Jennifer Marie Morrison (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress, model and film producer. She is best known for her role as Dr. Allison Cameron in House.Early life:
Morrison was born in Chicago and raised in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Her father, David L. Morrison, was a music teacher who was named Teacher of the Year by the Illinois State Board of Education in 2003. Morrison's mother, Judy Morrison, was also a teacher. Both have since retired. Morrison has two younger siblings, Julie and Daniel Morrison.
Education:Morrison graduated from Prospect High School in 1997 where her parents also worked. During her time there, she played clarinet in the school's marching band, sang in the choir and did cheerleading with the school's pep squad.
After high school, she attended Loyola University Chicago where she majored in Theatre and minored in English before graduating in 2000. She studied with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television.
Career:Morrison started her career as a child model, appearing in print advertisements for JCPenney and Montgomery Ward and commercials for Rice Krispies and Mondo. At the age of ten, she was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for Kids with basketball star Michael Jordan.
She made her film debut at the age of fifteen as the daughter of Richard Gere and Sharon Stone in the 1994 film, Intersection, and later appeared as Samantha in Stir of Echoes with Kevin Bacon in 1999. Her first leading role came in the 2000 film Urban Legends: Final Cut, and she has since gone on to appear in films including Grind with Adam Brody, Surviving Christmas with Ben Affleck and James Gandolfini and Mr. & Mrs. Smith with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in 2003, 2004 and 2005, respectively.
On television, she has worked on several hit shows including Touched by an Angel and Dawson's Creek before landing the role of immunologist Dr. Allison Cameron on House in 2004 co-starring alongside Hugh Laurie. In 2006, she starred in and produced the independent film Flourish.
In 2007, Morrison appeared as Kirce James in the video game Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, a character who frequently interacts with the player during the course of the GDI campaign.
She was also selected by TV Guide for its Top 10 of TV's Sexiest Stars for its 2007 Sexy Issue. Her House co-star, Omar Epps, wrote a testimonial for her which said, "She exudes a lightness and has a beautiful soul... Whenever she laughs, everyone laughs."Her film projects that year included Big Stan alongside Rob Schneider and The Murder of Princess Diana, a television movie based on the book of the same name by Noel Botham. Produced by Lifetime and Working Title Television, Morrison portrays an American journalist, Rachel, who witnesses the car crash which took the life of Diana, Princess of Wales.
In 2009, Morrison returned to the big screen, appearing in the opening scene of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot as James T. Kirk's mother, Winona.
Morrison has also appeared in music videos for Nick Lachey ("Shut Up"), The Donnas ("Too Bad About Your Girl"). She has also appeared on two TV Guide covers with her House co-stars, and has been featured in photoshoots with In Style, Stuff, Entertainment Weekly and Premiere among others. She is currently represented by Abrams Artists Agency. Morrison landed the cover of Health in the 2009 July/August issue.
After her contract on House was not renewed, it was announced on December 17, 2009 that Morrison had garnered the role of Kate Keller, Helen Keller's mother, in the Broadway-bound revival of The Miracle Worker (play).
Personal life:In January 2007, People magazine reported that Morrison had become engaged to her House co-star Jesse Spencer in Paris over the holidays. In a post-Golden Globes interview with E!, Morrison revealed that Spencer proposed on December 23, 2006, at the Eiffel Tower. According to an interview with Spencer and Morrison in In Style Weddings in July 2007, the couple met for the first time at Vancouver International Airport in March 2004 when they were on their way to shoot the pilot episode of House before they started dating in July 2004. However, in August 2007, the couple announced that they had called off their engagement.
