Elizabeth Banks

Infobox actor

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imagesize =
caption = Elizabeth Banks at the Spider-Man 3 premiere in 2007.
birthname = Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell
birthdate = birth date and age|1974|2|10
birthplace = Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
deathdate =
deathplace =
othername =
occupation = Film actress
yearsactive = 1998–present
spouse = Max Handelman (5 July 2003 – present)
homepage =
academyawards =
emmyawards =
tonyawards =

Elizabeth Banks (born February 10, 1974) is an American actress.

Biography

Personal life

Banks was born Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. As a young child, she was a contestant on the Nickelodeon game show "Finders Keepers". She graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1992 and is a "magna cum laude" graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (1996). In 1998 she completed schooling at the American Conservatory Theater. In 2003, Banks married Max Handelman, who had been her boyfriend since college. She converted to Judaism upon marrying him.cite web | last =Bloom| first =Nate| authorlink =| coauthors =| title=Jews on the Big Screen| publisher =JVibe| date =2004| url =http://www.jvibe.com/popculture/jews_big_screen.shtml| format =| accessdate =2006-12-13 ]

Career

Banks is known for her roles in "Seabiscuit", "Heights", the "Spider-Man" films (playing the part of Betty Brant), and the cult comedy "Wet Hot American Summer". She quickly gained widespread exposure through movies like "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Slither." She also plays Mark Wahlberg's love interest in the Disney movie, "Invincible".

In May 2006, she appeared in the season five finale of the NBC comedy-drama "Scrubs" as Dr. Kim Briggs, the love interest of J.D. (Zach Braff). The character has appeared throughout season six and seven as a recurring guest star.

In 2005, she also appeared on the show "Stella", as she is a long time friend of its creators/stars, the Stella comedy troupe. In 2007, Banks played the female lead in the comedy " Meet Bill", alongside Aaron Eckhart and Jessica Alba. Banks also has a small role in the 2007 Christmas comedy film "Fred Claus", co-starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti, and played a love interest in the 2008 comedy "Definitely, Maybe".

Banks stars with Seth Rogen as the eponymous female lead in the Kevin Smith comedy, "Zack and Miri Make a Porno", which is scheduled to be released in October 2008. She is filming the thriller "The Uninvited", and also filming as United States First Lady Laura Bush in Oliver Stone's biopic on the life of President George W. Bush, "W", scheduled for 2009 and 2008 releases respectively. [ [http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=43380 Elizabeth Banks is Oliver Stone's Laura Bush] ]

Filmography

* "Surrender Dorothy" (1998) as Vicki
* "Third Watch" (1999) TV-Series as Elaine Elchisak (1 episode 1999)
* "Sex & the City" (2000) TV-Series as Catherine (1 episode 2000)
* "Shaft" (2000) as Trey's Friend
* "Wet Hot American Summer" (2001) as Lindsay
* "Ordinary Sinner" (2001) as Rachel
* "" (2001)TV-Series as Jaina Jenson (1 episode 2001)
* "Spider-Man" (2002) as Betty Brant
* "Swept Away" (2002) as Debi
* "Without a Trace" (2002) TV-Series as Clarissa (1 episode 2002)
* "Catch Me if You Can" (2002) as Lucy Forrest
* "The Trade" (2003) as Sioux Sever
* "Seabiscuit" (2003) as Marcela Howard
* "Spider-Man 2" (2004) as Betty Brant
* "Heights" (2005) as Isabel
* "Sexual Life" (2005) as Sarah
* "Stella" (2005) TV-Series as Tamara (1 episode 2005)
* "The Baxter" (2005) as Caroline Swan
* "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" (2005) as Beth
* "Daltry Calhoun" (2005) as May
* "Slither" (2006) as Starla Grant
* "The Sisters" (2006) as Nancy Pecket
* "Scrubs" (2006) TV-Series as Dr. Kim Briggs (13 episodes 2006-2007)
* "Invincible" (2006) as Janet Cantrell
* "Spider-Man 3" (2007) as Betty Brant
* "Wainy Days" (2007)TV-Series as Shelly (2 episodes 2007)
* "Fred Claus" (2007) as Charlene
* "Comanche Moon" (2008) TV-mini-series as Maggie
* "Definitely, Maybe" (2008) as Emily (Sarah)
* "Meet Bill" (2008) as Jess
* "Meet Dave" (2008) as Gina Morrison

Upcoming

* "Role Models" (2008) as TBA (awaiting release)
* "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" (2008) as Miri (awaiting release)
* "W." (2008) as Laura Bush (post-production) [ [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ifa172cb36428eaac1750e6f3f24c37d1 Elizabeth Banks cast as Laura Bush - The Hollywood Reporter] ]
* "The Uninvited" (2009) as Rachael (awaiting release) [ [http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070611/film_nm/banks_dc;_ylt=Ajk_.NrE5PjJoY.gANvY3qYwFxkF Elizabeth Banks gets evil for "Sisters" horror - Yahoo.com] ]
* "Lovely, Still" (2009) as Alex (post-production)

Television

* "Sex and the City"
* "Third Watch"
* "All My Children"
* "Scrubs" (13 episodes over 3 seasons)
** “My Urologist”
** “My Transition”
** “My Mirror Image”
** “My Best Friend's Baby's Baby and My Baby's Baby”
** “My Coffee”
** “My House”
** “My Friend With Money”
** “My Road to Nowhere”
** “My Conventional Wisdom”
** “My Rabbit”
** “My Point of No Return”
** “My Own Worst Enemy”
** “My Hard Labor”
* "
* "Stella"
* "American Dad
** “The Vacation Goo”

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0006969|name=Elizabeth Banks
*amg name|2:292126
* [http://www.askmen.com/women/actress_300/344_elizabeth_banks.html AskMen feature on Banks]
* [http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/story.html?id=91439df6-aec6-44c9-ba4e-14508379e508&k=57347 Interview on Canada.Com by Maurie Sherman]

Persondata
NAME= Banks, Elizabeth
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Mitchell, Elizabeth Maresal
SHORT DESCRIPTION=American actress
DATE OF BIRTH= 1974-2-10
PLACE OF BIRTH= Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=