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Rebecca Gayheart Profile |
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Birth Date: August 12, 1971
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Birth Place: Hazard, Kentucky, USA
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Birth Name: Rebecca Gayheart
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Height: 5'8"
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Biography |
Rebecca Gayheart was born in Hazard, Kentucky, on August 12,
1972, although she was raised in Pinetop, Kentucky. Rebecca
comes from a long line of diverse nationalities including
those of Italian, Irish, German, and Cherokee descent.
Rebecca moved to New York at age 15 to pursue a career in
modeling and acting, and finished her high school education
after having initially spent a summer there modeling.
She completed the rest of her high school years at New
York's Professional Children's School, and then moved on to
study at the Lee Strasberg Institute.
Midway through her second term at the school, Rebecca became
a cast regular on the daytime soap opera Loving (1983) in
which she played a student obsessed with her professor.
Her modeling career started in advertisements, in which
Rebecca began modeling underwear in Sears and JCPenney
catalogs, but it was her turn as the Noxzema girl that
merited her national recognition.
For the next few years after that, Rebecca worked steadily
in television. Her credits include Beverly Hills, 90210
(1990), the alien-esque series Earth 2 (1994 -- this show
placed Rebecca in the hearts of many fans in Germany where
the show was a huge hit), and the NBC miniseries Invasion
(1997).
By 1997, Rebecca began starring in big-screen movies such as
Nothing To Lose starring Tim Robbins and the emotionally
unstable Martin Lawrence, and Scream 2 alongside Neve
Campbell, Courtney Cox-Arquette and David Arquette, in which
she played a sorority sister named Lois. Her part in the
film was short-lived, but memorable enough to get her cast
in more movies.
In 1998, Rebecca starred in Urban Legend and in 1999, she
starred alongside Rose McGowan and Pam Grier in Jawbreaker,
and then nabbed a leading role in the disappointing movie
Puppet, directed by Felix R. Limardo.
In 1999, Rebecca returned to television and starred in the
short-lived drama entitled Wasteland, but the show was
canceled soon after it aired.
Rebecca kept up her attempt to make it big in film by then
starring in the Quentin Tarantino vehicle From Dusk Till
Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (2000), and although it
received some praise, it didn't do very well at the box
office.
In 2001, Rebecca starred in three movies: Hairshirt,
co-produced by and starring Neve Campbell, Doppelganger and
Harvard Man, with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Eric Stolz.
Unfortunately, 2001 is also the year in which Rebecca
accidentally hit and killed 9-year-old Jorge Cruz Jr. with
her car. After pleading no contest to the charge of
misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in 2002, Rebecca was
sentenced to 3 years probation, a 1-year suspension of her
driver's license and was ordered to pay a $2,800 fine and do
750 hours of community service. The judge also ordered her
to make a public service announcement that highlights the
dangers of jaywalking and drivers who don't stop when other
cars have stopped.
Because of the incident, Rebecca lost all her potential ad
campaigns (both on television and in magazines) with
companies.
Rebecca's most recent big screen film was Pipe Dream (2002),
also starring Mary-Louise Parker and Jill Hennessy. In 2003,
Rebecca returned to television in Showtime's Dead Like Me,
featuring Jasmine Guy and Mandy Patinkin.
Rebecca's has been single since 1999, when she and her
long-time boyfriend and director, Brett Ratner, called it
quits. |
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Other
Information |
Formerly engaged to director Brett Ratner [1997].
Attended Knott County Central High School, Hindman,
Kentucky.
Former model.
Studied at Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.
On 13 June 2001, Gayheart struck 9-year-old Jorge Cruz Jr.
as he jaywalked across the street. According to the police
report, the boy was walking home from school, and crossed
the street about 160 feet from the nearest crosswalk. While
several cars stopped to let him go, Gayheart allegedly
swerved around the traffic and into a two-way left-turn
lane, striking the boy; he died the next day at Los Angeles
Children's Hospital. His parents, Jorge Cruz and Silvia
Martinez, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit on 6 August 2001
against her. Gayheart paid for Cruz's hospital and funeral
expenses. [13 June 2001]
Pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter
charge. She was sentenced to three years' probation, a
one-year suspension of her license, a $2,800 fine and 750
hours of community service. She was also ordered to make a
public-service announcement. [27 November 2001]
Is of Irish, Italian, German and Cherokee descent.
Auditioned for the roles of Cici, Hallie, and Maureen before
landing the role of Lois in Scream 2 (1997).
Measurements: 34B-25-35 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)
Crowned Miss Centralian in high school in 1987.
Originally cast in the role of Inara, on the short-lived TV
series "Firefly" (2002), but was replaced (by Morena
Baccarin) after one day's shooting.
Parents are Curtis and Floneva. |
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