In music, Hewitt has released four studio albums. After her debut album,Love Songs (1992), was released at age 12 in Japan, she recordedLet's Go Bang (1995),Jennifer Love Hewitt (1996) andBareNaked (2002), the lattermost of which became her first album to chart in the United States, peaking at number 37 on theBillboard 200 chart. Her most successful single on theBillboard Hot 100 chart was the 1999 release "How Do I Deal", which peaked at number 59.[2]
In addition to music and acting, Hewitt has served as a producer on some of her film and television projects. She appeared onForbes' annualCelebrity 100 list in 2008 and her 2010 dating-advice bookThe Day I Shot Cupid (2010), toppedThe New York Times Best Seller list. Labeled asex symbol, she has appeared in several magazines' lists of the world's most beautiful women.
Early life
Hewitt was born inWaco, Texas[3] to Patricia Mae (née Shipp), aspeech-language pathologist, and Herbert Daniel Hewitt, a medical technician. She grew up inNolanville inCentral Texas,[4] and has close kinship ties in parts ofArkansas.[5] After their parents divorced, Hewitt and her older brother Todd were raised by their mother.[6]
Hewitt moved to Los Angeles, at age ten, with her mother, to pursue a career in both acting and singing, at the suggestion of talent scouts, and after winning the title of "Texas Our Little Miss Talent Winner".[6] She attendedLincoln High School[15] where her classmates included Jonathan Neville, who became a talent scout and recommended Hewitt for her role inParty of Five.[8]
Hewitt appeared in more than twenty television commercials, including some forMattel toys.[16] Her first break came as a child actress on theDisney Channel variety showKids Incorporated (1989–1991),[17] which earned her, as a member of the cast, threeYoung Artist Award nominations. In 1992, she appeared in the live-action shortDance! Workout withBarbie (1992), which was released by Buena Vista,[18] and obtained her first feature film role in the independent productionMunchie, in which she played Andrea, the love interest of a bullied young boy.[19] A year later, she had her first starring role inLittle Miss Millions, as a wealthy nine-year old who runs away from her stepmother to find her real mother, and appeared as a choir member inSister Act 2: Back in the Habit.[20] Hewitt playedPierce Brosnan's daughter in a pilot forNBC calledRunning Wilde (1993), which featured Brosnan as a reporter forAuto World magazine, whose stories cover his own wild auto adventures. The series was not picked up and the pilot never aired.[21] Hewitt later had roles in several short-lived television series, such asFox'sShaky Ground (1992–1993),[22]ABC'sThe Byrds of Paradise (1994),[23] andMcKenna (1994–95).[24]
1995–1999: Rise to stardom
Hewitt rose toteen idol status after landing the role of Sarah Reeves Merrin on the popular Fox showParty of Five (1995–99).[25] Originally cast for a nine-episode arc in season two, reception from producers and audiences was so positive that she became a series regular, continuing to play the character until the show's sixth and final season.[26] Co-creatorAmy Lippman once stated: "She was a crazy professional. You didn't have to ask yourself, ‘I don't know if she'll be able to work up a head of steam here, I don't know if she'll be able to cry.' She wasn't running to her trailer [between takes] to smoke cigarettes or play with a toy poodle. She was reading material and trying to plot her career".[27] For her performance, Hewitt garnered nominations for aKids' Choice Award, aTeen Choice Award and a YoungStar Award.[citation needed]
Hewitt starred as Amanda Beckett, the most popular girl in school and the senior class prom queen, in the teen comedyCan't Hardly Wait (1998).[35] CriticJames Berardinelli asserted that Hewitt was "so likable that it's hard not to have at least a minor rooting interest" in her character,[36] and with a US $25.6 million gross at the North American domestic box office, the film emerged as a moderate commercial success.[37]Telling You, another 1998 teen comedy, featured Hewitt as the annoyingly sweet ex-girlfriend of a college student working in a pizza joint. In 1999, she played a record company executive in the independent comedyThe Suburbans and starred in and producedTime of Your Life, aParty of Five spin-off following her character as she moved to New York City to learn more about her biological parents.[38] Despite Hewitt's popularity at the time, the show received a lackluster viewership and was cancelled after only half the season had aired.[39]
2000–2004: Steady film work
Hewitt in 2002
InThe Audrey Hepburn Story (2000), a biographical drama television film based on the life of actress and humanitarianAudrey Hepburn, Hewitt starred as the title role and served as an executive producer.[40] She had been recommended for the role by directorSteven Robman, who had previously directed her inParty of Five.[41] The production aired as a three-hour film on ABC on March 27, 2000, and drew mixed reviews.Entertainment Weekly wrote that Hewitt had "guts" to take on the role and called her "excellent at conveying Hepburn's studied modesty",[42] whileThe Baltimore Sun review stated: "What's impossibly wrong with this film is that Hewitt has no physical grace while Hepburn was the very embodiment of it".[43]
Hewitt starred alongsideSigourney Weaver in the romantic comedyHeartbreakers (2001), playing a mother–daughter team setting up an elaborate con to swindle wealthy men out of their money.[44]Roger Ebert noted that Hewitt "spends the entire film with her treasures on display, maybe as product placement for theWonderbra",[45] whileBBC.com asserted: "Hewitt though, lacks the necessary duplicity for her character and is too patently agreeable to bitch convincingly, ultimately reducing her to eye-candy among the professionals. Still, she has the right cleavage for the role, and there's sure to be legions of men thankful for that alone".[46] The film made a moderate US $57.7 million globally.[47]
Hewitt starred as a genius scientist with aspirations of field work, alongsideJackie Chan, in the action comedyThe Tuxedo (2002).[48] Robert Koehler ofVariety noted that Hewitt "has displayed a Chan-like sweetness herself in past roles" and was disappointed that her character is "a haggling, high-strung shrew who's instantly repellent" rather than an amusing sidekick as Chan has had in other Hollywood films.[49] The film made US $104.4 million worldwide.[50] In 2002, she also lent her voice for two direct-to-DVD animated films —The Hunchback of Notre Dame II andThe Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina.[51]
In 2004, Hewitt starred as a musician in the romantic fantasy dramaIf Only, the love interest ofEbenezer Scrooge in the television filmA Christmas Carol, andDr. Liz Wilson in the live-action comedyGarfield.[52] With a worldwide gross of US $200 million,Garfield became Hewitt's highest-grossing film to date.[53]
2005–2010: Return to television
Hewitt in 2008
Hewitt portrayedMelinda Gordon, a woman with the ability to see and communicate with ghosts, on the CBS television seriesGhost Whisperer, which ran on CBS for five seasons and 107 episodes, from September 23, 2005, to May 21, 2010.[54][55] She also served as a producer and directed three episodes, including the 100th episode. In his review for the first season,David Bianculli, ofNew York Daily News, wrote: "If [television] really wants a success built around this actress, someone in Hollywood should pay attention to her chameleonic and comedic role inHeartbreakers, and give her a role that plays to those strengths, instead of something this translucent".[56] Nevertheless, the series emerged as a ratings success and earned Hewitt twoSaturn Awards forBest Television Actress.[57] In 2005, she played a happily married English woman in the romantic comedyThe Truth About Love, and a 28-year-old advertising executive more concerned with being a well-known socialite than being a good person in the television filmConfessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber.
Hewitt reprised her role as Dr. Liz Wilson forGarfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006),[58] which, though it did not perform as well as its predecessor, achieved a strong box office gross.[59] Her next film release was the comedyShortcut to Happiness, in which she starred asThe Devil, oppositeAnthony Hopkins andAlec Baldwin. Filmed in New York City in early 2001, the film became an asset in a federal bank fraud trial when investor Jed Barron was convicted of bank fraud while the film was in production. The film was eventually acquired byThe Yari Group and was finally released in 2007.[60] In 2008, she made a cameo appearance in the successful action comedyTropic Thunder, and reunited withFreddie Prinze Jr. in the animated productionDelgo which, when released, was a massivebox office bomb,[61] taking in US $694,782 in North America.[62]
In 2010, Hewitt portrayed a good-hearted barista in the independent dramaCafé,[63] and a struggling prostitute in theLifetime filmThe Client List.[64] While a reviewer felt that Hewitt did "a surprisingly credible job of acting seen-it-all exasperated and emotionally mature without once going giggly-girly" inCafé,[65]Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker felt that the actress was able to sellThe Client List to the audiences due to her "talent for communicating sincerity and charm".[66] She received aGolden Globe nomination forBest Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for the latter.[67]
2011–present: Continued television roles
Hewitt starred as a journalist, oppositeBetty White, in theHallmark Hall of Fame filmThe Lost Valentine (2011).[68] While reviewers unanimously praised White's performance,Variety wrote: "The same can hardly be said of Hewitt, who —in her current TV movie phase— was put to better use as a mom turned hooker in Lifetime'sThe Client List.[69] With 14.53 million viewers, the film won its time period and represented the most-watched Hallmark movie in four years.[70]
Hewitt in 2018
In 2012, Hewitt starred as the love interest of a gentile pretending to beJewish, alongsideIvan Sergei andJoel David Moore in theindependent comedyJewtopia,[71] and played an erotic masseuse in the television seriesThe Client List.[72] Based on the 2010 television film of the same name, the series ran for two seasons and featured Hewitt as a different character in a premise that was slightly different from the film.
In 2014 and 2015, Hewitt played the regular role of Kate Callahan, an undercover agent who joins theBehavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), in thetenth season ofCriminal Minds.[73][74] She left the series at the end of the season due to her second pregnancy,[75] and decided to take a career hiatus for the next three years. In an interview withElle magazine, Hewitt remarked: “I was looking in the mirror, talking with myself, going, ‘Hey, we started something, remember? We were gonna take a step back. So let's do that.'"[27]
Beginning in 2018, Hewitt has played Maddie Buckley, an ER nurse working as a 9-1-1 operator after leaving an abusive relationship, on the Fox police procedural9-1-1. Describing her character, she stated: "Maddie has a toughness to her. But she's also empathetic and sensitive. People will see her composed on the phone, but fully dealing with the pain and anguish of the callers [once she hangs up]".[27]
Other ventures
Music
Hewitt was one of the backing vocalists onMartika's number-one single, "Toy Soldiers" (1989). At age 12,Meldac funded the recording of Hewitt's debut studio album,Love Songs (1992).[76] The album was released exclusively in Japan, where Hewitt became a pop star.[77] Her explanation for her success in Japan is that the Japanese "love perky music. The poppier the music, the better."[78] She was subsequently signed toAtlantic Records, who released her next two albumsLet's Go Bang (1995) andJennifer Love Hewitt (1996).[79] The albums, along with their singles, failed to chart and Atlantic dropped Hewitt, who did not return to the music scene for three years.[76]
Hewitt recorded the single "How Do I Deal" (1999) for theI Still Know What You Did Last Summer soundtrack, which became her first charting single, climbing to No. 59 on theHot 100 and No. 36 on theTop 40 Mainstream.[80] It reached No. 8 in Australia.[81] She also recorded a cover of theGloria Gaynor song "I Will Survive", which is featured briefly in the film.[82] Hewitt appeared in theLFO video for "Girl on TV" (1999),[83] a song which band memberRich Cronin wrote for her while the two were dating.[84] She also appeared in the music video for theEnrique Iglesias song, "Hero" (2001), as the singer's love interest.[19]
In 2002, Hewitt signed toJive Records[85] and recorded her fourth studio album,BareNaked, with singer, songwriter, and producerMeredith Brooks.[86] The first single, "BareNaked" (2002), became her biggest radio hit to date when it peaked at No. 24 on theBubbling Under Hot 100 chart, No. 31 on theAdult Top 40 and No. 25 on the Top 40 Mainstream. It climbed to No. 6 in Australia, remaining there for two weeks,[87] and reached No. 33 inthe Netherlands.[88] The song later featured in two episodes ofGhost Whisperer: "The Vanishing" (season 1, episode 20)[89] and "The Collector" (season 2, episode 20).[90] The moderate success of the single propelled the album to peak at No. 37 on theBillboard 200[91] and No. 31 in Australia.[92] However, it only remained on the chart for three weeks. The second single, "Can I Go Now" (2003), failed to chart in the US, while managing to peak at No. 8 in the Netherlands[93] and No. 12 in Australia.[94]
Since 2004, Hewitt has remained mostly inactive in the music industry, but she released the compilation albumsCool with You: The Platinum Collection (2006) in Asia andHey Everybody (2007) in Brazil.[95] In 2013, she recorded a cover of "I'm a Woman" to promote the second season ofThe Client List and shot a music video for the song, which reached the top ten in theiTunes Music Video chart.[96]
She wrote a book titledThe Day I Shot Cupid (2010), in which she speaks of her experiences with love and dating.[99] While promoting the book during a January 2010, interview onLopez Tonight, Hewitt said that there is a chapter in it about "vajazzling" (decorating a woman's pubis with crystals or rhinestones). This became a big internet hit with the video goingviral, widespread news coverage and the term "vajazzling" becoming one of the most searched terms onGoogle the next day.[100][101][102] She has since been credited for the popularization of this trend.[103] Helium.com gave the book a positive review, stating: "Jennifer Love Hewitt's book provides some good guidelines for those that need to work on clarifying their relationship desires before trying to establish their relationships". It was commercially successful upon its release, becoming aNew York Times bestseller within a week.[104][105]
Public image
Hewitt in 2011
Regarded as asex symbol, Hewitt's public "narrative" throughout her career has been that of "the sexy girl next door [or] the MVP ofMaxim". As noted byElle magazine, it was "bequeathed" to her around the time she turned 18 and starred inI Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) andCan't Hardly Wait (1998), roles which, along withParty of Five, "cemented her status as an icon to a whole generation. Every girl wanted to be her, and every boy had a poster of her on his wall".[27] On her public image, she said: "I think when you start [in Hollywood] younger, the narrative takes off without you. And you kind of go, ‘Oh, okay [...] so I'm that person? Great!’ Before I ever knew in my life what 'sexy' was, I was on the sexy list”.[27]
Hewitt has appeared in several magazines' lists of the world's most beautiful women. In 2002, she was voted 7th inFHM's Sexiest Girls poll, 14th inRush's Sexiest Women list, and 11th inStuff's "102 Sexiest Women in the World". She has ranked 32nd, 20th, 35th, 20th, 6th, and 35th inMaxim magazine's Hot 100 Women in 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively.[106][107] Hewitt was identified as the "number one reader choice" on the November 1999 and May 2009 covers ofMaxim.[108]TV Guide named her the sexiest woman on television in 2008.[109]
In March 2012, Hewitt started dating her co-star onThe Client List,Brian Hallisay. In June 2013, Hewitt announced that she was engaged and expecting her first child with Hallisay.[117] On November 20, 2013, Hewitt and Hallisay married.[118][119] Their daughter was born a few days later on November 26.[120][121][122] In June 2015, the couple had a boy.[123] In August 2021, Hewitt and Hallisay welcomed their third child.[124][125]
Stalking incident
In 2002, at theGrammy Awards, Diana Napolis, aconspiracy theorist and formersocial worker, "verbally confronted" Hewitt and attempted to pose as a friend of hers in order to enter the premiere ofThe Tuxedo; she was then arrested forstalking and uttering death threats against Hewitt andSteven Spielberg.[126][127][128] Napolis was charged with sixfelonies related to the incidents.[129][130] After almost a year ofinvoluntary commitment and prison, Napolis pleaded guilty and was released onprobation with a condition that she was barred from any contact with both Spielberg and Hewitt.[131][132]
^"Elston Gunn Goes To The 33rd Annual Saturn Awards!!".Ain't It Cool News. May 14, 2007. RetrievedApril 12, 2018.This joke was referenced throughout the night by a few presenters and Best TV Actress winner Jennifer Love Hewitt (Ghost Whisperer)...
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