Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell[1] (born February 10, 1974), known professionally as
Elizabeth Banks, is an American actress. Banks had her film debut in the low-budget independent film
Surrender Dorothy. Since then, she is best known for her roles in the films
Definitely, Maybe,
Zack and Miri Make a Porno,
W.,
Role Models,
Wet Hot American Summer, and
The Uninvited.
On television, Banks currently stars in the
recurring role of
Avery Jessup on the sitcom
30 Rock, which gained her a nomination for an
Emmy Award. Previously, Banks had starred in the recurring role of Dr. Kim Briggs on
Scrubs from 2006 to 2009.
Banks was born in
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the eldest of four children of Ann and Mark Mitchell.
[2] Her father was a factory worker for
General Electric and her mother worked in a bank.
[3]
As a girl, she loved playing baseball and riding horses. She played
little league until she broke her leg sliding into third at a game.
Looking for something else, she tried the school play. After that,
acting became her passion.
[citation needed] As a young teenager, she was a contestant on the
Nickelodeon game show
Finders Keepers. She graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1992 and attended the
University of Pennsylvania where she was a member of the
Delta Delta Delta Sorority. Banks graduated
magna cum laude in 1996. In 1998, she completed schooling at the
American Conservatory Theater and earned an
MFA.
Personal life
On July 5, 2003, Banks married sportswriter and producer
Max Handelman,
[12] who had been her boyfriend since she met him on her first day at college, September 6, 1992.
[13] She
converted to Judaism upon marrying him.
[14][15] She and her husband welcomed their first child, a boy named Felix, via
gestational host in March 2011.
[16]
In the News:
This Is Fake DIY - 3
days ago
First look at Lenny Kravitz, Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks in
the eight new posters. Eight new hi-res character posters have been released for
The ...
Posters
feed fans' hunger for 'Hunger Games' news -
Gaston
Gazette
'The
Hunger Games' movie posters released -
Metro.us
The
Hunger Games: Meet the Characters with 8 New Posters! -
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