Jessica Alba Biography
Jessica Alba is a popular American actress and star of "Fantastic Four," "Sin City," and "Honey." At the height of her fame, major global cosmetic brands were desperate to get her on board for their campaigns, while beauty magazines tried to unlock the secrets behind her otherworldly looks. At the same time, the actress regularly found herself nominated for Razzies for unconvincing performances and remained largely ignored by prestigious film awards.
Childhood
Jessica was born on April 28, 1981, in Pomona, California, to a modest Air Force family. Her striking looks, which earned her the nickname "heavenly angel," come from a rich heritage that includes Mexican, French, Danish, and Canadian ancestry.
After a bad fall that caused a collapsed lung, Jessica developed chronic asthma and was hospitalized with pneumonia 4-5 times every year. Her struggles weren't just physical – she was also diagnosed with hyperactivity syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Despite her health issues, she could always stand up for herself and had a fighter's spirit.
At school, she had to endure insults from one of the vice principals – the woman, whether out of jealousy or spite, would call her an offensive word starting with "s." Her classmates also formed a one-sided opinion about Jessica, even though she never gave them reason for dirty gossip. She enjoyed male attention and went on dates with cute boys, but being raised in the Christian faith, she was convinced that sex before marriage should be forbidden. Throughout her school years, she remained a virgin and avoided wild parties. Only when Alba entered the world of big-time show business did she begin to question the church's teachings.They made me feel like I was the one looking at men with lust, that it was entirely my fault. I became ashamed of my body and of being born a woman.
First Roles
When the girl turned 11, she begged her mom to take her to a child actor competition in Beverly Hills. Despite having no training, the little girl won, and the prize was free tuition at a prestigious acting school.Jessica immediately became the top student in her class, and within just a few months, she had her own agent. A year later, she was already busy shooting commercials and landed her first movie role in "Camp Nowhere."
The Kidnapping
During the filming of "Flipper," something happened that Alba still remembers with horror. First, she started getting strange phone calls. Unknown criminals kidnapped her right from the set, demanding ransom. One of the perpetrators called Jessica, pretending to be a parking guard, and told her that her scooter was parked wrong and blocking cars. When she went out during a break, they shot her with a tranquilizer dart and drove off with her.
Gradually, she returned to filming and managed to successfully overcome the psychological trauma from this incident. This was largely thanks to British director John Duigan, who cast the young actress in his psychological thriller "Paranoid" (2000). Jessica's character is a famous model being terrorized by anonymous phone calls. Soon it becomes clear her fears weren't unfounded. Though the film received harsh criticism, it helped Alba relive certain moments of her personal tragedy and break free from her fears.
Rise to Fame
Jessica Alba's star-making moment came in the early 2000s. In 2000, the actress landed the lead role in the romantic drama "The Sleeping Dictionary," starring opposite Hugh Dancy.
Career Setback
The role of invisible woman Sue Storm in "Fantastic Four" (2005) was supposed to elevate the actress to Hollywood's A-list, but it backfired spectacularly. The film was mercilessly criticized. It became one of the early attempts at Hollywood superhero cinema. Years later, Marvel and DC comic adaptations would make dozens of actors and directors incredibly wealthy, but in 2005, the winning formula for the genre hadn't been cracked yet. Director Tim Story's creation made every possible mistake.
He'd say, "Don't cry in the shot! It looks too real. Make the emotions... flatter, and we'll add the tears with CGI later." And I stood there thinking, "Am I not a good enough actress? Are my emotions not good enough?" Then I decided, "Screw it. I don't care anymore."
Career Decline
After this, Jessica's career entered a period of mediocre rom-coms: "Good Luck Chuck," "Meet Bill" (2007), and "The Love Guru" (2008). All these films marked the debuts of inexperienced directors, so they predictably received poor reviews and barely broke even at the box office. Alba didn't deny that she found these projects uninteresting and only agreed to them for the money, which led to her approaching the work without enough dedication.
After this, screenwriter John August ("Charlie's Angels," "Big Fish," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and creator of scripts for three Tim Burton films) responded to Jessica's statement that had irritated him: "Following your logic, you've never been in a movie with good actors and a genius script. And I'd agree with that if I wasn't afraid of hurting the feelings of David Wain, Robert Rodriguez, and Frank Miller."Good actors never stick to the script unless it's really genius. All the good actors I've worked with just say whatever comes into their heads on set.
In 2014, Alba appeared in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. Fans got their hopes up for their favorite's comeback, since the original Sin City had made her a star. But sadly, the sequel to the famous noir comic book adaptation didn't click with audiences either, and the film's box office was five times lower than expected.
The crime series L.A.'s Finest with Jessica and Gabrielle Union in the lead roles didn't create much buzz either. Alba transformed into police officer and single mom Nancy with a complicated past. Gabrielle plays her new partner Syd, a former DEA agent looking for a calmer life. The partners' initially tense relationship soon turns into friendship.
Filming started soon after her third childbirth, so Jessica was, by her own admission, not in the best shape. She had to train way more than usual, but thanks to muscle memory she soon got her stunning figure back, though she sometimes felt lazy and weak compared to Gabrielle Union – her partner who's nine years older than Jessica but in excellent physical shape.Jessica admitted she was captivated by the show's concept – two women taking on traditionally male work. Alba believes audiences need to get used to the fact that women aren't the weaker sex, but strong and influential.
In 2020, it was announced that Alba would star in and executive produce a documentary series for Disney+ with the working title Parenting Without Borders, which was supposed to explore families from around the world and their cultural traditions, but the project never saw the light of day.
The Honest Company
In 2011, Alba co-founded The Honest Company, an eco-friendly consumer goods business that reached a billion dollars in revenue within three years.
In May 2021, The Honest Company went public, and at the IPO price of $23 per share, Jessica's stake was worth $130 million before taxes. But the celebration didn't last long: by March 2022, shares had crashed to $5, shrinking Alba's stake to roughly $25 million.
Spring 2024 brought two major developments. In April, Alba announced she was stepping down as Chief Creative Officer of The Honest Company after twelve years, though she remained on the board of directors.
Jessica Alba's Personal Life
On the set of "Dark Angel," Jessica fell in love for the first time. Her chosen one was actor Michael Weatherly, who was twelve years older than the actress. Despite her parents' protests over such a significant age gap, the beautiful romance lasted three years but never culminated in a wedding ceremony. This man became Jessica's first sexual partner.
After becoming a mother of three, Jessica bought a luxurious Los Angeles mansion worth $10 million, spanning nearly 850 square meters. The actress made sure to make it as child-safe as possible and honored her ancestors by filling the hallway with their photographs. "My husband is mixed race, half African American, half white. I'm half Mexican, half white. We think it's really important for our kids to know their lineage, their heritage."
In April 2024, on Katherine Schwarzenegger's podcast, Alba opened up about problems in her relationship with Cash Warren:If I were younger, I'd be obsessed with dieting and working out right now. But this is who I am now, this is my life and my body. I don't let the press objectify me anymore. I can show off whatever I want, and if I want to cover it up, I will.
By the end of the year, their marriage had ceased to exist. According to court documents, the couple officially separated on December 27, 2024, though this only became public knowledge in January 2025. Both spouses cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for divorce and requested joint custody of their three children.I'd say everything's great for the first two and a half years. But after that, you become roommates... You're just going through the motions, the duties. Checking a lot of boxes.
Source:
PEOPLE
Jessica Alba Now
Jessica Alba's taking on far fewer roles these days compared to her early career – she's choosing to prioritize family time instead. What matters most to her now is being present for her kids every single day and feeling how much she means to them.In 2021, Alba made her return to big-budget filmmaking, though fans had to wait three years to actually see the results. She filmed the action thriller "Trigger Warning" in New Mexico from September through October 2021. Alba was flying back and forth twice a week, juggling her time between the film set and running her business empire.
Source:
IMDb
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Patsy Mendez
2021-05-09 13:11:07
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Barbara Edwards
2021-04-14 13:08:47
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Wilma Jones
2021-03-31 09:25:37
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William Benjamin Scott
2021-03-09 20:21:07
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Melissa Bridges
2020-12-31 10:07:26
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