Katherine Heigl Biography

Katherine Heigl, Actress

Date of Birth: November 24, 1978

Birthplace: Washington, D.C.

Sign: Sagittarius

Katherine Marie Heigl was born in Washington, D.C. to parents Nancy and Paul. Heigl was the youngest child born to the personal manager and financial accountant. The family moved around a bit before settling in Connecticut. When Heigl was about 7, her 15-year-old brother Jason was tragically killed in a car accident. His organs were donated, and Heigl remains a strong proponent of organ donation today.

Heigl began her modeling career at age 9, posing for Sears and Lord & Taylor catalogs. Her first TV spot was a Cheerios commercial. Her acting career began in the early 1990s, when she appeared in the films "That Night" and "King of the Hill." She left high school after her sophomore year to pursue an acting career in Hollywood.

Her first major role came in 1995's thriller "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory." In 1996, she had a lead role in "Wish Upon a Star," a Disney made-for-TV movie. She then starred in "The Tempest" and "Bride of Chucky" before becoming a TV star in 1999. It was then that she earned the part of Isabel Evans on sci-fi show "Roswell." She briefly dated her co-star Jason Behr during this time.

Heigl continued to star in films and TV movies like "100 Girls," "Valentine Critical Assembly," and "Romy and Michele: In the Beginning." Despite all the movies she'd already starred in, Heigl's biggest role came in 2005. It was then that she was cast as medical intern on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy." The role on "Grey's," which became wildly popular, put Heigl in the spotlight. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role as Dr. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens and won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

Now a major star, Heigl was cast in the popular romantic comedies "Knocked Up" (2007) and "27 Dresses." (2008) She is currently filming another romantic comedy, "The Ugly Truth," alongside Gerard Butler. It is due out in 2009.

Heigl is a feminist and is outspoken. She has caused controversy with her comments on "Knocked Up" (which she called "a little sexist") and "Grey's Anatomy" (which she said did not give her "the material this season [2008] to warrant an Emmy nomination").

She has been married since late 2007 to pop rock singer Josh Kelley. The two currently live in Los Feliz, California.