Piper Perabo

Piper Perabo was an American actress who enjoyed a prolific and varied career, appearing in everything from box office smashes to quiet indie dramas, and from TV action thrillers to charming sitcoms. Born in Dallas TX, Perabo was the eldest child of Mary Charlotte Perabo (née Ulland), a physical therapist, and George William Perabo, a professor of poetry. Not long after her birth, the family moved to Toms River, NJ, where Perabo would spend her entire childhood. Perhaps it was fated that she would grow up to be an actress, as her parents named her after Mary Charlotte's favorite actress, Piper Laurie. Perabo graduated from Toms River High School North in 1994, before going on to earn her bachelor's degree in theater from Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University, where she also studied Latin, physics, and poetry. While on vacation in New York City her junior year, Perabo accompanied her then-boyfriend on an audition. She caught the eye of the casting director, Denise Fitzgerald, who had her read for a part. Though she ended up not getting cast, Fitzgerald helped Perabo find an agent, and soon enough, Hollywood came knocking. Perabo made her feature film debut in the comedy "Whiteboyz" (1999), before landing the role that would prove to be her big break: Violet "Jersey" Sanford in the comedy "Coyote Ugly" (2000). Based on a real New York City bar, in which the female bartenders wear scantily clad outfits and do song and dance routines to pop and rock classics, the film was a surprise hit, turning Perabo into the new "It girl" overnight. Feeling weary about her newfound fame, Perabo decided to take on a dark independent drama about a forbidden lesbian romance at an all-girls boarding school, "Lost and Delirious" (2001). Though the film itself received lukewarm reviews, critics praised Perabo and her co-stars Jessica Paré and Mischa Barton for their brave performances. She then returned to Hollywood, taking on a supporting role as the eldest child of Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt in the family comedy "Cheaper by the Dozen" (2003), which proved to be a surprise box office hit. After working with her best friend, Lena Headey, in "The Cave" (2005) and "Imagine Me & You" (2005), Perabo reprised the role of Nora Baker for the family comedy sequel, "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" (2005). After taking on a supporting role in Christoper Nolan's eccentric feuding magicians thriller "The Prestige" (2006), Perabo made her TV debut with an appearance on a 2007 episode of the popular medical drama "House" (FOX, 2004-2012). Perabo next co-starred with some taking dogs in the surprisingly popular family comedy "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" (2008), before landing the role that would define her career for the next few years: playing rookie CIA field agent Annie Walker on the drama series "Covert Affairs" (USA Network, 2010-2014). She would star in the series for the next four years, earning a Golden Globe nomination for her efforts, before the series was cancelled in early 2015. In film, she briefly appeared in Rian Johnson's sci-fi action thriller "Looper" (2012), as well as the survivalist indie horror "Into the Grizzly Maze" (2015). Perabo returned to TV with a 4 episode arc on the Matthew Perry sitcom "Go On" (NBC, 2012-13), before landing a lead role on the short-lived legal drama "Notorious" (ABC, 2016). Perabo could most recently be seen alongside Gerard Butler in "Angel Has Fallen" (2019), his third turn as indestructible secret service agent Mike Banning, as well as in the Netflix sitcom "Turn Up Charlie" (Netflix, 2019-), with Idris Elba and JJ Feild.