You may remember this green-eyed blonde from her breakthrough movie, the 1994 romantic comedy, My Father, the Hero. Katherine was the rebellious daughter who had to deal with her overprotective father while on vacation. We can't blame Gerard Depardieu's character for being that way after having seen Katherine prance about in a bikini in the film. You can now catch Katherine as a sexy alien in the WB hit, Roswell. article continued below..

Katherine Heigl was born November 24, 1978, in Washington D.C., to parents Paul and Nancy. Raised in New Canaan, Connecticut, along with her 2 older brothers and older sister, Katherine's time in the spotlight began when she started modeling.

Once Wilhelmina, a modeling agency, got hold of photos of a then nine-year old Katherine, it didn't take long for her to get modeling jobs. She appeared in magazine ads and a Sears catalogue, and made her television debut with a role in a Cheerios commercial.

Modeling paved the way to acting for Katherine, as it did for young actresses such as Rachael Leigh Cook and Mena Suvari. By the age of 12, she could be seen on the silver screen in the 1992 film, That Night, making her feature film debut.

After a role in Steven Soderbergh's King of the Hill, Katherine appeared as Gerard Depardieu's daughter in the 1994 remake of the French film, My Father, the Hero. Her role as the beautiful teen having to bear with her father's strict rules was not a stretch for the actress; apparently, she was not allowed to date until she was 16.

Venturing into the action genre, next up for Katherine was the film, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, as Steven Seagal's niece.

She only pursued a full-time acting career after graduating from New Canaan High School, where she balanced acting and modeling with the hectic life of a student. With appearances in Seventeen magazine and film and television roles under her belt, Katherine moved to the hub of acting to further her career.

Once in LA, she starred in independent films such as Prince Valiant, Stand-Ins (as Rita Hayworth's stand-in) and the Disney feature, Wish Upon a Star. After a role in the 1998 Bride of Chucky, the latest installment of the Chucky slasher series, and the film Bug Buster, Katherine starred opposite Peter Fonda in the made-for-TV film, The Tempest.

Presently making herself comfortable on television, Katherine is a regular on Roswell, the hit alien series on the WB network. She actually auditioned for the three female lead roles before winning the role of Isabel, the "alien on earth" character she portrays on the show.

While working on Roswell, Katherine made time to take on two film projects, with roles in 100 Girls and Valentine.

With a hit show on a popular network, and upcoming roles in two feature films, fame and success is certainly not something alien to this sexy actress.

• Was with the Elite Modelling Agency.
• Has two older brothers, Holt and Jason; and older sister, Meg.
• Auditioned for all 3 female leads on "Roswell" (1999) before being cast as Isabel.
• She is half Irish and half German. She has green eyes.
  Former model
• Began dating Joey Lawrence in 1994. They met at Seventeen Magazine's 50th Anniversary party.