Erika Christensen began acting in television commercials, and later booked minor roles in television shows such as 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Geena Davis and the short-lived Thanks. Her breakout role came in 2000, when she starred as the drug user Caroline Wakefield in the acclaimed Stephen Soderbergh film Traffic; she also starred in the 2002 thriller Swimfan.
Christensen joined the ABC series Six Degrees in 2006, as the mysterious nanny Mae Anderson; the series suffered in the ratings and was cancelled after one season. She currently stars in the NBC series Parenthood, as overachieving Julia Braverman.
- She was home-schooled by her parents.
- Screen Actors Guild Award, Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture, 2001 (for Traffic)
- MTV Movie Awards, Breakthrough Female Performance, 2001 (for Traffic)
- Young Hollywood Award, Standout Performance (Female), 2001 (for Traffic)
FILM:
- Leave It to Beaver (1997)
- Traffic (2000)
- Home Room (2002)
- Swimfan (2002)
- The Banger Sisters (2002)
- The Perfect Score (2004)
- Riding the Bullet (2004)
- The Upside of Anger (2004)
- The Sisters (2005)
- Flightplan (2005)
- Gardener of Eden (2007)
- How to Rob a Bank (2007)
- Struck (2008)
- Mercy (2009)
- Veronika Decides to Die (2009)
- The Tortured (2010)
TELEVISION:
- Thanks (regular, 1999)
- The Geena Davis Show (recurring, 2001)
- Six Degrees (regular, 2006-2007)
- Parenthood (regular, 2010-present)