~`*Rachael Leigh Cook Online*`~ Biography

Rachael Leigh Cook burst onto the Hollywood scene in 1995 with the role of Mary Anne Spier in the movie The Baby-Sitters Club, based on the successful book series of the same name. She starred alongside other well-known actresses such as Larisa Oleynik (who also stars in Nickelodeon Series "The Secret World of Alex Mack") and Marla Sokoloff ("The Practice"). She also won acclaim as Becky Thatcher in Tom & Huck, starring opposite Jonathan Taylor Thomas (aka Randy from "Home Improvement"). But before catching the eye of the nation, she was a model for print ads for about four years. Her spots in the Target Stores ad and on the cover of a Milkbone dog biscuit box are probably her best known ones.

Her acting career can be said to have started with commercials and a part in the independent short film '26 Summer Street'. She was discovered by a manager through her modeling agency in Minneapolis. Since appearing in the 'The Baby-Sitters Club', Rachael has gone on to make 11 movies in just 3 years, including 'Carpool', 'Living Out Loud' and 'Strike' (aka 'The Hairy Bird'). And with the dawn of a new year, Rachael seems to be off to a great start in 1999. 'She's All That' opened in theatres the weekend of January 29, grossing over $16.8 million in just 3 days of release, making it Box office #1. With this kind of success, she's sure to be in demand in Hollywood. She tells 'Moxie Girl' magazine, "I look forward to all kinds of roles...playing more adult parts, preferably ones written for people over 16 years of age." If you're a casting agent looking to fill a part, look no further... she's the one...and she's all that, too!

Rachael was the first person to be cast in She's All That. She was drawn to the script's humor. "Very few things make you laugh out loud when you're by yourself. But when I read the script, I was laughing my head off in the middle of the night all alone", she recalls. "I just wanted to grab someone and say, 'This is really funny! I want to do this!'" . In addition, she had another chance to work with Freddie Prinze, Jr. who appeared in The House of Yes with her.

Other films that she has done recently include Hi-Line, an independent film, The Bumblebee Flies Anyway, a teen drama set in a hospital that also stars Elijah Wood, and The Naked Man, a comedy about sumo wrestling written by Ethan Coen.

Some media and magazines that Rachael has appeared in include Moxie Girl, Launch CD-ROM, Movieline,Teen People, Entertainment Weekly, Bikini, and In Style.

Rachael is currently 19 years young and hails from her hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she attended high school and where her family still takes up residence. Her favorite color is black. Her hobbies include drawing, tennis, and writing. Some of her favorite movies are "The Breakfast Club", "Flashdance", "Pulp Fiction" and "Footloose". She likes such bands as Madder Rose, They Might Be Giants, Beasties, That Dog and The Who. Her favorite authors include Shirley Jackson, Sandra Cisneros, Franz Kafka, John Hassler, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. She has two cats Beau and Skippy and a dog Lily. Rachael stands at 5 feet 2 inches tall and has brown hair and brown eyes. Her birthday is October 4.

"...She personally responds to every piece of fan mail...'You get letters from people who say "I wrote letters to all these people and not one of them wrote back," she said. "I want to tell them: Please don't lose the faith.'..."

- Interview with Rachael Leigh Cook - 07 January 1996 - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Gotta love that girl. This policy of personal response has become essentially impossible for Rachael to fulfill, given her heavy schedule, fame, and number of fans, but one can hope. Most letters do eventually get a response of some kind.

Rachael can be reached through her management agency:

Rachael Leigh Cook
c/o Westgate Management
14645 La Maida Street
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

Remember: Include a self-addressed, full (business) sized stamped envelope!

Note: the California P.O. Box address has been removed (it is closed). All future correspondence should be sent to the management agency address.

As for contacting Rachael directly through her home address or personal e-mail - forget it. Today, a great deal of concern is put towards the safety and privacy of stars. In the interests of the safety and privacy of Rachael and her family, I will neither publish such information here nor disclose such information to anyone. So please, don't ask.

- Interview with Rachael Leigh Cook - 07 January 1996 - Minneapolis Star Tribune

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