Elisha Ann Cuthbert was born on November 30, 1982, in Calgary, Alberta. As a child, Elisha’s cherubic looks made her a natural candidate for modeling, and it wasn’t long before she was posing in advertisements for various children’s clothing lines. Elisha, who grew up in Montreal, subsequently began to express an interest in acting; in 1996, she made her professional debut on the popular Canadian anthology series Are You Afraid of the Dark? Elisha Cuthbert’s bubbly demeanor and natural on-camera style made her an ideal fit for the role of host on the show Popular Mechanics for Kids, where she worked side-by-side with fellow up-and-coming performers like Jay Baruchel and Vanessa Lengies.
Elisha Cuthbert’s stint on Popular Mechanics for Kids increased her profile among Canadian viewers exponentially, and it also made it a lot easier for her to get her foot in the door at auditions. In 1997, Elisha made her first movie appearance with a supporting role in the Canadian film Dancing on the Moon -- which she followed up with a series of appearances in obscure efforts, including the 1998 family fantasy Nico the Unicorn (which also starred Kevin Zegers). Elisha Cuthbert’s status as a familiar-yet-unknown face changed dramatically in 2001 when she took on the role of a compulsive teen gambler in the well-regarded made-for-Canadian-television movie Lucky Girl (for which she won Canada’s equivalent of an Emmy).
That same year, Elisha Cuthbert successfully auditioned for a prominent role on a new FOX drama entitled 24 in which she was to play the daughter of Kiefer Sutherland’s harried government agent. The show, which became an instant smash hit, transformed Elisha into a sex symbol virtually overnight, and while some fans occasionally grew tired of her character’s useless antics, there’s simply no denying that 24 catapulted Elisha Cuthbert to A-list status. In 2003, Elisha appeared in two high-profile Hollywood films -- Love Actually and Old School -- and it became clear to those around her that she was a star in the making.
Elisha Cuthbert’s burgeoning popularity manifested itself in 2004 when she landed her first starring role in a major Hollywood motion picture. The Girl Next Door, which featured Elisha as a porn star who strikes up a friendship with a shy high schooler, served as an appropriate launching pad for Elisha’s cinematic career, and she even managed to garner a pair of MTV Movie Awards for her work in the film. After leaving 24 in 2004, Elisha Cuthbert worked steadily in movies like 2005’s House of Wax and 2007’s Captivity.
[ biography courtesy of AskMen.com ]
