Emily Erin Deschanel (; born October 11, 1976) is an American actress. She portrayed Dr.

Temperance "Bones" Brennan Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, Ph.D. (born Joy Keenan) is a fictional character portrayed by Emily Deschanel in the American Fox television series ''Bones''. An anthropologist, forensic anthropologist, and kinesiologist, she is described i ...

in the Fox crime procedural series '' Bones'' (2005–2017).

Early life

Deschanel was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, California, to cinematographer and director Caleb Deschanel and actress Mary Jo Deschanel (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Weir). Her younger sister is actress and singer-songwriter Zooey Deschanel. Her paternal grandfather was French, from

Oullins Oullins () is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. It is a suburb of the city of Lyon, and is adjacent to it on the southwest. Population Transport *Several Buses (C7, C10, 8, 12, 14, 17, 63 ...

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

; her roots also include Swiss, Dutch, English, Irish, and other French ancestry. Deschanel attended Harvard-Westlake School and Crossroads School in Los Angeles before graduating from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...

's Professional Actors Training Program with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater.

Career

In 1994, Deschanel made her

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

debut in the romantic comedy-drama '' It Could Happen to You'', on which her father worked as chief cinematographer. Her next notable role was as Pam Asbury in Stephen King's horror miniseries '' Rose Red'' in 2002. Then she appeared in '' Cold Mountain'', ''

The Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Ant ...

'', and '' Glory Road'' and was named one of "six actresses to watch" by ''

Interview Magazine ''Interview'' is an American magazine founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol and British journalist John Wilcock. The magazine, nicknamed "The Crystal Ball of Pop", features interviews with celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thin ...

'' in 2004. In 2005, Deschanel was cast as Dr. Temperance Brennan with David Boreanaz as FBI agent Seeley Booth on the Fox crime procedural comedy-drama '' Bones'', based on the novels and the career of

forensic anthropologist Forensic anthropology is the application of the anatomical science of anthropology and its various subfields, including forensic archaeology and forensic taphonomy, in a legal setting. A forensic anthropologist can assist in the identification o ...

and author Kathy Reichs, created by Hart Hanson. The series ran for 12 seasons from September 13, 2005, to March 28, 2017. For her performance, she received a 2006 Satellite Award nomination and a 2007 Teen Choice Award nomination. Deschanel and Boreanaz served as co-producers at the start of the show's third season, before becoming producers in the middle of the show's fourth season. While ''Bones'' was still in production, Deschanel also played the Brennan character on a 2015 episode of '' Sleepy Hollow'' and a 2016 episode of ''

BoJack Horseman ''BoJack Horseman'' is an American adult animated black comedy-drama streaming television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, and Aaron Paul. Set primarily in ...

''.

Deschanel, with Alyson Hannigan,

Jaime King Jaime King (born April 23, 1979) is an American actress and model. In her modeling career and early film roles, she used the names Jamie King and James King, which was a childhood nickname given to King by her parents, because her agency alread ...

, Minka Kelly, and Katharine McPhee made a video

slumber party A sleepover is a social occasion where a young person stays at the home of a friend. Multiple people and/or friends may sleepover at the friend's home, typically a younger person will partake in a sleepover, however an adult or older person may s ...

featured on FunnyorDie.com to promote regular breast cancer screenings for the organization Stand Up 2 Cancer. In recent years, her passion for animal welfare has led her to providing the narration for ''My Child Is a Monkey'' and serving as an associate producer on the documentary film ''How I Became an Elephant''. Deschanel ranked number 72 in The 2012 Hot 100 on AfterEllen. Deschanel starred in the 2022

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

miniseries '' Devil in Ohio''.

Personal life

Deschanel is a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

and a supporter of

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the s ...

causes. She has said she went vegan after watching the film ''

Diet for a New America ''Diet for a New America'' is a 1987 bestselling nonfiction book by John Robbins. The book links the impacts of factory farming on human health, animal welfare and the environment, in an " animal-rights, pro-environment, vegetarian message." It w ...

''. She can be seen in an '' Access Hollywood'' video at the book launch event of Karen Dawn's ''Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals'', discussing how

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetariani ...

and vegan diets help the environment, and a video on the homepage of the book's website talking about the importance of animal rights. She collaborated with PETA on a video encouraging mothers to raise their children as vegans. In September 2014, she joined the board of directors at Farm Sanctuary. Deschanel was raised

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

but is no longer practicing and has expressed

agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficien ...

views, saying "I am more of a spiritual person, if anything, and I am of the belief that we don't know, and I'm not going to pretend that I do." On September 25, 2010, Deschanel married ''

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed by McElhenney and Glenn Howerton that premiered on August 4, 2005 on FX and later FXX beginning with the ninth season in 2013. It stars Char ...

'' actor and writer David Hornsby in a small private ceremony in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. On September 21, 2011, Deschanel gave birth to their first son. On June 8, 2015, she gave birth to their second son. Both pregnancies were written into ''Bones''. Deschanel is best friends with her ''Bones'' co-star Michaela Conlin, who played her best friend

Angela Montenegro Angela Pearly-Gates Montenegro-Hodgins (born Pookie Noodlin Pearly-Gates Gibbons) is a fictional character in the television series ''Bones'' (2005–2017), portrayed by Michaela Conlin. She is a classically trained artist who creates forensic rec ...

on the show. She is also friends and has a strong working relationship with her ''Bones'' co-star David Boreanaz. In 2015, Deschanel filed suit against Fox alongside Boreanaz, Reichs and ''Bones'' executive producer Barry Josephson, claiming they were cheated out of their share of series profits. In February 2019, an arbitrator awarded them $179 million: $128 million in punitive damages, $32 million in compensatory damages, $10 million in prejudgment interest and more than $9 million in fees and costs. In May 2019, the Los Angeles Superior Court voided the punitive damages, with the plaintiffs' attorneys saying they would appeal. In September 2019, the parties came to an undisclosed settlement.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Deschanel, Emily 1976 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American agnostics American film actresses American people of Dutch descent American people of English descent American people of French descent American people of Irish descent American people of Swiss descent American television actresses Television producers from California American women television producers Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni Crossroads School alumni Former Roman Catholics Harvard-Westlake School alumni Living people American veganism activists