Christina Applegate

Background

Christina Applegate was born on November 25, 1971, in Hollywood, California. Her parents are Robert William Applegate, a record producer, and record company executive, and Nancy Priddy, a singer, and actress. Her parents separated shortly after her birth. She has two half-siblings, Alisa and Kyle, from her father’s second marriage. Applegate appeared in commercials as an infant and trained in various dance styles as a child, including jazz and ballet. She states she was not a rebellious child or teenager and always did well in school. Applegate graduated from Excelsior High School California.

In 1972, Applegate made her television debut alongside her mother in “Days of Our Lives.” Some of her earlier projects include roles on television shows such as “Silver Spoons” and “Still the Beaver” in 1986, and “Family Ties” in 1987. She got her big break when she was cast as Kelly Bundy on Fox’s first sitcom “Married with Children.” Applegate portrayed the role for the entire duration of the show from 1987 to 1997 playing into the blonde ditz stereotype. She then starred in the titular role in “Jesse” (1998-2000), for which she won a People’s Choice Award and T.V. Guide Award.

One of her most memorable roles is her guest appearance on “Friends” (2002 to 2003) as Rachel’s obnoxious younger sister Amy. She received a Primetime Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series For her brief appearance on the show. Applegate’s popular television roles include “Samantha Who?” (2007 to 2009), “Up All Night” (2011 to 2012), and recently, “Dead to Me” (2019 to present). Applegate made her silver screen debut in 1981 with “Jaws of Satan” and “Beatlemania.”

She starred in various film roles for the next three decades including “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” (1991), “The Big Hit” (1998), “The Sweetest Thing” (2002), “Hall Pass” (2011), “Vacation” (2015), “Bad Moms” (2016), “Crash Pad” (2017) and the Anchorman franchise films in 2004 and 2013.

Applegate received seven Primetime Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe nominations for her work on television. She has also taken on theater roles and projects. In 2005, she earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the Broadway revival of “Sweet Charity.” She has voiced several animated characters such as Catherine the Cat in the “Cats & Dogs” sequel (2010) and Brittany in three “Alvin and the Chipmunks” films (2009 to 2015).

Applegate was married to actor Johnathon Schaech from 2001 to 2007. She married Dutch musician Martyn LeNoble in 2013 and had a daughter with him, born in 2011. She is a vegetarian and a passionate supporter of PETA. In 2008, she was diagnosed with breast cancer from which she recovered with a double mastectomy. In 2021, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Applegate supports several foundations that collect funding for the entertainment industry, children’s education, animal rights, and breast cancer education and research.