Actress Shannon Elizabeth was born September 7, 1973 in Houston Texas but was raised in Waco, Texas. She was exposed to the performing arts during her younger days. As a child, she took dance lessons in tap and ballet. During high school, her interests were mostly in sports. She played tennis and volleyball, and also got herself involved in cheerleading. Elizabeth was voted as treasurer for her school's student council.
It was only during her senior year in high school that she started taking modeling jobs. She has traveled to New York, Japan, Milan and Hong Kong just to pose for photographers and to do the catwalks. She worked with both Ford Modeling and Elite Agency.
Eventually, Elizabeth discovered her passion for acting. She made her big screen debut in Jack Frost in 1996. Other projects shortly followed including Scary Movie, Tomcats, Johnson Family Vacation, Cursed, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Love Actually. She is most famous for her role as Nadia in the comedy films American Pie 1 & 2. She also guest starred on several TV series including That ‘70s Show,
Thank God You're Here , Just Shoot Me! and Step by Step. Elizabeth played Enrique Iglesias' love interest in the music video for the song “Be With You.” She was also featured in men's magazines such as Playboy and Maxim.
Elizabeth has a soft spot for pets. In fact, she and ex-husband Joseph Reitman founded Animal Avengers, an organization focused on rescuing and finding a shelter for stray animals. The organization also campaigns for reduction of pet overpopulation, promotes responsible pet guardianship and rallies against animal cruelty.
Elizabeth is also famous for being one of the leading poker players in the industry. She has cashed four times in the World Series of Poker. In 2007, she ended up in third place in NBC's National Heads Up Poker Championships.
Shannon Elizabeth is a celebrity contestant on season 6 of ABC's reality series Dancing with the Stars, a program which features the partnerships of celebrities and professional ballroom dancers as they compete in weekly elimination rounds until a winning duo is declared. She was paired with Derek Hough, and became the seventh to be eliminated on the competition.
(Photo courtesy of ABC)