Jennifer Love Hewitt

Jennifer Love Hewitt

Born: February 21, 1979
Age: 45
Birthplace: Waco, Texas, U.S.
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Biography

Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress, producer, director, author, singer and songwriter. Hewitt began her acting career as a child by appearing in television commercials and the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated. She rose to fame starring on the Fox teen-drama Party of Five (1995-99). She later starred in the horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and its 1998 sequel.

From 2005 to 2010, Hewitt starred as Melinda Gordon on the CBS supernatural-drama Ghost Whisperer, for which she won two Saturn Awards in 2007 and 2008. She later starred on the Lifetime drama series The Client List from 2012 to 2013. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the pilot movie. From 2014 to 2015, she starred as Special Agent Kate Callahan on the CBS crime-drama Criminal Minds. In addition to acting, she has served as a producer on some of her film and television projects.

As a singer, Hewitt has been signed by Atlantic Records and Jive Records, and is primarily known for her recordings in the pop genre. Her most successful single on the Billboard Hot 100 is the 1999 release "How Do I Deal", which peaked at No. 59. She has also contributed music to the promotion or soundtracks of acting projects. Hewitt was identified as the "#1 reader choice" on the November 1999 and May 2009 covers of Maxim magazine. TV Guide named her the sexiest woman on television in 2008.

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Early life

Hewitt was born in Waco, Texas, to Patricia Mae (née Shipp), a speech-language pathologist, and Herbert Daniel Hewitt, a medical technician. Hewitt grew up in Nolanville, in Central Texas, and has close kinship ties in parts of Arkansas. After their parents divorced, Hewitt and her older brother Todd were raised by their mother. Patricia Mae Hewitt died on June 12, 2012, aged 67, following a battle with cancer.

As a young girl, Hewitt was attracted to music, which led to her first encounters with the entertainment industry. At the age of three, she sang "The Greatest Love of All" at a livestock show. The following year, at a restaurant-dance hall, she entertained an audience with her version of "Help Me Make it Through the Night". By age five, she had tap dancing and ballet in her portfolio. At nine, she became a member of the Texas Show Team (which also toured in the Soviet Union).

At age ten, at the suggestion of talent scouts and after winning the title of "Texas Our Little Miss Talent Winner", she moved to Los Angeles with her mother to pursue a career in both acting and singing. In Los Angeles, she attended Lincoln High School where her classmates included Jonathan Neville, who became a talent scout and recommended Hewitt for her role in Party of Five.

Career

Acting

After moving to Los Angeles, Hewitt appeared in more than twenty television commercials, including some for Mattel toys. Her first break came as a child actor on the Disney Channel variety show Kids Incorporated (1989-1991), where she was credited as "Love Hewitt." She later appeared in the live action video short Dance! Workout with Barbie (1992), released by Buena Vista.

She played Pierce Brosnan's daughter in a pilot for NBC called Running Wilde (1993), which featured Brosnan as a reporter for Auto World magazine, whose stories cover his own wild auto adventures. However, the series was not picked up and the pilot never aired. Hewitt later had roles in several short-lived television series, such as Fox's Shaky Ground (1992-1993), ABC's The Byrds of Paradise (1994), and McKenna (1994-95), and finally became a young star after landing the role of Sarah Reeves Merrin on the popular Fox show Party of Five (1995-99). She assumed the role of Sarah after joining that show during its second season and continued it on the short-lived Party of Five spin-off, Time of Your Life (1999), which she also co-produced. The show was cancelled after half a season.

Hewitt's first feature film role was in the independent film Munchie (1992). A year later, she achieved her first starring film role in Little Miss Millions (1993). She appeared as a choir member in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993). Hewitt became a film star after a lead role in the horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), which enjoyed great box office success ($125,000,000 USD). Hewitt and her co-stars gained popular exposure from the film. She appeared in the sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), which, though not as successful as the first film, took in more money on its opening weekend. She starred in the high-school comedy Can't Hardly Wait (1998).

Hewitt starred in The Audrey Hepburn Story (2000). That same year, she was the "most popular actress on television" due to her Q-rating (a measurement of a celebrity's popularity) of 37. Noting her "Q-rating," Nokia chose her to become its spokesperson.

She starred alongside Sigourney Weaver in the romantic comedy Heartbreakers (2001) and did voiceover work in the animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002) as Madellaine, the main protagonist's love interest. Hewitt wrote and performed "I'm Gonna Love You" for the film; the song won "Best Original Song" at the DVD Premiere Awards. She starred alongside Jackie Chan in The Tuxedo (2002), which received negative reviews from critics but was a box office success. Hewitt appeared in If Only (2004) and co-wrote and performed "Love Will Show You Everything" and "Take My Heart Back" for the film's soundtrack. She starred in Garfield (2004), which became her highest-grossing film to date ($200,804,534 USD). She reprised her role for the sequel, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006), which, though it did not perform as well as its predecessor, achieved a strong box office gross.

Hewitt starred in the television series Ghost Whisperer (2005-2010), which ran on CBS for five seasons before being canceled by the network in May 2010. She reunited with her I Know What You Did Last Summer co-star, Freddie Prinze Jr., in Delgo; but when released in 2008, the film was a massive box office bomb, taking in only US$694,782 domestically.

Hewitt's next feature film was the independent drama Café (2010) with her then-boyfriend Jamie Kennedy. She starred in the Lifetime film The Client List (2010), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. The next year, Hewitt starred in the Hallmark Hall of Fame film The Lost Valentine (2011).

In 2011, Hewitt was announced to direct the film Wait Till Helen Comes (based on the novel by Mary Downing Hahn). She had previously directed three episodes of Ghost Whisperer, and this would be her feature film directorial debut. Production on the film was slated to begin in the summer of 2011, but no further announcements about the film have been made as of January 2015. She also starred alongside Ivan Sergei and Joel David Moore in the independent comedy Jewtopia (2012).

Hewitt was a guest star on TV Land's Hot in Cleveland in 2011 and 2012. She starred in the television series The Client List (2012-13) until its cancellation in late 2013.

In July 2014, CBS announced that Hewitt had joined the cast of Criminal Minds as Agent Kate Callahan in the series’ 10th season. However, Hewitt became pregnant with her second child during the production of season 10 of Criminal Minds, and left the cast of the show at the end of the season, with the possibility of further appearances left open.

Music

Hewitt was one of the back-up singers in Martika's number-one single, "Toy Soldiers" (1989). At the age of 12, Meldac funded the recording of Hewitt's debut studio album, Love Songs (1992). The album was released exclusively in Japan, where Hewitt became a pop star. Her explanation for her success in Japan is that the Japanese "love perky music. The poppier the music, the better."

After she joined the cast of Party of Five, she signed to Atlantic Records, who rushed her second studio album, Let's Go Bang (1995), out in October. The album and its three singles failed to chart. Juggling her music career with her acting career, she recorded and released her self-titled follow-up album, Jennifer Love Hewitt (1996). The album, along with its four singles, failed to chart and Atlantic dropped Hewitt, who did not return to the music scene for three years.

She recorded the single "How Do I Deal" (1999) for the I Still Know What You Did Last Summer soundtrack. The song became Hewitt's first charting single, climbing to No. 59 on the Hot 100 and No. 36 on the Top 40 Mainstream. It reached No. 8 in Australia. Hewitt also recorded a cover of the Gloria Gaynor song "I Will Survive", which features briefly in the film.

She appeared in the LFO video for "Girl on TV" (1999), a song which band member Rich Cronin band wrote for her while the two were dating. She also appeared in the music video for the Enrique Iglesias song, "Hero" (2001), as the singer's love interest.

In 2002, Hewitt signed to Jive Records and recorded her fourth studio album with singer, songwriter, and producer Meredith Brooks. The first single, "BareNaked" (2002), became her biggest radio hit to date when it peaked at No. 24 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, No. 31 on the Adult Top 40 and No. 25 on the Top 40 Mainstream. It climbed to No. 6 in Australia, remaining there for two weeks, and reached No. 33 in the Netherlands. The song later featured in two episodes of Ghost Whisperer: "The Vanishing" (Season 1, episode 20) and "The Collector" (Season 2, episode 20). The moderate success of the single propelled the album to peak at No. 37 on the Billboard 200 and No. 31 in Australia. However, it only remained on the chart for three weeks. The second single, "Can I Go Now" (2003), failed to chart in the US, while managing to peak at No. 8 in the Netherlands and No. 12 in Australia.

Since 2004, Hewitt has remained inactive in the music industry, but she released the compilation albums Cool with You: The Platinum Collection (2006) in Asia and Hey Everybody (2007) in Brazil. In 2009, reports surfaced that Hewitt was planning on making a country album and was in the process of writing material for it. Jamie Kennedy, Hewitt's boyfriend at the time, said: "I really want to make her a new demo for her music, because I think she should do singing again. She's so good." However, nothing has of yet come of the reports. Hewitt has remained mostly absent from the music industry, but in 2013, she recorded a cover of "I'm a Woman" to promote the second season of The Client List and shot a music video for the song, which reached the top ten in the iTunes Music Video chart.

Writing

In November 2009, Hewitt made a foray into comic books. Writer Scott Lobdell scripted the five-issue anthology, Jennifer Love Hewitt's Music Box (2009-2010), based on Hewitt's ideas. The series was published by IDW Publishing, and was collected in a trade paperback.

She wrote a book titled The Day I Shot Cupid (2010), in which she speaks of her experiences with love and dating. During a January 2010 interview on Lopez Tonight, Hewitt said that there was a chapter in the book about "vajazzling" her "vajayjay" (decorating her vulva with Swarovski crystals); Hewitt is said to have contributed to the popularization of this trend. The book became a New York Times Bestseller the week of its release. She announced via her Twitter page in June 2011 that she was penning a follow-up.

Personal life

In 2002, a conspiracy theorist and former social worker, Diana Napolis, was arrested for stalking and uttering death threats against Hewitt and Steven Spielberg after "verbally confronting" the actress at the 2002 Grammy Awards and attempting to pose as one of Hewitt's friends to enter the premiere of The Tuxedo.

Napolis admitted to being involved in a shoving match with Hewitt's mother while confronting the actress. Napolis accused Hewitt, along with director Spielberg, of controlling her thoughts through "cybertronic" technology and being part of a Satanic conspiracy against her. Napolis was charged with six felonies related to the incidents. After a year of involuntary commitment, Napolis pleaded guilty and was released on bail with a condition that she was barred from any contact with both Spielberg and Hewitt.

In late 2005, Hewitt began dating Scottish actor Ross McCall after he made an appearance on her show Ghost Whisperer. They became engaged in November 2007, while vacationing in Hawaii. People magazine reported that Hewitt called off their engagement in late 2008.

She subsequently dated her Ghost Whisperer co-star Jamie Kennedy for a year, from March 2009 to March 2010.

In March 2012, Hewitt began dating her The Client List co-star Brian Hallisay. In June 2013, Hewitt announced that she and Hallisay were engaged and expecting their first child. They married later in 2013, prior to the birth of their daughter Autumn in November. In January 2015, the couple announced they were expecting their second child. In June, their second child, a son named Atticus, was born.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Munchie Andrea Kurtz Credited as Love Hewitt
1993 Little Miss Millions Heather Lofton a.k.a. Home for Christmas (as Love Hewitt)
1993 Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit Margaret Credited as Jennifer "Love" Hewitt
1996 House Arrest Brooke Figler
1997 Trojan War Leah Jones a.k.a. Rescue Me
1997 I Know What You Did Last Summer Julie James
1998 Can't Hardly Wait Amanda Beckett
1998 Telling You Deb Freidman a.k.a. Love Sucks
1998 Zoomates Helen Voice role; short
1998 I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Julie James
1999 Suburbans, TheThe Suburbans Cate
2001 Heartbreakers Page Conners
2002 Hunchback of Notre Dame II, TheThe Hunchback of Notre Dame II Madellaine Voice role
2002 Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina, TheThe Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina Thumbelina Voice role
2002 Tuxedo, TheThe Tuxedo Del Blaine
2002 Groove Squad Chrissy Voice role
2004 If Only Samantha Andrews
2004 Garfield: The Movie Liz Wilson
2005 The Truth About Love Alice Holbrook
2006 Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties Liz Wilson
2007 Shortcut to Happiness The Devil a.k.a. The Devil and Daniel Webster
2008 Tropic Thunder Herself Cameo appearance
2008 Delgo Princess Kyla Voice role
2010 Café Claire
2012 Jewtopia Alison Marks

Television

Year(s) Title Role Notes
1989-1991 Kids Incorporated Robin Main role (credited as Love Hewitt)
1992 Dance! Workout with Barbie Herself Video (as Love Hewitt)
1992-1993 Shaky Ground Bernadette Moody 17 episodes
1994 Byrds of Paradise, TheThe Byrds of Paradise Franny Byrd 7 episodes
1994-1995 McKenna Cassidy McKenna 3 episodes
1995-1999 Party of Five Sarah Reeves Merrin Main role: seasons 2-6 (99 episodes)
1998 Boy Meets World Jennifer Love Fefferman Episode: "And Then There Was Shawn"
1998 Saturday Night Live Herself/host Episode: "Jennifer Love Hewitt/Beastie Boys"
1999 Hercules: The Animated Series Medusa Episode: "Hercules and the Gorgon"; voice
1999-2000 Time of Your Life Sarah Reeves Merrin 19 episodes
2000 Audrey Hepburn Story, TheThe Audrey Hepburn Story Audrey Hepburn Movie
2001 The Weekenders Herself Episode: "My Punky Valentine"; voice
2002 All That Herself / musical guest Episode: "Jeffrey Licon/Jennifer Love Hewitt"
2002 Family Guy Herself Episode: "Stuck Together, Torn Apart"; voice
2004 American Dreams Nancy Sinatra 2 episodes
2004 In the Game Riley Reed 2 pilot episodes (not picked up for series)
2004 Christmas Carol, AA Christmas Carol Emily Movie
2005 Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber Katya Livingston Movie; a.k.a. The Social Climber
2005-2010 Ghost Whisperer Melinda Gordon 107 episodes
2009 Yes, Virginia Mrs. Laura O'Hanlon Voice role
2009 Magic 7, TheThe Magic 7 Erica Movie; voice role
2010 Client List, TheThe Client List Samantha "Sam" Horton/Brandy Movie
2010 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Vicki Sayers Episode: "Behave"
2011 Lost Valentine, TheThe Lost Valentine Susan Allison Movie
2011 Love Bites Herself Episode: "Firsts"
2011-2014 Hot in Cleveland Emmy Chase 3 episodes
2012 RuPaul's Drag Race Guest judge Episode: "DILFs: Dads I'd Like to Frock"
2012-2013 The Client List Riley Parks 25 episodes
2014-2015 Criminal Minds Kate Callahan 23 episodes

Director

Year(s) Title Notes
2009-2010 Ghost Whisperer 3 episodes
2012-2013 The Client List 3 episodes

Producer

Year(s) Title Notes
1999-2000 Time of Your Life
2000 The Audrey Hepburn Story Co-executive producer; TV film
2000 Bunny
2002 One Night
2004 If Only
2005-2010 Ghost Whisperer Producer (83 episodes); executive producer (11 episodes)
2010 Client List, TheThe Client List Executive producer; TV film
2011 Lost Valentine, TheThe Lost Valentine Executive producer; TV film
2012-2013 The Client List Executive producer

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
AUS
NLD
Love Songs
  • Released: March 21, 1992
  • Label: Meldac
  • Formats: CD
Let's Go Bang
  • Released: October 10, 1995
  • Label: Atlantic
  • Formats: CD
Jennifer Love Hewitt
  • Released: September 3, 1996
  • Label: Atlantic
  • Formats: CD
BareNaked
  • Released: October 8, 2002
  • Label: Jive
  • Formats: CD
37 31 72
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Compilation albums

Title Album details
Cool with You: The Platinum Collection
  • Released: June 6, 2006
  • Label: WEA
  • Formats: CD
Hey Everybody
  • Released: December 2007
  • Label: unknown
  • Formats: CD

Singles

Year Single Chart peak positions Album
U.S.
U.S. Adult AUS
NZ
NL
SWI
1992 "Please Save Us the World" Love Songs
1995 "Let's Go Bang" Let's Go Bang
"Couldn't Find Another Man"
1996 "You Make Me Smile"
"Cool with You" Jennifer Love Hewitt
"No Ordinary Love"
1997 "(Our Love) Don't Throw it All Away"
"I Believe In..."
1999 "How Do I Deal" 59 8 5 I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
2002 "BareNaked" 124 31 6 26 33 BareNaked
2003 "Can I Go Now" 12 8 69
"Hey Everybody"
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Soundtracks

Year Soundtrack Song(s)
1996 House Arrest "It's Good to Know I'm Alive"
1997 Trojan War "I Hope I Don't Fall in Love With You", "I Believe In..."
1998 Can't Hardly Wait "How Do I Make You"
1998 I Still Know What You Did Last Summer "How Do I Deal", "I Will Survive"
2002 The Hunchback of Notre Dame II "I'm Gonna Love You"
Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?"
2004 If Only "Love Will Show You Everything", "Take My Heart Back"
A Christmas Carol "A Place Called Home (Reprise)"
2013 Alpha Male Experiment "When It Hurts"
The Client List "Big Spender", "Jar of Hearts", "I'm a Woman", "Something to Talk About",
"When I'm with You", "His Eye Is on the Sparrow", "When You Say Nothing at All"

Bibliography

Credits as an author:

  • The Day I Shot Cupid (2010)

Other credits:

  • Jennifer Love Hewitt's Music Box (2009-10) (creator)

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Nominated work Result
1990 Young Artist Awards Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast Kids Incorporated Nominated
1993 Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Youth Series or Variety Show Kids Incorporated Nominated
1994 Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Cable or Off-Primetime Series Kids Incorporated Won
1996 Best Professional Actress/Singer Nominated
1998 Best Performance in a Feature Film — Leading Young Actress I Know What You Did Last Summer Nominated
1998 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Female Newcomer I Know What You Did Last Summer Won
1999 MTV Movie Award Best Female Performance Can't Hardly Wait Nominated
1999 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Actress — Horror I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Won
1999 Teen Choice Awards Film — Choice Actress I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Won
1999 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film — Leading Young Actress Can't Hardly Wait Nominated
2000 Kid's Choice Awards Favorite Television Actress Party of Five Nominated
2000 People's Choice Awards Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series Time of Your Life Won
2003 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Female Butt Kicker The Tuxedo Won
2003 DVD Premiere Awards Best Original Song The Hunchback of Notre Dame II Won
2006 Saturn Awards Best Actress on Television Ghost Whisperer Won
2006 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Television Actress Ghost Whisperer Nominated
2006 People's Choice Awards Favorite Female Television Star Ghost Whisperer Nominated
2007 Saturn Awards Best Actress on Television Ghost Whisperer Won
2007 Teen Choice Awards Choice: TV Drama Actress Ghost Whisperer Nominated
2007 People's Choice Awards Favorite Female Television Star Ghost Whisperer Nominated
2008 Favorite Female Television Star Ghost Whisperer Nominated
2008 Saturn Awards Best Actress on Television Ghost Whisperer Won
2008 TV Land Awards Favorite Character from the "Other Side" Ghost Whisperer Nominated
2009 Saturn Awards Best Actress on Television Ghost Whisperer Nominated
2010 Best Actress on Television Ghost Whisperer Nominated
2010 People's Choice Awards Favorite TV Drama Actress Ghost Whisperer Nominated
2011 Golden Globe Awards Best Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made For Television The Client List Nominated
Charities

Jennifer Love Hewitt supports the following charitable causes: Autism, Homeless, Down Syndrome.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]


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