Jennifer Garner - Rising Star

It seems like everywhere you go or anything you watch, American actress Jennifer Garner is somehow involved in major headlines.  Whether its garnering accolades for her acting talents, or the exploits of her love interests that includes high-profile stars, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, Jennifer Garner is all over the place.  As one of the hardest working actresses in the business, Jennifer Garner is indeed establishing herself in the consciousness of contemporary American entertainment. 

Jennifer Garner was born on April 17, 1972 in Houston, Texas as the middle of three children.  Her father's engineering job with Union Carbide (now a part of Dow Chemical) took the family to Charleston, West Virginia when she was three years old, and she lived in Charleston until she left for college.

Jennifer Garner showed promising talent as a ballerina as a young child, where she studied this fine craft for nine years.  Ballet has inextricably contributed to her being one of, if not, the most most finely-tuned physical specimens in the industry - both male and female.  After graduating from George Washington High School in Charleston, Jennifer Garner was accepted to the chemistry program at Denison University in Granville, Ohio.  During her stint here, she discovered that her real love was in drama and the stage, which prompted her to change her major, and led her to attaining a degree in theatre.   

After college, Jennifer Garner moved to New York and began auditioning for stage roles, landing her first part only a month after arriving in town in 1995 as an understudy in the Broadway production of A Month in the Country.  Later that same year, Jennifer Garner moved to Los Angeles, and began working in television, making her screen debut in the made-for-TV movie Zoya.  Over the next two years, she landed guest roles on several television shows, including Spin City, Law and Order, and Felicity.  She also received small parts in several motion pictures, among them Deconstructing Harry, In Harm's Way, and Mr. Magoo.  

In 1998, Garner thought that she had finally gotten her "big break" by landing the lead role in the Fox drama, Significant Others.  However, that show was short lived, but it did help Garner's growing reputation as a talented actress.  In the show, Felicity, Garner drew accolades in her recurring role as Hannah.  It was on the set of this show that led to a romance with co-star Noel Crane.  The two were married in 2000 but the relationship was relatively short-lived as the couple divorced in 2003.  

In any case, Felicity helped launch her career as she received supporting roles in more television shows - Time of Your Life, a spin-off of Party of Five which starred Jennifer Love Hewitt.  Although the series turned out to be a flop, Jennifer Garner received enthusiastic reviews for her performances, and began winning film roles in high-profile Hollywood projects such as Pearl Harbor and Dude, Where's My Car?

In 2000, Felicity producer, J.J. Abrams was preparing a new series for ABC about a female CIA agent living a triple life as a spy posing as a college student, who is posing as a bank employee.  Abrams rememberd Garner's performance as Hannah in Felicity, and casted her as the lead role as Sydney Bristow in his new show, Alias.  Garner also gained much respect in the industry for her willingness to perform her own stunts.  In fact, she had suffered nerve damage to her back from a stunt gone wrong, which exhibited her unrivaled toughness among Hollywood actresses.  The show essentially propelled Garner to stardom as the show was hugely successful both in ratings and critical acclaim.  The Golden Globe-winning show still remains hugely popular and has developed a cult following.  

With the huge success of Alias, many opportunities opened up for Jennifer Garner where she quickly established herself as a big-screen presence.  She had a memorable performance in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can starring opposite of Leonardo Dicaprio.  She also played the role of Elektra in the 2003 Marvel comic book adaptation of Daredevil, opposite of Ben Affleck who played the title role.  In was on the set of this movie that romantic sparks began to fly between the two of them.  Soon after, they became romantically linked, and the two became known as the new "Bennifer" - the original Bennifer was coined for Affleck's high-profiled lusty relationship with popular entertainer, Jennifer Lopez.    

The pretty, pouty, dark-haired actress reached a new level of stardom in her starring role in the successful romantic comedy, 13 Going On 30, which solidified her status as a rising star.  In that memorable role, Garner displayed a versatility as she played a thirty year-old transformed into an awkward teenage girl, with great dramatic and comedic results. 

Currently, Garner's new movie, Elektra, is in theatres where she reprises her role as the title character - stemming of from Daredevil.  Elektra was a part that also allowed Garner to demonstrate a range of emotion, from aloofness to love to rage, as well as her considerable star power on the big screen.  In this physically demanding role, audiences will be treated to her raw physical power and flexibility.  The action sequences are supposedly quite impressive, serving credit to her immense acting and physical talents. 

While many people believe that Garner was still involved with Ben Affleck, that would prove to be untrue.  Jennifer Garner is in actuality currently dating Matt Damon, Ben Affleck's close friend, as mentioned on Jay Leno in January 2005.