Rachael Leigh Cook was born October 4, 1979 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This brown haired, doe eyed beauty from Minnesota graduated from high school of spring 1998. She stands in at 5'2 inches tall and weighs around 100 pounds. Despite being really 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. Eventually she overcame her shyness. Rachael has been quoted as "sweet, funny, and quick with a quip" by many teen magazines. article continued below.....

Around age 10, Rachael started modeling. With her parents' help, Rachael got an agent and soon started landing modeling and commercial gigs. She also appeared in school musicals. Rachael modeled for local ads in the Minnesota area which led to more ads that appeared in national publications too. Before catching the eye of the nation, she was a model for print ads for about four years. Her spots in the Target Stores ad and on the cover of a Milkbone dog biscuit box are probably her best known ones. Rachael lives some of the year in Minnesota with her parents, younger brother Ben, two cats, and a dog. Ben is five years younger, and they get along great. "He is totally awesome" is how she describes him.

Her acting career started with commercials and a part in the independent short film '26 Summer Street'. She obtained management through her modeling agency in Minneapolis which led to an appearance in the The Baby Sitters Club. Since then, Rachael has gone on to make 11 movies in just 3 years, including Carpool, Living Out Loud and Strike. She tells Moxie Girl magazine, "I look forward to all kinds of roles...playing more adult parts, preferably ones written for people over 16 years of age." If you're a casting agent looking to fill a part, look no further...she's the one...and she's all that, too!

Rachael was the first person to be cast in She's All That. She was drawn to the script's humor. "Very few things make you laugh out loud when you're by yourself. But when I read the script, I was laughing my head off in the middle of the night all alone", she recalls. "I just wanted to grab someone and say, 'This is really funny! I want to do this!'" In addition, she had another chance to work with Freddie Prinze, Jr. who appeared in The House of Yes with her.

Other films that she has done recently include Hi-Line, an independent film, The Bumblebee Flies Anyway, a teen drama set in a hospital that also stars Elijah Wood, and The Naked Man, a comedy about sumo wrestling written by Ethan Coen.

Rachael enjoys reading, writing, drawing, tennis, roller blading, and shopping for clothes. In a magazine, Rachael says that most of the wardrobe in her closet is mostly black and brown. Rachael's favorite color is black. Her favorite authors include, Shirley Jackson(I suggest We Have Always Lived in the Castle), F. Scott Fitzgerald, Franz Kafka. Someday, she even hopes to do some screenwriting. The bands Rachael likes are Indigo Girls, The Who, That Dog, and U2. Rachael's favorite TV shows include "American Gladiators", "3rd Rock From the Sun", and "Fraiser". Rachael doesn't like spiders, power tools, and rollercoasters.

Some media and magazines that Rachael has appeared in include Moxie Girl, Launch CD-ROM, Movieline,Teen People, Entertainment Weekly, Bikini, and In Style.

• Appeared in Sixpence None The Richer's music video "Kiss me" with She's All That costar Freddie Prinze Jr.
• Was a print model for 5 years before becoming an actress.
• Has a younger brother named Ben.
• There is a Minneapolis rock and blues band called "Budding Hollywood Starlet" that is named in honor of her.
• Left handed
• Is a vegetarian.
• Was a student of the Laurel Springs School, a school for young actors who can't attend a more regular school due to time commitments.
• Was in a memorable anti-drug commercial where she smashes an egg with a frying pan ("this is your brain on heroin") and proceeds to trash the room with the frying pan ("this is your family, friends, career, etc."). Arguably one of the few effective anti-drug spots ever made.
• Her mother is a cooking instructor.
• Owns her own production company called Ben's Sister Productions.
• Attended Minneapolis South High School, the same school as actor Josh Hartnett.
• Dated Boy Meet World Star Rider Strong.

• "If this whole acting thing doesn't work out, I'll just get a talk show."
• "I'm not smal, I'm space-efficient."
• "I'd love to do a sequel. Even if it was 'Ernest Goes to Mars 3'- if these girls were in it, I'd do it in a minute".