Elizabeth Banks 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 . 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.
Career
Banks is known for her roles in Seabiscuit, Heights, the Spider-Man films , 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. . 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.
Filmography
Surrender Dorothy as Vicki
Third Watch TV-Series as Elaine Elchisak
Sex & the City TV-Series as Catherine
Shaft as Trey's Friend
Wet Hot American Summer as Lindsay
Ordinary Sinner as Rachel
Law & Order: SVU TV-Series as Jaina Jenson
Spider-Man as Betty Brant
Swept Away as Debi
Without a Trace TV-Series as Clarissa
Catch Me if You Can as Lucy Forrest
The Trade as Sioux Sever
Seabiscuit as Marcela Howard
Spider-Man 2 as Miss Brant
Heights as Isabel
Sexual Life as Sarah
Stella TV-Series as Tamara
The Baxter as Caroline Swan
The 40-Year-Old Virgin as Beth
Daltry Calhoun as May
Slither as Starla Grant
The Sisters as Nancy Pecket
Scrubs TV-Series as Dr
