Julia Styles

Already critically acclaimed for a number of youthful film roles, it's just a matter of time before fresh-faced blonde Julia Stiles reaches the height of heights as a new tier of adult talent starts hitting the screen. Born Julia O'Hara Stiles on March 28, 1981, in New York City, she is of Irish, Italian and English stock. The outgoing daughter of an elementary school teacher (father) and a Greenwich Village artist (mother), she is the eldest of three children. Encouraged to take modern dance lessons at an early age, she was introduced to Shakespeare and theater as well. At age 11, she made her debut as a child actress with the experimental off-Broadway La MaMa Theatre. Her passion grew and by the next year was performing professionally and working in commercials. A bright, precocious student, she was seriously considered for the child vampire role of Claudia in Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) but lost out in the end to Kirsten Dunst. She continued training at New York's Professional Children's School and, at 15, made her cinematic bow with I Love You, I Love You Not (1996) with Claire Danes.