Jennifer Love Hewitt's fame is due mainly to her role in the popular TV show Party of Five (1994, with Neve Campbell), with a firm assist from the hit horror movies I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997, with Sarah Michelle Gellar) and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998, with Freddie Prinze, Jr.). Since then she has done series television, TV movies (including one as legendary screen star Audrey Hepburn) and feature films. She launched Ghost Whisperer, a supernatural-themed series on TV, in 2005 and was on the air until May of 2010. Her other films include The Devil and Daniel Webster (2001, starring Anthony Hopkins), The Tuxedo (2002, starring Jackie Chan), Garfield: The Movie (2004, with the voice of Bill Murray) and the TV movie The Client List (2010).
Hewitt also sings; her pop albums include Let's Go Bang (1995) and Jennifer Love Hewitt (1996).
Personifying the type of teen spirit most commonly found in Noxzema ads and pep-squad meets, actress Jennifer Love Hewitt has brought new meaning to the word "effervescent." The '90s saw Hewitt go from relative obscurity to a bona fide teen queen, to say nothing of one of the most frequently enshrined actresses on the internet.
Hewitt was born on February 21, 1979, in Waco, TX. She made her first appearance on television in 1984 in the show Kids Incorporated (which, coincidentally, once guest-starred Scott Wolf, her Party of Five co-star). She also did a multitude of commercials, even doing a stint as an L.A. Gear spokesgirl at the age of ten. After spending the majority of the '80s working in television, Hewitt got her first film role in the 1993 film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, but it wasn't until she got her big break as Sarah Reeves on Party of Five (1994) that she began to gain recognition. More recognition came first in the form of Trojan War (1997) and then I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). The film, which capitalized on the growing trend in teen horror flicks catalyzed by Wes Craven's Scream (1996), proved to be immensely popular among audiences, if not critics; it was predictably followed by a sequel, the aptly titled I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998). In addition to her film work, which also included 1998's Can't Hardly Wait, Hewitt maintained her role in Party of Five and continued to star in commercials, most notably as the Neutrogena spokesgirl, as well as headlining her own Fox series, Time of Your Life, in which her Party of Five character, Sarah Reeves, moves to New York to look for her father.
Affectionately known as Love by family and friends, Hewitt has had moderate success as a pop singer, as well as on the big screen. She made her American musical debut in 1995 with the release of Lets Go Bang, and could also be heard singing two tracks for the House Arrest (1996) soundtrack in addition to playing a lead role in the film itself. Can't Hardly Wait, a 1998 teen movie which featured Hewitt as the girl du jour, made enough of a splash in the genre to be parodied in 2002's Not Another Teen Movie. In 2000, Hewitt received some critical acclaim for her portrayal of Audrey Hepburn in The Audrey Hepburn Story, a made-for-television dramatization of Hepburn's life. The next year, Hewitt starred opposite Alien queen Sigourney Weaver in Heartbreakers, which featured the two actresses as mother-and-daughter con artists.
The year 2002 brought Hewitt the opportunity to star opposite martial-arts favorite Jackie Chan in The Tuxedo, though the movie would tank among critics and audiences alike. After lending her vocal chords to a series of animated roles (The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina [2002], Groove Squad [2003], and The Hunchback of Notre Dame II [2001]), Hewitt wouldn't return to a major theatrical role until 2004. She is scheduled to work with Val Kilmer in Marc F. Adler's Delgo, as well as play lead roles in Gil Junger's If Only and in the much anticipated 2004 adaptation of Garfield starring Bill Murray. A return to the small screen as a newlywed medium with the supernatural ability to communicate with the recently departed in Ghost Whisperer earned Hewitt a Saturn nomination for best actress in 2006, and later that same year it was once again time for a battle of wills with everyone's favorite lasagne-loving cat in the family fun sequel Garfiend: A Tale of Two Kitties. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
Released first album, Love Songs, in Japan, 1992; released second album, Let’s Go Bang, on the Atlantic label, 1995; starred on the hit Fox television series, Party of Five, 1995–99; released third album, Jennifer Love Hewitt, on Atlantic, 1996; starred in numerous movies, including House Arrest, which featured her music in the soundtrack, 1996;I Know What You Did Last Summer, 1997; the sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, which also featured her music, 1998; The Tuxedo, costarring action star Jackie Chan, 2002; released third album, BareNaked, on the Jive label, 2002.
Awards: Blockbuster Entertainment Award for I Know What You Did Last Summer, 1998.
Jennifer Love Hewitt has worn many hats during her career in entertainment. She started as an actor in commercials and a model in print ads at the age of ten. She cut her first album in 1992, and after appearing in recurring roles on several television series, she broke through to stardom playing the part of Sarah Reeves on the Fox television series Party of Five.
Her father is Tom Hewitt, her mother Pat Hewitt, a speech pathologist. Hewitt’s father and mother were divorced the year Hewitt was born, and she grew up mostly with her mother. Born in Waco, Texas, she was raised until the age of ten in Killeen, Texas. She has one sibling, an older brother named Todd Hewitt. Todd Hewitt was born in 1971, and he makes his living as a chiropractor.
Hewitt’s mother influenced her daughter’s taste in music at an early age, playing Otis Redding, Al Green, and Beatles records around the house while she was growing up. Hewitt’s talent for music became obvious before she entered elementary school; she had an impressive knack for remembering song lyrics and tunes.
When Hewitt was ten years old, she moved with her mother and brother to Los Angeles. There, almost immediately, Hewitt began her career in entertainment. She was just ten years old went she went on a world tour as a model to promote the L.A. Gear brand of clothing. She appeared regularly in commercials and print ads from then on.
Equally drawn to music and acting, Hewitt pursued both careers as a child in Los Angeles. Her acting career took off first when she landed recurring parts in such television series as McKenna, The Byrds of Paradise, Shaky Ground, and Kids Incorporated.
Hewitt recorded her first album while she was still a teenager. The album was called Love Songs, and it was released in Japan. Several tracks were distributed in Europe but none in her native United States.
Hewitt’s breakthrough acting role came on Party of Five, a family drama that debuted on the Fox network in 1995. The show featured a family of five siblings who were orphaned when their parents were killed by a drunk driver. Hewitt played Sarah Reeves, the girlfriend of one of the brothers. The show proved a critical and popular success, and it assured Hewitt’s fame. It also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Series of 1996 and a Humanitas Prize for Writing.
Hewitt graduated from Laurel Springs High School in Ojai, California, in 1997, and after her stint on Party of Five ended in 1999, Hewitt revived her Party of Five role in a new series called Time of Your Life. This show was an offshoot of Party of Five, and Hewitt was a coproducer on the series. The producers hoped that the show would capitalize on the success of the original
series, but it never matched Party of Five’s popularity and ran for only the 1999 season.
The same year that Hewitt first appeared on Party of Five, she released her first album in the United States, Let’s Go Bang, on the Atlantic Records label. The following year saw the release of her second album, called Jennifer Love Hewitt. That year, 1996, was a busy one for Hewitt; she also appeared in the film House Arrest. The film featured several of her songs on the soundtrack.
Film roles for Hewitt followed in rapid succession after the release of House Arrest. She appeared in the horror films I Know What You Did Last Summer and its rorfil m s IKnow What You Did Last Summer For the soundtrack of the second film, she contributed the song "How Do I Deal." Other films in which Hewitt has appeared include Can’t Hardly Wait, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, The Suburbans, and Heartbreakers. The latter film stars Hewitt with Sigoumey Weaver as a mother and daughter con artist team who specialize in swindling men out of their money. The film, released in 2001, also features Gene Hackman and Ray Liotta.
The year 2002 brought a new level of success for Hewitt’s recording career. She moved from Atlantic to Jive Records, the same record label that features pop stars Britney Spears and Aaron Carter, and released her third album, BareNaked. This album was produced by singer-songwriter Meredith Brooks, and it was released in September of 2002, when Hewitt was 23 years old. Brooks also cowrote the songs on the album.
In spite of an album cover on which Hewitt appears topless (with her back to the camera), the album’s title refers to baring it all emotionally, not literally. As Hewitt told the Montreal Gazette’s Brendan Kelly, "Initially when people hear the title BareNaked, they think automatically, ‘Oh cool, we’re going to see Jennifer naked,’ which is not attractive nor necessary ever in life… BareNaked is not about me actually being naked. It is about me inner bare-naked."
With this album, Hewitt surprised fans expecting what some thought of as superficial girl-pop in the vein of Britney Spears. Instead, as Hewitt told Kelly, she wanted to perform the kind of soulful rock she grew up listening to. Inspired by Janis Joplin, Billie Holliday, and other female vocalists who have made a lasting impact, Hewitt sought to challenge herself and not just "do a pop record."
Initial critical reactions indicated that she was at least partially successful in this attempt, although All Music Guide’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine couldn’t help noting that she had not completely transcended her "show-biz kid" origins. Nevertheless, Erlewine said that the album is "very good in its style and is a nice new beginning" for the singer and actress.
Even though Hewitt has been busy making a name for herself as a recording star, she has not let her acting career fall by the wayside. After starring in the ABC televsion movie The Audrey Hepburn Story, Hewitt landed a plum role as action star Jackie Chan’s costar in the 2002 film The Tuxedo.
Selected discography Love Songs (Japan), 1992. Let’s Go Bang, Atlantic, 1995. Jennifer Love Hewitt, Atlantic, 1996. BareNaked, Jive, 2002.
Sources Periodicals Montreal Gazette, August 20, 2002, p. D5. Texas Monthly, September 1998, p. 108.
Teen pop star Jennifer Love Hewitt was already a veteran of several TV series (including Kids Incorporated) and had recorded a 1992 Japanese LP when she signed on to appear in Fox TV's popular series Party of Five in 1995. That same year, she made her American debut on record, releasing Let's Go Bang on Atlantic Records. Her self-titled second album appeared one year later, and she also contributed two songs to the soundtrack for House Arrest, in which she also starred. Hewitt went on to star in the successful thrillers I Know What You Did Last Summer and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer; her song "How Do I Deal" was featured on the soundtrack to the scary sequel. In 2002, she emerged with a deal with Jive Records, home to Britney Spears and Aaron Carter. She also followed up with a third solo album entitled BareNaked, which was produced by Meredith Brooks, in September 2002. ~ John Bush, Rovi
Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress, producer, television director and former singer-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 in teenage popular culture in her roles in the Fox series Party of Five as Sarah Reeves Merrin, and films I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel as Julie James.
She starred on the hit CBS television program Ghost Whisperer as Melinda Gordon, for which she won a Saturn Award in 2007 and 2008 for Best Actress on Television.[1] She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her television movie The Client List.[2] Hewitt has served as a producer on some of her film and television projects.[3] As a singer, Hewitt's most successful single on the Billboard Hot 100 is the 1999 release "How Do I Deal", which peaked at No. 59.[4] She has contributed music to the promotion or soundtracks of acting projects.[5] She is currently a recurring star on Hot in Cleveland[6] and will lead the upcoming Lifetime television series The Client List.[7]
Hewitt was born in Waco, Texas,[8] and is the daughter of Patricia Mae (née Shipp), a speech-language pathologist, and Herbert Daniel Hewitt, a medical technician.[9] Hewitt grew up in Nolanville, Texas.[10] Hewitt received her middle name after her mother promised her college friend (named "Love") that if she had a daughter, she would name her after her.[11] Her older brother, Todd Hewitt, chose the name "Jennifer" as a homage to a crush he had at the time she was born.[10] After the divorce of her parents, Hewitt and her brother were brought up by her mother.[12]
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.[13] Just a year after that, at a restaurant-dance hall, she entertained an audience with her version of "Help Me Make It Through the Night".[14] By the time she was five, Hewitt already had tap dancing and ballet in her portfolio.[15] At nine, she became a member of the Texas Show Team (which also toured in the Soviet Union).[16] At the age of ten, at the suggestion of talent scouts and after gaining the title of "Texas Our Little Miss Talent Winner",[17] she moved to Los Angeles with her mother to pursue a career in both acting and singing.[12] In Los Angeles, Hewitt 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.[14]
Career
Acting
After moving to Los Angeles, Hewitt appeared in more than twenty television commercials, including some for Mattel toys.[18] Her first break came as a child actor on the Disney Channel variety show Kids Incorporated (1989–1991),[19] 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.[20]
She played Pierce Brosnan's daughter in a pilot for NBC called Running Wilde (1993),[21] 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.[22] Hewitt later had roles in several short-lived television series, such as Fox's Shaky Ground (1992–1993),[23]ABC's The Byrds of Paradise (1994),[24] and McKenna (1994–1995),[25] and finally became a young star after landing the role of Sarah Reeves Merrin on the popular Fox show Party of Five (1995–1999).[26] 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.[27] The show was cancelled after half a season.[28]
Hewitt starred in The Audrey Hepburn Story (2000).[36] 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.[37] Noting her "Q-rating", Nokia chose her to become its spokesperson.[38]
She starred alongside Sigourney Weaver in the romantic comedy Heartbreakers (2001).[39] She appeared in The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002) as Madellaine, the main protagonist's love interest.[40] Hewitt wrote and performed "I'm Gonna Love You" for the film; the song won "Best Original Song" at the DVD Premiere Awards.[41] She starred alongside Jackie Chan in The Tuxedo (2002),[42] which received negative reviews from critics but was a box office success.[43] 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.[44] She starred in Garfield (2004),[45] which became her highest-grossing film to date ($200,804,534 USD).[46] She reprised her role for the sequel, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006),[47] which, though not performing as well as its predecessor, achieved a strong box office gross.[48]
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 first album, Love Songs (1992).[61] The album was released exclusively in Japan, where Hewitt became a pop star.[62] Her explanation for her success in Japan is that the Japanese "love perky music. The poppier the music, the better."[63]
After she joined the cast of Party of Five, she signed to Atlantic Records, who rushed her second album, Let's Go Bang (1995), out in October.[61] The album and its three singles failed to chart.[61] Juggling her music career with her acting career, she recorded and released her follow-up album, Jennifer Love Hewitt (1996).[64] 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.[61]
She appeared in the LFO video for "Girl on TV" (1999),[68] a song which was written for her by a member of the band.[69] She also appeared in the music video for the Enrique Iglesias song, "Hero" (2001), as the singer's love interest.[70]
In 2002, Hewitt signed to Jive Records[71] and recorded her fourth album with singer, songwriter and producer Meredith Brooks.[72] 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.[73] It climbed to No. 6 in Australia, remaining there for two weeks,[74] and reached No. 33 in the Netherlands.[75] The song later featured in two episodes of Ghost Whisperer: "The Vanishing" (Season 1, episode 20)[76] and "The Collector" (Season 2, episode 20).[77] The moderate success of the single propelled the album to peak at No. 37 on the Billboard 200[78] and No. 31 in Australia.[79] However, it only remained on the chart for three weeks.[73] The second single, "Can I Go Now" (2003), failed to chart in the US, while managing to peak at No. 8 in the Netherlands[80] and No. 12 in Australia.[81]
Since 2004, Hewitt has remained inactive from the music industry, but the compilation album Cool with You: The Platinum Collection (2006) was released in Asia.[82] Another compilation, Hey Everybody (2007), was released in Brazil.[83] In 2009, reports surfaced that Hewitt was planning on making a country album and was in the process of writing material for it.[84]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."[62] However, nothing has of yet come of the reports and Hewitt has remained absent from the music scene.
Hewitt wrote a book entitled The Day I Shot Cupid (2010), in which she speaks of her experiences with love and dating.[87] 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).[88][89] Hewitt was attributed with popularizing the trend.[90] The book became a New York Times Bestseller the week of its release.[91] She announced via her Twitter page that she is currently penning a follow-up.[92]
Image and personal life
Hewitt and Jamie Kennedy at the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards.
Image
Hewitt was identified as the "#1 reader choice" on the November 1999 and May 2009 covers of Maxim.[93]TV Guide named her the sexiest woman on television in 2008.[94]
Hewitt began a relationship with Scottish actor Ross McCall, whom she met when he made an appearance on Ghost Whisperer in late 2005.[97] After two years of dating, they became engaged in late 2007, while vacationing in Hawaii.[98] Paparazzi photographs taken of Hewitt in a bikini at that time led to harsh criticism of her body by bloggers.[99] Hewitt responded: "I've sat by in silence for a long time now about the way women's bodies are constantly scrutinized....What I should be doing is celebrating some of the best days of my life and my engagement to the man of my dreams, instead of having to deal with photographers taking invasive pictures from bad angles."[100] Several celebrities supported her views.[101] During her engagement, Hewitt reportedly said: "I’m getting ready to turn 30 and get married and all those things. This year was my year to try to glow from within and feel better."[102]People magazine reported that Hewitt called off their engagement in late 2008.[103]
Stalking
In 2002, 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 the subsequent day attempting to pose as one of Hewitt's friends to enter the premiere of The Tuxedo.[104] Napolis admitted to becoming involved in a shoving match with Hewitt's mother while confronting the actress.[105] Napolis accused Hewitt, along with director Spielberg, of controlling her thoughts through "cybertronic" technology and being part of a Satanic conspiracy against her.[106] Napolis was charged with six felonies related to the incidents.[107] After a year of involuntary commitment, Napolis pleaded guilty and was released on bail with a condition that she was barred from contact with both Spielberg and Hewitt.[108]
"A New Twist" (Season 7, episode 8)
"Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (Season 7, episode 9)
"Double Trouble" (Season 7, episode 17)
(credited as Love Hewitt)
"Let's Go Bang" · "Couldn't Find Another Man" · "You Make Me Smile" · "Cool with You" · "No Ordinary Love" · "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away" · "I Believe In..." · "How Do I Deal" · "BareNaked" · "Can I Go Now" · "You" · "Hey Everybody" · "Love Will Show You Everything" · "Take My Heart Back"
Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Jennifer Love Hewitt. Read more
