Actress. Born Jennifer Anne Garner on April 17, 1972 in Houston, Texas. The daughter of a chemical engineer and a retired English professor, Garner was raised in Charleston, West Virginia, with her two sisters. She attended Denison University in Ohio, where she graduated with a degree in theater in 1996. After performing on stage in New York City, she moved to Los Angeles to work in television, landing bit parts on several shows, including Spin City and Law and Order.
Garner rebounded with a memorable turn on the WB's "Felicity" (WB, 1998-2002) as Hanna, the musician girlfriend of laid-back resident adviser N l (Scott Foley). The recurring role earned Garner some increased notice and also introduced her to her husband - she and Foley would marry in 2000 - though their characters' relationship did not last through 1999. She followed up with a pair of high-profile movie roles. "Dude, Where's My Car?" (2000) earned her lifelong recognition on the street from the frat crowd, but her role as a thoughtful military nurse in Michael Bay's epic World War II blockbuster "Pearl Harbor" (2001) - a film which starred her future husband, Affleck - was a bit more of a feather in her acting cap.
Riding high on the success of Alias with a Golden Globe Award in hand, Garner continued to grow as a big-screen presence. After a memorable appearance in Steven_Spielberg's Catch_Me_If_You_Can, Garner displayed the butt-kicking skills she honed on Alias, appearing as Elektra in the 2003 comic-book adaptation Daredevil. The next year, she took on her first big-screen starring role, playing an adolescent girl who wakes up to suddenly find herself all grown up in the romantic comedy 13 Going on 30. Sadly, also in 2004, Garner and husband Foley's marriage proved to be short-lived when they announced that they were getting a divorce.
