Rachel Bilson

Rachel Bilson has quickly made a name for herself while living it up on “The O.C” (Fox, 2003 - ) as the fiery and popular vixen, Summer Roberts. As every primetime drama has its good-girl next door and its knock-out siren, Bilson takes her role as the popular and pretentious hottie to new heights. Girls love to hate her and guys love to watch her in action. With such an innocent face, it’s no wonder this starlet on the rise is becoming more and more popular every day.

Bilson began training for her role as the spoiled Orange County teen long before she even considered acting as a profession. Displaying a natural flair for dramatics, Rachel admits to having been pampered by her older brothers and parents and always getting what she wanted, which also parallels her on-screen persona quite well. Not going unnoticed, Rachel’s parents saw raw talent in their young daughter and encouraged her to take up acting. Bilson’s first role came knocking shortly hereafter when she was cast alongside comedian Louie Anderson in the 1988 comedy “The Wrong Guys,” at only 7-years old.

A small stint in the miniseries “Human Target” (1992) also allowed Rachel to polish her talents while attending Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California. Immediately after graduating, Bilson got serious about her passion and continuously auditioned for roles in not only film and TV, but also theatre. She lit up the stage in small productions of “Bye Bye Birdie, “Once Upon a Matress,” and “The Crucible.”

Before her days on the beaches of “The O.C.” Bilson was aggressive and eager to get as much face-time on the small screen as possible. After landing a prominent role on the never-before-seen CBS series, “It’s True” (1998), Bilson starred in a Subway commercial and made notable appearances on hit shows, including “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” (1997), “That 70’s Show” (1998), and “8 Simple Rules...for Dating My Teenage Daughter” (2003). With constant exposure, Bilson was asked to audition for the then anticipated hit drama, “The O.C.,” and proved to producers that she had not only the great looks, but cunning wit, to depict the gorgeous and sometimes bitchy Summer Roberts, raising a minor role into a series regular.

In 2003, she signed as a spokesperson for Bongo Jeans and has been featured in various magazines ranging from Zink and Teen People (2003), to being named one of Maxim’s “Hot 100 Women for 2004.”

• Born:
  August 21, 1981 in Los Angeles, California
• Job Titles:
  Actress