Award-winning American actress Keri Russell was born in Fountain Valley, California on March 23, 1976. She started her career as a member of the New Mickey Mouse Club on Disney Channel, appearing with future stars such as Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Ryan Gosling. During her stint, from 1991 to 1993, she made her film debut alongside Rick Moranis in Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, as the babysitter who’s being watched by an enlarged baby, Mandy. She also earned a roles in the sitcom Boy Meets World and the short-lived soap Malibu Shores.
Russell’s big break came in 1998, when she was cast as the lead in the television drama Felicity. Her character—Felicity Porter, whose rash decision to follow her high school crush to New York became a way for her to discover herself—became a hit with audiences and critics, and she earned a Golden Globe award for her performance in 1999. During the show’s four-year run, she appeared in films such as Eight Days a Week, The Curve, Mad About Mambo and We Were Soldiers.
After Felicity ended its run, Russell took a break from acting, moving to New York City to spend time with friends. She nevertheless appeared on an off-Broadway play Fat Pig alongside Jeremy Piven and Andrew McCarthy. She made her return to acting in 2005, in the television movie The Magic of Ordinary Days, and later in the film The Upside of Anger, alongside Kevin Costner and Joan Allen. After refusing a role on Alias, she appeared on the 2005 action flick Mission: Impossible III.
Russell’s recent acting credits include those in Waitress, The Girl in the Park and August Rush, and a guest appearance in Scrubs. She is set to provide the voice of Wonder Woman in a direct-to-DVD animated film about the comic book heroine.