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.
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. 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." She credits her brother, Todd, as one of
her most important sources of inspiration, and her mother and
grandmother as role models. She attended Cubberley Elementary, Long
Beach. 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. 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), and
The Powers That Be
(1992).
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 on
NewsRadio (1999) and 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.
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.
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.
Filmography
Award nominations
Teen Choice
Awards
- 2003 - Choice TV Actress: Drama, "Fastlane"
Young Artist
Awards
Radio
- Recorded a public service announcement for Deejay Ra's 'Hip-Hop
Literacy' campaign
- She was featured in the following music videos:
References
External links
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search
