Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) is an American Emmy Award-winning, Tony Award- and Golden Globe- nominated actress, particularly well-known for playing the very attractive, promiscuous, dim-witted Kelly Bundy on the Fox television network sitcom Married… with Children. She has since established a film and television career, with major roles in several pictures, such as Farce of the Penguins, Anchorman, The Sweetest Thing, the ABC sitcom Samantha Who? and recently starred on Broadway in a revival of the musical Sweet Charity.
Early life
Applegate was born in Hollywood, California. Her father, Robert W. Applegate, was a record producer and record company executive, and her mother, Nancy Lee Priddy, was a singer and an actress.
Career
At the age of three months, Christina Applegate made her TV debut, appearing with her mother in the soap Days of Our Lives and later, at age five months, in a commercial for Playtex.
Christina landed on the big screen at age nine when she was seen in the 1981 films Jaws of Satan (a.k.a. King Cobra), and Beatlemania.
Applegate debuted in a television movie as Young Grace Kelly in the biopic Grace Kelly (1983, opposite Cheryl Ladd) and appeared on her first TV series in Showtime’s political comedy Washingtoon (1985), in which she played a Congressman’s daughter. She was also spotted as a guest in the shows Father Murphy (1981) and Charles in Charge (1984 and 1985).
In 1986, Applegate won the role of Robin Kennedy (1986-1987), a cop’s daughter, on the police drama series Heart of the City. Meanwhile, she was also seen guest starring in the sitcoms All is Forgiven, Still the Beaver, Amazing Stories, and Family Ties.
Applegate eventually scored her most memorable role of ditzy Kelly Bundy in Fox’s comedy series Married… with Children. She portrayed her character for ten years (1987-1997) in the successful sitcom. While working on the series, Applegate was seen in Dance ‘Til Dawn (1988, NBC) and in Streets (1990), in which a teenage drug addict is stalked by a psychotic police officer.
Applegate guest-starred in 21 Jump Street (1988), Top of the Heap (1991, as Kelly Bundy), and hosted Saturday Night Live (May 1993) and Mad TV (1996).
The character of Sue Ellen Crandell in the comedy feature Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (1991) was Applegate’s first starring role. She followed it up with films like Vibrations (1995), Across the Moon (1995), Wild Bill (1995), Mars Attacks! (1996), and Nowhere (1997).
After the sitcom Married… with Children was canceled in May 1997, Applegate starred as Claudine Van Doozen in the independent feature Claudine’s Return (a.k.a. Kiss of Fire), was cast in the action-comedy The Big Hit, and played the fiancée of a Mob descendant in the Mafia satire Jane Austen’s Mafia (1998).
In that same year, NBC handed her the leading part of “Jesse” in their sitcom with the same title. The series debuted in 1998, received rave reviews, and brought Applegate a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Female Performer in a New TV series and the TV Guide Award for Star of a New Series as well as a nomination at the Golden Globe for Lead Actress in a Comedy. Though the series gained praise, it was canceled in 2000.
“This was a major commitment. I really had to sit and think about it. I eventually came to the conclusion that it came into my life for a reason.” Christina Applegate (on accepting her role in the sitcom Jesse).
The new millennium saw Applegate playing the dual role of a 12th-century noblewoman, Princess Rosalind, and her 21st-century descendant, Julia Malfete, in the time-travel comedy Just Visiting (2001). After gaining wide notice for playing Cameron Diaz’s level-headed best friend, Courtney Rockcliffe, in The Sweetest Thing (2002), Applegate continued to win roles in such movies as Heroes (2002), the airplane comedy View from the Top (2003), Wonderland (2003), Grand Theft Parsons (2003), Surviving Christmas (2004) and Employee of the Month (2004). Behind the screen, she was the executive producer of Comforters, Miserable (2001).
As for her television work, Applegate won the 55th Annual Prime Time Emmy Award for Best Guest Actress in a Comedy after she guest starred as Amy Green, Jennifer Aniston’s sister, in the hit series Friends in November 2002 and October 2003. On the silver screen, she portrayed TV anchorwoman Veronica Corningstone in the 2004 films Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and the DVD bonus film Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie (an alternative film comprising alternate takes and deleted scenes and story elements).
Adding to her screen work, Applegate has performed on stage in such productions as The Axeman’s Jazz, Nobody Leaves Empty Handed, The Runthrough, as well as John Cassavetes’ The Third Day (co-starring Gena Rowlands). In 2004, she debuted on the Broadway stage playing the title role of Charity Hope Valentine in a revival of the 1966 musical Sweet Charity. She eventually took home the 2005 Theatre World Award and was nominated for a 2005 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
Applegate was one of the founding members of the Pussycat Dolls, which debuted at the Viper Room on Sunset Strip, Los Angeles in 1995. Applegate emceed for the Dolls when they moved to The Roxy in 2002.
While playing the title role in a revival of Sweet Charity, she broke her foot, and it was announced that the musical would close during previews. She persuaded the producers to rescind their decision, and on April 18, 2005, she made her Broadway debut. Sweet Charity ended its Broadway run on December 31, 2005. She also guest-starred on two episodes of Friends, in the ninth and tenth seasons, titled “The One with Rachel’s Other Sister” and “The One Where Rachel’s Sister Babysits” as Amy Green, Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston) younger sister. She won an Emmy for her performance in “The One with Rachel’s Other Sister”. In 2006, she appeared in an advertising campaign for Hanes title “Look who we’ve got our Hanes on now”. The campaign started in 2005 but she, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Kevin Bacon were added to the ads in 2006.
In 2006, Applegate appeared in Jessica Simpson’s music video “A Public Affair”, alongside Eva Longoria, Ryan Seacrest and Christina Milian.
Christina is currently starring in the ABC comedy, Samantha Who?. Jean Smart, Jennifer Esposito, and Melissa McCarthy are co-starring. The series is about a 30-year-old who, after a hit-and-run accident, develops amnesia and has to rediscover her life, her relationships and herself.
Personal life
On October 20, 2001, Applegate married longtime boyfriend Johnathon Schaech, in a small mixed-religion Palm Springs ceremony attended by family and close friends. On December 5, 2005, the publicists of Applegate and Schaech confirmed that they had filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court. Their divorce was finalized August 10, 2007.
Applegate was the 2003 spokesperson for the Lee National Denim Day fundraiser which raises millions of dollars for breast cancer education and research. Applegate’s mother is a breast cancer survivor. Applegate is a supporter of animal rights and PETA.
Among Applegate’s close friends are Cameron Diaz, Nicole Eggert, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Robin Antin (creator of The Pussycat Dolls), Tori Spelling, Leah Remini, Eva Longoria, and Lance Bass. She studies jazz and dance.
