Actress/singer Jennifer Love Hewitt -- known primarily for her portrayal of
Sarah Reeves on the Fox teen drama "Party of Five" -- is one of the
hardest working performers in Hollywood, simultaneously pursuing careers in
television, film and music.
Hewitt was born in Waco, Texas on February 21, 1979 and raised alone by her
mother/future manager. By age 10 she had developed a song and dance routine and
began performing at area livestock shows and touring with a traveling dance
troupe known as the Texas Show Team.
After relocating to Los Angeles with her mother, Hewitt's career picked up
speed with appearances in several television and print ads, including a popular
run in a LA Gear ad campaign.
Hewitt also landed a regular gig on the Disney Channel's "Kids
Incorporated" and appeared in several short-lived television series,
including 1992's "Shaky Ground" and the 1994 Steven Bochco drama
"Byrds of Paradise."
All the while, Hewitt was working on her music career. Her debut CD, Love
Songs, was released in Japan in 1992 (it was reissued in the U.S. in 1998).
Hewitt signed with Atlantic Records for Let's Go Bang, which was released in
1995, the same year she landed her breakthrough role on "Party of
Five." She joined the cast, at age 16, in a minor recurring role as the
girlfriend of one of the main characters, but the role soon led to a permanent
spot on the show. One year later, with her star on the rise, Hewitt released a
third CD, Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Hewitt kicked off her movie career with a supporting role in 1993's Sister
Act 2. Since then, she has appeared in 1996's House Arrest and several
straight-to-video releases. Her big screen breakthrough came in 1997 with the
teen thriller I Know What You Did Last Summer. Hewitt also starred in the
movie's 1998 sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. She also contributed
a song to the film's soundtrack.