Actress Adrianne Palicki possessed a fierce determination and commitment to her craft that made her an easy choice to play one of the most beloved superheroes of all time. She first made her mark with guest roles on popular crime and drama shows before she became a series regular on the critically lauded series "Friday Night Lights" (NBC/DirecTV, 2006-2011), where she portrayed a town vixen trying to shake off her bad-girl reputation. Palicki's career soared when she scored the lead on NBC's revamp of the popular 1970s series "Wonder Woman" (2011), where she donned the infamous gold cuff and shiny, star-spangled costume popularized by Lynda Carter in the original incarnation. The iconic role suddenly thrust the relatively unknown Palicki into the Hollywood spotlight, giving her an opportunity to flex her acting muscles, and paving the way for even more exciting roles to follow.
Adrianne Palicki was born on May 6, 1983 in Toledo, OH. At her hometown's Whitmer High School, she ran track, played basketball, and was a runner-up for homecoming queen. After graduating from high school in 2001, Palicki headed out West to pursue a career in show business. But before she landed acting gigs, she bid her time making sandwiches at Togo's restaurant. By 2003, Palicki started making headway in her acting career with minor roles in independent short films and on a number of drama series such as "Smallville" (WB, 2001-2011), "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS, 2000- ), and a recurring part on the short-lived "South Beach" (UPN, 2006) starring Vanessa Williams. She also appeared in the pilot episode of the fantasy drama "Supernatural" (The WB, 2005- ), as the ill-fated girlfriend of Jared Padalecki's character.
In 2006, Palicki joined the ensemble cast of the critically acclaimed drama "Friday Night Lights," based on H.G. Bissinger's classic 1990 book and a 1994 film of the same name. The show centered on the Permian Panthers, the high school football team in a fictional Texas town, and the team's coach and his family. Palicki portrayed the cheerleader girlfriend of one of the football players who, as the series progressed, tried to shed her bad-girl reputation. While the show was well received by critics and audiences alike, it struggled with low ratings and was moved around different networks, which led to it ultimately getting canceled.
Palicki's earnest performance on "Friday Night Lights" led to bigger roles, including a lead part on "Lone Star" (Fox, 2010), as the unsuspecting wife of a Texas con man (James Wolk) who is leading a double life. While the series' pilot earned rave reviews, low ratings forced its cancellation after the second episode. In 2010, Palicki starred in the remake of the 1984 cult classic "Red Dawn," about a group of teenagers fighting Russian and Chinese soldiers who have invaded their small town. That same year, Palicki made headlines when writer-producer David E. Kelley handpicked her to star in the remake of the popular 1970s television series "Wonder Woman," taking over the super heroine role made famous by Lynda Carter. On the series, Palicki played an updated version of Wonder Woman, a.k.a. Diana Prince, a vigilante crime fighter in Los Angeles who is also a successful corporate executive trying to balance all the elements of her extraordinary life.
