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Emily Procter Profile |
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Birth Date: October 8, 1968
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Birth Place: Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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Birth Name: Emily Mallory Procter
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Height: 5'3"
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Biography |
Emily Procter was born on October 8th, 1968 in Raleigh,
North Carolina, to Bill Procter, a physician, and Barbara
Jones, a volunteer worker. Although the two divorced two
years after Emily's birth, they were both active in raising
their daughter.
Growing up, Emily dreamed of becoming an actress. This was
an odd choice for her since she was not allowed to watch
television during her early years. Nevertheless, she
performed well at Ravenscroft School in Raleigh.
Upon her high school graduation, she enrolled in East
Carolina University, Sandra Bullock's alma mater, where she
studied journalism and dance. What she wanted most was to
join the theater department, but it was full. The Alpha
Delta Pi sorority provided solace.
While attending college, Procter was able to secure a
position at the CBS affiliate WNCT in Greenville as a
weekend weather girl. One day, she actually fell asleep
between takes and the anchorman had to nudge her awake.
Since she knew this career wasn't for her, she tried her
hand at reporting but walking around crime scenes didn't
strike her as something she could do for the rest of her
life (at least not this early in her career). Consequently,
after receiving her B.F.A. in journalism and dance in 1991,
she moved to Los Angeles.
Actually, she had her sights set on New York but received a
phone call from another Raleigh native, actress Sharon
Lawrence. While Emily has no idea how she got her number,
Lawrence told her to save her time and money and move to
L.A. instead of New York. She took her advice.
Emily's parents paid for two years' worth of acting lessons
in L.A., since they considered the lessons the equivalent of
graduate school. She also took voice lessons to erase her
noticeable Southern drawl, but it was something she was
unable to do.
Because she had given herself two years to make it in
Tinseltown, she took every job available. She started out as
a TV and film extra and eventually graduated to meatier
roles after somebody on the set of Billy Crystal's Mr.
Saturday Night noticed her.
This led to her first speaking role in Tobey Maguire's
short-lived 1992 comedy, Great Scott. This opened doors for
her as she was cast in commercials for Pepsi, Budweiser and
Maxwell House. She also got guest-starring roles on TV shows
like Renegade, Friends and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures
of Superman.
As her stock rose, her work became more interesting.
Procter's roles were still small but she appeared in Leaving
Las Vegas (1995) with Nicolas Cage, Jerry Maguire (1996)
with Tom Cruise, and a Dukes of Hazzard TV reunion movie
(1997).
That same year, she bagged the lead female role in HBO's
Breast Men about the evolution of breast implants, which
called for her to appear topless. For the next few years,
Procter continued appearing in films such as Family Plan
(1998), Body Shots (1999) and Forever Fabulous (2000).
The big break that would fully thrust her into the spotlight
came in 2000, when she was disenchanted with acting and was
seriously considering becoming a decorator. It was then that
she got a call from NBC to audition for a part in The West
Wing, one of the network's powerhouse shows.
The show's creator and writer Aaron Sorkin liked her so much
that not only did he give her the role, but he tailored the
character, Ainsley Hayes, according to her own Southern
upbringings. Her character provided a zesty challenge for
the regular cast members.
Even though she absolutely loved this character and the work
it entailed, Emily left The West Wing in 2002, when she was
offered the chance to get a starring role on CBS' CSI:
Miami, a spin-off of the hugely popular CSI, which boosted
star Marg Helgenberger's career. Fortunately, the show is a
hit, having won the People's Choice Award for Favorite New
Drama in 2003.
Emily stars as Calleigh Duquesne, a ballistics specialist,
which incidentally has her once more wandering through crime
scenes, although they are now fake and don't bother her too
much. While she had to relocate to Miami for her career, she
returns to North Carolina every chance she gets. |
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Other
Information |
Her father, William, was a general practitioner. Her mother,
Barbara, was a volunteer. They divorced when Emily was 2.
She studied journalism and dance at East Carolina
University. Upon graduation she worked as the weather girl
at the Greenville CBS affiliate. She then moved to LA, where
her father paid for 2 years of acting lessons.
Does regular volunteer work at All Saints' Episcopal Church
soup kitchen in Beverly Hills.
Majored in journalism at University
Member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority at ECU
Is a model for Charriol.
She collects bugs as a hobby.
Although she plays a character with a very serious
personality on "CSI: Miami" (2002), says that she is a very
"silly, goofy" person in real life.
Fronts her own 80s cover band called, "White Lighten."
Loves construction, might have been an interior decorator.
Has a brother named Whit. |
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