American actress Rachel Bilson was born August 25, 1981 in Los Angeles, CA. At the age of seventeen, Bilson took her father's advice to pursue a career in acting, and soon landed a few commercials. Her father, Danny, was a writer, producer and director who encouraged his daughter in her endeavors. In 1996, the actress graduated from Walter Reed Middle School, soon enrolling in Notre Dame High School. While there, she appeared in productions of Bye Bye Birdie, Once Upon a Matress and The Crucible. She has also acted alongside Katharine McPhee on stage while in high-school. Bilson dropped out of Grossmont College in San Diego after a year, in order to take on a professional acting career. She was seen on TV ads for the Subway restaurants, Raisin Bran and Pepto-Bismol.
In 2003, Rachel Bilson made her acting debut appearing in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well as in 8 Simple Rules…for Dating My Teenage Daughter. That year, she landed a part in the short film titled Unbroken. Her next project became her best-known role, playing Summer Roberts on the FOX series The O.C. Her character was originally a supporting one, but because of the success of the show, Bilson became a regular member of the cast. The popularity of the show enabled Bilson to gain fame amongst teenage audiences, even garnering numerous accolades at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards. Maxim magazine also named her in their annual “Hot 100 List” twice, and she has also been mentioned as one of People magazine's “100 Most Beautiful People.” Bilson continued to rise in prominence, especially when she landed her first film role in The Last Kiss. It opened in 2006, and she acted alongside Zach Braff and Jacinda Barrett. Her preference for film roles led her to another movie, as she was cast in Jumper starring Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell, Diane Lane and Samuel L. Jackson. Bilson was also given a part on two episodes of the series Chuck, and has signed on to play Molly in the romance flick New York, I Love You with Shia LeBeouf and Blake Lively.