• Link Party: Angelina Jolie Gets Salty

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Tiffani Thiessen
Tiffani Thiessen (2007)
Born	Tiffani-Amber Thiessen January 23, 1974 (1974-01-23) (age 35) Long Beach, California, United States
Occupation	Actress, producer, director
Years active	1989–present
Spouse(s)	Brady Smith (2005-Present)

Tiffani Thiessen (born Tiffani-Amber Thiessen; January 23, 1974) is an American actress best known for her roles as Kelly Kapowski in Saved by the Bell and as Valerie Malone in Beverly Hills, 90210. She is also known for her role on Fastlane as Wilhelmina 'Billie' Chambers. Most recently, she plays the role of Elizabeth Burke, in White Collar. After many years of going by her full name, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, she is now credited as simply Tiffani Thiessen.¹

Early life

Thiessen was born in Long Beach, California, the daughter of Robyn, a homemaker, and Frank Thiessen, a park designer and landscape architect. She has two siblings; an older brother named Todd, an actor and avid professional cyclist, and a younger brother named Schuyler.² Her father is of German descent and her mother is of Turkish, Greek, and Welsh descent. Thiessen told InStyle magazine: "I'm a mutt. I have so much of everything in me, and half of it I don't even know. German on one side, Turkish, Greek, and Welsh on the other. My mom is very olive-skinned; I get my blue eyes from my dad."³ She credits her brother, Todd, as one of her most important sources of inspiration, and her mother and grandmother as role models.⁴ Her uncle, Roger Ernest, attended college with Steven Spielberg and co-wrote one of his student films called Slipstream. Her uncle also appeared in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Sugarland Express, playing a police officer in both films. Ernest was the first person to suggest that Thiessen enter show business.

Career

After a childhood of beauty pageants, Thiessen was crowned Miss Junior America in 1987 and a year later won Teen magazine's "Great Model Search" in 1988, by gracing the cover of that issue. At the age of fifteen, she auditioned for the role of Kelly Kapowski on the television show Saved by the Bell, which was highly publicized and received a great deal of fanfare from the same magazine that discovered her.⁵ In the end, Thiessen's publicity from that magazine had landed her the role. Her character was popular on the show and within the youth-oriented industry that in 1989, she was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast, also being nominated in 1991 and 1992, but did not win. The show was so successful that the six main cast members were immortalized in toy form of a 12 inch doll that was created individually for each character's likeness. She continued to play Kelly Kapowski, in the short-lived spin-off, Saved by the Bell: The College Years. To broaden her visibility on television, Thiessen began making television appearances with guest starring roles on several television shows and television movies, as well as in film. Including Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style (1992), A Killer Among Friends (1992), Son in Law (1993), and Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas (1994). During her years while on Saved by the Bell, Thiessen was seen in guest roles on such shows as Charles in Charge (1990), Married... with Children (1990), The Hogan Family (1990), Step by Step (1992), The Powers That Be (1992), and NewsRadio (1999).

After her tenure on Saved by the Bell, ended in 1994, prolific producer Aaron Spelling then cast Thiessen in the hit teen-drama Beverly Hills, 90210 playing the bad girl vixen Valerie Malone (1994-1998). Thiessen then began to take on dramatic roles in several made-for-television movies, including The Stranger Beside Me (1995), She Fought Alone (1995), Sweet Dreams (1996), and Buried Secrets (1996). Thiessen later guest-starred in the sitcom Two Guys and a Girl and starred in the short-lived action drama series Fastlane. She also guest-starred on Just Shoot Me! (2001) playing Amy Watson and the short-lived Good Morning, Miami (2003-2004) playing Victoria Hill. Unfortunately, her transition into film has not gone well thus far, as most of her movies have been universally panned by film critics. In 2002, she appeared in the film Hollywood Ending, directed by Hollywood veteran, Woody Allen.

In 2005, Thiessen directed a 21-minute short film entitled, Just Pray. It placed at several film festivals and was the first major effort from her latest production company, Tit 4 Tat Productions.

In January 2007, Thiessen joined the cast of ABC's drama What About Brian, playing the boss of Brian, and a potential love interest for Adam. However, in May 2007, ABC officially canceled the series.

Then on December 2, 2008, TV Guide reported that Thiessen was cast in White Collar, a new USA Network television pilot.⁶

Thiessen appeared as a celebrity client for Lonni Paul, one of the final three contestants on the season 4 HGTV interior designing reality series Design Star, on the September 6, 2009 episode. Interior designer Lonni Paul was given the task of redesigning Thiessen's guest bedroom with an eco-friendly theme. Her husband Brady Smith also appears in this episode.

Finally after long awaited speculation, on November 9, 2009, People Magazine reported that Thiessen is pregnant with her first child. The couple are expecting the baby's arrival in May 2010.

Personal life

From October 2001 to March 2003, she was engaged to actor Richard Ruccolo, whom she had met during the Two Guys and a Girl run.⁷

She married actor Brady Smith on July 9, 2005. The couple announced on November 9, 2009 that they are expecting their first child in May 2010.⁸

Filmography

Award nominations

Teen Choice Awards

• 2003 - Choice TV Actress: Drama, "Fastlane"

Young Artist Awards

• 1989 - Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast, "Saved by the Bell"
• 1991 - Best Young Actress Starring in an Off-Prime Time or Cable Series, "Saved by the Bell"
• 1992 - Best Young Actress in an Off-Prime Time Series, "Saved by the Bell"

Radio

• Recorded a public service announcement for Deejay Ra's 'Hip-Hop Literacy' campaign
• She was featured in the following music videos:
  • "You're a God" by Vertical Horizon
  • "American Television" by Australian artist Ben Lee.

References

External links

• Official website
• Tiffani Thiessen at the Internet Movie Database
• tit 4 tat Productions - Thiessen's production company. Includes her profile.
• Biography at TV.com
• Tiffani Thiessen Pregnant: She & Brady Smith Expecting Baby