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HOME > RealityTVDB > Jennifer Love Hewitt

Jennifer Love Hewitt


Jennifer Love Hewitt (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

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Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress, producer, author, television director and singer-songwriter. Hewitt began her acting career as a child by appearing in television commercials and the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated. She rose to fame in teenage popular culture in her roles in the Fox series Party of Five as Sarah Reeves Merrin, and films I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel as Julie James.

Hewitt starred on the hit CBS television program Ghost Whisperer as Melinda Gordon, for which she won a Saturn Award in 2007 and 2008 for Best Actress on Television. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her television movie The Client List. In addition to acting, she has served as a producer on some of her film and television projects. As a singer, Hewitt has been signed by Atlantic Records and Jive Records, and is primarily known for her recordings in the pop genre. Her most successful single on the Billboard Hot 100 is the 1999 release "How Do I Deal", which peaked at No. 59. She has also contributed music to the promotion or soundtracks of acting projects. She was identified as the "#1 reader choice" on the November 1999 and May 2009 covers of Maxim. TV Guide named her the sexiest woman on television in 2008.

she is a recurring star on Hot in Cleveland and leads the new Lifetime television series The Client List.

Early life

Hewitt was born in Waco, Texas, to Patricia Mae (née Shipp), a speech-language pathologist, and Herbert Daniel Hewitt, a medical technician. Hewitt grew up in Nolanville in Central Texas. Hewitt received her middle name after her mother promised her college friend (named "Love") that if she had a daughter, she would name her after her. Her older brother, Todd Hewitt, chose the name "Jennifer" as a homage to a crush he had at the time she was born. After the divorce of her parents, Hewitt and her brother were raised by her mother. Patricia Mae Hewitt died on June 12, 2012, aged 67, following a battle with cancer.

As a young girl, Hewitt was attracted to music, which led to her first encounters with the entertainment industry. At the age of three, she sang "The Greatest Love of All" at a livestock show. Just a year after that, at a restaurant-dance hall, she entertained an audience with her version of "Help Me Make It Through the Night". By age five, she had tap dancing and ballet in her portfolio. At nine, she became a member of the Texas Show Team (which also toured in the Soviet Union).

At age ten, at the suggestion of talent scouts and after gaining the title of "Texas Our Little Miss Talent Winner", she moved to Los Angeles with her mother to pursue a career in both acting and singing. In Los Angeles, she attended Lincoln High School where her classmates included Jonathan Neville, who became a talent scout and recommended Hewitt for her role in Party of Five.

Career

Acting

After moving to Los Angeles, Hewitt appeared in more than twenty television commercials, including some for Mattel toys. Her first break came as a child actor on the Disney Channel variety show Kids Incorporated (1989-1991), where she was credited as "Love Hewitt". She later appeared in the live action video short Dance! Workout with Barbie (1992), released by Buena Vista.

She played Pierce Brosnan's daughter in a pilot for NBC called Running Wilde (1993), which featured Brosnan as a reporter for Auto World magazine whose stories cover his own wild auto adventures. However, the series was not picked up and the pilot never aired. Hewitt later had roles in several short-lived television series, such as Fox's Shaky Ground (1992-1993), ABC's The Byrds of Paradise (1994), and McKenna (1994-1995), and finally became a young star after landing the role of Sarah Reeves Merrin on the popular Fox show Party of Five (1995-1999). She assumed the role of Sarah after joining that show during its second season and continued it on the short-lived Party of Five spin-off, Time of Your Life (1999), which she also co-produced. The show was cancelled after half a season.

Hewitt's first feature film role was in the independent film Munchie (1992). A year later, she achieved her first starring film role in Little Miss Millions (1993). She appeared as a choir member in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993). Hewitt became a film star after a lead role in the horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), which enjoyed great box office success ($125,000,000 USD). Hewitt and her co-stars gained popular exposure from the film. She appeared in the sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), which, though not as successful as the first film, took in more money on its opening weekend. She starred in the high-school comedy Can't Hardly Wait (1998).

Hewitt starred in The Audrey Hepburn Story (2000). That same year, she was the "most popular actress on television" due to her Q-rating (a measurement of a celebrity's popularity) of 37. Noting her "Q-rating", Nokia chose her to become its spokesperson.

She starred alongside Sigourney Weaver in the romantic comedy Heartbreakers (2001). She appeared in The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002) as Madellaine, the main protagonist's love interest. Hewitt wrote and performed "I'm Gonna Love You" for the film; the song won "Best Original Song" at the DVD Premiere Awards. She starred alongside Jackie Chan in The Tuxedo (2002), which received negative reviews from critics but was a box office success. Hewitt appeared in If Only (2004) and co-wrote and performed "Love Will Show You Everything" and "Take My Heart Back" for the film's soundtrack. She starred in Garfield (2004), which became her highest-grossing film to date ($200,804,534 USD). She reprised her role for the sequel, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006), which, though not performing as well as its predecessor, achieved a strong box office gross.

Hewitt starred in the television series Ghost Whisperer (2005-2010), which ran on CBS for five seasons before being canceled by the network in May, 2010. She reunited with her I Know What You Did Last Summer co-star, Freddie Prinze Jr., in Delgo (2008). The film was a massive box office bomb ($694,782 USD domestically). After a two-year absence from feature films, Hewitt led the independent drama Café (2010) with her then-boyfriend Jamie Kennedy. She starred in the Lifetime film The Client List (2010), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. The next year, Hewitt starred in the Hallmark Hall of Fame film The Lost Valentine (2011).

Hewitt will direct the film Wait Till Helen Comes (2012) based on the novel by Mary Downing Hahn. This will be Hewitt's feature film directorial debut (she previously directed three episodes of Ghost Whisperer). She is also set star alongside Ivan Sergei and Joel David Moore in the independent comedy Jewtopia (2012) and will star in the television series The Client List (2012).

Music

Hewitt was one of the back-up singers in Martika's number-one single, "Toy Soldiers" (1989).

At the age of 12, Meldac funded the recording of Hewitt's first album, Love Songs (1992). The album was released exclusively in Japan, where Hewitt became a pop star. Her explanation for her success in Japan is that the Japanese "love perky music. The poppier the music, the better."

After she joined the cast of Party of Five, she signed to Atlantic Records, who rushed her second album, Let's Go Bang (1995), out in October. The album and its three singles failed to chart. Juggling her music career with her acting career, she recorded and released her follow-up album, Jennifer Love Hewitt (1996). The album, along with its four singles, failed to chart and Atlantic dropped Hewitt, who did not return to the music scene for three years.

She recorded the single "How Do I Deal" (1999) for the I Still Know What You Did Last Summer soundtrack. The song became Hewitt's first charting single, climbing to No. 59 on the Hot 100 and No. 36 on the Top 40 Mainstream. It reached No. 8 in Australia. Hewitt also recorded a cover of the Gloria Gaynor song "I Will Survive", which features briefly in the film.

She appeared in the LFO video for "Girl on TV" (1999), a song which was written for her by a member of the band. She also appeared in the music video for the Enrique Iglesias song, "Hero" (2001), as the singer's love interest.

In 2002, Hewitt signed to Jive Records and recorded her fourth album with singer, songwriter and producer Meredith Brooks. The first single, "BareNaked" (2002), became her biggest radio hit to date when it peaked at No. 24 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, No. 31 on the Adult Top 40 and No. 25 on the Top 40 Mainstream. It climbed to No. 6 in Australia, remaining there for two weeks, and reached No. 33 in the Netherlands. The song later featured in two episodes of Ghost Whisperer: "The Vanishing" (Season 1, episode 20) and "The Collector" (Season 2, episode 20). The moderate success of the single propelled the album to peak at No. 37 on the Billboard 200 and No. 31 in Australia. However, it only remained on the chart for three weeks. The second single, "Can I Go Now" (2003), failed to chart in the US, while managing to peak at No. 8 in the Netherlands and No. 12 in Australia.

Since 2004, Hewitt has remained inactive in the music industry, but the compilation album Cool with You: The Platinum Collection (2006) was released in Asia. Another compilation, Hey Everybody (2007), was released in Brazil. In 2009, reports surfaced that Hewitt was planning on making a country album and was in the process of writing material for it. Jamie Kennedy, Hewitt's boyfriend at the time, said: "I really want to make her a new demo for her music, because I think she should do singing again. She's so good." However, nothing has of yet come of the reports and Hewitt has remained absent from the music scene.

Writing

In November 2009, Hewitt made a foray into comic books. Writer Scott Lobdell scripted the 5-issue anthology, Jennifer Love Hewitt's Music Box (2009-2010), based on Hewitt's ideas. The series was published by IDW Publishing, and was collected in a trade paperback.

She wrote a book entitled The Day I Shot Cupid (2010), in which she speaks of her experiences with love and dating. During a January 2010 interview on Lopez Tonight, Hewitt said that there was a chapter in the book about "vajazzling" her "vajayjay" (decorating her vulva with Swarovski crystals). Hewitt was attributed with popularizing the trend. The book became a New York Times Bestseller the week of its release. She announced via her Twitter page in June 2011 that she was penning a follow-up.

Personal life

Hewitt began a relationship with Scottish actor Ross McCall, whom she met when he made an appearance on Ghost Whisperer in late 2005. After two years of dating, they became engaged in November 2007, while vacationing in Hawaii. People magazine reported that Hewitt called off their engagement in late 2008.

In 2002, a conspiracy theorist and former social worker, Diana Napolis, was arrested for stalking and uttering death threats against Hewitt and Steven Spielberg after "verbally confronting" the actress at the 2002 Grammy Awards, and the subsequent day attempting to pose as one of Hewitt's friends to enter the premiere of The Tuxedo. Napolis admitted to being involved in a shoving match with Hewitt's mother while confronting the actress. Napolis accused Hewitt, along with director Spielberg, of controlling her thoughts through "cybertronic" technology and being part of a Satanic conspiracy against her. Napolis was charged with six felonies related to the incidents. After a year of involuntary commitment, Napolis pleaded guilty and was released on bail with a condition that she was barred from contact with both Spielberg and Hewitt.

Filmography

Film credits as an actress
Year Title Role Notes
1992 Munchie Andrea Kurtz Credited as Love Hewitt
1993 Little Miss Millions Heather Lofton Credited as Love Hewitt; also known Home for Christmas
1993 Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit Margaret Credited as Jennifer "Love" Hewitt
1996 House Arrest Brooke Figler
1997 Trojan War Leah Jones Also known as Rescue Me
1997 I Know What You Did Last Summer Julie James
1998 Can't Hardly Wait Amanda Beckett
1998 Telling You Deb Freidman Also known as Love Sucks
1998 Zoomates Helen Voice; short film
1998 I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Julie James
1999 ' Cate
2000 ' Audrey Hepburn Television film
2001 Heartbreakers Page Conners
2002 ' Madellaine Voice; direct-to-video film
2002 ' Thumbelina Voice; direct-to-video film
2002 ' Del Blaine
2002 Groove Squad Chrissy Voice; direct-to-video film
2004 If Only Samantha Andrews
2004 Garfield: The Movie Liz Wilson
2004 ' Emily Television film
2005 Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber Katya Livingston Television film; also known as The Social Climber
2005 The Truth About Love Alice Holbrook
2006 Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties Liz Wilson
2007 Shortcut to Happiness The Devil Also known as The Devil and Daniel Webster
2008 Tropic Thunder Herself Cameo appearance
2008 Delgo Princess Kyla Voice role
2009 ' Erica Voice; television film
2009 Yes, Virginia Mrs. Laura O'Hanlon Voice role
2010 Café Claire
2010 ' Samantha "Sam" Horton/Brandy Television film
2011 ' Susan Allison Hallmark Hall of Fame original movie
2012 Jewtopia Alison Marks
Television credits as an actress
Year(s) Title Role Notes
1990-1991 Kids Incorporated Robin "A New Twist" (Season 7, episode 8)
"Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (Season 7, episode 9)
"Double Trouble" (Season 7, episode 17)
(credited as Love Hewitt)
1992 Dance! Workout with Barbie Herself Video short; credited as Love Hewitt
1992-1993 Shaky Ground Bernadette Moody Main Role
1993 Running Wilde Unknown "Pilot" (Season 1, episode 1); unaired series
1994 ' Franny Byrd Main Role; 7 episodes
1994-1995 McKenna Cassidy McKenna "Splendor in the McKenna Grass" (Season 1, episode 2)
"The Pony" (Season 1, episode 3)
"Racing in the Streets" (Season 1, episode 4)
1995-2000 Party of Five Sarah Reeves Merrin Main Role (Seasons 2-6); 99 episodes
1998 Boy Meets World Jennifer Love Fefferman "And Then There Was Shawn" (Season 5, episode 17)
1999 Hercules: The Animated Series Medusa Voice; "Hercules and the Gorgon" (Season 2, episode 12)
1999-2001 Time of Your Life Sarah Reeves Merrin Lead Role
2001 The Weekenders Herself Voice; "My Punky Valentine" (Season 2, episode 17)
2002 Family Guy Herself Voice; "Stuck Together, Torn Apart" (Season 3, episode 19)
2004 American Dreams Nancy Sinatra "The 7-10 Split" (Season 2, episode 10)
"Old Enough to Fight" (Season 2, episode 14)
2004 In The Game Riley Reed Two pilot episodes; unaired series
2005-2010 Ghost Whisperer Melinda Gordon Lead Role
2010 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Vicki Sayers "Behave" (Season 12, episode 3)
2011 Love Bites Herself "Firsts" (Season 1, episode 1)
2011-2012 Hot in Cleveland Emmy Chase "The Emmy Show" (Season 2, episode 17)
"Love is Blind" (Season 3, episode 9)
2012 RuPaul's Drag Race Guest Judge "DILFs: Dad's I'd Like To Frock" (Season 4, episode 10)
2012-present The Client List Riley Parks Lead Role
Credits as a director
Year(s) Title Notes
2009-2010 Ghost Whisperer "Body of Water" (Season 4, episode 13)
"Birthday Presence" (Season 5, episode 1)
"Implosion" (Season 5, episode 15)
2012 The Client List "Past Is Prologue" (Season 1, episode 10; also co-writer)
Credits as a producer
Year(s) Title Role Notes
1999-2000 Time of Your Life Producer
2000 The Audrey Hepburn Story Co-executive producer Television film
2000 Bunny Producer
2002 One Night Producer
2004 If Only Producer
2005-2010 Ghost Whisperer Producer, executive producer Producer (83 episodes); executive producer (11 episodes)
2010 ' Executive producer Television film
2011 ' Executive producer Television film
2012 The Client List Executive producer

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures, and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
AUS
NLD
Love Songs
  • Released: March 21, 1992
  • Label: Meldac
  • Formats: CD
" " "
Let's Go Bang
  • Released: October 10, 1995
  • Label: Atlantic
  • Formats: CD
" " "
Jennifer Love Hewitt
  • Released: September 3, 1996
  • Label: Atlantic
  • Formats: CD
" " "
BareNaked
  • Released: October 8, 2002
  • Label: Jive
  • Formats: CD
37 31 72
""" denotes releases that did not chart.

Compilation albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures, and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
AUS
NLD
Cool with You: The Platinum Collection
  • Released: June 6, 2006
  • Label: Wea Int'l
  • Formats: CD
" " "
Hey Everybody
  • Released: December 2007
  • Label: unknown
  • Formats: CD
" " "
""" denotes releases that did not chart.

Singles

Year Single Chart peak positions Album
U.S.
U.S. Adult AUS
NZ
NL
SWI
1992 "Please Save Us The World" " " " " " " Love Songs
1995 "Let's Go Bang" " " " " " " Let's Go Bang
"Couldn't Find Another Man" " " " " " "
1996 "You Make Me Smile" " " " " " "
"Cool With You" " " " " " " Jennifer Love Hewitt
"No Ordinary Love" " " " " " "
1997 "(Our Love) Please Don't Throw It All Away" " " " " " "
"I Believe In..." " " " " " "
1999 "How Do I Deal" 59 " 8 5 " " I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Soundtrack
2002 "BareNaked" 124 31 6 26 33 " BareNaked
2003 "Can I Go Now" " " 12 " 8 69
""" denotes releases that did not chart.

Soundtracks

Year Title Track(s)
1996 House Arrest "It's Good To Know I'm Alive"
1997 Trojan War "I Hope I Don't Fall in Love With You"
"I Believe In"
1998 Can't Hardly Wait "How Do I Make You"
1998 I Still Know What You Did Last Summer "How Do I Deal"
"I Will Survive"
2002 The Hunchback of Notre Dame II "I'm Gonna Love You"
2002 Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?"
2004 If Only "Love Will Show You Everything"
"Take My Heart Back"
2004 A Christmas Carol "A Place Called Home (Reprise)"

Bibliography

Credits as an author:

  • The Day I Shot Cupid (2010)
Other credits:

  • Jennifer Love Hewitt's Music Box (2009-2010) (creator)

Awards and nominations

Year Group Award Result Film/Show
1990 Young Artist Award Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast Kids Incorporated
1993 Young Artist Award Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Youth Series or Variety Show Kids Incorporated
1994 Young Artist Award Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Cable or Off Primetime Series Kids Incorporated
1996 Young Artist Award Best Professional Actress/Singer
1997 YoungStar Award Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Drama TV Series Party of Five
1998 Young Artist Award Best Performance in a Feature Film " Leading Young Actress I Know What You Did Last Summer
1998 Blockbuster Entertainment Award Favorite Female Newcomer I Know What You Did Last Summer
1998 Blockbuster Entertainment Award Favorite Actress " Horror I Know What You Did Last Summer
1999 MTV Movie Award Best Female Performance Can't Hardly Wait
1999 Blockbuster Entertainment Award Favorite Actress " Horror I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
1999 Teen Choice Award Film " Choice Actress I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
1999 Teen Choice Award Film " Most Disgusting Scene I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
1999 Teen Choice Award TV " Choice Actress Party of Five
1999 Young Artist Award Best Performance in a Feature Film " Leading Young Actress Can't Hardly Wait
2000 Kid's Choice Award Favorite Television Actress Party of Five
2000 People's Choice Award Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series Time of Your Life
2001 Teen Choice Award Film - Choice Actress Heartbreakers
2003 Kids' Choice Award Favorite Female Butt Kicker The Tuxedo
2003 Teen Choice Award Choice Crossover Artist (Music/Acting)
2003 DVD Premiere Award Best Original Song The Hunchback of Notre Dame II
2006 Saturn Award Best Actress on Television Ghost Whisperer
2006 Kids' Choice Award Favorite Television Actress Ghost Whisperer
2006 People's Choice Award Favorite Female Television Star Ghost Whisperer
2007 Saturn Award Best Actress on Television Ghost Whisperer
2007 Teen Choice Award Choice: TV Drama Actress Ghost Whisperer
2007 People's Choice Award Favorite Female Television Star Ghost Whisperer
2008 People's Choice Award Favorite Female Television Star Ghost Whisperer
2008 Saturn Award Best Actress on Television Ghost Whisperer
2008 TV Land Award Favorite Character from the "Other Side" Ghost Whisperer
2009 Saturn Award Best Actress on Television Ghost Whisperer
2010 Saturn Award Best Actress on Television Ghost Whisperer
2010 People's Choice Award Favorite TV Drama Actress Ghost Whisperer
2011 Golden Globe Award Best Performance By An Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made For Television The Client List


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