Jessica Karen Szohr was born March 31, 1985, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A natural beauty with mesmerizing blue eyes, she was discovered at the age of 16 while working at a Kohl’s department store. Her distinctive appearance made her a valuable commodity, and she soon began appearing in ads for a number of prominent national brands including Crate and Barrel, Mountain Dew, Sears, Quaker Oats, Jockey, Jansport, and Claire’s Boutique.
jessica szohr moves to l.a.
It soon became clear that Jessica Szohr had more options than most of her fellow classmates, and she was eventually forced to decide between acting and academics. “In my senior year of high school, my parents sat me down and asked if I really wanted to go to college, or was I just doing it for them,” she recalls. “So with their blessing, I decided to go out to Los Angeles for pilot season.”
jessica szohr makes her acting debut
It proved to be a savvy decision and within a matter of weeks, Jessica Szohr landed a plum guest-starring role alongside Damon Wayans on My Wife and Kids. She also made her big screen debut later that year in Uncle Nino, a heartfelt family film starring Golden Globe nominees Joe Mantegna and Anne Archer.
Jessica Szohr continued to build her resume over the next two years with roles in a number of hit sitcoms including What I like About You featuring Amanda Bynes, Joan of Arcadia starring Amber Tamblyn and That’s So Raven with Raven Symone.
jessica szohr joins the cast of what about brian
After several years of guest-starring roles and supporting parts, Jessica Szohr finally received her big break in 2007 when she was given a substantial recurring role in What About Brian. The heartwarming ensemble show gave her career the boost it sorely needed, and she soon benefited with additional parts on CSI: Miami and in the direct-to-DVD movie, Somebody Help Me, starring Grammy-nominated performer Omarion.
jessica szohr joins the cast of gossip girl
Jessica Szohr’s solid performances in those projects resonated with the producers of Gossip Girl, and they invited her to join the show’s cast on a part-time basis in October of 2007. “I was super nervous,” she admits. “I’d seen the pilot, so joining the show four episodes in was like being the new kid at school.” Luckily, her nerves soon calmed and, after a month and a half, Jessica Szohr was invited to join the cast as a series regular. Gossip Girl has since become the CW’s marquee program, having won six Teen Choice Awards in 2008 alone.
“J. Zo,” as she’s known to friends, loves being on the show, but she admits that it’s taken her a while to get accustomed to Gossip Girl’s immense popularity. “It’s very interesting,” she says. “You don’t realize that aside from acting, there is this whole other side. Photo shoots, interviews -- it gets a little complicated.”
jessica szohr appears in fired up
In addition to starring in Gossip Girl, Jessica Szohr also recently appeared on the big screen in Fired Up. The hilarious cheerleading comedy has already raked in more than $16 million at the box office since opening in theaters everywhere on February 20.