Rebecca Romijn
Rebecca Romijn, March 2007
Born	Rebecca Alie Romijn[1] November 6, 1972 (1972-11-06) (age 35)[1] Berkeley, California
Other name(s)	Rebecca Romijn-Stamos
Spouse(s)	John Stamos (1997–2005) Jerry O'Connell (2007–present)
Awards won Other awards Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress (film) 2000 X-Men

Rebecca Alie Romijn (born November 6, 1972) is an American film and television actress and former fashion model.

Biography

Early life

Romijn (pronounced "Ro-Maine" in the USA - its proper Dutch pronunciation is [ro:'mɛin]^[2]) was born in Berkeley, California, the daughter of Elizabeth (née Kuizenga), a public school English teacher and textbook author, and Jaap Romijn, a custom furniture maker.^[3][4] Her father, a native of Barneveld, The Netherlands, is Dutch, and her mother is a second-generation Dutch American^[5] who met Romijn's father while studying in Europe.^[6] Romijn's maternal grandfather, Dr. Henry B. Kuizenga, was a Presbyterian minister and seminary professor.^[7] Her maternal grandmother is first cousins with Dorothy Letterman, David Letterman's mother. Many sources say that she was once nicknamed the "Jolly Blonde Giant" but she has admitted to making that up 'for a laugh'.^[8] While studying music (voice) at the University of California, Santa Cruz,^[9] she became involved with fashion modeling and eventually moved to Paris for more than two years. She stands 5 feet 11 inches (1.8 m).

Career

Among other jobs, Romijn modeled for the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated and for Victoria's Secret. She also was the host of MTV's House of Style from 1998 to 2000. Rebecca is a fixture on annual lists of the world's most beautiful women by publications such as Maxim (2003–2007), AskMen.com (2001–2003, 2005–2006) and FHM (2000–2005).^[10] She also appeared as a guest in the animated talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast in an episode titled "Chinatown."

In 2000's X-Men, Romijn had her first major movie role as "Mystique"; she returned to the role in 2003's sequel X2: X-Men United, and again for X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). In these movies her costume consisted of blue makeup and some strategically placed prosthetics on her otherwise nude body. In X2: X-Men United she shows up in a bar in one scene in her "normal" look, and also in X-Men: The Last Stand, she appears as a dark-haired "de-powered" Mystique. She had her first leading role in Brian De Palma's Femme Fatale (2002). She also has starred in movies such as Rollerball, The Punisher and Godsend. She played the leading role in Pepper Dennis, a short-lived TV series on The WB. This series showcased Romijn's talents for comedy, singing, modeling, drama, and adventure.

In January 2007, Romijn made her first appearance on the ABC series Ugly Betty as a full time regular.^[11] She plays Alexis Meade, a male-to-female transsexual and the sibling of lead character Daniel Meade. In April 2008, however, it was reported that Romijn would only be appearing as a recurring character in season 3 due to a change in direction by the writing staff.^[12] In November 2007, Romijn made a guest appearance on the ABC series Carpoolers, where she played the ex-wife of the character Laird, played by her real-life husband Jerry O'Connell.^[13]

Personal life

Rebecca attended the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1990–91 where she lived in dorm 1 at Stevenson College. She studied music and participated in the dorm talent show, singing a musical comedy routine with a high school friend who joined her at UCSC. During the summer following her freshman year, Rebecca began her career modeling and did not return for her sophomore year.

She married actor John Stamos on September 19, 1998. During her marriage, she used the name Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in both her personal and professional life. The couple announced their separation on April 12, 2004, and divorced on March 1, 2005. She has since returned to using her birth name.

Romijn was asked by Elle magazine in April 2002 whether making Femme Fatale had given her any new ideas about her sexuality. She said, "You know, in my early twenties I wondered if I was interested in women and so I kind of, well ... did my homework. [Grins] And it turns out I'm pretty straight".^[14]

On September 19, 2005, Rebecca announced her engagement to actor Jerry O'Connell. The date of the announcement was controversial, as it would have been her seventh anniversary with Stamos, if not for their divorce.^[15] On July 14, 2007, Romijn married O'Connell in Ojai, California.^[16]

On July 28, 2008, it was announced that Romijn is pregnant. According to Us Weekly magazine,^[17] she and O'Connell are expecting twins due in the winter. People magazine reports that the babies are girls, conceived without the assistance of fertility drugs.^[18] They are planning on naming one of the girls Dolly after Dolly Parton.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

• Rebecca Romijn at the Internet Movie Database
• Rebecca Romijn at TV.com
• Rebecca Romijn in the Fashion Model Directory
• Rebecca Romijn Gallery