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Rachel Blanchard Profile |
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Birth Date: March 19, 1976
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Birth Place: Toronto, Ontario, Canada, USA
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Birth Name: Rachel Elise Blanchard
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Height: 5'8"
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Biography |
Rachel Blanchard was born on March 19, 1976, in Toronto,
Ontario. Along with her brother and sister, Rachel enjoyed a
traditionally Canadian upbringing; she’s been a lifelong fan
of hockey and continues to play the sport whenever she has a
chance. After starting out at Toronto’s Humbercrest Junior
Public School, Rachel eventually transferred to Havergal
College -- an all-girls school that nurtured Rachel’s
burgeoning passion for drama.
Throughout her school years, Rachel acted steadily in a wide
variety of Canadian television shows and movies, having made
her debut as a toddler in a McDonald’s commercial. Rachel
deftly balanced her schoolwork with her increasingly busy
filming schedule, as the young girl found herself cast in a
wide range of productions (including the short-lived 1988
show War of the Worlds, opposite future Highlander star
Adrian Paul). Although Rachel was slowly but surely making
her mark on the Canadian scene, she couldn’t help but wonder
if she would ever crack the lucrative American market -- and
it wasn’t long before she broke through in a big way.
Though she started attending Queens University and even had
a recurring role on a Canadian show called Flash Forward
(opposite fellow up-and-coming stars Ben Foster and Jewel
Staite), Rachel didn’t hesitate to say yes after learning
that she’d successfully auditioned for the Alicia
Silverstone role in ABC’s adaptation of Clueless. The series
-- which also starred future Scrubs actor Donald Faison --
was a mild success and ran for three seasons, during which
time Rachel firmly established herself as one of the hottest
Canadian imports to emerge since Pamela Anderson joined the
cast of Baywatch.
After the series ended in 1999, Rachel began sifting through
the various offers on her table, eventually settling on a
supporting role opposite Mena Suvari and Jason London in The
Rage: Carrie 2. She followed that up with a series of
appearances in films such as 2000’s Road Trip (with Amy
Smart, Sean William Scott and Breckin Meyer), 2001’s Sugar &
Spice (with Marla Sokoloff and Melissa George), and 2004’s
Without a Paddle (with Seth Green and Matthew Lillard).
Rachel even found time to return to her Canadian roots by
starring in the little-seen drama The Wild Dogs in 2002,
though the actress generally devoted herself to
south-of-the-border pursuits.
Rachel spent much of the early part of the new century
steeped in television, thanks to her recurring roles on 7th
Heaven and a Britcom called Peep Show. Frustrated with the
lack of edgy parts available to her, Rachel signed up for a
small but pivotal role in the 2005 Atom Egoyan drama Where
the Truth Lies. Featuring a risqué three-way sex scene
between Rachel and costars Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth, the
film was eventually released to American theaters unrated
after Egoyan refused to make any cuts.
Rachel was cast in two films in 2006: a romantic comedy
starring Ray Liotta called Comeback Season and the Samuel L.
Jackson cult-classic-in-waiting Snakes on a Plane. |
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Other
Information |
Attended high school at Havergal College in Toronto.
Enjoys playing hockey in her spare time
Currently attending a small college in Canada, where she is
majoring in psychology
Hair was dyed red for Road Trip (2000) because the producers
wanted her to have a different look from Amy Smart.
When acting on one project, an extra from around the set was
picked to portray her father in a brief scene. Later, after
the scene had been shot, the director looked over to where
Rachel's father was standing and said "we should have gotten
you to play her father, you look perfect for the part", this
was said without realising that he actually was her father.
Voted in at #37 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Girls of 2002 poll, UK
edition. [June 2002]
Attended Humbercrest Junior Public School in Toronto,
Ontario.
Best friends with Melissa George.
She has worked with both the London-twins. With Jason London
in "The Rage: Carrie 2" (1999) and with Jeremy London in
"7th Heaven" (1996). |
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