Acting since she stumbled into one of her mother's TV commercial auditions at age three and booked the job herself, Mae Whitman has amassed an admirable body of work before her tenth birthday. The cute dark-haired actress with expressive eyes has also managed to avoid playing cloying or stereotypical screen kids. She is recalled for playing the youngest daughter of Andy Garcia and Meg Ryan in "When a Man Loves a Woman" (1994), the plucky child of a US president (Bill Pullman) in the blockbuster "Independence Day" (1996) and as George Clooney's daughter in the genial comedy "One Fine Day" (1996). On TV, Whitman portrayed the young Ashley Judd in the 1995 NBC TV-movie "Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge" and had the recurring role of the daughter of Christine Lahti and Ron Silver, the object of a vicious custody battle, on the CBS medical drama "Chicago Hope". Whitman also did the voice of L'il Suzie, a regular role on the Cartoon Network's animated series "Johnny Bravo" (1997). Robert Altman chose her for a key role in the 1997 feature "The Gingerbread Man" and Whitman was also cast as Sandra Bullock's daughter in "Hope Floats" (1998).