Heigl's star was on the rise.

Katherine Heigl appeared in the hit comedy Knocked Up in 2007. The following year she was the lead role in another lighthearted flick, 27 Dresses. With her Grey's Anatomy stardom following her everywhere she goes, and her rising notoriety on the big screen, Katherine Heigl's booming popularity was evident when she was named No. 1 on AskMen.com's Top 99 of 2008.

In 2009, she starred opposite Gerard Butler in The Ugly Truth. She also came in at No. 81 on AskMen.com's Top 99 Most Desirable Women. In 2010, she's set to star in the thriller/comedy The Killers opposite Ashton Kutcher, as well as the comedy Life as We Know It, opposite Josh Duhamel.

Whether or not Heigl would leave Grey's Anatomy remained to be seen for the bigger part of season six. However, on March 11, 2010, Heigl reportedly did not show up for work when she was supposed to, and she and Shonda Rhimes had apparently come to an agreement to release her from her contract immediately. Therefore, Heigl's last appearance on the January 21 episode of Grey's Anatomy is also her final appearance on the season. Heigl said that her departure was not about advancing her film career but that she wanted to focus more on her family.

She next starred in and produced the big-screen drama Life As We Know It. The film revolved around a woman and a man whose respective best friends die in a car accident; following the tragedy, they are left to share in caring for the deceased's orphaned daughter.

In June 2006, Heigl became engaged to singer Josh Kelley, whom she had met a year earlier on the set of his music video for "Only You". They chose not to live together before they were married, with Heigl later explaining, "I think I just wanted to save something for the actual marriage... I wanted there to be something to make the actual marriage different than the dating or the courtship." They were married on December 23, 2007 in Park City, Utah. In September 2009, Heigl and Kelley adopted a daughter, Nancy Leigh "Naleigh" Kelley (born November 23, 2008), from South Korea, the birthplace of Heigl's sister.

Heigl has worked with Best Friends Animal Society on several projects including their Pup My Ride program. The program transports small dogs from high-kill animal shelters to other parts of the US where there is a greater demand for such dogs. Her involvement in this led her to give Best Friends a grant which would fund a year of the program.

Filmography:
-One for the Money (2012)
-Killers (2010)
-Life as We Know It (2010)
-The Ugly Truth (2009)
-27 Dresses (2008)
-Caffeine (2007)
-Knocked Up (2007)
-Side Effects (2005)
-Zyzzyx Rd. (2005)
-The Ringer (2005)
-Love Comes Softly (2004)
-Wuthering Heights (2003)
-Descendant (2002)
-Valentine (2001)
-100 Girls (2000)
-The Tempest (1999)
-Bride of Chucky (1998)
-Bug Buster (1998)
-Prince Valiant (1998)
-Stand-Ins (1997)
-Wish Upon a Star (1997)
-Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)
-My Father, the Hero (1994)
-King of the Hill (1993)
-That Night (1993)
-Big Wedding
-Descendant, Descendant
-The 9th Passenger

Read more