Kaley Cuoco Actress

Kaley Christine Cuoco (/ˈkwoʊkoʊ/ KWOH-koh; Italian: [ˈkwɔːko]; born November 30, 1985)[1] is an American actress and producer. After a series of supporting film and television roles in the late 1990s, she landed her breakthrough role as Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules, on which she starred from 2002 to 2005. There after, Cuoco appeared as Billie Jenkins on the final season of the television series Charmed (2005–2006). Since 2007, she has starred as Penny on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, for which she has received Satellite, Critics' Choice, and People's Choice Awards. Cuoco's film work includes roles in To Be Fat like Me (2007), Hop (2011) and Authors Anonymous (2014). She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014.[2] In October 2017, Cuoco founded Yes, Norman Productions.
== Early life ==
Cuoco was born in Camarillo, California, the elder daughter of Layne Ann (Wingate), a homemaker, and Gary Carmine Cuoco, a realtor.[3] Her father is of Italian descent while her mother is of English and German ancestry.[4] Her sister, Briana, competed on the fifth season of The Voice. As a child, Cuoco was a regionally ranked amateur tennis player,[5] a sport she took up when she was 3 years old. She stopped playing at the age of 16.[6]
== Career ==
Cuoco made her first feature film appearance as the young Karin Carter in the 1995 action thriller Virtuosity.[7] From 2000 to 2001, Cuoco appeared on the CBS sitcom Ladies Man and in 2000 she portrayed former The Brady Bunch star Maureen McCormick in the TV movie Growing Up Brady as well as starring in the Disney Channeloriginal film Alley Cats Strike. In September 2002, Cuoco began a starring role as Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules. Bridget was the oldest child, despite Cuoco being six years younger than Amy Davidson, who played her younger sister. Because of low ratings, ABC canceled the series on May 17, 2005.
In addition to the final season of 8 Simple Rules, Cuoco had starring roles on the NBC miniseries 10.5, the ABC Familyoriginal movie Crimes of Fashion, the independent film Debating Robert Lee,[8] and in the film The Hollow at the same time. She also voiced the character of Brandy Harrington, a 14-year-old anthropomorphic mixed-breed dog, on the Disney Channel cartoon Brandy and Mr. Whiskers. Cuoco voiced the character of Kirstee Smith in Bratz from 2004 to 2005. In the eighth season of the TV show Charmed, Cuoco appeared as Billie Jenkins, a powerful young witch with the powers of telekinesis and projection. Executive producer Brad Kern stated that Cuoco's character was initially brought in as a possible spin-off.
In September 2007, Cuoco began starring in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, playing Penny, a Cheesecake Factory employee and aspiring actress who lives across the hall from physicists Dr. Leonard Hofstadter and Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Prior to the 2010–2011 season, she earned $60,000 an episode for the series, the same as her co-stars. In 2010, the cast negotiated a raise for each actor to make $200,000 per episode.[9] On September 13, 2010, she broke her leg in a horse-riding accident and missed two episodes of the series.[10] In late October 2012, Cuoco enlisted the help of her sister Briana to organize a flash mob on the set of the show, in which she and the cast and crew surprised the studio audience by suddenly lip syncing and dancing to Carly Rae Jepsen's song "Call Me Maybe". A video of the event was posted on YouTube and became a viral success.[11][12] A clip from the performance was also played during Cuoco's January 8, 2013 appearance on the late night talk show Conan.[13] As of August 2014, Cuoco and her co-stars from The Big Bang Theory Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons, each earn an estimated $1 million per episode.[14]
Cuoco starred in the Lifetime film To Be Fat like Me, which premiered on January 8, 2007.[15]She played a minor role in the Prison Break episodes "The Message" and "Chicago", as well as starring in the comedy horror spoof Killer Movie in 2008. She also appeared in the 2010 film The Penthouse. In 2011, Cuoco appeared in Allure magazine's annual "Naked Truth" feature.[16] That same year, she appeared in the films Hop and The Last Ride.[17] She was also chosen to host the Teen Choice Awards in 2011,[18] as well as the People's Choice Awards in 2012 and 2013.[19][20] Cuoco is a regular on Priceline.com commercials as the daughter of William Shatner's character.[21]
In October 2017, Cuoco founded Yes, Norman Productions, a film and television production company which entered an exclusive multi-year first look production deal with Warner Bros. Television. The company optioned the rights to The Flight Attendant, a book written by author Chris Bohjalian, which will be developed into an limited series, with Cuoco to star and executive produce.[22]
== Personal life ==
While working on The Big Bang Theory, Cuoco privately dated co-star Johnny Galecki for roughly two years until December 2009, while their characters on the show were also dating. She told CBS Watch in September 2010 that they have remained on good terms since ending their relationship.[23] She became engaged to addiction specialist Josh Resnik in October 2011, but they ended their engagement by March 2012.[24]
Cuoco subsequently became engaged to professional tennis player Ryan Sweeting in September 2013, after three months of dating. They married on December 31, 2013, in Santa Susana, California.[25] On September 25, 2015, it was announced that she and Sweeting had decided to divorce.[26] The divorce was finalized in May 2016.[27]
Cuoco received significant media attention surrounding a remark she made in an interview with Redbook magazine while married to Ryan Sweeting. When asked if she considered herself a feminist, Cuoco responded:
In subsequent interviews, Cuoco has apologized for and retracted these statements, telling Cosmopolitan magazine, "of course I'm a fucking feminist. Look at me. I bleed feminism."[30][31]
Cuoco began dating equestrian Karl Cook, son of billionaire Scott Cook, in late 2016.[32][33] They became engaged on November 30, 2017, Cuoco's 32nd birthday,[34] and were married on June 30, 2018.[35] Cuoco went through shoulder surgery almost immediately after her wedding.[36]
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1992	Quicksand: No Escape 	Connie Reinhardt 	
1995	Virtuosity 	Karin Carter 	
1997	Picture Perfect 	Little girl 	
1997	Toothless 	Lori 	
1998	Mr. Murder 	Charlotte Stillwater	
2000	Alley Cats Strike 	Elisa Bowers 	
2000	Growing Up Brady 	Maureen McCormick 	
2000	Can't Be Heaven 	Teresa Powers 	
2003	A Merry Mickey Celebration 	Herself 	
2004	Debating Robert Lee 	Maralee Rodgers 	
2004	Crimes of Fashion 	Brooke Sarto 	
2004	The Hollow 	Karen 	
2005	Lucky 13 	Sarah Baker 	
2006	Separated at Worth 	Gabby 	
2006	Wasted 	Katie Cooning 	
2006	Bratz: Passion 4 Fashion – Diamondz 	Kirstee Smith 	Voice
2007	To Be Fat like Me 	Alyson Schmidt 	
2007	Cougar Club 	Amanda 	
2008	Killer Movie 	Blanca Champion 	
2010	The Penthouse 	Erica Roc 	
2011	Hop 	Samantha O'Hare 	
2011	The Last Ride 	Wanda 	
2014	Authors Anonymous 	Hannah Rinaldi 	
2015	The Wedding Ringer 	Gretchen Palmer 	
2015	Burning Bodhi 	Katy 	
2015	Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip	Eleanor 	Voice
2016	Why Him? 	Justine (AI) 	Voice
2017	Handsome: A Netflix Mystery Movie 	Herself 	
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1994 	My So-Called Life 	Young Angela Chase 	Episode: "Father Figures"
1994 	Northern Exposure 	Miranda 	Episode: "Hello, I Love You"
1996 	Ellen 	Little Ellen Morgan 	Episode: "The Bubble Gum Incident"
2000 	Don't Forget Your Toothbrush	Ashley 	Episode: "12 March 2000"
2000 	Homewood PI 	Lauren Crane 	Episode: "Pilot"
2000–01 	Ladies Man 	Bonnie Stiles 	Main role (Season 2); 8 episodes
2001 	7th Heaven 	Lynn 	Episode: "Relationships"
2002 	First Monday 	Alyssa 	Episode: "Pilot"
2002 	The Ellen Show 	Vanessa 	Episode: "Shallow Gal"
2002 	The Nightmare Room 	Kristin Ferris 	Episode: "My Name is Evil"
2002–05 	8 Simple Rules 	Bridget Hennessy 	Main role; 76 episodes
2004 	The Help 	Carly Michaels 	Episode: "Pilot"
2004 	Complete Savages 	Erin 	Episode: "For Whom the Cell Tolls"
2004 	Punk'd 	Herself 	Episode: "9 May 2004"
2004 	10.5 	Amanda Williams 	Main role; 2 episodes
2004–06 	Brandy & Mr. Whiskers 	Brandy Harrington (voice) 	Main role; 77 episodes
2005–06 	Bratz 	Kirstee Smith (voice) 	Main role (Season 1); 17 episodes
2005–07 	Loonatics Unleashed 	Paula Hayes / Weather Vane (voice)	Recurring role; 3 episodes
2005–06 	Charmed 	Billie Jenkins 	Main role (Season 8); 22 episodes
2006 	Secrets of a Small Town 	Misty Anders 	Unsold ABC pilot
2007 	Prison Break 	Sasha Murray 	Episodes: "The Message" and "Chicago"
2007–present	The Big Bang Theory 	Penny 	Main role
2012 	Drew Peterson: Untouchable 	Stacy Peterson 	Television film
2016 	Comedy Bang! Bang! 	Herself 	Episode: "Kaley Cuoco Wears a Black Blazer and Slip on Sneakers"
2019 	Harley Quinn 	Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn	Voice, main role, executive producer
TBA 	The Flight Attendant 	 	Creator and executive producer
== Awards and nominations ==
Year	Award 	Category 	Work 	Result
1993	Young Artist Award 	Best Young Actress in a Cable Movie 	Quicksand: No Escape	Nominated
2000	YoungStar Award 	Best Young Actress in a Mini-Series/Made for TV Film 	Growing Up Brady 	Nominated
2003	Young Artist Awards 	Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Leading Young Actress	8 Simple Rules 	Nominated
2003	Teen Choice Awards 	Choice TV Actress: Comedy 	8 Simple Rules 	Nominated
2003	Teen Choice Awards 	Choice TV Breakout Star: Female 	8 Simple Rules 	Won
2004	Teen Choice Awards 	Choice TV Actress: Comedy 	8 Simple Rules 	Nominated
2004	Young Artist Awards 	Best Young Adult Performer in a Teenage Role 	8 Simple Rules 	Nominated
2010	Teen Choice Awards 	Choice TV Actress: Comedy 	The Big Bang Theory 	Nominated
2011	Teen Choice Awards 	Choice TV Actress: Comedy 	The Big Bang Theory 	Nominated
2012	People's Choice Awards 	Favorite TV Comedy Actress 	The Big Bang Theory 	Nominated
2012	Teen Choice Awards 	Choice TV Actress: Comedy 	The Big Bang Theory 	Nominated
2012	Satellite Award 	Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy[37] 	The Big Bang Theory 	Won
2013	Teen Choice Awards 	Choice TV Actress: Comedy 	The Big Bang Theory 	Nominated
2013	People's Choice Awards 	Favorite TV Comedy Actress 	The Big Bang Theory 	Nominated
2013	Critics' Choice Television Award	Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (tied with Eden Sher) 	The Big Bang Theory 	Won
2014	People's Choice Awards 	Favorite TV Comedy Actress 	The Big Bang Theory 	Won
2014	Kids' Choice Awards 	Favorite Funny Star 	The Big Bang Theory 	Nominated
2014	Critics' Choice Television Award	Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series 	The Big Bang Theory 	Nominated
2015	People's Choice Awards 	Favorite Comedic TV Actress 	The Big Bang Theory 	Won
2015	Kids' Choice Awards 	Favorite TV Actress 	The Big Bang Theory 	Nominated
2015	Teen Choice Awards 	Choice TV Actress: Comedy 	The Big Bang Theory 	Nominated
2016	Golden Raspberry Awards 	Worst Supporting Actress 	The Wedding Ringer 	Won
Category:1985 birthsCategory:American film actressesCategory:American television actressesCategory:Alvin and the ChipmunksCategory:Brandy And Mr. WhiskersCategory:Blonde GirlsCategory:ActressesCategory:Disney's CinderellaCategory:Cinderella
Category:BlondesCategory:Living people