Canadian actress Elisha Cuthbert was born on November 30, 1982 in Calgary, Alberta. She began her career as a model, appearing in campaigns for various lines of children’s clothing. She then made her television debut in Are You Afraid of the Dark, first appearing as an extra and later becoming a series regular. She also hosted the science show Popular Mechanics for Kids, which was shot in Montreal. In 1997, she made her film debut, appearing in the family drama Dancing on the Moon alongside Nathalie Vansier and Michael Yarmush.
After graduating from Centennial Regional High School in Longueuil, Quebec, Cuthbert moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. She then snagged a major role in the action series 24. She played the role of Kim Bauer, the daughter of lead character Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), who is sometimes used as a pawn to get the Counter Terrorist Unit, which her father is part of, rattled. Later in the series, she pursues a career at the CTU, but leaves after being unable to deal with the dangers in her life.
Her role in 24 catapulted Cuthbert to wide recognition. She began taking small roles in Hollywood films such as Old School and Love Actually, before taking on her first lead role, as ex-porn star Danielle, in the 2004 release The Girl Next Door. She then starred in the horror flick House of Wax, where her performance was applauded in contrast with her co-stars Paris Hilton and Chad Michael Murray.
Cuthbert’s more recent film roles are more dramatic in nature, perhaps with the exception of the female lead in the 2008 romantic comedy My Sassy Girl. For one, she played a 17-year-old sexually abused cheerleader in the independent film The Quiet. She also starred in the thriller Captivity, where she played a fashion model who is imprisoned by a psychopath.
