Born in Washington, DC, but raised in New Canaan, Connecticut, Katherine Heigl began her career at the age of nine as a child model. It wasn’t long before she graduated to commercial work, which opened the door to auditions for film roles. By age 12 she made her feature debut in "That Night," starring Juliette Lewis and C. Thomas Howell.

In 1993 Heigl appeared in Steven Soderbergh’s critically acclaimed depression-era drama, "King of the Hill." The following year she landed her first leading role as a rebellious teenager, starring opposite Gerard Depardieu in Touchstone Pictures’ "My Father the Hero." She ventured into the world of action films when she starred opposite Steven Segal in "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory" in 1995.

Upon graduating high school in 1997, Heigl and her mother moved to Malibu, California, which enabled her to pursue her blossoming acting career more vigorously. She portrayed Rita Hayworth’s stand-in in the feature film, "Stand-ins," portrayed the Princess Ilene in a European production of "Prince Valiant," starred in the comedy "Wish Upon a Star," and co-starred opposite Peter Fonda in an updated television version of "The Tempest." She also starred in two horror films, "Bug Buster" and "The Bride of Chucky," with Jennifer Tilly.

In 1999 Heigl landed a starring role in the sci-fi drama series, "Roswell." During the three years of that series, she continued to work in feature films, among them "100 Girls" and "Valentine," a horror film which starred David Boreanaz and Denise Richards.

Other television credits include the television movie "Romy and Michele: Behind the Velvet Rope," "Vegas Dick," the MTV movie "Wuthering Heights," the Hallmark Channel’s "Love Comes Softly," "Evil Never Dies" for TBS, and "Love’s Enduring Promise." She also co-stars with Johnny Knoxville in the upcoming Farrelly Brothers comedy, "The Ringer."

HOMETOWN: New Canaan, CT

BIRTHDATE: November 24