Judy Greer

Playing lanky, clumsy and unforgettable characters who often stole scene after scene from her A-list co-stars did not just define Judy Greer's onscreen career, she turned it into an art form. The minute the actress stepped foot on camera, she exuded a natural comedic flair audiences could not help but love in films such as "What Women Want" (2000) with Mel Gibson, "The Wedding Planner" (2001) with Jennifer Lopez, and "13 Going on 30" (2004) with Jennifer Garner. Greer also thrived on the small screen with hit shows like "Arrested Development" (Fox, 2003-06) and "Californication" (Showtime, 2007- ). She widened her horizons with the supernatural thriller "The Village" (2004) and Wes Craven's horror flick "Cursed" (2005), before returning to more comedic roles in "American Dreamz" (2006) and "The Amateurs" (2006). By the time she joined the cast of "Two and a Half Men" (CBS, 2003- ) and starred opposite George Clooney in "The Descendants" (2011), Greer was firmly established as a top character actress capable of playing in a variety of genres in film and on television.

Born on July 20, 1975 in Livonia, MI, Greer was raised the daughter of a mechanical engineer and a hospital administrator. She attended Winston Churchill High School, where she later admitted that her social status went from not being noticed to not caring at all. The self-proclaimed former ugly duckling trained for almost 10 years in Russian ballet, before entering the prestigious theater program at DePaul University, where she graduated in 1997. Just three days after graduation, she landed a small part in the romantic comedy "Kissing a Fool" (1998) with Jason Lee and David Schwimmer. The one-time telemarketer and oyster shucker flew to Los Angeles for the movie premiere and ended up staying. Greer next joined the cast of "Jawbreaker" (1999), a dark comedy that focused on a popular clique of girls who accidentally kill their best friend with a birthday prank. That same year, Greer found herself locking lips with George Clooney in the opening scene of "Three Kings," and followed with notable turns in "What Women Want" (2000) and "The Wedding Planner" (2001).

Even though she had landed only supporting roles up until this time, Greer caught the eye of producers and managed to gain a foothold on everyone's list for essaying unexpectedly scene-stealing characters. She next played the waitress who becomes the object of Charlie Kaufman's obsession in the Academy Award-winning film "Adaptation" (2002), and made the successful transition to the small screen when she joined the cast of "Arrested Development" (Fox, 2003-06) in the recurring role of Kitty Sanchez, Jason Bateman's assistant. After playing the backstabbing best friend of Jennifer Gardner in "13 Going on 30" (2004), she appeared on other series like "Love and Money" (CBS, 1999), "CSI: Miami" (2002- ), "Two and a Half Men" (CBS, 2003- ) and "Californication" (Showtime, 2007- ). Greer also earned wide praise for her hilarious portrayal of a circus performer in a 2006 episode of "My Name Is Earl" (NBC, 2005-09), which helped open the doors to more opportunities in a wider array of genres.

Throughout her career, Greer also stretched her dramatic muscles by scoring parts in non-comedic films and independent projects. She starred opposite Sigourney Weaver, Joaquin Phoenix and Adrien Brody in M. Night Shyamalan's supernatural thriller "The Village" (2004), before appearing in Wes Craven's werewolf horror flick "Cursed" (2005). That same year, Greer acted in "Elizabethtown" as Orlando Bloom's sister and Susan Sarandon's daughter in writer-director Cameron Crowe's tale of a young man whose life changes after almost committing suicide. Following turns in Paul Weitz's political satire "American Dreamz" (2006) and the indie comedy "The Amateurs" (2006), Greer starred on the short-lived sitcom "Miss Guided" (ABC, 2008), which lasted a scant seven episodes before being cancelled. She starred alongside Katherine Heigl and James Marsden in the romantic comedy "27 Dresses" (2008), played a friend and employee to Jennifer Aniston in "Love Happens" (2009), and performed in the live-action film "Marmaduke" (2010). On the small screen, she joined Ashton Kutcher as his wife on "Two and a Half Men" (CBS, 2003- ) when the actor replaced an outgoing Charlie Sheen, and starred opposite George Clooney in Alexander Payne's acclaimed comedy-drama "The Descendants" (2011).