March 28th, 2008 - Happy Birthday Julia Stiles!

After beginning her career in small parts in a New York City theatre troupe, she has moved on to leading roles in plays by writers as diverse as William Shakespeare and David Mamet.

Her film career has included both commercial and critical successes, ranging from teen romantic comedies such as 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) to dark art house pictures such as The Business of Strangers (2001). Stiles also actively supports a variety of progressive causes.

Stiles was born in New York City, the daughter of Judith Stiles, a potter, and John O’Hara, a teacher and businessman who owns and operates a pottery business. Her father is of Irish descent and her mother is of half Italian and half English ancestry. Stiles has two younger siblings, Jane and Johnny, and an older half sister Bridget O’Hara Koch (her father’s first daughter). Stiles was raised in SoHo by her liberal, lapsed-Catholic parents. She started acting at age eleven, performing with New York’s La MaMa Theatre Company and securing work by submitting photographs of herself in costume to the company and asking that she be kept in mind for juvenile roles.

Stiles is also an ex-vegan. When interviewed by Conan O’Brien, she said the word “orgasm” came to mind when she had her first cheeseburger after giving up veganism - although she has said in an interview with Tiscali SpA that this was a joke. She gave up being vegan because it wasn’t healthy whilst travelling. The actress has described herself as a feminist and wrote on the subject in The Guardian. Stiles told Gotham Magazine in 2005 that “I’d never be in Playboy or anything close to that, not that anyone would ask” and in fact hates being photographed.

Stiles has dated actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (in 1999) and Joshua Jackson (in 2000).

Stiles is also an avid baseball fan. Her favorite team is the New York Mets. She threw the ceremonial first pitch before their May 29, 2006 game.

Ken Howard/Actor -64
Dianne Wiest/Actress -60
Reba McEntire/Country Singer -53
Vince Vaughn/Actor -38

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