Rachael Leigh Cook

Rachael Leigh Cook (born October 4, 1979) is an American actress, model and producer. She has starred in the films The Baby-Sitters Club (1995), She's All That (1999), and Josie and the Pussycats (2001), and in the television series Into the West and Perception. She is also the voice behind various characters in Robot Chicken and Tifa Lockhart in the Final Fantasy series, starting with the English version of the film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

Rachael Leigh Cook
Cook at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2019
Born	(1979-10-04) October 4, 1979 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Education	Minneapolis South High School
Occupation	Actress, model, producer
Years active	1995–present
Spouse(s)	Daniel Gillies ​ ( m. 2004; sep.  2019)
Children	2

Early life

Rachael Leigh Cook was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the daughter of JoAnn, a cooking instructor and weaver, and Thomas H. Cook, a social worker and former stand-up comedian.[1] She is of part Italian descent. Cook first appeared in a public service announcement for foster care at seven years of age, and began working as a child print model at the age of 10, most notably in nationwide advertisements for Target and appearing on the boxes of Milk-Bone dog biscuits. She attended Clara Barton Open School, Laurel Springs School, and Minneapolis South High School.

Career

Acting and modeling

Cook began auditioning for acting work at the age of 14.[1] She made her debut as an actress in the 1995 film The Baby-Sitters Club. She also played a role in the adventure film Tom and Huck released in December of 1995. In 1996, her modeling agency sent her to star in a short film, 26 Summer Street. In 1997, Cook appeared in a leading role in the film Country Justice as a 15-year-old rape victim who is impregnated by her rapist.

In 1999, Cook starred in her breakout role in the sleeper hit film She's All That,[2] a romantic comedy that so far is the most financially successful film of her career. In 2000 she starred opposite Elijah Wood in the well-received The Bumblebee Flies Anyway. She took the lead role in 2001's Josie and the Pussycats, which turned out to be a box office failure, although it has since become a cult classic.

In 2000, she was the cover girl for the U.S. issue of FHM, the March/April issue. She also starred in the music video for New Found Glory's 2000 single "Dressed to Kill" and singer Daniel Powter's "Love You Lately". In 2002, she was ranked No. 26 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World". In 2003, she starred in the film 11:14 as Cheri. She also appeared as a main cast member in the 2005 television miniseries Into the West produced by Steven Spielberg.

In 2007 Cook was seen in the big screen adaptation of Nancy Drew. She played the female lead in the independent sports drama The Final Season. She has appeared in numerous episodes of the Seth Green comedies Titan Maximum and Robot Chicken. In 2008, she guest-starred in an episode of the USA Network series Psych as Abigail Lytar. She reprised the role in the following season.

In February 2010, Cook signed on to play the female lead role in Fox TV's comedy pilot Nirvana.[3] She had a role in the Western horror film Vampire, the English-language feature debut of Japanese director Iwai Shunji.[4] In 2012, Cook signed on to play the female lead role in the TNT crime drama series Perception opposite Eric McCormack. She starred in the independent film Broken Kingdom, which was directed by her husband Daniel Gillies. She also appeared in a Funny or Die sketch with Chad Michael Murray.[5][6][5]

Cook starred in the Hallmark Channel original film Summer Love in 2016.[7] In the same year, she starred in another Hallmark film, Autumn In the Vineyard, followed by its sequel Summer in the Vineyard in 2017.[8] 2017 also saw Cook develop, star and executive produce the Hallmark Channel film Frozen in Love, which was broadcast in January 2018 as part of the channel's 'Winterfest' season of programming.[9][10]

Cook owns her own production company, Ben's Sister Productions (in reference to her younger brother Ben Cook, an aspiring filmmaker).

Cook provided the voice for Chelsea Cunningham on the Kids' WB animated series Batman Beyond and in the animated film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. Cook voiced Tifa Lockhart in the video games Kingdom Hearts II, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, as well as the CG movie Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. In 2011, she voiced the character of Jaesa Willsaam in the MMO game, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Cook's latest voice-over role is for the video game Yakuza in which she voices the role of Reina. In 2020 Cook appeared in the fifteenth season of Criminal Minds playing the role of Max in the final episodes of the series.

Public service

Cook first gained national attention in 1997, when she was featured in the famous This Is Your Brain on Drugs PSA television advertisement, in which she proceeds to destroy a kitchen with a frying pan.

In 2011, she was selected by the Obama administration as a Champion of Change for Arts Education.[11]

In June 2012, she began to award a small scholarship to students between ages 14 and 19. The scholarship helps pay for career classes, mentoring programs, and other school fees.[1]

In 2017, Rachael Leigh Cook reprised her "This Is Your Brain on Drugs" role twenty years later for a PSA by the Drug Policy Alliance critiquing the War on Drugs and its contribution to mass incarceration, structural racism and poverty. The ad was posted to YouTube on April 20, 2017 in recognition of 4/20.[12]

Personal life

Cook married actor Daniel Gillies in August 2004,[13] whom she dated since 2001.[14] They have two children: a daughter born September 2013,[15] and a son born April 2015.[16] The couple announced their separation in June 2019.[17]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	The Baby-Sitters Club	Mary Anne Spier
1995	Tom and Huck	Becky Thatcher
1996	26 Summer Street	The Girl	Short film
1996	Carpool	Kayla
1997	The House of Yes	Young 'Jackie-O'
1997	The Eighteenth Angel	Lucy Stanton
1998	All I Wanna Do	Abigail 'Abby' Sawyer
1998	The Naked Man	Dolores
1998	Living Out Loud	Teenage Judith Moore
1999	The Hi-Line	Vera Johnson
1999	She's All That	Laney Boggs
1999	The Bumblebee Flies Anyway	Cassie
2000	Sally	Beth
2000	Get Carter	Doreen Carter
2000	Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker	Chelsea Cunningham	Voice role; direct-to-video film
2001	Antitrust	Lisa Calighan
2001	Blow Dry	Christina Robertson
2001	Texas Rangers	Caroline Dukes
2001	Josie and the Pussycats	Josie McCoy
2001	Tangled	Jenny Kelley
2002	29 Palms	The Waitress
2003	Bookies	Hunter
2003	Scorched	Shmally
2003	The Big Empty	Ruthie
2003	11:14	Cheri
2003	Tempo	Jenny Travile
2004	Stateside	Dori Lawrence
2004	American Crime	Jesse St. Claire	Direct-to-video film
2005	Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children	Tifa Lockhart	Voice role
2006	My First Wedding	Vanessa	Direct-to-video film
2007	Descent	Allison	Direct-to-video film
2007	All Hat	Chrissie Nugent	Direct-to-video film
2007	Nancy Drew	Jane Brighton
2007	Matters of Life and Death	Emily Jennings	Short film
2007	The Final Season	Polly Hudson
2007	Blonde Ambition	Haley
2008	Fairy Tale Police	Officer Duffy	Short film
2009	The Lodger	Amanda Manning	Direct-to-video film
2009	Bob Funk	Ms. Thorne	Direct-to-video film
2009	Falling Up	Caitlin O'Shea	Direct-to-video film
2011	Vampire	Laura King	Direct-to-video film
2011	The Family Tree	Rachel Levy	Direct-to-video film
2012	Broken Kingdom	Marilyn	Direct-to-video film
2012	First Kiss	Samantha	Short film
2014	Red Sky	Karen Brooks	Direct-to-video film
2017	A Midsummer Night's Dream	Hermia	[18][19]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	Country Justice	Emma Baker	Television film
1997	True Women	Young Georgia Lawshe	Television miniseries
1997	The Defenders: Payback	Tracey Lane	Television film
1998	The Outer Limits	Cassie Boussard	Episode: "Glyphic"
1999	Dawson's Creek	Devon	3 episodes
2000	Batman Beyond	Chelsea Cunningham	Voice role; 2 episodes
2004	Fearless	Gaia Moore	Unsold television pilot
2005	Into the West	Clara Wheeler	Television miniseries
2005	Las Vegas	Penny Posin	Recurring role
2006–2019	Robot Chicken	various	Recurring voice role
2008	Ghost Whisperer	Grace Adams	Episode: "Big Chills"
2008–2010	Psych	Abigail Lytar	Recurring role
2009	Titan Maximum	Lt. Jodi Yanarella	Main voice role
2010	Nevermind Nirvana	Elizabeth	Television film
2011	Stealing Paradise	Amanda Collier	Television film
2012	Left to Die	Tammi Chase	Television film
2012–2015	Perception	Kate Moretti	Main role
2013	Team Unicorn	Rachael Leigh Cook	Episode: "The UniCorps Wants You!"
2014	A Christmas Tail	N/A	Television film
2016	Summer Love	Maya Sulliway	Television film (Hallmark)
2016	Autumn in the Vineyard	Frankie Baldwin	Television film (Hallmark)
2017	Summer in the Vineyard	Frankie Baldwin	Television film (Hallmark)
2018	Frozen in Love	Mary Campbell	Television film (Hallmark)
2019	Valentine in the Vineyard	Frankie Baldwin	Television film (Hallmark)
2019	A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas	Willow Petersen	Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
2019	Liza on Demand	Rachael Leigh Cook	Episodes: "New Year's Eve: Parts 1 & 2"
2020	Criminal Minds	Max	Episodes: "Saturday", "Date Night"

Music videos

Year	Title	Artist
1999	"Kiss Me"	Sixpence None The Richer
2001	"Dressed to Kill"	New Found Glory
2006	"Love You Lately"	Daniel Powter
2017	"Young Dumb & Broke"	Khalid

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2005	Yakuza	Reina
2005	Kingdom Hearts II	Tifa Lockhart
2006	Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII	Tifa Lockhart
2007	Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+	Tifa Lockhart
2011	Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy	Tifa Lockhart
2011	Star Wars: The Old Republic	Jaesa Willsaam
2013	Star Wars: The Old Republic - Rise of the Hutt Cartel	Jaesa Willsaam
2014	Star Wars: The Old Republic - Shadow of Revan	Jaesa Willsaam
2016	Final Fantasy Explorers	Tifa Lockhart	Archive audio
2016	World of Final Fantasy	Tifa Lockhart
2018	Mobius Final Fantasy	Tifa Lockhart	Archive audio
2019	Dissidia Final Fantasy NT	Tifa Lockhart

Awards and nominations

Year	Work	Award	Category	Result
1997	Tom and Huck	YoungStar Award	Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy Film	Nominated
1999	She's All That	YoungStar Awards	Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy Film	Won
		MTV Movie Awards	Best Breakthrough Female Performance	Nominated
			Best On-Screen Duo (Shared with: Freddie Prinze Jr.)	Nominated
		Teen Choice Awards	Film – Sexiest Love Scene (Shared with: Freddie Prinze Jr.)	Won
	Dawson's Creek	Teen Choice Awards	TV – Breakout Performance	Nominated
2000	The Hi-Line	Santa Monica Film Festival	Best Actress	Won
	She's All That	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Movie Couple (Shared with: Freddie Prinze Jr.)	Won
		Blockbuster Entertainment Awards	Favorite Actress – Newcomer (Internet Only)	Won
	Sally	New York International Independent Film & Video Festival	Best Actress	Won
2001	Herself	Young Hollywood Awards	Superstar of Tomorrow – Female	Won
	Josie and the Pussycats	Teen Choice Awards	Film – Choice Actress	Nominated
2006	Into the West	Western Heritage Awards	Television Feature Film (Shared with cast)	Won

References

1. Stanton, Barry W. (March 2, 2016). "What Happened To Rachael Leigh Cook". The Gazette Review. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
2. Stern, Marlow (January 29, 2014). "'She's All That' 15th Anniversary: Cast and Crew Reminisce About the Making of the '90s Classic". The Daily Beast. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
3. "Rachael Leigh Cook Lands Lead in Fox's Nirvana". TV Guide.
4. "Western Actors to Meet Eastern Filmmaking Sensibilities in Vampire". Dread Central.
5. "First Kiss with Rachael Leigh Cook & Chad Michael Murray". funnyordie.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
6. Funny Or Die (September 26, 2012). "First Kiss with Rachael Leigh Cook & Chad Michael Murray". Retrieved August 13, 2017 – via YouTube.
7. Maloni, Joshua (August 11, 2016). "'She's (still) All That': Rachael Leigh Cook stars in new Hallmark Channel movie, 'Summer Love'". Niagara Frontier Publications. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
8. NBC New York (August 10, 2017). "Rachael Leigh Cook on "Summer in the Vineyard"". "NBC". Retrieved January 12, 2018.
9. "Heart of the Mountain & Frozen in Love from Hallamrk's Winterfest start filming". What's Filming?. November 21, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
10. Hill, Ruth (November 6, 2017). "Interview with Rick Garman". "My Devotional Thoughts". Retrieved December 18, 2017.
11. "Champions of Change: Arts Education". WhiteHouse.gov. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
12. "Watch Rachael Leigh Cook Remake 'Brain on Drugs' Ad for 4/20". Rolling Stone.
13. "Baby on the Way for Rachael Leigh Cook and Daniel Gillies". People. May 8, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
14. "Rachael Leigh Cook: I'm Happy We Waited to Have a Baby". People. June 25, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
15. Webber, Stephanie (September 29, 2013). "Rachael Leigh Cook, Husband Daniel Gillies Welcome Baby Girl". Us Weekly. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
16. Toomey, Alyssa (April 8, 2015). "Rachael Leigh Cook Gives Birth to Her Second Child With Husband Daniel Gillies: Find Out His Name!". E! News. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
17. "Rachael Leigh Cook and Daniel Gillies Announce Split After Nearly 15 Years of Marriage". People. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
18. "'Midsummer Night's Dream' Movie Stars Rachael Leigh Cook, Paz De La Huerta". Variety. April 23, 2016.
19. "'A Midsummer Night's Dream': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. June 17, 2017.

External links

• Rachael Leigh Cook on Twitter
• Rachael Leigh Cook on IMDb
• Rachael Leigh Cook at AllMovie
• Rachael Leigh Cook at the TCM Movie Database