Early life

Rebecca Budig was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of Mary Jo, a homemaker, and George Budig, a businessman. She was raised in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. She graduated from the Cincinnati Public Schools School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) and later went on to major in zoology at Miami University in Ohio. In 1993, Budig moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue an acting career. While there, she began studying with acting coaches Howard Fine and Jay Goldenberg at the Howard Fine Acting Studio and at the Young Actors Space, respectively.

Career

Budig's first acting job was in Aerosmith's music video "Livin' on the Edge". She later had a cameo role as a teenage girl saved by Chris O'Donnell's character Dick Grayson in Batman Forever.

In 1995, Budig auditioned for the role of Kelsey Jefferson on All My Children, but received an offer from Guiding Light, where she began her three-year stint as Michelle Bauer from (1995 to 1998).

Budig played the role of Patty in Captain Nuke and the Bomber Boys in 1995. She then portrayed Babsy in the 1996 film God's Lonely Man, followed by James Dean: A Race with Destiny where she played actress Natalie Wood and Bonehead Detectives in the Paleo World where she played Allie. Both films were released in 1997.

Budig's most famous role has been that of the spoiled, rich girl-turned-makeup company executive Greenlee Smythe on All My Children—a role which she originated on August 11, 1999. Greenlee was supposed to be a recurring role, but executives enjoyed Budig and offered her a three-year contract. While on All My Children, Budig garnered accolades from fans and press for her performance on the soap opera, as well as her character's pairing with Josh Duhamel's Leo du Pres. She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2001 and again in 2003. Her onscreen pairing with Duhamel earned them a Daytime Emmy Award nomination as well, for America's Favorite Couple in 2002. She was often called "Little Budig" by Duhamel, who had given her the nickname. In 2003, Budig won a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Younger Lead Actress. In November 2005, Budig left the show to relocate to California.

Other notable roles include co-hosting The Sports Illustrated for Kids Show. Budig worked for the World Wrestling Federation as an interviewer for a short time on Sunday Night HEAT in 2000. She has made appearances on Out of Practice, as well as on Hope & Faith. She did a movie called The Perfect Child (2007) featured on Lifetime with the leading role as Sarah Daniels. In addition, Budig has been seen on CSI playing a role as a murdered lap dancer (Season 8, Episodes 9 & 10).

It was confirmed in late 2007 that Budig would be returning to All My Children as Greenlee Smythe, the role she originated. She had been replaced by another actress Sabine Singh earlier that year. She returned to the show in January 2008. However, she signed a limited contract with the show. Later, while rumors circulated of Budig's departure, she confirmed in October 2008 that she would be leaving the series again in February 2009. Budig cited the reason for her departure as wanting to return to the West Coast to be with her husband. Budig returned to 'All My Children in late December 2009 (when the show relocated production to Los Angeles), and remained with the series until its series finale in September 2011.

In 2010, Budig won the first and only season of the ABC show Skating with the Stars. The show paired celebrities with professional ice skaters, who competed each week. Since September 2013, she began co-hosting the syndicated lifestyle television show Better, alongside JD Roberto. In 2012, she appeared with Janeane Garofalo in the comedic movie Bad Parents. In February 2015, it was announced that Budig had been cast on General Hospital in an unknown "killer" role. She debuted the role of Hayden Barnes on March 20, 2015.

Personal life

Budig is the youngest of eight children, she has five sisters and two brothers. In 2000, Budig married Dr. Daniel Geller; the marriage only lasted several months.

She met former Bachelor star Bob Guiney while hosting the The Bachelor repeat shows on ABC Family. The two were married on July 3, 2004. On January 13, 2010, People Magazine reported that Budig and Guiney had decided to split, with Budig filing for divorce in April 2010.

Budig became engaged to television marketing executive Michael Benson on Christmas Day in 2010. The pair married in 2012. On May 1, 2014, Budig announced that she was five-months pregnant with the couple's first baby. On September 8, 2014, Budig gave birth to her first child, a daughter named, Charlotte Jo Benson.

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1993	Form... Focus... Fitness, the Marky Mark Workout	Female Workout Partner
1994	Moment of Truth: Murder or Memory?	Kathy Hansen
1995	Captain Nuke and the Bomber Boys	Patty Conrad
	Star Hunter	Carrie
	Batman Forever	Teenage Girl
1996	God's Lonely Man	Babsy
1997	James Dean: A Race with Destiny	Natalie Wood
	Bonehead Detectives in the Paleo World	Allie
2002	Pride & Loyalty	Kelly Francini
2007	The Beast	P.J
	The Perfect Child	Sarah Daniels
2010	Please Give	Bigback
2010	Date Night	Unnamed Woman
2012	Bad Parents	Allison
2013	Getaway	Leanne Magna
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	Guiding Light	Michelle Bauer	Role: November 30, 1995 - November 4, 1998
1999	All My Children	Greenlee Smythe	Role: August 11, 1999 - November 30, 2005; January 16, 2008 - February 17, 2009; March 19, 2009; December 22, 2009 - September 23, 2011.
2003	Hope & Faith	Brooke Spencer	4 episodes
2006	Out of Practice	Dr. Carla Munson	1 episode
2007	CSI	Joanna "Candy" Krumsky	2 episodes
2009	How I Met Your Mother	Holli	1 episode
2010	Skating with the Stars	Contestant	Won the competition
2011	Castle	Mandy Bronson	1 episode
2013	Blue Bloods	Connie	1 episode December 20, 2013
2015	General Hospital	Hayden Barns/Rachel Berlin	Role: March 20, 2015 - May 19, 2015; August 3, 2015 - present

Awards and nominations

List of acting awards and nominations

Year	Title	Award	Category	Result
2001	All My Children	Daytime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Nominated
2001	All My Children	Soap Opera Digest Awards	Outstanding Younger Lead Actress	Nominated
2002	All My Children	Daytime Emmy Awards	Special Fan Award for America's Favorite Couple, shared with Josh Duhamel	Nominated
2003	All My Children	Daytime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Nominated
2003	All My Children	Soap Opera Digest Awards	Outstanding Younger Lead Actress	Won
2003	All My Children	OFTA Television Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Nominated
2005	All My Children	Daytime Emmy Awards	Special Fan Award for Irresistible Combination shared with Cameron Mathison	Nominated
2014	Rebecca Budig	Daytime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Host in a Lifestyle/Travel Program	Nominated

[ Source: Wikipedia ]