Jessica Marie Alba (/ˈælbə/AL-bə; born April 28, 1981) is an American actress and businesswoman. She rose to prominence at age 19 for portrayingMax Guevara, the lead character in the television seriesDark Angel (2000–2002), for which she received aGolden Globe nomination. Her cinematicbreakthrough came shortly after with the lead role inHoney (2003).
In 2011, Alba co-foundedthe Honest Company, a consumer goods company that sells baby, personal, and household products. Based in Los Angeles, the company was valued at roughly $550 million as of February 2022. Several magazines, includingMen's Health,Vanity Fair andFHM, have included Alba on their lists of the world's most beautiful women.
Early life
Jessica Marie Alba was born inPomona, California,[3] on April 28, 1981,[4] to Catherine Louisa (née Jensen) and Mark David Alba. Her mother has Danish, Welsh, German, English and French ancestry, while her paternal grandparents, who were born in California, were children of Mexican immigrants.[5] She has a younger brother, Joshua. She is the second cousin of professional skateboarders Steve and Micke Alba.[6] Her third cousin, once removed, is writerGustavo Arellano.[7] Her father'sAir Force career took the family toBiloxi, Mississippi, andDel Rio, Texas, before they settled inClaremont, California, when she was nine years old.[8] Alba has described her family as "very conservative… a traditional, Catholic, Latin American family", and herself as very liberal; she says she identified as a "feminist" as early as age five.[9]
Alba's early life was marked by a multitude of physical maladies. During childhood, she suffered frompneumonia four to five times a year and hadpartially collapsed lungs twice, as well as a rupturedappendix andtonsillar cyst. She has also hadasthma since she was a child.[8] She became isolated from other children at school because she was hospitalized so often; no one knew her well enough to befriend her.[10] She has said that her family's frequent moving also contributed to her isolation from her peers.[9] She graduated fromClaremont High School at age 16 and subsequently attended theAtlantic Theater Company.[11]
Acting career
1992–1999: Beginnings
Alba in 2007
Alba expressed an interest in acting from age five. In 1992, the eleven-year-old Alba persuaded her mother to take her to an acting competition inBeverly Hills, where the grand prize was free acting classes. She won the grand prize and took her first acting lessons. An agent signed her nine months later.[8][12] Her first film appearance was a small role in the 1994 featureCamp Nowhere as Gail. She was originally hired for two weeks, but her role turned into a two-month job when one of the prominent actresses dropped out.[13]
Alba appeared in two national television commercials forNintendo andJ. C. Penney as a child. She was later featured in several independent films. She branched out into television in 1994 with a recurring role as the vain Jessica in three episodes of theNickelodeon comedy seriesThe Secret World of Alex Mack.[14] She then performed the role of Maya in the first two seasons of the 1995 television seriesFlipper.[13][14] Under the tutelage of herlifeguard mother, Alba learned to swim before she could walk, and hadPADI certified scuba diving skills which were put to use on the show, which was filmed in Australia.[14][15]
Her big break came whenJames Cameron picked Alba from over 1000 candidates for the role of the genetically engineered super-soldierMax Guevara on theFOX sci-fi television seriesDark Angel.[18] The series ran for two seasons, until 2002, and earned Alba critical acclaim, aGolden Globe nomination, theTeen Choice Award for Choice Actress, and aSaturn Award for Best Actress.[2][19] Her role has been cited as afeminist character and is considered a symbol offemale empowerment. Writing for theUniversity of Melbourne, Bronwen Auty considered Max "the archetypal modern feminist hero—a young woman empowered to use her body actively to achieve goals", citing Max's refusal to use firearms and instead using martial arts and knowledge as weapons.[20] In 2004, Max was ranked #17 inTV Guide's list of "25 Greatest Sci-Fi Legends".[21][22] HerDark Angel role led to significant parts in films. She had her big screen breakthrough in 2003 when she starred as an aspiring dancer-choreographer inHoney.[23]Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus was: "An attractive Jessica Alba and energetic dance numbers provide some lift to this corny and formulaic movie".[24] Budgeted at US$18 million, the film made US$62.2 million.[25]
Alba portrayed theMarvel Comics characterInvisible Woman inFantastic Four (also 2005), alongsideIoan Gruffudd,Chris Evans,Michael Chiklis, andJulian McMahon.[30]The Guardian, in its review for the film, noted: "Feminists and non-feminists alike must absorb theFantastic Four's most troubling paradox: having been admitted to the story on the grounds of her beauty, [Alba's] superpower is to be invisible".[31] The film was a commercial success despite negative reviews, grossing US$333.5 million worldwide. At the2006 MTV Movie Awards, Alba earned nominations for Best Hero and Best On-Screen Team. Her last 2005 film was the thrillerInto the Blue, where she portrayed, oppositePaul Walker, one half of a couple who find themselves in trouble with a drug lord after finding the illicit cargo of a sunken airplane. The film saw moderate box office returns, with a US$44.4 million worldwide gross.[32] She hosted the2006 MTV Movie Awards and performed sketches spoofing the moviesKing Kong,Mission: Impossible III andThe Da Vinci Code.[33]
2007–2010: Romantic comedies
Alba reprised her role inFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, released in June 2007. According to Alba,Tim Storys direction during an emotional scene almost made her quit acting. "[He told me] 'It looks too real. It looks too painful. Can you be prettier when you cry? Cry pretty, Jessica.' He was like, 'Don't do that thing with your face. Just make it flat. We can CGI the tears in." According to Alba, this experience filled her with self-doubt: "And then it all got me thinking: Am I not good enough? Are my instincts and my emotions not good enough? Do people hate them so much that they don't want me to be a person? Am I not allowed to be a person in my work? And so I just said, 'Fuck it. I don't care about this business anymore.'"[34] The film grossedUS$290 million globally.[35]
InGood Luck Chuck (also 2007), Alba portrayed the love interest of a womanizer dentist. She posed for one of theGood Luck Chuck's theatrical posters parodying the well-knownRolling Stone cover photographed byAnnie Leibovitz featuringJohn Lennon andYoko Ono in similar poses. While the film was heavily panned by critics, it made almost US$60 million upon its release.[36] Her third starring vehicle in 2007 was the psychological thrillerAwake, portraying the girlfriend of a wealthy man who is about to have a heart transplant.[37] Reviews were lukewarm, butRoger Ebert praised her performance,[38] and budgeted at around US$8 million, the film made US$32.7 million.[39]
While Alba did not have any film releases in 2009, five high-profile films released throughout 2010 featured her in significant roles. Her first role in the year was that of a prostitute inThe Killer Inside Me, an adaptation of the book of the same name, oppositeKate Hudson andCasey Affleck, which premiered at theSundance Film Festival to polarized reactions from critics.[48][49][50] Her next film was the romantic comedyValentine's Day, in which she played the girlfriend of a florist as part of a long ensemble cast consisting ofJessica Biel,Bradley Cooper,Taylor Lautner andJulia Roberts, among others. Despite negative reviews, the film was a commercial success, with a worldwide gross of US$216.5 million.[51] In the action filmMachete, Alba reunited with directorRobert Rodriguez, taking on the role of an immigration officer torn between enforcing the law and doing what is popular in the eyes of her family.Machete made over US$44 million globally.[52]
The dramaAn Invisible Sign of My Own, which Alba filmed in late 2008, premiered at the Hamptons Film Festival. In it, she portrayed a painfully withdrawn young woman.[53][54][55] Her last 2010 film was the comedyLittle Fockers, in which she played an extrovert drug representative, reuniting withRobert De Niro, who was also inMachete. Despite negative reviews from critics, the film grossed over US$310 million worldwide.[56] For all her 2010 roles, she received aRazzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress.[57]
2011–present: Action and independent media productions
In 2011, Alba worked for the third time with Robert Rodriguez in the filmSpy Kids: All the Time in the World, portraying a retired spy who is called back into action. To bond with her new stepchildren, she invites them along.[58] The film paled at the box office in comparison to the previous films in the franchise, but was still a moderate success, taking in US$85 million around the globe.[59] Alba next appeared withAdam Scott,Richard Jenkins,Jane Lynch,Mary Elizabeth Winstead, andCatherine O'Hara in the comedyA.C.O.D. (2013), portraying what theWashington Post described as a "fellow child of divorce", with whom Scott's character "almost cheats on" her girlfriend.[60]ScreenRant critic Ben Kendrick wrote: "[Winstead] and [Alba] also deliver in their contributions – though both of their characters are mainly designed to be mirrors for Carter to examine his own life and choices."[61]A.C.O.D. received a limited theatrical run in North America.[62] In 2013, Alba also made her voice acting debut in the moderately successful animated filmEscape from Planet Earth.[63]
Alba worked once again with director Rodriguez for two film sequels. She reprised her role of an Immigration Officer, in an uncredited cameo appearance, inMachete Kills (2013), which flopped with critics and audiences,[64] and her much larger role of stripper Nancy Callahan, seeking to avenge her late protector, inSin City: A Dame to Kill For, which was released in August 2014, on 2D and 3D.[65][66][67] Unlike the first film,A Dame to Kill For was a commercial failure, grossing US$39 million against its US$65 million production budget,[68] and received mixed reviews from film critics.Variety felt it was a "late, limp attempt to turn Alba's character from an exploited figure into an empowered one".[69] She next took on the roles of a cabaret show performer in the dramedyDear Eleanor (2014), the athletic girlfriend of a successful and well-respected English professor in the romantic comedySome Kind of Beautiful (2014), a receptionist at a limo company in the thrillerStretch (also 2014), an emotionally vulnerable weapons trafficker in the crime comedyBarely Lethal (2015), and that of a documentary filmmaker in the horror filmThe Veil (2016); all films were released for limited theatrical runs and VOD.[70][71][72]
In the action filmMechanic: Resurrection (2016), alongsideJason Statham, Alba played the girlfriend of a retired hitman. She didKrav Maga to get into shape for the film,[73] and was drawn to the strength her character exhibited, remarking: "I think for these types of movies you don't often get to see the female romantic lead kind of kick butt. I mean, it's usually she's being saved by the guy, and so it's nice that I got to come to the table with a toughness, and a real heart".[74] The film made US$125.7 million worldwide.[75]
In 2020, it was announced that Alba would star in and executive produce a new documentary series forDisney+ calledParenting Without Borders (working title), which would focus on families around the world and their beliefs and culture, it was never released.[76]
Other endeavors
The Honest Company
In January 2012, Alba and business partner Christopher Gavigan launchedthe Honest Company, selling a collection of household goods, diapers, and body care products.[77] The company was successful, and was valued at US$1 billion as of 2014[update].[78]
In early 2013, Alba released her book,The Honest Life, based on her experiences creating a natural, non-toxic life for her family. The book became aNew York Times Best Seller.[79][80] In October 2015, Alba launched a collection of skin care and beauty products called Honest Beauty.[81][82]
As of April 2022, Alba owned 6.5 percent of the company. She was employed as the company'schief creative officer, receiving an annual base salary of $700,000 andrestricted stock valued at $1,500,000.[83] Alba stepped down as chief creative officer in April 2024.[84]
Charity and activism
Alba posed for abondage-themed print advertising campaign byDeclare Yourself, a campaign encouraging voter registration among youth for the2008 United States presidential election. The ads, photographed by Mark Liddell,[85] feature Alba wrapped in and gagged with black tape, and drew national media attention. Alba said of doing the advertisements that "it didn't freak me out at all." Alba also said, "I think it is important for young people to be aware of the need we have in this country to get them more active politically...People respond to shocking things."[86]
In June 2009, while filmingThe Killer Inside Me inOklahoma City, Alba was involved in a controversy with residents when she pasted posters of sharks around town.[89] Alba said that she was trying to bring attention to the diminishing population ofgreat white sharks. Media outlets speculated that Alba would be pursued and charged with vandalism.[90] On June 16, 2009, Oklahoma City police said that they would not pursue criminal charges against Alba, because none of the property owners wanted to pursue it.[91][92] Alba apologized in a statement toPeople magazine and said that she regretted her actions.[91] She later donated an undisclosed amount of money (over US$500)[93] to theUnited Way, whose billboard she had obscured with one of the shark posters.[94][95][96][97]
In 2011, Alba participated in a two-day lobbying effort in Washington, D.C. in support of the Safe Chemicals Act, a revision of theToxic Substances Control Act of 1976.[98][99] Alba returned to Capitol Hill in 2015 to lobby lawmakers as they once again debated a replacement for the 1976 Substances Control Act.[100] She has also been a strong supporter of gay rights and on June 27, 2013, she expressed her delight with theSupreme Court's decision to strike downDOMA on her Twitter account. She tweeted "#equality #love".[101]
Alba's charity work has included participation with Clothes Off Our Back,Habitat for Humanity,National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Project HOME, RADD, Revlon Run/Walk for Women, SOS Children's Villages, Soles4Souls, Step Up and Baby2Baby.[102][103] Alba is an ambassador for the 1Goal movement to provide education to children in Africa.[104] She has also served as a Baby2Baby "angel" ambassador, donating and helping to distribute items such as diapers and clothing to families in Los Angeles.[105]In 2015, Alba and The Honest Company sponsored a laboratory at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. The lab was announced to be a specialized room designed to keep out dust and particles, where a team ofepidemiologists would research links between household chemicals and autism.[106]
Public image
Alba in 2007 at the London premiere ofFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Alba has received attention for her looks over the years and has been included in several publications' lists of the most attractive celebrities of the time. She was included inMaxim magazine's Hot 100 list multiple times from 2001 to 2014.[28][107][108][109] On this she has said, "I have to go to certain lengths to use sexuality to my advantage, while guiding people to thinking the way I want them to."[110]In 2002, she was voted the fifth Sexiest Female Star in a Hollywood.com poll.[111] In 2005, she was named one ofPeople Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People,[112] and appeared in the magazine's 100 Most Beautiful list in 2007.[113] She has also been named onFHM's Sexiest Women lists.[114]
Alba was named amongPlayboy magazine's "25 Sexiest Celebrities" in 2006, and appeared on its cover that year.[115] She was involved in litigation againstPlayboy for its use of her image on this cover (from a promotional shot forInto the Blue) without her consent, which she contended gave the impression that she was featured in the issue in a "nude pictorial". She later dropped the lawsuit after receiving a personal apology fromPlayboy ownerHugh Hefner, who agreed to make donations to two charities Alba had supported.[116] Also in 2006, readers ofAskMen.com voted Alba #1 on its "99 Most Desirable Women" list.[117] In 2007, Alba was ranked No.4 onEmpire magazine's "100 Sexiest Movie Stars".[118] BothGQ andInStyle had Alba on their June 2008 covers.[119][120] She appeared in the 2009Campari calendar, which featured photos of her posing; Campari printed 9,999 copies of the calendar.[121][122] In 2011, she was named one of the "100 Hottest Women of All-Time" byMen's Health,[123] and in 2012People named her one of the year's "Most Beautiful at Every Age".[124]
In 2010, reports surfaced that a 21-year-old Chinese girl was seeking plastic surgery to resemble Alba to win back an ex-boyfriend; the star spoke out against the perceived need to change one's appearance for love.[125]
I think some ambitious girls will do anything to be famous, and they think men in this business are used to women doing that. Contrary to how people may feel, I've never used my sexuality. That's not part of it for me. When I'm in a meeting, I want to tell you why I'm an asset, how I'm a commodity, how I can put asses in the seats, not, "There's a chance you're going to be able to fuck me." That's never been my deal.
— Alba on not using her sex appeal to reach her goals in her acting career, 2008[126]
Alba has commented on her fears of being typecast as asex kitten based on the bulk of parts offered to her. In an interview, Alba said she wanted to be taken seriously as an actress but believed she needed to do movies that she would otherwise not be interested in to build her career, stating that eventually she hoped to be more selective in her film projects.[127][128]
Alba has been quoted as saying she will not do nudity for a role.[129] She was given the option to appear nude inSin City by the film's directors,Frank Miller andRobert Rodriguez, but declined the offer, saying, "I don't do nudity. I just don't. Maybe that makes me a bad actress. Maybe I won't get hired in some things. But I have too much anxiety".[130] She remarked of aGQ shoot in which she was scantily clad, "They didn't want me to wear the granny panties, but I said, 'If I'm gonna be topless I need to wear granny panties."[131]
Alba was raised a Catholic throughout her teenage years.[132][133] After a four-year stint as a born-again Christian, she backed away from religion because she felt she was being judged for her appearance, explaining, "Older men would hit on me, and my youth pastor said it was because I was wearing provocative clothing, when I wasn't. It just made me feel like if I was in any way desirable to the opposite sex, that it was my fault, and it made me ashamed of my body and being a woman."[134]
Alba also had objections to the church's condemnations of premarital sex and homosexuality, and what she saw as a lack of strong female role models in the Bible, explaining: "I thought it was a nice guide, but it certainly wasn't how I was going to live my life."[130] Her "religious devotion [began] to wane" at age 15 when she guest-starred as a teenager withgonorrhea in the throat in a 1996 episode of the television seriesChicago Hope. Her friends at church reacted negatively to her role, making her lose faith in the Church.[8] However, she has stated that she still holds a belief in God.[135]
While filmingDark Angel in January 2000, Alba began a three-year relationship with her co-starMichael Weatherly. Weatherly proposed to Alba on her 20th birthday, which she accepted.[41] In August 2003, they announced that they had ended their relationship.[14] In July 2007, Alba spoke out about the breakup, saying, "I don't know [why I got engaged]. I was a virgin. He was 12 years older than me. I thought he knew better. My parents weren't happy. They're really religious. They believe God wouldn't allow the Bible to be written if it weren't what they are supposed to believe. I'm completely different."[136]
Alba met Cash Warren, son of actorMichael Warren, while filmingFantastic Four in 2004.[137][138] They were married in Los Angeles in May 2008.[139][140] They have three children: daughters Honor Marie, born in June 2008,[141] and Haven Garner born in August 2011,[142] and a son, Hayes, born in December 2017.[143] The first pictures of her eldest daughter, which appeared in the July 2008 issue ofOK! magazine, reportedly earned Alba US$1.5 million.[144] On January 16, 2025, Alba announced that they had separated followed by filing for divorce the next month.[145][146]
^LaSalle, Mick (July 8, 2005)."Fantastic Four Movie Review".The San Francisco Chronicle.Archived from the original on October 10, 2008. RetrievedMay 16, 2008.
^Bradshaw, Peter (July 22, 2005)."Fantastic Four".The Guardian.Archived from the original on November 26, 2018. RetrievedNovember 25, 2018 – via www.theguardian.com.
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