Brown haired, doe-eyed beauty Rachael Leigh Cook was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Despite being extemely shy when she was younger, Rachael nabbed her first acting role when she was around seven in a non-speaking part in a public service announcement encouraging adults to become foster parents. She also appeared in an anti-heroin commercial, in which she smashes up a kitchen with a frying pan.
Rachael broke into movies in 1995 with a role in The Baby-Sitters Club. Her next memorable appearance was in The House of Yes (1997), in which she played the young Parker Posey. Coincidentally, Freddie Prinze Jr., with whom she would later co-star in She's All That, was also in the film, although they had no scenes together. After The House of Yes, Rachael acted in a few forgettable films, the exception being Living Out Loud (1998), in which she played the young Holly Hunter. It was her next film, 1999's She's All That, that garnered her significant attention. As Laney Boggs, Rachael went from geek to chic under the tutelage of the most popular boy in school (Prinze Jr.).
Following the success of She's All That, Rachael played roles in movies such as Josie and the Pussycats (2001) and Nancy Drew (2007).
From 2008 to 2010, she starred on the TV series Psych, playing Abigail Lytar. She was then seen in several TV movies, including Robot Chicken: Star Wars III (2010), The Family Tree (2011), Broken Kingdom (2012), Left to Die (2012) and A Christmas Tail (2014). From 2012 to 2015, she starred on the TV series Perception, playing Kate Moretti, a Special Agent working with the FBI.
Following that, she continued to play starring roles in TV movie rom-coms, including Summer Love (2016), Autumn in the Vineyard (2016), Summer in the Vineyard (2017), Frozen in Love (2018) and Valentine in the Vineyard (2019).
After coming up with the concept for the rom-com Love, Guaranteed (2020), she took it to her manager, who loved it, and they found a writer. Netflix loved the script and eight months later, she was co-starring opposite Damon Wayans Jr. on location in Vancouver.
A vegetarian, in 2004 Rachael married actor Daniel Gillies. They live in the Los Angeles area. They have two children: a daughter born September 2013, and a son born April 2015. The couple announced their separation in June 2019.
Filmography:
Love, Guaranteed (2020)
Valentine in the Vineyard (2019)
Frozen in Love (2018)
Summer in the Vineyard (2017)
Autumn in the Vineyard (2016)
Summer Love (2016)
A Christmas Tail (2014)
Left to Die (2012)
Broken Kingdom (2012)
The Family Tree (2011)
Antique (2008)
Blonde Ambition (2007)
All Hat (2008)
Nancy Drew (2007)
Descent (2007) (uncredited)
Matters of Life and Death (2007)
The Final Season (2007)
Stateside (2004)
My First Wedding (2004)
Tempo (2003)
11:14 (2003)
The Big Empty (2003)
Tempo (2002)
Bookies (2003)
29 Palms (2002)
Texas Rangers (2001)
Sally (2001)
Tangled (2001)
Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
AntiTrust (2001)
Blow Dry (2001)
Get Carter (2000)
The Bumblebee Flies Anyway (2000)
She's All That (1999)
The Hi-Line (1999)
Living Out Loud (1998)
The Naked Man (1998)
Strike! (1998)
The House of Yes (1997)
The Eighteenth Angel (1997)
Carpool (1996)
26 Summer Street (1996)
Tom and Huck (1995)
The Baby-Sitters Club (1995)