Black male appreciation: Jessica Biel

Jessica Biel, with her striking good looks and wide range of talent, has become one of Hollywood's most sought-out actresses. Her television series acting debut on the WB's #1-rated show, "7th Heaven" (1996), has helped her emerge as a breakout star.

As a child Jessica initially pursued a career as a vocalist, performing in musical theater. Beginning at age nine, she starred in such productions as "Annie," "The Sound of Music," and "Beauty and the Beast." A natural beauty, Jessica soon turned to modeling and commercial work by competing in The International Modeling and Talent Association's Annual Conference in 1994.

After completing a year and a half of college at Tufts University in Medford Massachusetts, Jessica plans on going back to school in California for the remainder of her college years. In her spare time, she is involved with charities such as Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and PETA. Her hobbies include ballet, soccer, running, yoga and hiking with her dog "East." Jessica currently resides in Los Angeles.

Born in Ely, Minnesota, and raised in Boulder, Colorado, Jessica Biel has paid her dues in the Hollywood scene. A breakout star as Mary Camden on the WB's highest rated show, "7th Heaven" (1996), Jessica still manages to make a few appearances per season, even though she has left the show, in the midst of an exploding film career. Last fall she excited and terrified moviegoers with her portrayal of Erin, "Leatherface's" greatest nemesis to date, in New Line Cinema's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), a remake of the famous original. Having finished filming, Blade: Trinity (2004) in Vancouver with Wesley Snipes, Ryan Reynolds, and Kris Kristofferson, she has recently transported her toned and trained body of a vampire hunter/killer to Australia to fill the uniform and project the integrity of one of filmdom's first female jet-fighter pilots in Columbia/Sony Pictures new film, Stealth (2005), starring Josh Lucas, Jamie Foxx, and Sam Shepherd, for director Rob Cohen.

Jessica's film career began at age 14 when she played alongside Peter Fonda in his Golden Globe-winning performance in Ulee's Gold (1997). Her other film credits include I'll Be Home for Christmas (1998), Summer Catch (2001), Roger Avary's The Rules of Attraction (2002), and the recently completed Cellular (2004), which stars Chris Evans, Kim Basinger, and William H. Macy. Few people know that this powerhouse of acting talent and versatility has a secret talent that has been put on hold for the past eight years, but surfaced last fall when she was offered lead roles on Broadway in "Rent" and "Beauty and the Beast." Demands from her film career took precedence, but hopefully, one of these days soon, we will get to experience just another aspect of this fascinating young woman.