Name: Jamie Lee Curtis
Date of Birth: November 22 1958
Birth Place: Los Angeles CA
Nationality: American
Height: 5' 9''
Education: Choate Rosemary Hall private school (graduated in 1976); University of the Pacific Stockton California
Claim to fame: as Laurie Strode in Halloween (1978)
Occupation: Actress

Jamie Lee Curtis was born November 22, 1958, in Los Angeles, California, and was considered Hollywood royalty from birth. The daughter of legendary actor Tony Curtis and actress Janet Leigh, Jamie Lee's birth was a newsworthy event. Her celebrity mom and dad divorced when Jamie Lee was a mere three years old.

Jamie Lee and sister Kelly Lee were raised by their mom, who had remarried shortly after her divorce. While studying at Beverly Hills High School, Jamie Lee's adolescence was marked by an estranged father who was deep into drugs and alcohol, and a lack of a social life due to not fitting in while in school.

After switching to prep school Connecticut's Choate Rosemary Hall and eventually graduating, Jamie Lee was convinced she wanted to pursue acting. Her mother was adamant about her receiving a college degree first, so Jamie Lee was off to follow in her mom's footsteps by attending California's University of the Pacific. Unfortunately (or fortunately, whichever way you look at it), Jamie never made it to graduation, as the acting bug bit her after one semester.

Her foray into acting was marked by several television appearances in the late '70s, in shows like Quincy, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Charlie's Angels, The Love Boat, and a recurring role in the series Operation Petticoat. After a season, Jamie Lee landed her breakthrough role in John Carpenter's slasher thriller, 1978's Halloween.

The independent picture went on to gross $45 million at the box office, and Jamie Lee, who was credited as "Introducing Jamie Lee Curtis" (not wanting to bank in on her famous genes) was deemed a certified "Scream Queen."

Another Carpenter thriller, 1980's The Fog also featured Jamie Lee, and she reprised her starring role in Halloween II in 1981. But she wanted to be considered more than just an actress known for her screaming techniques. After a string of made-for-TV movies in the early '80s, Jamie Lee made heads turn in her role as a prostitute in the Eddie Murphy comedy, 1983's Trading Places, for which she won the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress.

When she finally did lose her "Scream Queen" title, it was in exchange for the names "The Body" (which is also Elle MacPherson's nickname) and "Freeze-frame," thanks to her revealing role in Trading Places and 1985's Perfect. Jamie Lee proved her comedic ability with her starring role in 1988's A Fish Called Wanda and she continued on the comedy path co-starring with Richard Lewis in the sitcom Anything But Love, until 1992. Her role garnered her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Series.

The rest of the '90s were marked by a slew of movie roles, most notably in 1990's Blue Steel, 1991's My Girl, 1994's True Lies (which reminded viewers yet again how magnificent her body is when she did a striptease for Arnold Schwarzenegger, and garnered her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture and an American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture), 1999's Virus, and 2001's The Tailor of Panama, with Pierce Brosnan.

On the other hand, 1992's Forever Young with Mel Gibson, My Girl 2, Fierce Creatures, Halloween: H2O, and Drowning Mona should have been left on the cutting room floor.

While her film career saw its ups and downs, so did her personal life. Jamie Lee dabbled in some drugs and alcohol, and made peace with her father once they shared the same habit. That only lasted until she decided to become sober in 1984.

As for romance, Jamie Lee was previously engaged to J. Michael Riva and dated rocker Adam Ant, but soon after she broke off with Ant, she met British actor Christopher Guest. Jamie Lee had seen Guest's picture in an issue of Rolling Stone and was immediately smitten. She pursued him and the two finally married in 1984, at Rob Reiner's home.

The couple founded the company Syzygy Industries soon after their marriage, and have homes in Los Angeles and Sun Valley, Idaho. Jamie Lee and Christopher adopted their two children Annie and Thomas, and in addition to being named Lady Haden-Guest (after her husband was elevated to Lord Christopher Haden-Guest), Jamie Lee is also the author of the children's book, When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old's Memoir of Her Youth. She has also reconciled with her father Tony.

Jamie Lee will next be seen in another addition to the Halloween franchise, Halloween: The Homecoming with Tyra Banks, and True Lies 2.