Rachel Sarah Bilson (born August 25, 1981)
is an American actress. Born to a Californian show-business family, Bilson made her television debut in 2003, and then landed the role of
Summer Roberts on the
prime-time
Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to b ...
drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
series ''
The O.C.'' Bilson then made her film debut in ''
The Last Kiss'' (2006) and later starred in the
science-fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...
-
action film
The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...
''
Jumper'' (2008). From 2011 to 2015, she starred as Dr. Zoe Hart on
The CW
The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
series ''
Hart of Dixie
''Hart of Dixie'' is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on The CW from September 26, 2011, to March 27, 2015. The series, created by Leila Gerstein, stars Rachel Bilson as Dr. Zoe Hart, a New Yorker who, after her dreams of ...
''.
Early life
Bilson was born in Los Angeles,
the daughter of Janice Stango, a
therapist
A therapist is a person who offers any kinds of therapy. Therapists are trained professionals in the field of any types of services like psychologists, social workers, counselors, etc. They are helpful in counseling individuals for various mental ...
,
and
Danny Bilson
Daniel Bilson (born July 26, 1956) is an American writer, director, and producer of movies, television, video games, and comic books. Together with his frequent collaborator, Paul De Meo, he is best known as the writer for the film '' The Rocke ...
, a writer, director, and producer.
She has an older half-brother and two younger
half-sisters, Hattie and Rosemary.
Her mother is an
Italian-American
Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...
who was raised Catholic, and her father is
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
; she has said that she grew up in a "
Chrismukkah household".
Bilson's father comes from a show business family; he is the son of Mona (Weichman) (1933–2023) and producer-director
Bruce Bilson (b. 1928).
Her British great-grandfather, George Bilson (1902–1981), who was born into an
Ashkenazi Jewish
Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...
immigrant family in
Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, worked for
RKO Pictures
RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the major film studios, "Big Five" film studios of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood's Clas ...
after emigrating to the United States,
[ heading the movie trailer department,][ and her great-grandmother, Hattie Bilson (1907–2004), was a screenwriter][ whose credits included ''Pal, Canine Detective'' (1950).
]
Career
Bilson attended Grossmont College, a community college
A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...
in a suburb of San Diego, taking her father's advice to pursue a professional acting career. She then made several appearances in commercials, including advertisements for Subway restaurants, Raisin Bran, and Pepto-Bismol.
She made her TV acting debut in 2003, appearing in one episode of ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...
'' and '' 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter''. Bilson was subsequently cast in '' The O.C.'', which debuted in August 2003. Her character, Summer Roberts, was initially intended to appear in only a few episodes but became a series regular after a successful run, as Summer's romance with Seth Cohen
Seth Ezekiel Cohen is a fictional character on the Fox television series '' The O.C.'', portrayed by Adam Brody. Seth is one of the "core four" characters on ''The O.C.'' alongside Ryan Atwood, Marissa Cooper, and Summer Roberts. Seth's friend ...
(Adam Brody
Adam Jared Brody (born December 15, 1979) is an American actor. His breakout role was as Seth Cohen on the Fox television series '' The O.C.'' (2003–2007). For his performance as Noah in the Netflix romantic comedy series '' Nobody Wants T ...
) became a noted aspect of the series.
At the 2005 Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards were an annual awards show that aired on the Fox television network between 1999 and 2019. The awards, based on a popularity vote that could be overridden by the producerswho reserved the right to choose the winnerscovered ...
, she collected three awards: "Choice Hottie Female", "Choice TV Actress (Drama)", and "Best Onscreen TV Chemistry" (jointly won with Adam Brody
Adam Jared Brody (born December 15, 1979) is an American actor. His breakout role was as Seth Cohen on the Fox television series '' The O.C.'' (2003–2007). For his performance as Noah in the Netflix romantic comedy series '' Nobody Wants T ...
). In 2005, ''Maxim
Maxim or Maksim may refer to:
Entertainment
*Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine
** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition
** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition
*Maxim ...
'' magazine named her sixth in their annual "Hot 100 List"; in 2006, the publication awarded her #14.
The UK edition of '' FHM'' Magazine named her 28th in the 2006 100 Sexiest Women in the World list, while the US edition ranked her 77th in 2005. Bilson was also named one of ''People
The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'' magazine's "World's Most Beautiful People" in 2006. Before appearing in ''Maxim
Maxim or Maksim may refer to:
Entertainment
*Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine
** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition
** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition
*Maxim ...
'', Bilson had turned down requests to appear seminude in men's magazine
This is a list of men's magazines from around the world. These are magazines (periodical print publications) that have been published primarily for a readership of men.
The list has been split into subcategories according to the target audienc ...
s, specifying that she feels that her body "is sacred" and "not there for the whole world to see".
Bilson's film debut was in '' The Last Kiss'', a romantic comedy-drama
Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
also starring Zach Braff
Zachary Israel Braff (born April 6, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He portrayed J.D. (Scrubs), John Michael "J.D." Dorian on the NBC/American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series ''Scrubs (TV series), Scrubs'' (2001–2010), for ...
in 2006. She played a college student who seduces Braff's character. One review of the film noted that Bilson played the role with "surprising depth", although another critic described her role as "Glenn Close
Glenda Veronica Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. In a career spanning over five decades on Glenn Close on screen and stage, screen and stage, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Glenn Close, numerous ac ...
in ''Fatal Attraction
''Fatal Attraction'' is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne and written by James Dearden, based on his 1980 short film '' Diversion''. It follows Dan Gallagher ( Michael Douglas), an attorney who cheats on his ...
'' as an airhead
An airhead is a designated area in a hostile or threatened territory which, when seized and held, allows the air landing of further teams and materiel via an airbridge, and provides the maneuver and preparation space necessary for projected oper ...
valley girl with a hot bod".
In late 2006, Bilson was cast in Doug Liman
Douglas Eric Liman (; born July 24, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing the films '' Swingers'' (1996), '' Go'' (1999), '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002), '' Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (2005), '' Jumper'' (2008), '' E ...
's thriller '' Jumper'', as the replacement for actress Teresa Palmer. The film was released on February 14, 2008. She appeared in a two-episode arc on ''The O.C.'' creator Josh Schwartz
Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series '' The O.C.'' which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known for dev ...
's NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
comedy, ''Chuck
Chuck () is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to:
People
Arts and entertainment
* Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet
* Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV produce ...
'', and in the film ''New York, I Love You
''New York, I Love You'' is a 2008 American romantic comedy-drama anthology film consisting of eleven short films, each by a different director. The shorts all relate in some way to the subject of love and are set among the five boroughs of Ne ...
''. She appeared in the 100th episode of ''How I Met Your Mother
''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...
'' (" Girls Versus Suits") as Ted Mosby
Theodore Evelyn Mosby is a fictional character and the protagonist in the American sitcom '' How I Met Your Mother'', portrayed by Josh Radnor. He serves as the show's narrator from the future, voiced by Bob Saget, as he tells his children ...
's latest love interest and the Mother's roommate.
In September 2008, she started shooting the indie romantic film '' Waiting for Forever'', directed by James Keach. In September 2009, Bilson appeared as a celebrity guest judge in the third episode of ''Project Runway
''Project Runway'' is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on December 1, 2004. The series focuses on fashion design. It was created by Eli Holzman and was hosted by Heidi Klum from 2004 to 2017. It has a varied airi ...
'' (season 6). Bilson starred in the 2011 indie film '' L!fe Happens''. In 2011, Bilson began starring in The CW
The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
series ''Hart of Dixie
''Hart of Dixie'' is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on The CW from September 26, 2011, to March 27, 2015. The series, created by Leila Gerstein, stars Rachel Bilson as Dr. Zoe Hart, a New Yorker who, after her dreams of ...
'', executive produced by '' The O.C.'' creator Josh Schwartz
Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series '' The O.C.'' which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known for dev ...
. On May 7, 2015, The CW officially canceled the show after four seasons. In 2017 Bilson joined the cast of CMT's ''Nashville
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
,'' which reunited her with her former ''The O.C.'' co-star Chris Carmack
Chris Carmack (born December 22, 1980) is an American actor, singer, and former fashion model. He is known for his roles in three popular television shows—the teen drama series '' The O.C.'' (2003–2004) as Luke Ward, the country music drama ...
.
Bilson starred in the ABC drama series '' Take Two'' which premiered in June 2018; however, on November 21, 2018, ABC cancelled the series after one season.
In April 2021, Bilson and her former ''The O.C.'' co-star Melinda Clarke launched a podcast
A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
titled ''Welcome to the OC, Bitches!''. The podcast focuses on the hosts and guests re-watching and discussing episodes of ''The O.C.''. Several notable guests have appeared on the podcast such as Mischa Barton
Mischa Anne Marsden Barton (born 24 January 1986) is a British-American film, television, and stage actress. She began her career on the stage, appearing in Tony Kushner's '' Slavs!'' and took the lead in James Lapine's '' Twelve Dreams'' at ...
, Adam Brody
Adam Jared Brody (born December 15, 1979) is an American actor. His breakout role was as Seth Cohen on the Fox television series '' The O.C.'' (2003–2007). For his performance as Noah in the Netflix romantic comedy series '' Nobody Wants T ...
, Peter Gallagher, Josh Schwartz
Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series '' The O.C.'' which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known for dev ...
, Jem, Bonnie Somerville and Elizabeth Gillies
Elizabeth Egan Gillies (born July 26, 1993), also known as Liz Gillies, is an American actress and singer. She began her career as a teenager and made her Broadway theatre, Broadway debut in the Musical theatre, musical ''13 (musical), 13'' (200 ...
.
In May 2022, Bilson and longtime friend Olivia Allen launched another podcast called ''Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson''. On each episode, Bilson and Allen interview one or more people from the entertainment industry in a casual, conversational format. The first guest on the show was Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. List of Kristen Bell performances, Her work includes both film and television, and List of awards and nominations received by Kristen Bell, h ...
, and other notable guests have included Aubrey Plaza
Aubrey Christina Plaza (born June 26, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She began performing Improvisational theatre, improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. After graduating from New York University ...
, Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Claire Deschanel ( ; born January 17, 1980) is an American actress and musician. She made her film debut in ''Mumford (film), Mumford'' (1999) and had a supporting role in Cameron Crowe's film ''Almost Famous'' (2000). Deschanel is known f ...
, Elisha Cuthbert, Mena Suvari
Mena Alexandra Suvari (; born February 13, 1979) is an American actress, producer, fashion designer and model. The accolades she has received include a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award, along with nominations for a Primetime ...
, and Seth Meyers
Seth Adam Meyers (born December 28, 1973) is an American comedian, television host, writer, actor, and producer. He hosts ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'', a late-night talk show on NBC. Prior to hosting Late Night, he was a cast member on NBC's ...
.
Fashion design
Bilson has been recognized by several media sources as being a "fashion junkie". She has described herself as having a "vintage" sense of style and has noted Kate Moss
Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is an English model. Arriving towards the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her t ...
and Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton (née Hall; born January 5, 1946) is an American actress. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Diane Keaton, various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, including an Academy Award, a Bri ...
as inspirations.
Bilson approached DKNY
DKNY is a New York City–based American fashion house for men and women, founded in 1984 by Donna Karan. The company specializes in a wide range of fashion products, including clothing, footwear, accessories and fragrances.
A major misconcepti ...
Jeans in late 2007 with a view to design a clothing line with the fashion brand. Together they created Edie Rose. The collection was launched in September 2008. Bilson's idea was to keep fashionable items accessible to young women by keeping the prices of each piece under $100. An advertising image was released in July 2008 which featured Bilson modelling her Edie Rose collection.
Bilson stated that she wanted to keep her fashion line "as separate as possible from Rachel Bilson, the actress. I'm hoping people will appreciate it for the clothes, not the person behind them." Much of her fashion collection was lost when her home was burglarized in May 2009. Bilson's fashion and sense of style made her the unwitting target of the Bling Ring, who burglarized her home on several occasions.
In 2011, Bilson collaborated with her personal stylist, Nicole Chavez, and shoe industry leader Steve Madden, to launch the footwear destination ShoeMint, an "online customized shoe shopping experience".
In 2013, Bilson designed a shirt for Invisible Children.
Personal life
Bilson and Adam Brody
Adam Jared Brody (born December 15, 1979) is an American actor. His breakout role was as Seth Cohen on the Fox television series '' The O.C.'' (2003–2007). For his performance as Noah in the Netflix romantic comedy series '' Nobody Wants T ...
, her co-star on '' The O.C.'', dated from 2003 to 2006.
In 2007, Bilson began a relationship with actor Hayden Christensen, with whom she had co-starred in the film '' Jumper''. By January 2008, the pair had been seen and photographed together around Los Angeles for almost a year, without confirming a relationship. In February 2009, Bilson appeared publicly with what seemed to be an engagement ring, though no official announcement was made. In August 2010, Bilson's representative confirmed there had been an engagement that had since been called off, giving no other details. The two reconciled three months later, and had a daughter in October 2014. Bilson and Christensen separated in September 2017.
Bilson and Christensen are both supporters of the No Kids Policy, a celebrity coalition which seeks to prevent children of celebrities from being photographed without parental consent.[
]
Filmography
Film
Television
Music video
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bilson, Rachel
1981 births
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Los Angeles
American film actresses
American people of English-Jewish descent
American people of Italian descent
American television actresses
Grossmont College alumni
Jewish American actresses
Living people
Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks, California) alumni
American women podcasters