Biography
Katherine Heigl was an experienced movie actress by the time she was cast as one of the out-of-this-world teenagers on WB's
Roswell in 1999. Born and raised in Connecticut, Heigl began modeling and appearing in TV ads as a child. After making her film debut in
That Night (1992), Heigl balanced movie work with high school, playing a small role in
Steven Soderbergh's Depression-era drama
King of the Hill (1993), starring as
Gérard Depardieu's difficult daughter in
My Father the Hero (1994), and
Steven Seagal's niece in the action sequel Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995). Heigl headed to Los Angeles after high school to make acting her full-time job. Following a leading role in
Wish Upon a Star (1996) and a small part as a
Rita Hayworth stand-in in
Stand-Ins (1997), Heigl made a foray into horror with
Bug Buster (1998) and
Bride of Chucky (1998).
Branching out into television, Heigl co-starred with
Peter Fonda in a Shakespeare-via-Civil War reworking of
The Tempest (1998). Benefiting from the late-'90s wave of youth-driven TV shows, Heigl stayed with television and attracted an avid following as alien beauty Isabel on the cult hit
Roswell. The doctors-in-love dramedy
Grey's Anatomy, however, catapulted its entire cast to full-fledged stardom when it premiered in 2005; Heigl's role as the tough-cookie intern Izzie endeared her to countless fans of the show. The actress savvily parlayed this success into a movie career, although not by going the traditional three-hanky drama route. After winningly playing a Special Olympics counselor in 2005's broad comedy The Ringer, Heigl seemed the perfect choice for writer-director
Judd Apatow's follow-up to
The 40-Year-Old Virgin, 2007's
Knocked Up. The improv-heavy tale of an unlikely one-night-stand - and its consequences - relied upon Heigl's charm and crack comedic timing to balance out the dude-centric humor supplied by co-stars
Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd. The combination worked, as audiences made
Knocked Up a bona-fide summer hit. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide