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Elizabeth Banks (born Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress and film producer. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996, Banks received classical acting training at the American Conservatory Theater, and landed her first feature role in the 1998 independent drama Surrender Dorothy.

Following appearances in such films as Spider-Man (2002) and Catch Me If You Can (2002), Banks had her breakout role in the 2003 drama film Seabiscuit, and gained popular recognition in the 2005 comedy film The 40-Year-Old Virgin. In 2008, Banks received critical praise for portraying the United States First Lady Laura Bush in Oliver Stone's biographical movie W.. Other notable films in recent years have included Heights (2005), Slither (2006), Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008), The Uninvited (2009), and Paul Haggis' The Next Three Days (2010).

Away from film, Banks appeared on the Broadway in The 24 Hour Plays in 2007, and has made appearances in television shows including Scrubs and 30 Rock. Banks, along with her husband Max Handelman, owns a production company named Brownstone Productions, whose projects include the science fiction Surrogates (2009) and musical comedy Pitch Perfect (2012). In addition, she has appeared in television and print advertising promoting L'Oréal products.

Early life
Banks was born Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell on February 10, 1974, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the eldest of four children of Ann and Mark Mitchell. Her father was a factory worker for General Electric and her mother worked in a bank. While growing up she was raised as a Catholic. As a young child she was a contestant on the Nickelodeon game show Finders Keepers. During her time at Pittsfield High School, Banks was an athlete participating in baseball, basketball and skiing activities, however, after suffering a leg injury she turned to acting, in addition to needing an activity to do after school. Banks began acting at Pittsfield and her first role was as Pontius Pilate in the high school production of Jesus Christ Superstar. She credits her theater teacher for keeping her involved in acting. She then starred as the female lead in Man of La Mancha in 1991. Banks never thought acting would be a path she would take as she believed she would become either a lawyer or a doctor. In addition, to her time in the high school, she was a member of the choir.

Following her graduation from Pittsfield in 1992, Banks moved to Pennsylvania and enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania as a liberal arts student. Banks debated whether or not she wanted to join the cheerleading team in the university instead of doing a play, but decided not to be a cheerleader. During her sophomore year she was in charge of the work-study program at the Faculty Club. To expand her acting horizons, Banks acted in a children's theater group that performed for local schools, and in the university she played Aunt Polly in a production of Tom Sawyer. In addition, she was a member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority and graduated in 1996 as a magna cum laude alum as a communications major, and was the first in her family to graduate from college.

After ending her studies at the University of Pennsylvania, Banks was uncertain about her career path, and decided to attend American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), a drama school, in San Francisco, California. Her decision to attend the drama school was "perfect for me. I'm from that old-school acting tradition. Actors should study the classics and know Shakespeare and Chekhov and Oscar Wilde. I believe in craft. If I had gone straight to New York as a 22-year-old, I don't know that I would have known what to do." She appeared in the productions Hurly Burly, Bethlehem, A Midsummer Night's Dream, A Woman of No Importance, Uncle Vanya and Summer and Smoke. In 1998, Banks completed schooling at A.C.T., and pursued an acting career.

1998–2003
Following her graduation from the University of Pennsylvania she began appearing in commercials for Dove, Crest, and Zima products. In 1998, after graduating from American Conservatory Theater she moved to Los Angeles /New York City she pursued a career in acting, resulting in her receiving acting jobs, including a soap opera role, in which she was offered a two year contract but turned it down. She then enlisted an agent and changed her stage name to Elizabeth Banks to avoid confusion with actress Elizabeth Mitchell. Banks made her feature film debut in the 1998 independent film Surrender Dorothy as "Elizabeth Casey." It was also during this time that Banks worked as a waitress, however, it only lasted a couple of months. The following year she guest starred in the NBC show Third Watch, and would follow this with appearances on the shows Sex & the City in 2000 and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2001.

Returning to film, Banks had a small role in the action-crime film Shaft (2000). She next appeared in a supporting role as a camp counselor in the 2001 comedy Wet Hot American Summer, a movie about the last day of a Jewish summer camp in 1981. Having grossed $295 million at the box office, the movie received mixed reviews from critics, nonetheless, it became a cult classic. Banks credits her role in Wet Hot American Summer for changing her life and for starting her comedic career. "It gave me legitimacy as a comic actress that I've been able to play with for a long time." The following year, Banks was cast in the superhero film Spider-Man as the character Betty Brant, a secretary to J. Jonah Jameson, played by J. K. Simmons. Banks had auditioned for the lead female role, Mary Jane Watson, a role that was given to Kirsten Dunst, but was certain that she would not be given the part. She said that her casting as Betty Brant "got me on the radar of casting directors." She would reprise the role in the sequels Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007). Also in 2002 she had minor roles in Swept Away and Catch Me if You Can.

In her next film role, which has been considered her breakout role, Banks depicted Marcela Howard, the wife of Charles S. Howard (Jeff Bridges), in the 2003 dramatic film Seabiscuit, based on the 2001 novel Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand. The film is about the life and racing career of an undersized and overlooked thoroughbred race horse named Seabiscuit, whose unexpected successes made him a media sensation in the United States near the end of the Great Depression. Banks' Marcela Howard plays the owner of Seabiscuit. Banks, along with Bridges, did their own riding in the film. Seabicuit generated favorable reviews, and grossed $148 million worldwide at the box office. A contributor from the Boston Herald noted that she was "convincingly vivacious" in her role; The Berkshire Eagle wrote Banks was "pretty and positive and not given much else to do" as Marcela Howard. In this same year she won the Young Hollywood Award for Exciting New Face for her performance in Seabiscuit.

2005–2007
In a May 2005 article, The New York Times profiled Banks as one of five young film actors to watch for that year. In her first of many features she was in 2005, Banks played a photographer in the drama Heights. The feature is about a pivotal twenty-four hours in the interconnected lives of five New Yorkers. Her performance in Heights was not well-received; Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote that Banks seemed "too frail a vessel to carry the weight of all this cumbersome drama." Banks next appeared in the comedy-drama Sexual Life, which tells the story about individuals "connected by love, lust or both engage in sexy, funny, sad and delicious sexual adventures" a summary as described by the Orlando Sentinel. Her next role was in The Sisters, based on Anton Chekhov's play Three Sisters. The Sisters premiered at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. Banks starred alongside Michael Showalter and Michelle Williams in The Baxter, in which she played the fiancée of Showalter's character.

In August 2005, Banks starred in a supporting role in The 40-Year-Old Virgin opposite Steve Carell, in a role that has gained her recognition. In the film she plays Beth, a shy bookstore salesgirl, who has a wild side, and a love interest for Carell's character. The film received very favorable reviews, with The Sacramento Bee reporting that Banks sparkled as a "sexual adventuress [and] delights in the silliness of her character". It grossed $177 million worldwide. Her next role was in Katrina Holden Bronson's Daltry Calhoun. Away from film, in August 2005, Banks appeared in a television show and a play; She appeared on the Comedy Central show Stella, and starred as the female lead in William Inge's play Bus Stop as Cherie an aspiring nightclub singer at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Her portrayal as Cherie was acted "with poise, clarity and a shrewd feel for Cherie's complexities. Her performance is all of a piece and in harmony, stylistically, with the performances around her...", reported The Berkshire Eagle. Variety wrote that Banks and Logan Marshall-Green "represent the play's hopeful heart."

In 2006, returning to film, she starred in two features: Slither and Invincible. Slither, a comedy horror, is a movie about a small town overrun by slugs. Her decision to be part of Slither was due to it being the funniest script she had come across. The movie's budget cost was $15 million to make, but upon release, it grossed $7 million in the United States and $5 million internationally, qualifying it as a box office failure. Nonetheless, Slither received generally positive reviews from film critics. Invincible is based on the true story of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg) who played for the NFL team the Philadelphia Eagles from 1976-78 NFL season. Banks played Janet Cantwell, a love interest for Wahlberg's Papale. Invincible director Ericson Core revealed that Banks "beat out several dozen actresses" for the Janet Cantwell part. The movie was generally favorable by critics, and grossed $58 million worldwide. Also in 2006, Banks began a recurring character in the NBC comedy show Scrubs as Dr. Kim Briggs, the love interest of character J.D. played by Zach Braff. She has since appeared in 15 episodes.

The following year, Banks starred as the wife of Aaron Eckhart's character Bill in the black comedy Meet Bill (2007). The film was screened at a special presentation at the 32nd annual Toronto International Film Festival in 2007. It had a limited release in April 2008 and was released worldwide the following month. Meet Bill was critically and financially unsuccessful. In September 2007 she guest starred in the Fox animated series American Dad!, and she has since then appeared in two more episodes. Banks returned to movies and had a small role in the Christmas comedy Fred Claus (2007).

2008–present
She played a love interest for Ryan Reynolds' character in the 2008 comedy Definitely, Maybe, which her role was described by Entertainment Weekly as a "performance of invigorating complexity". She next appeared opposite Eddie Murphy in Meet Dave. The movie garnered mixed reviews, with The Morning Star commenting that Banks was the only one "seemingly putting in an earnest effort" in Meet Dave. It was a box office disappointment.

Banks portrayed United States First Lady Laura Bush in W, Oliver Stone's biopic of President George W. Bush, the latter who was played by Josh Brolin. Banks told Express on Sunday that she was surprised that Stone wanted to work with her. "I could not believe he knew that I existed." Stone offered Banks the role after a brief meeting prior before filming began. She has considered W. as one of the most challenging roles of her career. Despite the film garnering mixed reception, Banks' performance received good reviews, with Variety stating her performance "goes a long way toward clarifying the close marital bond" between the president and his wife. In another review, the Las Vegas Review-Journal noted that Banks and co-star Toby Jones "have their standout moments" in the film.

Also in 2008 she starred with Seth Rogen as the eponymous female lead in the Kevin Smith comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno. In the movie, she and Rogen's characters decide to make a low-budget pornographic film to solve their money problems. Banks had zero hesitation in accepting the role of Miri after learning that Rogen and Smith were attached to the project. She has deemed Zack and Miri Make a Porno "the best role ... that I've ever played. It's certainly the most fully realized woman I've ever played." The Hollywood Reporter wrote "Despite shortcomings and implausibility linked to their roles as written, Rogen and Banks come off with surprising charm and grace." The movie received ambivalent reviews, and made $42 million worldwide. A month after Zack and Miri Make a Porno was released she appeared in the comedy Role Models playing Paul Rudd's girlfriend.

In 2009, Banks appeared in the thriller The Uninvited, a remake of the Korean horror film A Tale of Two Sisters (2003). The film tells the tale of an intrusive stepmother, played by Banks, who makes life miserable for the teenage daughters (Emily Browning and Arielle Kebbel) of her new husband (David Strathairn). The role was a departure from her previous roles, with Banks revealing in an interview with Premiere that she wanted to explore "a dark side of myself" and was interested in "playing evil." She based her character on Rebecca De Mornay's character Rachel in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992). "It was very important to me that every line reading I gave could be interpreted two ways," said Banks of her role, "So that when you go back through the movie you can see that". The Uninvited received mixed reviews, with A. O. Scott of the New York Times writing that the main problem with it was that it "lies in its refusal to decide just what movie it wants to be a commercial for. It certainly doesn't have much in common with A Tale of Two Sisters, the creepy Korean horror film of which it is supposedly a remake." In addition, there was divided critical opinion of Banks' performance; "Banks is unconvincing in the cliched role of the evil stepmother wannabe", commented the Boston Herald. Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune noted that she showed "some skill and wiles in keeping her rascally stepmother stereotype lively."

Away from film in 2009, Banks guest starred in the ABC mockumentary comedy show Modern Family. The following year, Banks guest starred in seven episodes of the fourth season of the NBC situation comedy show 30 Rock as Avery Jessup, a CNBC host and love interest of Alec Baldwin's character, Jack Donaghy, and is currently appearing on the show's fifth season. Returning to features she had a supporting role in the romantic drama Lovely, Still, in which she plays Ellen Burstyn's daughter. Banks was next seen in Paul Haggis' thriller The Next Three Days in which she plays Russell Crowe's wife, and accused of a murder she did not commit. The Next Three Days was released in November 2010.

Banks has signed on to appear opposite Tobey Maguire in The Details, will star in the comedy What Was I Thinking?, based upon the book by Barbara Davilman and Liz Dubelman, to appear and produce Forever 21, and joined Paul Rudd, Rashida Jones, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer in the comedy My Idiot Brother,

Personal life
On July 5, 2003, Banks married sportswriter and producer Max Handelman, who had been her boyfriend since she met him on her first day at the University of Pennsylvania, September 6, 1992. She converted to Judaism upon marrying him. In March 2011, Banks and Hendelman welcomed their first child, Felix, who was born via a surrogate. The following year, the couple welcomed another son, Magnus Mitchell, also born via a surrogate. Banks and Handelman formed their own production company, Brownstone Productions. Their first produced project was the 2009 science fiction film Surrogates, and will produce Forever 21, Too Far From Home and Pitch Perfect. "It seemed like a natural progression. I'm in LA, I'm in this business, I'm not going anywhere", said Banks in regards to her title as producer. "It's all about managing people. You know, women in Hollywood, we don't get action franchises and superheroes. [...] In this business, if you are an ambitious person, you don't wait for people to hand you opportunities. You have to make a way for yourself." She is represented by United Talent Agency and Untitled Entertainment. Banks is a registered Democrat.

Banks was named one of People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People in 2008. She was included in the FHM magazine 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2008 list. In November 2008, Entertainment Weekly named her one of their Entertainers of the Year.

Banks supports the program La's Best, an organization that focuses on providing a safe and supervised after school education, enrichment and recreation program for elementary school children in the city of Los Angeles. In September 2010 she participated in the Stand Up to Cancer telethon to help raise funds to accelerate cancer research.

In December 2008, Banks signed a deal with L'Oréal to appear in television and offline advertising campaign promoting their cosmetics and beauty products. In a statement, Banks said "What impresses me most about L'Oréal is [its] commitment to empowering women. L'Oréal wants women everywhere to take charge of their beauty ... health and well being." She has since then appeared in the cosmetic campaigns.

Urls

 * http://www.avclub.com/articles/elizabeth-banks,47871/
 * http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/interviews/actress-producer-elizabeth-banks/