Jessica Alba

Date of Birth
28 April 1981, Pomona, California, USA

Birth Name
Jessica Marie Alba

Nickname
Sky Angel
Albz

Height
5' 7" (1.70 m)

Mini Biography
Born in Pomona, California, on April 28, 1981, Jessica Alba and her family moved to Biloxi, Mississippi, when she was an infant. Three years later, her Air Force father brought the family back to California, then to Del Rio, Texas, before finally settling in Southern California when Jessica was nine. In love with the idea of becoming an actress from the age of five, she was 12 before she took her first acting class. Nine months later, she was signed by an agent. A gifted young actress, Jessica has already played a variety of roles ranging from light comedy to gritty drama since beginning her career. She made her feature film debut in 1993 in Hollywood Pictures' comedy Camp Nowhere (1994). Originally hired for two weeks, she got her break when an actress in a principal role suddenly dropped out. Jessica cheerfully admits it wasn't her prodigious talent or charm that inspired the director to tap her to take over the part - it was her hair, which matched the original performer's. The two-week job stretched to two months, and Jessica ended the film with an impressive first credit. Two national TV commercials for Nintendo and J.C. Penney quickly followed before Jessica was featured in several independent films. She branched out into TV in 1994 with a recurring role in Nickelodeon's popular comedy series "The Secret World of Alex Mack" (1994). She played an insufferable young snob, devoted to making life miserable for the the title character, played by Larisa Oleynik. That same year, she won the role of "Maya" in "Flipper" (1995) and filmed the pilot for the series. She spent 1995 shooting the first season's episodes in Australia. An avid swimmer and PADI-certified scuba diver, Jessica was delighted to be doing a show that allowed her to play with dolphins. The show's success guaranteed it a second season, which she also starred in. Her involvement in the show lasted from 1995 to 1997. Since the show ended, she has appeared in a number of TV shows and films. In 1996, she appeared in Venus Rising (1995) as "Young Eve". The next year, she appeared on the "The Dini Petty Show" (1989), a Canadian talk show, and spoke about her role in "Flipper" (1995) and her general acting career. She began working on P.U.N.K.S. (1999) (V), featuring Randy Quaid, in 1998. In early 1998, she appeared in "Brooklyn South" (1997) as "Melissa". That same year, she was in two episodes of "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1990) as "Leanne" and in two episodes of "Love Boat: The Next Wave" (1998). She appeared in "Teen Magazine" in 1995 and various European magazines in the following several years. More importantly, she was featured in the February 1999 issue of "Vanity Fair" magazine. She also had major roles in two movies that year: Never Been Kissed (1999) and Idle Hands (1999). In 2000, she had roles in Paranoid (2000/I) and starred in the sci-fi TV series "Dark Angel" (2000).

Spouse
Cash Warren (19 May 2008 - present) 1 child

Trivia
Sister of Joshua Alba.

Was #1 on Maxim's Hot 100 Babe List. [2001]

Her father's ethnic background is Mexican, her mother's is French and Danish.

Was voted the fifth Sexiest Female Star for 2002 in a Hollywood.com poll. Also, formerly engaged to Michael Weatherly. [February 2002]

Her show "Dark Angel" (2000) was canceled after two seasons on Fox.

Vote #4 in the Top 10 Sci-Fi Babes in 2002 for her role as Max in "Dark Angel" (2000).

Loves to play golf.

Voted in at #6 in FHM's Sexiest Girls of 2002 poll, American edition. [June 2002]

Graduated high school at age 16.

Has a tattoo of a daisy with a ladybug on it on the back of her neck.

Her second cousin is skateboarding legend Steve "Salba" Alba.

Broke off her long engagement to co-star Michael Weatherly ("Dark Angel" (2000)) in 2003 but has reconciled recently.

She co-starred in one episode of "Dark Angel" (2000) with her brother, Joshua Alba, titled "...And Jesus Brought a Casserole." He played, Krit, one of her X-5 brothers who wanted to help destroy Manticore in the Season 1 finale.

Mentioned in the D12 song "My Band".

Was "Punk'd" (2003) on the Ashton Kutcher-hosted MTV show in 2003. Dax Shepard showed up fully nude at a clothing store Jessica was patronizing, following Miss Alba around the store and exposing his "business" to the blushing actress as she tried to shop for clothes. Jessica was a good sport after being informed it was all a practical joke, taped for the popular hidden- camera show.

Though it is common for actresses and female pop stars to strip down to various states of undress for magazine layouts and movie/TV scenes, she has stated that she is a very modest girl and would never do a nude scene or pose topless in a magazine. She has posed for men's magazines fully dressed, however.

Ranked #12 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002).

Said once in an interview that she began preparing her own meals as a child to control her weight and maintain her health. She said the food her family prepared led to weight problems for them, so she avoided that.

After graduating from high school, she studied with William H. Macy and his wife, Felicity Huffman, at David Mamet's Atlantic Theater Company.

Named one of "50 Most Beautiful People" by People Magazine. [2005]

Had asthma as a child.

She wanted to become an actress at the age of five.

Became anorexic the same year she had a kidney infection (2001).

Has two pug dogs, named Nancy and Sid.

Named #5 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list.

Ranked #3 on E! Television's 2006 101 Sexiest Celebrity Bodies.

She and Hayden Christensen visited Bellevue hospital and spent time with little children, bringing them Christmas cheer while filming Awake (2007). .

Ranked and Voted #1 by AskMen.com's Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2006.

Threatened to sue Playboy Magazine for using her picture on the cover of the March 2006 issue without her permission. She said it misled people to believe she appeared nude in the magazine, which she did not. Hugh M. Hefner apologized for the confusion and made a charity contribution on her behalf, to the satisfaction of all parties.

On E's "101 Sexiest Bodies", she was placed at 3rd, behind Brad Pitt in 2nd and Angelina Jolie in 1st.

Playboy magazine named her among its 25 Sexiest Celebrities, and the Sex Star of the Year in its March 2006 issue, on whose cover she appeared. Alba was involved in a litigation against Playboy for its use of her image (from a promotional shot for Into the Blue (2005)) without her consent, which she contends gave the appearance that she was featured in the issue in a "nude or semi-nude pictorial." However she later dropped the lawsuit after receiving a personal apology from Playboy owner Hugh M. Hefner, who also agreed to make donations to two charities that she has supported.

Despite her Mexican ancestry, she isn't fluent in Spanish. She hardly understands anything in that language.

Named #22 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement (2005).

Was featured as #5 in Maxim Magazine's "Hot 100 of 2002" supplement. (2002).

Named #2 on Maxim Magazine's "Hot 100 of 2006" supplement (2006).

Loves to cook. Her specialty is chicken enchiladas and homemade tortillas.

Loves Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Named #3 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).

Went to strip clubs as a part of her research for her character in Sin City (2005). However, she said that it didn't help because all the pro-strippers were doing "is trying to get tips".

Regularly goes to watch NBA player Baron Davis when he plays in Los Angeles as her boyfriend, Cash Warren, is a close friend of Davis.

The bra that she wore in Sin City (2005) drew a winning bid of $1,025 in an eBay auction.

Named #2 on Maxim Magazine's "Hot 100 of 2007" supplement (2007).

Was ranked #2 on Maxim Magazine's "Hot 100" of the year lists, two years in a row. (2006 and 2007).

Named the "Sexiest Woman Celebrity" by Victoria's Secret. (2007).

Grew up in same town as Gilbert Joseph.

Learned how to play the violin for her role in The Eye (2008).

Voted #1 as the most sexy woman in the world by the Norwegian FHM in 2006 and 2007.

Mentioned in Ashley Tisdale's song "He Said She Said".

Her father was a pro-circuit tennis player before joining the Air Force.

She has the Sankskrit word for "lotus" tattooed on the inside of her wrist.

Her maternal grandfather was a Marine NCO for thirty years, serving in the Pacific during WWII, and later as Asst. Drum Major for the United States Marine Band.

Good friends with Lindsay Lohan, Eva Longoria, Eva Mendes and Kate Hudson.

Started training in dance and Tae Bo two months prior to the start of scheduled filming on Honey (2003) (July 2002).

Frightened of flying birds.

Voted in at #1 in FHM's Sexiest Girls of 2007 poll, Latvian edition.

Engaged to Cash Warren [December 27, 2007].

Named #4 on Empire Magazine's 100 Sexiest Movie Stars. (2007).

In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated her earnings for the year to be $9 million.

Has co-starred with actor Sean Whalen in Never Been Kissed (1999) and Idle Hands (1999) but has never appeared on screen with him.

Her parents were only 20 when she was born.

Paid $4,050,000 for a 4,686-square-foot house in Beverly Hills, California. [2008]

Daughter-in-law of Michael Warren.

Married her husband,Cash Warren, at a private ceremony on May 19th, 2008. Even her closest friends were not invited.

Ranked #34 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list.

Ranked #2 on Wizard magazine's "Sexiest Women of TV" list (March 2008).

Jessica and husband Cash Warren welcomed their first baby, a girl named Honor Marie Warren, on the 7th of June, 2008 in Los Angeles.

Named to GQ Magazines' 25 Sexiest Women in film of all time.

Has portrayed a character named Sam or Samantha in four different movies.

Did not return to work until four months after giving birth to her daughter Honor in order to begin filming An Invisible Sign (2010).

Her favorite color is purple.

Is mentioned in Eminem's song "We Made You".

Born at 1:51 PM (PDT).

Was considered to replace Emily Blunt in Iron Man 2 (2010) but the role went to Scarlett Johansson.

Was ranked #34 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 of 2010 list.

Her nude scene in Machete (2010) was fake. She actually wore underwear that were later digitally removed. Alba has stated that she would never do a nude scene and in fact has a "no nudity" clause as a standard part of all of her contracts.

Expecting second child [February 16, 2011].

Appeared twice on the cover of GQ magazine: April '05 and June '07.


Personal Quotes
I'm really good at being sarcastic with guys. That's the best way to hang out with them, because that's what guys like. They don't want the quiet, prissy little things.

I like Spongebob Squarepants. He's goofy, like me.

[July 2004] I just don't have a great feeling about what we're doing in Iraq. I don't know why we're there. Didn't we just give the power back over there? Why are we still there?

[on racial stereotyping] My father is Mexican and very dark; my mother is very fair. I used to always get [script] breakdowns for things like Maria, the janitor's daughter who hangs around with white kids. I was born in the United States. I never thought about it until the industry made me think about being a Latin girl. It seemed like such a bizarre thing.

My grandfather was the only Mexican at his college, the only Hispanic person at work and the only one at the all-white country club. He tried to forget his Mexican roots, because he never wanted his kids to be made to feel different in America. He and my grandmother didn't speak Spanish to their children. Now, as a third-generation American, I feel as if I have finally cut loose.

Men are much bigger divas than women. When I used to do the action scenes in "Dark Angel" (2000) I would have to play it rough. If you hit an actress accidentally, she would usually take it on the chin and say, "Don't do that again." But with the guys, they would put ice on it, take a 20-minute break and ask for X-rays. It was unbelievable. I would tell them, "Come on, man, get over it." That's actors for you.

There is always an unspoken problem about casting Latina actresses. I have heard Jennifer Lopez talk about how it was for her, always being up for the role of the Latina chick.

What happens when the looks fade?. If I don't establish myself as someone who can act a part rather than look the part, I will soon be finished.

I love listening to Coldplay. But sometimes I listen to it too much and it depresses me. I call it a "reflective" mood.

The most important thing I have learned in life was that being a teenager wasn't forever. I had a hard time being a teenager.

I don't hang out with the Hollywood cool people. I'm not out trying to make friends with people because they're famous.

I have my own spiritual thing, but am not part of an organized religion. I think religion is very special and individual to each person.

I don't need to be in the press or seen. Just because I'm not in magazines or because I'm not in a movie doesn't mean I'm going away. It just means I have some sense of integrity.

Living in L.A., everyone likes to mold you and change you. I don't care about fame, I don't care about being a celebrity. I know that's part of the job, but I don't feed into anyone's idea of who I should be.

I used to come to Beverly Hills for auditions as a kid and think, "Why don't I live here? Why don't I drive that car?"

I wasn't given a whole lot in my life. I was on the bottom of the class system. But I got wisdom. I never just did what people told me. I questioned everything. When I look back, it is really no surprise that I started working at 12.

From a very early age, I remember thinking that adults were always acting like assholes. I couldn't understand why I had to respect them. My pre-school teacher forced me to write right-handed when I was left-handed. I didn't get why I had to change. Nobody could give me a reason. I have had a big problem with authority ever since.

[Being raised by young parents] We all grew up together. My parents were so young. My dad hates it when I talk about our past, about not having things, living with grandma, wearing thrift-store clothes, cutting coupons.

[on learning Spanish] I have a great accent because I grew up hearing it in the neighborhood. But I have no idea what I'm saying.

[on growing up in L.A.] I never really belonged anywhere. I wasn't white. I was shunned by the Latin community for not being Latin enough. My grandfather was the only one in our family to go to college. He made a choice not to speak Spanish in the house. He didn't want his kids to be different.

It's not always so great to be objectified but I don't feel I have much of a choice right now. I'm young in my career. I know I have to strike when the iron is hot. I look forward to the day when I can do a small movie and act and it's not about me wearing a bathing suit or chaps.

One of the reasons why I chose not to be a devout Christian is because a lot of people gave me a lot of grief for just being a woman and made me feel ashamed for having a body because it tempted men. I didn't understand what that meant because I was like, "God created this . . ." That was a hard time in my life.

I just didn't like the damsel-in-distress thing. I could relate to young girls wanting to see her take care of herself. And because I'm so good at action, I talked the writer and producer and director into throwing together a little fight sequence. It ended up taking three more weeks to shoot it. But at least I'm not tied up and asleep until my knight in shining armor comes and saves me. So I thought it was cool.

My whole life, when I was growing up, not one race has ever accepted me. So I never felt connected or attached to any race specifically. I did grow up in a Mexican-American culture, but my mom [who's of French and Danish descent] was there the whole time. I mean, I had a very American upbringing, I feel American, and I don't speak Spanish. So, to say that I'm a Latin actress, OK, but it's not fitting; it would be insincere. If you're going to look genetically, I'm actually less Latin than Cameron Diaz, whose father is from Cuba. But she's not getting called a Latin actress because she's got blond hair and blue eyes.

The movies that I do are usually physically demanding in one way or another. It's a good way to keep your health on track. Especially when you've been on-set for 14 hours, it's nice to relieve that stress in another way than having to rely on a big meal and wine.

Thank you to the fans. I do movies for you. Practice safe sex and drive hybrids if you can.

My first kiss was when I was 7, and it was scandalous because he was 10! I only did it so he would pick me on our neighborhood baseball team. And at the time, I thought it was great, but then it sucked because he didn't even pick me!

Men's magazines have nipples so why don't women have a magazine where men show their penises? There's Playgirl but not a fashion magazine like Elle. If there was a magazine like that I'd buy it. Nudity's not a big deal to me . . . I've said I won't go naked in any of my movies, because I don't want to. But that doesn't mean I don't want to see other people strip off!

It's porn [Good Luck Chuck (2007)]. There were all these actresses who got conned into being completely naked. Some were strippers, probably. But every day when I was done, I ran away. I was like, "Bye". As long as they didn't disrespect me, I could give a rat's butt.

It's probably the most influential thing that I've ever had. Thank god for Dark Angel. Getting a blessing by James Cameron to star in his first television show. Really the first thing he did after Titanic was hire me.

To me, box office is the most important thing. If the movie makes money, then I'm fine.

My theory is that if you look confident, you can pull off anything - even if you have no clue what you're doing.

When I went blonde for Sin City (2005) three years ago, I swear I've never had more male attention. I'd go to a bar and all these Arab Princes and much older men would want to buy me a drink - I'm talking guys in their 80s!

There's this mentality that you need the big dress and the big day - the day every girl gets to be a princess. I didn't agree with any of that. This tradition of obeying your husband like he's your king? It's a load of crap. Love and honor, yes. But you should love and honor yourself too, and all your friends.

[on Lindsay Lohan] She's really nice. We hang out and chat for hours about girl stuff.

No, I'll never do a nude scene. I can act sexy and wear sexy clothes but I can't go naked. I come from a very Catholic family so it wasn't seen as a good thing to flaunt yourself like that. I can handle being sexy with clothes on but not with them off.

[on James Cameron] There's nobody like him, and we're all blessed to have him be one of the best directors in our lifetime.

Avatar (2009) is incredible, just incredible. I love what Jim [James Cameron] is doing for the environment, just in what his movie says about taking care of and trying to save our planet. It's such a beautiful message.

I'm a total nerd at heart. If I'm not working I spend the whole day in my pajamas. I've never been desperate to be out there at parties, or to be playing the dating game.

Pregnancy was the most incredible experience I've ever had. So I'll take the stretch marks. I'll take the sagging boobs. I'll take the cellulite I can never get rid of.

My mom grew up around a huge family, and they always wanted more kids, and I was like, 'Why don't you just adopt?' I'm totally inspired. If you have the love, and the capacity to love children, you should just adopt. And I plan on doing it.

I love Kate Winslet, she has a beautiful body, as does Monica Bellucci, Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johansson. There are so many gorgeous girls out there.

I've bought 70 percent of my house off Craigslist! I've found so many things: couches, tables, lamps. I love the idea of recycling furniture and there being a history there.

[On her daughter] I'm very strict with her. When it's time for her to eat, whether she's hollering or whatever, it's time to eat. She gets a time out if she cries for no reason. So then she stops because she doesn't want a time out.

[On having more children] Yeah, I think so, it's the best thing ever. So, having more kids, I can wrap my head around it.

No, I'll never do a nude scene. I can act sexy and wear sexy clothes but I can't go naked.

[On Lindsay Lohan] The fact that she can poke fun at herself - she's a brilliant actress. Mean Girls is a classic. It's so good. How can you ever forget that? I think people should probably focus more on someone's career and maybe less on someone's personal circumstances. It's nobody's business. Everyone goes through their own thing.

[On herself after childbirth] My breasts are saggy, I've got cellulite, my hips are bigger... every actress out there is more beautiful than me.

Good actors never use the script unless it's amazing writing. All the good actors I've worked with, they all say whatever they want to say.

[on the criticism she received on her acting career] I know I haven't been swimming in the deep end with some of the movies I've done. I wasn't trying to. I knew what they were.

When I read the script for Machete, I was uncomfortable with the sexual content. I got really nervous even talking about it.

I wish I was more educated but I make do with the tools I was given in life.

[on being a parent] It's the best of life. Honor walks and talks, has a lot of opinions.

Honor is so beautiful and I feel so enriched by being part of her life. She's my main priority now and I want to give her the best life possible. Before she was born I was totally focused on my career, but now with Cash and our daughter I feel that I'm building a wonderful family. I would like to have more children at some point.

We didn't plan on starting a family so soon but when it happened we realized what a beautiful moment it was. We're a lot closer. The beauty of marriage and having a family is knowing you're sharing everything with someone else and are committed to being part of each others lives. Cash and I understand that and together with our daughter, we want to have a wonderful life

Oddly, I think I'm a little more wild and free since I had Honor because once she's in bed all my mom friends come over and we have dance parties at my house. It's really dorky and I probably wouldn't have done that before. But no, I don't go out. I hang out with my friends and I'm pretty chilled.

[on being criticized by "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" director Tim Story] - [The director told me] 'It looks too real. It looks too painful. Can you be prettier when you cry? Cry pretty, Jessica.' He was like, 'Don't do that thing with your face. Just make it flat. We can CGI the tears in.' I'm like, 'but there's no connection to a human being'. And then it all got me thinking: 'Am I not good enough? Are my instincts and my emotions not good enough? Do people hate them so much that they don't want me to be a person? Am I not allowed to be a person in my work?' And so I just said, 'Fuck it - I don't care about this business anymore.'

I don't do nudity. I just don't. Maybe that makes me a bad actress. Maybe I won't get hired in some things. But I have too much anxiety.


Where Are They Now
(April 2008) Los Angeles, California