AnnaLynne McCord

AnnaLynne McCord (born July 16, 1987) is an American actress, writer, director and former model. Known for playing vixen-type roles, McCord first gained prominence in 2007 as the scheming Eden Lord on the FX television series Nip/Tuck, and as the pampered Loren Wakefield on the MyNetworkTV telenovela American Heiress.

In 2008, she was the second actress to be cast in the CW series 90210, portraying antiheroine Naomi Clark. Initially, the part of Clark was conceived as a supporting role. By the end of the first season, however, various media outlets had begun referring to McCord as the series' lead. For the role of Naomi Clark, she was nominated for a Teen Choice Award and received the Hollywood Life Young Hollywood Superstar of Tomorrow award in 2009. In 2010, she won a Breakthrough of the Year Award in the category of "Breakthrough Standout Performance".

Apart from acting, she has also contributed to charities in her free time, and has been labeled by the Look to the Stars organization as "one of the strongest young female philanthropists standing up in Hollywood and fighting for the charities she believes in." In 2011, she was nominated for VH1's "Do Something" Award in the category of "TV Star". Her turn as a disturbed and delusional teenager in the 2012 film Excision was widely acclaimed. For her role in Excision, McCord won "Best Actress" at the Malaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema in 2012. Also for her role in Excision, she earned second place for "Best Actress" at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards in 2013.

Early life and career

AnnaLynne McCord was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the daughter of a Christian pastor. She was home-schooled and graduated from high school at the age of 15, after which she joined the Wilhelmina Modeling Agency and appeared in ads for various brands, including Estee Lauder, and also briefly modeled for Seventeen.

McCord appears in the 2005 Italian film Natale a Miami and 2007 horror film remake Day of the Dead. In addition to appearances on Close to Home and The O.C., she played rebellious Loren Wakefield on the MyNetworkTV limited-run serial American Heiress. She was also cast as the star in another MyNetworkTV telenovela, Rules of Deception, but the show never aired, due to a change in the network's programming strategy away from telenovelas. In addition, she has guest-starred in two episodes of the first season of Ugly Betty, an episode of the first season of Greek, and an episode of the fourth season of Cold Case.

She participated in Mexican artist ThalÃa's music video "Baby, I'm in Love".

McCord portrayed Eden Lord in the fifth season of the FX series Nip/Tuck. McCord said in an interview with fearnet.com that it was "fun to play a bad girl."

In 2008, McCord was cast in the series 90210 as Naomi Clark. Throughout the show, McCord's character vies for social power and love. McCord was nominated for multiple awards for her work in the role, winning the Hollywood Life Young Hollywood Superstar of Tomorrow in 2009, and a nomination for a Teen Choice Award for "Breakthrough Standout Performance" in 2010.

McCord was being considered for the role of Heidi in New Moon, the sequel to the 2008 film Twilight, according to E! Online. However, she did not get the role. According to McCord herself she turned the part down because she was "in need of some R&R." The role went to Noot Seear. BuddyTV ranked her #22 on its "TV's 100 Sexiest Women of 2010" list and #14 in 2011.

She accepted a role in the Off Broadway play Love, Loss, and What I Wore for an April 27 through May 29, 2011 run with Conchata Ferrell, Minka Kelly, Anne Meara, and B. Smith.

McCord's role in the 2012 film Excision was critically acclaimed. In 2014, McCord joined the cast of the TNT series Dallas for its third season, in the recurring role of Heather. She played the lead role in the 2015 Lifetime film Watch Your Back.

Personal life

During her free time, McCord has contributed to various charities, stating that she is a "strong believer in working with organizations and giving back." She is a big supporter of the St. Bernard Project, a rebuilding organization dedicated to assisting victims of Hurricane Katrina. She is the Goodwill Ambassador for the New Somaly Fund which empowers women victimized by human-trafficking and sexualized violence. McCord is the cover model for the July 2009 issue of Signature magazine, a Los Angeles regional magazine. The cover story highlights her dedication to the fight to end human-trafficking and slavery.

In 2009, McCord joined the faculty and students at Woodland Regional High School, located in Beacon Falls, Connecticut, for the inaugural race for Woodland for Women Worldwide, a grass roots organization which supports Somaly Mam and CAMFED, two international organizations which fight the exploitation of girls and women worldwide and provides them with opportunities and education. Screenwriter and playwright, Susan Cinoman also serves Woodland for Women Worldwide who was founded by Deb Flaherty, Lisa Olivere, Joelle Kilcourse, Meghan Hatch, and Danielle Shove in addition to the students at WRHS. At their inaugural event, McCord was awarded Woodland for Women Worldwide's highest humanitarian award and a U.S. Congressional Honor by Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa De Lauro.

In 2014, McCord revealed that she was sexually assaulted when she was 18 by a male friend, and as a result broke down during her rape scene in 90210, unbeknownst to her fellow cast members, who thought she acted well. In March 2015, while speaking at the United Nations in support of UNWFPA McCord announced her alignment with the NFL supported anti sexual-assault and domestic abuse project, the No More Campaign. Budding a career as a speaker and passionate activist, McCord has and continues to engage audiences at colleges, events and private parties with her candid outlook on sex, anti-sexualized violence, anti-domestic abuse and the slavery which "touches 7 billion people": mental slavery.