Jessica Stroup

Born in Anderson, SC, Stroup was raised in Charlotte, NC, where she graduated from Providence High School in 2004. Though offered a scholarship to attend the University of Georgia, Stroup's interest in acting took precedence over college. Having already been a model during her teen years, Stroup considered moving to New York to look for work but ultimately decided on Hollywood. Moving West at the age of 17, Stroup immediately signed up for acting classes and began working on student films to gain experience. The young actress quickly landed commercial work, appearing in ads for Honda, Velveeta, Target and Dentyne Ice. She went on to make her television debut on Nickelodeon's teen series "Unfabulous" (2004-07) and quickly found supporting roles in made-for-television movies like "Vampire Bats" (2005), opposite Lucy Lawless, while securing guest appearances on episodes of "Girlfriends" (UPN, 2000-08) and "Zoë 101" (Nickelodeon, 2005-08). Stroup next made her feature debut by appearing in the comedy "School for Scoundrels" (2006) with Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Heder, before sharing a racy lesbian kiss with Heather Graham in the thriller "Broken" (2007). Stroup continued to land supporting roles and guest spots in film and on television. Appearing on the third season of hit medical drama, "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC, 2005-), Stroup portrayed a young Amish girl diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer who must decide whether to return to her family or remain with a best friend shunned by their community. She next appeared as a National Guard trainee who finds herself fighting for her life in the gruesome horror sequel "The Hills Have Eyes II" (2007) before appearing opposite Mekhi Phifer and Chris Brown in the holiday comedy "This Christmas" (2007). She next landed her first recurring television gig in 2008, playing the daughter of the Devil (Ray Wise) in a four-episode arc of "Reaper" (The CW, 2007-09). Stroup gained considerable attention when she starred opposite fellow up-and-coming starlet Brittany Snow in the horror remake "Prom Night" (2008). Though Stroup's character in the film suffered an unfortunate fate, the film snagged the No. 1 spot at the box office its opening weekend and gave the young actress some much-needed exposure.It was only a matter of time before Stroup had her first major break, which came in 2008 when she was cast in her first series regular role on the CW's much-anticipated update of the cult 1990's hit, "90210" (2008-13). Thanks to the hype surrounding the show's debut, Stroup immediately found herself in the spotlight with her portrayal of Erin Silver, a rebellious West Beverly High School video blogger and younger half-sister to Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) and David Silver. Despite featuring an up-and-coming young cast that included Shenae Grimes, AnnaLynne McCord and Tristan Wilds, critics panned the show across the board. But the revamped series managed to attract and retain audiences familiar with the original series, as well appealing to a new generation of fans. Though ratings leveled off after five million viewers made it the struggling network's highest-rated series debut, "90210" stayed on air for several seasons. Meanwhile, Stroup continued making features, starring in the independent thrillers "Homecoming" (2009) and "The Informers" (2009).