Christina Applegate

Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) is an American actress.

Applegate made her television debut in 1972 alongside her mother in the soap opera Days of Our Lives and starred in a commercial for Playtex baby bottles at 3 months old.

She made her film debut in the 1981 horror film Jaws of Satan (or King Cobra) and appeared in the 1981 movie Beatlemania. She debuted as a young Grace Kelly in the television biopic Grace Kelly (1983) and appeared in her first television series in Showtime's political comedy Washingtoon (1985), in which she played a congressman's daughter.

Applegate was a guest in the series Father Murphy (1981), Charles in Charge (1984–1985), and Silver Spoons (1986).

In 1986, she won the role of Robin Kennedy, a policeman's daughter, in the police drama series Heart of the City (1986–1987).

For her performance, she received a Young Artist Award.

She guest-starred in several television series, including All is Forgiven, Still the Beaver, Amazing Stories, and Family Ties.

After appearing in several roles since early childhood, she gained recognition for starring as Kelly Bundy in the comedy sitcom Married... with Children (1987–1997).

Applegate established a successful film and television career in her adult years, winning a Primetime Emmy Award as well as gaining nominations for four Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award.

From 1987 to 1997, Applegate played the ditzy, sexually promiscuous daughter, Kelly Bundy, on Fox's first sitcom, Married... with Children.

While working on the series, Applegate was seen in Dance 'til Dawn (1988) and Streets (1990), in which a teenage drug addict is stalked by a psychotic police officer.

She guest-starred in 21 Jump Street (1988) and Top of the Heap (1991) and hosted Saturday Night Live (1993) and MADtv (1996).

Applegate has also had major roles in several films, including Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991), The Big Hit (1998), The Sweetest Thing (2002), Grand Theft Parsons (2003), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), Hall Pass (2011), Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), Vacation (2015), Bad Moms (2016), and Crash Pad (2017).

Applegate was born in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

Her father, Robert William "Bob" Applegate, was a staff producer at Dot Records; her mother, Nancy Priddy, is a singer and actress.

She was named after the Andrew Wyeth painting Christina's World, for which her mother also named a song on her album You've Come This Way Before.

Her parents separated shortly after her birth.

She has two half-siblings, Alisa and Kyle, from her father's second marriage.

After her divorce, Applegate's mother had a relationship with musician Stephen Stills.

As a child, Applegate trained as a dancer in various styles, including jazz and ballet.

The character of Sue Ellen Crandell in the black comedy feature Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991) was Applegate's first starring role in a mainstream film, playing a rebellious teenager who is forced to take care of siblings after their summer babysitter dies.

She had roles in films such as Vibrations (1995), Across the Moon (1995), Wild Bill (1995), Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! (1996), and Gregg Araki's Nowhere (1997).

Contrary to reports, she did not audition for Titanic, as she told Vanity Fair in their May 2023 edition: “No.

Who said that?…That would not have come across my desk, if I had a desk.” [Shaw, Vanity Fair, May 4, 2023.] When Married... with Children was cancelled in 1997, producers pitched a spinoff centered on Kelly Bundy, but Applegate declined.

Applegate was one of the founding members of The Pussycat Dolls, which debuted at Johnny Depp's Viper Room on the Sunset Strip in 1995.

Applegate starred in the title role of the sitcom Jesse (1998–2000), which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination.

In 1998, Applegate starred as Claudine Van Doozen in the independent feature Claudine's Return (or Kiss of Fire), appeared in the action-comedy The Big Hit and played the fiancée of a mob boss in the Mafia satire Jane Austen's Mafia.

In 1998, Applegate began portraying the title role in the NBC sitcom Jesse.

She won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series, the TV Guide Award for Favorite Star of a New Series, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy.

The series was cancelled in 2000.

Applegate played the dual role of a 12th-century noblewoman, Princess Rosalind, and her 21st-century descendant, Julia Malfete, in the time-travel comedy Just Visiting (2001).

She was Princess Gwendolyn and Kate in the movie Prince Charming (2001).

She was the executive producer of Comforters, Miserable (2001).

She received a Primetime Emmy Award for her guest role in the NBC sitcom Friends (2002–2003).

She emceed for the group when they moved to The Roxy Theatre in 2002.

After playing Cameron Diaz's level-headed best friend, Courtney Rockcliffe, in The Sweetest Thing (2002), she appeared in Heroes (2002), the romantic airplane comedy View from the Top (2003), the true-crime film Wonderland (2003) based on the Wonderland murders, and the Gram Parsons biopic Grand Theft Parsons (2003).

Applegate guest-starred on Friends in the ninth (2002) and tenth (2003) seasons in episodes titled "The One with Rachel's Other Sister" and "The One Where Rachel's Sister Babysits" as Amy Green, Rachel Green's (Jennifer Aniston) sister.

In 2004, she starred with Ben Affleck in the holiday comedy Surviving Christmas and with Matt Dillon in Employee of the Month.

For her role in the Broadway revival of Sweet Charity (2005), she earned a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

She went on to star in the sitcom Samantha Who? (2007–2009), for which she received nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards; the sitcom Up All Night (2011–2012); and the dark tragicomedy series Dead to Me (2019–2022), which earned her three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe nomination.