Shannyn Sossamon

SHANNYN SOSSAMAN

Date of Birth: October 3, 1979

This Hawaii native moved to Nevada where she spent most of her early years. She then decided to make her way to L.A. to study her life passion, dance. Her dancing soon led to commercial work and appearances in music videos for Cher, Korn and Mick Jagger.

Sossamon was discovered while attending a birthday party for Gwyneth Paltrow, where a friend of Shannyn's was deejaying. There the director of A Knight's Tale (2001) spotted her in the crowd and asked her to audition. She did and landed the starring role of Jocelyn opposite Heath Ledger.

With the film providing her with nationwide exposure, she soon landed other starring roles in features such as 40 Days and 40 Nights and The Rules of Attraction (both 2002). She worked again with Ledger in the film The Order (2003) and then alongside Kate Winslet and Cameron Diax in The Holiday (2006). Although she continued to take on supporting roles in films, Shannyn seemed to turn her attention to television a little bit, landing a recurring role on Dirt and Moonlight in 2007 and in How to Make It in America in 2010. But the Hollywood bug hadn't quite left her yet because she returned to the big screen to star in the 2012 thriller The Day.

Filmography:

The Day (2012)
Road to Nowhere (2010)
Our Family Wedding (2010)
The Heavy (2010)
Life is Hot in Cracktown (2009)
One Missed Call (2008)
Catacombs (2006)
Undiscovered (2005)
Devour (2005)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
I Hate You (2005)
Chasing Ghosts (2005)
The Double (2004)
The Order (2003)
Wholey Moses (2003)
The Rules of Attraction (2002)
40 Days and 40 Nights (2002)
A Knight's Tale (2001)