Erika Jane Christensen (born August 19, 1982) is an American actress whose film appearances include Traffic (2000), Swimfan (2002), The Banger Sisters (2002), The Perfect Score (2004) and How to Rob a Bank (2007), among others. She also co-starred in the short-lived drama Six Degrees (from September 21, 2006 to March 30, 2007) on ABC. She co-starred on the television series Parenthood as Julia Braverman-Graham from 2010 to 2015.
Personal life
Christensen was born in Seattle, Washington, the daughter of Kathy, a construction manager, and Steven, an insurance worker/human-resources executive. She has an older half-brother, Nick, and two younger twin brothers, Dane (who appeared in the 2005 film The Upside of Anger) and Brando. She has Icelandic, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Welsh, and Irish ancestry. Christensen was raised in Los Angeles, California and started out on television in commercials for McDonald's. Christensen is a member of the Church of Scientology. Her parents became Scientologists in their 20s and raised her to be a Scientologist as well as homeschooling her.
On November 17, 2014, People confirmed that she is engaged to cyclist Cole Maness.
Career
Christensen had several small roles in various television programs before starting her movie career in 1997. These include The Geena Davis Show, Frasier, The Practice, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Touched by an Angel. She was named one of People magazine's "Breakthrough Stars of 2001". For her performance as a cocaine addict in Traffic (2000) she received the awards for Female Breakthrough Performance at the MTV Movie Awards, Female Standout Performance at the Young Hollywood Awards, and Outstanding Performance by a Cast Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2005, she went into music as she recorded a version of "Let's Fall in Love" with John Stevens for his debut album Red.
In 2006, she starred in the series Six Degrees, which debuted on the ABC fall schedule in 2006 but low ratings caused its cancellation after one season. She made a cameo in the Joaquin Phoenix-directed video "Tired of Being Sorry" for Balthazar Getty's band Ringside. She is part of the cast of the film adaptation of Veronika Decides to Die (2009). Christensen was also a regular cast member on the NBC television series Parenthood, which debuted on March 2, 2010 and concluded on January 29, 2015. In 2015, she was cast in the ABC crime drama pilot L.A. Crime.
Filmography
References
External links
- Erika Christensen at the Internet Movie Database
- Photo Essay of Erika Christensen for Left Field Project by Duane Fernandez
