Bethany Joy Lenz Biography

Bethany Joy Lenz (formerly Galeotti; born April 2, 1981), also known as Joie Lenz, is an American actress, singer-songwriter and filmmaker. She is best known for her portrayal of Haley James Scott on The WB/CW television drama One Tree Hill. She also starred as Michelle Bauer Santos on the CBS Daytime soap opera Guiding Light, and is recognized for her music as a solo artist and as a member of the band Everly.

Career

Acting

While on a trip to Los Angeles, Lenz landed her first professional job in a commercial for dolls from the teen drama series, Swans Crossing. Lenz eventually went on to appear in commercials for Eggo Waffles, Dr Pepper and others. She continued to find work steadily as an actress, and by her sophomore year in high school she landed the role of Linda Halleck in Stephen King's Thinner. She appeared in various pilots, commercials and films, and performed regional theatre until she was eventually cast as a series regular on Guiding Light.

At the age of seventeen, Lenz played the teenage clone of Reva Shayne on the CBS Daytime soap opera Guiding Light for nine episodes. Her stint earned her such favorable reviews from viewers, critics and Guiding Light executives alike that Lenz was eventually recast as Michelle Bauer Santos upon Rebecca Budig's exit - an unusual move that was "unheard of" in the industry according to CBS producer, Mickey Dwyer-Dobbin. In 1999, while working on Guiding Light, she graduated from Eastern Christian High School in New Jersey and landed the role of Rose Cronin in Mary and Rhoda, a made-for-television movie that reunited Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper as Mary Richards and Rhoda Morgenstern. At the time Lenz juggled a heavy storyline, a television movie portraying Mary Tyler Moore's daughter, a one-year run of a New York cabaret called Foxy Ladies Love/Boogie 70's Explosion, and the lead role in an independent film. Lenz also filmed two pilots: one playing the daughter of Paul Sorvino, and the other as the lead in the WB's 1972.

At the end of her two-year contract with The Guiding Light she left her role as Michelle Bauer Santos and moved from New York City to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, Lenz was directed by Garry Marshall playing Pinky Tuscadero in Happy Days: the Musical (musical directors Carole King and Paul Williams) and by Arthur Allan Seidleman in a staged reading of a musical version of The Outsiders. During this time Lenz also landed guest appearances on Off Centre, Charmed, Felicity, Maybe It's Me and The Guardian. In 2002 Lenz joined the cast of Bring It On Again as Marni Potts, the co-captain of the varsity cheerleading squad.

When she was twenty-two, Lenz was cast in the WB television series One Tree Hill. She originally auditioned for the roles of Brooke Davis and Haley James. She landed the role of Haley James, the quintessential girl-next-door, who is best friends with Lucas Scott, portrayed by Chad Michael Murray, and wife of Nathan Scott, portrayed by James Lafferty. During her time on One Tree Hill, Lenz was also offered the role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast when it was still in production on Broadway, but turned it down due to scheduling conflicts. Lenz appeared in an episode of Life Unexpected alongside Kate Voegele as part of a crossover-event between One Tree Hill and Life Unexpected.

In the sixth season, Lenz made her directorial debut. She initially approached producer Greg Prange in 2007 with the idea of directing but was not given the opportunity to do so until two years later. Over the course of season six Lenz shadowed several directors, watched them prepare, and went on location scouts. Lenz directed two more episodes.

After eight seasons on air, One Tree Hill returned for thirteen episodes in its ninth and final season, with Bethany famously sashaying around in thigh high boots to save her husband. On November 17, 2011, Lenz filmed her last scenes as the character Haley James Scott. The show ended on April 4, 2012.

In September 2012 it was confirmed that Lenz would be guest starring on an episode of Men at Work. She played the role of 'Meg' a single mother that the character, Tyler, begins to date. The episode, "Tyler the Pioneer" aired on May 9, 2013.

In March 2013 it was confirmed that Lenz would have a recurring role on Dexter. Her character Cassie was described as "an attractive former finance executive looking for a quieter life". Lenz's character appeared in the fourth episode of the final season.

In late September 2013, Lenz landed the role of Lauren Byrd on the pilot Songbyrd for E!. The show centered around Lauren, a genius songwriter who employs a small staff, including her sister, to enable and manage her eccentric, yet wildly successful process. Production for Songbyrd began in late January 2014 in New York City, but the show was not picked up by E!.

In January 2015, Lenz and her friend Sid Mallya chose a movie to produce on the website InkTip. The movie, entitled One Of These Days, is written by Phyllis Heltay. In an interview shortly after Lenz mentioned that the shooting is scheduled for May 2015. Moreover, in an interview in February 2015, she announced that she is currently writing two pilots dealing with the status of women during the 1920's and 1930's.

In spring 2015, Lenz was cast in the Shonda Rhimes drama, The Catch for ABC playing the role of Zoe. On May 18, 2015, Lenz revealed she was being replaced; she wrote, "Looks like they need a different type for ZOE, so I'll be replaced," though she still encouraged fans to watch the show.

Early 2016, Lenz starred in her friend Kristin Fairweather's first short film, entitled Grace. She also appeared in March 2016 in two episodes of season 3 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. In Summer 2016, she was cast in the new drama American Gothic as a character named April. Producer Corinne Brinkerhoff said about Lenz "We love her! She"?s fantastic. She plays a witty, insightful nurse at a rehab facility."

Music

Since Lenz's exit from Guiding Light she has completed a demo of original music. Trained by the director of the Brooklyn College of Opera, Lenz plays the guitar and piano, and writes her own music. Her first album, entitled Preincarnate, was released in October 2002. She worked under the direction of director Garry Marshall and alongside musician Carole King on a new musical adapted from the series Happy Days. She also took the opportunity to work in a public reading of a musical version of the novel The Outsiders directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman.

While working on One Tree Hill she continued to release new music. In 2005, after recording "When the Stars Go Blue" with costar Tyler Hilton, the duo joined The Wreckers (Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp), and Gavin DeGraw for a 25-city North American One Tree Hill Tour that started in Vancouver. Lenz and Hilton scored the #89 spot on February 2005's Billboard Pop 100 chart with the duet "When the Stars Go Blue". While on tour, Lenz debuted her second independent record entitled, Come On Home, and filmed her first music video for "Songs in My Pockets" at Coney Island Beach and Astroland in Brooklyn, New York.

In 2006, alongside ex-American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, Lenz co-wrote and recorded "Halo" which was released on the second volume of the One Tree Hill Soundtrack. During this time, Lenz signed a deal with Sony Epic Records and worked with her producer, Ron Aniello (Lifehouse, Guster, Barenaked Ladies) to record original material. In 2006, after changes within the company, Lenz left the label. Despite this setback, Lenz traveled to Los Angeles to write and record several songs for the soundtrack for Ten Inch Hero in 2006. Lenz's split with Epic allowed her to sign with the independent record label Hillasterion.

In 2008, Lenz formed the band Everly with her lifelong friend, Amber Sweeney. Immediately after the duo was formed, they teamed up with musical act Angels & Airwaves, and Kate Voegele for a live USO concert event for military personnel. This was filmed and formed the basis for a One Tree Hill episode, titled "Even Fairy Tale Characters Would Be Jealous".

In 2012, the Everly band split after four years of collaboration, the two artists preferring to focus on their solo careers. In November of the same year, Lenz joined fellow One Tree Hill co-star Michael Grubbs of the band Wakey!Wakey! and other singers at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City for the BTF Concerts: Rock The Schools 2012 concert. She performed new songs and two duets with Grubbs entitled "I Know" and "Irresistible". At the concert, she sold a 9-song CD entitled Then Slowly Grows.

During an interview with Shine On Media in May 2013, Lenz stated she was meeting with long-time friend and music producer Jeff Cohen to record an album. On May 22, 2013, Lenz tweeted a picture of the recording studio. The caption read, "Recording new music in #Nashville with old pal Jeff Cohen! #LeavingTownAlive #CrazyGirls" On June 4, 2013, Lenz tweeted "Sneak peek at my new album..." and linked a video on WhoSay to a new song "Please".

During an interview with Mary Ann Albright in late July 2013, Lenz talked about her musical career plans. She shared her intention to release her first full-length studio album, entitled Your Woman in the near future as an independent release on her blog. Lenz went on to say, "The best way I can describe this album is Patsy Cline meets Paula Cole meets Sam Cooke."

On August 10, 2013, Lenz released "Please" on vibedeck and August 11 on iTunes as Bette for her fans after she had performed it at the Rock the Schools Concert in 2012. On July 18, 2014, Lenz released "Calamity Jane" on iTunes. The song was a teaser for her soon-to-be-released album. Lenz stated: "While I'm reworking my album, here's a little teaser. This song will sound totally different on the new record, but I thought you'd enjoy hearing this version." On July 21, the song was on her WhoSay site and later on her SoundCloud site.

In November 2014, Lenz created a Kickstarter fundraising page for her new EP. Production on the EP began in early December. As well as supporting the new EP, fans were able to give back to the charity Stop the Traffik. The project, entitled "Get Back to Gold" was released (iTunes, Amazon.com) on December 23, 2014, and was a sneak peek for her new album.

Due to legal proceedings with her producer, David Waechter, the project was halted. Lenz decided to change her team and is now performs as Joy Lenz and the Firepit Band. The lineup consists of WhiteRose (Danny Shyman) on guitar, Doo Crowder on vocals and guitar, Ben Zelico on drums and Meaghan Maples and Brittany Gilmore as back up singers. They toured from May to July 2016 and said an album is in preparation for 2017.

The Notebook Musical

In 2005, after seeing Nick Cassavetes' film The Notebook and subsequently reading Nicholas Sparks' best selling novel of the same name, Lenz found herself singing songs around her house based on the story's characters. After six weeks, she decided to put them down on paper. She brought the idea to her producer Ron Aniello and they decided to form Galeotti & Aniello Productions. On December 7, 2006, Lenz revealed on her website bethanyjoylenz.com, that they were writing a musical. After finishing the libretto, Lenz passed it on to a friend close to the Sparks family who gave it to the book's author. He loved it and she procured the rights to the musical.

The auditions took place in early August 2009 at Thalian Hall. Paul Teal and Kendra Goehring-Garett were cast as lead roles of Noah and Alli. The Notebook musical was workshopped in a small black box theater in October 2009 in front of Broadway producers and investors, and Nicholas Sparks who came for the occasion. Lenz said that all the feedback the she and Aniello received was positive. The producers said the music was "amazing" and did not require any modification, and "everybody loved the dialogue, and they thought the story was well-crafted". On the playbill, she thanks some friends from One Tree Hill cast including Paul Johansson, Allison Munn and Jana Kramer.

On February 10 and 11, 2010, Lenz revealed on Facebook that she was recording songs with the other singers for the musical. On March 6, 2010, Lenz said that she was rewriting passages including some songs. In July 2010, the duo revealed on their website the list of the songs : "The Colors Play", "Carolina Moon", "Troublesome Tongue", "Sunday Train", "The Nightclub Swing!", "Think of Me (When You are Gone)", "Psalm 148", "My Christmas With You" and "The Luckiest Girl". They were written by both Lenz and Aniello.

In November 2010, in response to Twitter followers successfully raising more than $2000 in one day for the charity Love146, Lenz released the song "Troublesome Tongue". The song features Noah's father and his friends explaining Noah's childhood stutter to new love Allie (played by Lenz on the recording). In December 2010, Paul Teal, who played Noah, released the song "Sunday Train" from the demo score on YouTube. On October 2011, Lenz revealed on her website www.bethanyjoy.com that she attended the 15th Anniversary for The Notebook with Nicholas Sparks, with whom she has become great friends.

Jewelry

In July 2016, Lenz designed her own jewelry line in partnership with Stilnest. She delayed the launch by one week following the attack in Nice, ultimately launching on July 23, 2016. The pieces feature a buffalo motif, which was inspired by a trip Lenz took to Fort Apache. Lenz donated ten percent of the profits to the Tanka Fund.

Personal life

Lenz married former Enation keyboardist, Michael Galeotti, on December 31, 2005. On February 23, 2011, Lenz gave birth to a daughter, Maria Rose Galeotti. In March 2012, Lenz announced that she would be divorcing her husband after six years of marriage. She wrote: "[Y]ou'll all be wondering soon why everyone is calling me 'Bethany Joy Lenz' again. I'm sorry to say that Michael and I have decided to divorce. We remain friendly and dedicated to raising our beautiful girl in love and we appreciate your prayers and support during this difficult time." She and her daughter reside in Los Angeles, California. Lenz is a Christian.

Philanthropy

Introduced to Love146 by former Everly bandmate, Amber Sweeney, Lenz has been actively supporting the international human rights organization largely through social media outlets. On June 12, 2011, she revealed details of her newest project - an online boutique called Lark, selling apparel with original designs by Lenz. All proceeds benefit Love146, To Write Love On Her Arms, as well as Reading is Fundamental.

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1992	Psalty's Salvation Celebration	Shelly Barnes	Credited as: Joy Lenz
1996	I Love You, I Love You Not	Extra	Uncredited
	Thinner	Linda Halleck	Credited as: Joie Lenz
2000	Mary and Rhoda	Rose Cronin
	End of August	August Wells
2004	Bring It On Again	Marni Potts
2011	Just Yell Fire: Campus Life	Herself	Credited as: Bethany Joy Galeotti
2014	The Christmas Secret	Christine Eisley	Television Movie
2017	Extortion	Julie Riley
	Snowed Inn	Jenna Hudson	Television Movie

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	1973	Lisa	Unsold Warner Bros. pilot Credited as: Joie Lenz
1998-2000	Guiding Light	Teenage Reva Shayne clone	Recurring role 9 episodes Credited as: Joie Lenz
		Michelle Bauer Santos	Main cast 106 episodes: November 9, 1998 - September 29, 2000 Credited as: Joie Lenz
2001	Off Centre	Heather	Episode 1.02: "Feeling Shellfish" Credited as: Joie Lenz
	Charmed	Lady Julia	Episode 4.06: "A Knight to Remember" Credited as: Joie Lenz
	Felicity	Gretchen	Episode 4.06: "Oops...Noel Did It Again" Credited as Joie Lenz
2002	The Legacy	Jess	Unaired UPN pilot Credited as: Joie Lenz
	Maybe It's Me	The Salesgirl	Episode 1.10: "The Romeo & Juliet Episode" Credited as: Joie Lenz
2003	The Guardian	Claire Stasiak	Episode 2.18: "My Aim Is True" Episode 2.20: "What It Means to You" Credited as: Joie Lenz
2003-12	One Tree Hill	Haley James Scott	Main cast 187 Episodes Credited as: Bethany Joy Galeotti from seasons 3-9
2010	Life Unexpected		Special appearance on episode 2.05: "Music Faced" Crossover with One Tree Hill Credited as: Bethany Joy Galeotti
2013	Men at Work	Meg	Episode: 2.06: "Tyler the Pioneer"
	Dexter	Cassie Jollenston	Recurring role Episode: 8.04: "Scar Tissue" Episode: 8.05: "This Little Piggy" Episode: 8.06: "A Little Reflection" Episode: 8.07: "Dress Code" Episode: 8.08: "Are We There Yet?" (Uncredited)
	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Darcy Blaine	Episode: 14.05: "Frame by Frame"
	Sock Monkee Therapy	Holly	Episode: 1.04: "Holly"
2014	Songbyrd	Lauren Byrd	Unaired pilot
2016	Home	Rose Bell	Unaired pilot
	Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.	Stephanie Malick	Episode: 3.13: "Parting Shot" Episode: 3.16: "Paradise Lost"
	American Gothic	April	Episode: 1.08: "Kindred Spirits" Episode: 1.10: "The Veteran in a New Field" Episode: 1.13: "Whistler's Mother"
2017	Colony	Morgan	Recurring role Episode: 2.05 "Company Man" Episode: 2.06 "Fallout" Episode: 2.07 "Free Radicals" Episode: 2.08 "Good Intentions" Episode: 2.09 "Tamam Shud" Episode: 2.10 "The Garden of Beasts" Episode: 2.12 "Seppuku" Episode: 2.13 "Ronin"

Self appearances

Year	Appearance	Role	Note
1997	Kids Choice Awards	Guest	April 2, 1997
1999	26th Daytime Emmy Awards Nominations Ceremony	Presenter	March 11, 1999
	26th Daytime Emmy Awards		May 21, 1999
2000	Ainsley Harriet Show	Guest	February 3, 2000
	Access Hollywood		February 12, 2000
	Soap Opera Digest Awards	Host	March 10, 2000
	27th Daytime Emmy Awards	Presenter	May 19, 2000
2003	Total Request Live	Guest	November 7, 2003
2004			January 16, 2004
	U-Pick Live		June 14, 2004
	WPIX		November 1, 2004
	Total Request Live
2005	Daily Download		January 21, 2005
	Total Request Live
		Guest Host	January 25, 2005
	WGN Morning News	Guest	March 30, 2005
	Fox News		March 31, 2005
	KTLA Morning News		October 4, 2005
2011	10 on Top		May 13, 2011
2017	Home & Family	Guest	February 21, 2017

Director

Year	Title	Notes
2008-2011	One Tree Hill	Episode 6.16: "Screenwriter's Blues" Episode 7.17: "At The Bottom of Everything" Episode 8.09: "Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace" Credited as: Bethany Joy Galeotti

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Director
1988	The Wonderful Wizard of Oz	Munchkin
	Gypsy	Baby June
1991	To Kill a Mockingbird	Scout	Scott Jacoby Matt Moses
1999-2000	Foxy Ladies Love/Boogie 70's Explosion	Performer	Fritz Brekeller
2000	The Outsiders	Sandy	Arthur Allan Seidelman
2005	Happy Days	Pinky Tuscadero	Garry Marshall
2012	CATS for Cats	Performed "Macavity"	Shawn Simons
2014	One Starry Night Gala	Performed "On the Steps of the Palace"

Producer

Year	Production	Credit	Notes
2009	The Notebook Musical	Writer/Producer	Based on novel The Notebook by: Nicholas Sparks Co-Produced by: Ron Aniello

Awards and nominations

Year	Nominated work	Group	Award	Result
2000	Guiding Light	Soap Opera Digest Awards	Favorite Couple With: Paul Anthony Stewart
2004	One Tree Hill	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Breakout TV Star Female: for "One Tree Hill"
			Choice Fresh Face Female'
			Choice TV Sidekick
2007	Ten Inch Hero	Santa Cruz Film Festival	Best Soundtrack for: "Ten Inch Hero"
2010	One Tree Hill	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Scene Stealer Female
			Choice Parental Unit for: "One Tree Hill" With: James Lafferty

Discography

Template:Main article

The following is a list of albums and songs by Bethany Joy Lenz that has been recorded.

Studio albums

Year	Title	Record label	Notes
2002	Preincarnate	Limited edition independent record	No longer available for purchase
2005	Come On Home
2006	The Starter Kit	Epic Records	Unreleased
2012	Then Slowly Grows	Independent Record	First released at the Rock the Schools Concert
2013	Your Woman	Victrola Records	First released at the One Tree Hill Convention 2013

EPs

Year	Title	Record Label	Notes
2008	Mission Bell	Hilasterion Records	Released as Everly
2009	Fireside
2010	B Tracks: Vol. 3
	B Tracks: Full Collection
2014	Get Back to Gold	Imagine Music	Released as Joy
2015	It's Christmas	Independent Record	Released as Joy Lenz & The Fellas

Singles

Year	Title	Album	Notes
1992	"God has a Plan for My Life"	Psalty's Salvation Celebration Soundtrack
2000	"All Along"	End of August Soundtrack	Featuring: Danny "The Farrow" Anniello
2002	"Ebony and Ivory" Originally by: Paul McCartney	Undercover Brother Soundtrack	Dubbed over Denise Richards' voice
2005	"When the Stars Go Blue" Originally by: Ryan Adams	One Tree Hill Soundtrack Volume 1	Featuring: Tyler Hilton
2006	"Halo"	Friends with Benefit: Music from the Television Series One Tree Hill, Volume 2	Composed by: Kara Dioguardi & Matthew Gerrard
2007	"Something Familiar" "The Long Way" "Get Your Love"	Ten Inch Hero Soundtrack
2008	"Feel This"	Feel This - Single	Featuring: Enation
	"I Want Something That I Want"	The One Tree Hill Sessions	Featuring: Grace Potter
2009	"Quicksand"	B Tracks: Vol. 1 - Single	As: Everly
	"Maybe"	B Tracks: Vol. 2 - Single
2013	"Please"	Please - Single	Released as: "Bette"
2014	"Calamity Jane"	Calamity Jane - Single	Previously titled: "Wicked Calamity Jane"
2017	"(They Long To Be) Close To You"	Po (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Miscellaneous songs

• "215"
• "February Leather"
• "Cameron"
• "I'll Never Walk Alone"
• "The Loneliness is Better Near Now" Was released on her old music site back in 2005, April 13
• "One More Thing" Released by Bethany herself | Where? When? Produced by Ron Thaler, Recorded in New York City 2002
• "Ophelia" Released on September 14, 2005, as she was stuck inside waiting out hurricane Ophelia
• "Troublesome Tongue" An exclusive track from "The Notebook" Musical | Released November 5, 2010, on mymusicstream, by Bethany herself as a thank you reward to her fans for supporting the organization 'Love 146' which raises awareness on child sex trafficking
• "Street Where You Live" Originally From: 1956 Broadway Musical "My Fair Lady" | An Easter treat for her fans on her blog - April 24, 2011
• "It Happens" Released on August 5, 2011 | Video Karaoke of Sugarland's "It Happens" for HelloGiggles
• "It's Magic" Released on September 29, 2011, on SoundCloud
• "Someone to Watch Over Me" Released on April 8, 2012, on WhoSay | Video Karaoke for her Novel, Diamond Gothic
• "Lullaby" Released on June 21, 2012, on WhoSay | "Just a little lullaby for the night drifters"