Born on August 19, 1982 in Seattle, Washington, Erika Christensen is an actress best known for her appearances in a string of movies such as Traffic in 2000, Swimfan in 2002, and The Perfect Score in 2004, plus the ABC drama Six Degrees. The daughter of a construction manager and an insurance executive, Christensen has older half-brother and two younger twin brothers. Of primarily Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Welsh and Irish ancestry, she grew up in Los Angeles, California, and started out on commercials for McDonald’s. She was raised to be a Scientologist and was home-schooled.
Before venturing into her movie career, Christensen first secured roles on a string of television programs, such as The Geena Davis Show, Frasier, The Practice, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Touched by an Angel. In fact, her career was so promising she was named one of People magazine’s Breakthrough Stars of 2001. Her role in Traffic earned her the Female Breakthrough Performance award at the MTV Movie Awards. She was also included in the cast that won the Outstanding Performance by a Cast Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2005, she ventured into music, when she recorded a cover of Let’s Fall in Love with American Idol alum John Stevens for the latter’s debut album.
The following year, Christensen starred in the series Six Degrees in 2006, playing the role of Mae, a free spirit trying to find her way in the big city. Although the show was well-received by the critics, its low ratings had ABC canceling it after a couple of seasons. Christensen also made a cameo on the video for Ringside’s song called “Tired of Being Sorry” directed by Joaquin Phoenix. Her other screen credits include the television movie Wuthering Heights, The Upside of Anger, The Sisters, and the series The Save-Ums.