Amber Valletta
Encyclopedia
Amber Evangeline Valletta (born February 2, 1974) is an American actress and model. She began her career as a model for fashion agencies, and appeared on cover pages of internationally recognized magazines. She made her film debut in Drop Back Ten (2000). She then starred in the hit film Hitch
(2005). She has since appeared in films such as Man About Town (2006), Dead Silence
(2007), Gamer (2009), and The Spy Next Door
(2010).
. She attended Booker T. Washington High School
. She got her start in the fashion industry when her mother enrolled her in modeling school at the age of fifteen at the Linda Layman Agency. She appeared on the cover of magazines and in advertisements for Louis Vuitton
, Calvin Klein
and Versace and hosted MTV
's House of Style
with fellow model Shalom Harlow
.
as one of the "Modern Muses". Valletta's first role was in the comedy film
Drop Back Ten (2000); Later that year, she played a supporting role in the thriller film What Lies Beneath
. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis
and starring Harrison Ford
and Michelle Pfeiffer
. She appeared alongside Nicolas Cage
in The Family Man
. In 2003, she played as Celine in Danny DeVito
's Duplex
, starring Ben Stiller
and Drew Barrymore
, she also played as Meline in Raising Helen
(2004), opposite Kate Hudson
, Hayden Panettiere
, Abigail Breslin
, and Helen Mirren
.
Valletta's major role was as Allegra Cole in Andy Tennant
's Hitch
(2005), for which she gained more attention. The film was released on February 11, 2005 and was a box office and critical success. She also has a minor role in Transporter 2
. She appeared in the comedy
The Last Time
, costarring Michael Keaton
and Brendan Fraser
. In 2007, she starred in the horror film
Dead Silence
as Ella Ashen. Later in 2007, she portrayed the character of Claire in Premonition
, starring Sandra Bullock
.
Valletta appeared as Angie in Gamer, opposite Gerard Butler
. The film was released in North America on September 4, 2009. In 2010, she appeared in The Spy Next Door
, starring Jackie Chan
, George Lopez
, and Billy Ray Cyrus
; she played the mother of a child who accidentally downloads a CIA code from the internet.
In 2011, she appeared as Lydia on the ABC
's television drama series Revenge
.
in various kinds of seafood. The decision to join Oceana's campaign was prompted by the mercury-poisoning experience of a friend and the fact that she is a mother of two.
. They have a son, named Auden.
In January 2008, she participated in a video for Barack Obama
produced by Will.I.Am
called "Yes We Can
" along with her son Auden, whom she was holding in her arms.
Hitch (film)
Hitch is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant and starring Will Smith. The film, which was written by Kevin Bisch, co-stars Eva Mendes, Kevin James, and Amber Valletta. Smith plays a professional matchmaker who makes a living teaching men how to woo women...
(2005). She has since appeared in films such as Man About Town (2006), Dead Silence
Dead Silence
Dead Silence is a 2007 horror film, directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell, the creators of Saw...
(2007), Gamer (2009), and The Spy Next Door
The Spy Next Door
The Spy Next Door is a 2010 American spy comedy family film starring Jackie Chan, Amber Valletta, Billy Ray Cyrus and George Lopez. Filming started in late October in New Mexico and was finished in late December 2008. The film was released on January 15, 2010 in the United States. The film was...
(2010).
Early life
Valletta was born in Phoenix, Arizona and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her mother worked at the post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
. She attended Booker T. Washington High School
Booker T. Washington High School (Tulsa)
Booker T. Washington High School is a high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was named after the African-American education pioneer Booker T. Washington. Booker T. Washington High School is one of nine high schools in Tulsa Public Schools.-Overview:...
. She got her start in the fashion industry when her mother enrolled her in modeling school at the age of fifteen at the Linda Layman Agency. She appeared on the cover of magazines and in advertisements for Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier – commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton , or shortened to LV – is a French fashion house founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label is well known for its LV monogram, which is featured on most products, ranging from luxury trunks and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes,...
, Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Klein has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry....
and Versace and hosted MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's House of Style
House of Style
House of Style is an MTV show that premiered January 1, 1989, focusing on America's growing fascination with the "supermodel" craze. The show focused on fashion, lives of models, the modeling industry, and controversial topics such as eating disorders....
with fellow model Shalom Harlow
Shalom Harlow
Shalom Harlow is a Canadian model and actress.-Life and career:Harlow was born in Oshawa, Ontario, the daughter of Sandi Herbert and David Harlow. Though her mother named her Shalom , meaning "peace" in Hebrew, her family is not Jewish. She was discovered at a Cure concert in Toronto and started...
.
Career
She was presented on the November 1999 Millennium cover of American VogueVogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
as one of the "Modern Muses". Valletta's first role was in the comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
Drop Back Ten (2000); Later that year, she played a supporting role in the thriller film What Lies Beneath
What Lies Beneath
What Lies Beneath is a 2000 American supernatural horror-thriller film directed by Robert Zemeckis. It stars veteran actors Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer as a well-to-do couple who experience a strange haunting that uncovers secrets about their past....
. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis
Robert Zemeckis
Robert Lee Zemeckis is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Zemeckis first came to public attention in the 1980s as the director of the comedic time-travel Back to the Future film series, as well as the Academy Award-winning live-action/animation epic Who Framed Roger Rabbit ,...
and starring Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
and Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
. She appeared alongside Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
in The Family Man
The Family Man
The Family Man is a 2000 drama film directed by Brett Ratner and starring Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni. Cage's production company, Saturn Films, helped produce the film....
. In 2003, she played as Celine in Danny DeVito
Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
's Duplex
Duplex (film)
Duplex is a 2003 American black comedy film directed by Danny DeVito, and starring Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore.The film was called Our House for its release in the United Kingdom and Ireland.-Plot:...
, starring Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
and Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
, she also played as Meline in Raising Helen
Raising Helen
Raising Helen is a 2004 American comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall and written by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler. It stars Kate Hudson, John Corbett, Joan Cusack, Hayden Panettiere, Spencer and his sister Abigail Breslin and Helen Mirren...
(2004), opposite Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson
Kate Garry Hudson is an American actress. She came to prominence in 2001 after winning a Golden Globe and receiving several nominations, including a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in Almost Famous. She then starred in the hit film How to Lose a Guy in 10...
, Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Leslie Panettiere is an American actress and singer, best known as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC television series Heroes. She began her acting career by playing Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live , and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light , before starring at age 10 as Sheryl Yoast in...
, Abigail Breslin
Abigail Breslin
Abigail Kathleen Breslin is an American teen actress. She is one of the youngest actresses ever to be nominated for an Academy Award....
, and Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.-Early life and family:...
.
Valletta's major role was as Allegra Cole in Andy Tennant
Andy Tennant
Andy Tennant is an American screenwriter, film and television director, and dancer.-Life and career:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Tennant was raised in Flossmoor, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. His father was Don Tennant, a legendary creative advertising talent with Leo Burnett Agency in Chicago...
's Hitch
Hitch (film)
Hitch is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant and starring Will Smith. The film, which was written by Kevin Bisch, co-stars Eva Mendes, Kevin James, and Amber Valletta. Smith plays a professional matchmaker who makes a living teaching men how to woo women...
(2005), for which she gained more attention. The film was released on February 11, 2005 and was a box office and critical success. She also has a minor role in Transporter 2
Transporter 2
Transporter 2 is a 2005 action film directed by Louis Leterrier and produced by Luc Besson. It is the sequel to The Transporter . It is itself followed by Transporter 3 ....
. She appeared in the comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
The Last Time
The Last Time (film)
The Last Time is a 2006 film starring Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser and Amber Valletta.-Plot:Ted Ryker is the top salesman in the New York office of a business machine company. The corporate stock lives by quarterly sales numbers, the competition is very intense, and the economy may be headed...
, costarring Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton
Michael John Douglas , better known by the stage name Michael Keaton, is an American actor known for his early comedic roles, most notably his performance as the title character of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice . Keaton is also famous for his dramatic portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's...
and Brendan Fraser
Brendan Fraser
Brendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,...
. In 2007, she starred in the horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
Dead Silence
Dead Silence
Dead Silence is a 2007 horror film, directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell, the creators of Saw...
as Ella Ashen. Later in 2007, she portrayed the character of Claire in Premonition
Premonition (2007 film)
Premonition is a 2007 American drama film directed by Mennan Yapo and starring Sandra Bullock and Julian McMahon. Principal photography took place in Louisiana.-Plot:...
, starring Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Annette Bullock is an Academy Award winning American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. She continued with films such as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House,...
.
Valletta appeared as Angie in Gamer, opposite Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler
Gerard James Butler is a Scottish actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television. A trained lawyer, Butler turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies , which he followed with steady work on television, most notably in...
. The film was released in North America on September 4, 2009. In 2010, she appeared in The Spy Next Door
The Spy Next Door
The Spy Next Door is a 2010 American spy comedy family film starring Jackie Chan, Amber Valletta, Billy Ray Cyrus and George Lopez. Filming started in late October in New Mexico and was finished in late December 2008. The film was released on January 15, 2010 in the United States. The film was...
, starring Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
, George Lopez
George Lopez
George Lopez is an American comedian, actor, and talk show host. He is mostly known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom George Lopez. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including the Mexican American culture...
, and Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus
William "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...
; she played the mother of a child who accidentally downloads a CIA code from the internet.
In 2011, she appeared as Lydia on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's television drama series Revenge
Revenge (TV series)
Revenge is an American television drama inspired by the Alexandre Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo starring Madeleine Stowe and Emily VanCamp. It debuted on ABC on September 21, 2011, and currently airs on Wednesday nights at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central...
.
Other projects
Valletta also serves as the spokesperson for Oceana's Seafood Contamination Campaign, where she brings awareness of the dangers of mercury poisoningMercury poisoning
Mercury poisoning is a disease caused by exposure to mercury or its compounds. Mercury is a heavy metal occurring in several forms, all of which can produce toxic effects in high enough doses...
in various kinds of seafood. The decision to join Oceana's campaign was prompted by the mercury-poisoning experience of a friend and the fact that she is a mother of two.
Personal life
Valletta is married to Olympic volleyball player Chip McCawChip McCaw
Christian "Chip" McCaw is an American former Olympic volleyball player. Hailing from Pepperdine University, he represented the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics.-References:...
. They have a son, named Auden.
In January 2008, she participated in a video for Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
produced by Will.I.Am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
called "Yes We Can
Yes We Can
"Yes We Can" is the first single from Change Is Now: Renewing America's Promise, a compilation album organised and produced by Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.I.Am...
" along with her son Auden, whom she was holding in her arms.
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Drop Back Ten | Mindy Deal | |
| 2000 | What Lies Beneath What Lies Beneath What Lies Beneath is a 2000 American supernatural horror-thriller film directed by Robert Zemeckis. It stars veteran actors Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer as a well-to-do couple who experience a strange haunting that uncovers secrets about their past.... |
Madison Elizabeth Frank | |
| 2000 | The Family Man The Family Man The Family Man is a 2000 drama film directed by Brett Ratner and starring Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni. Cage's production company, Saturn Films, helped produce the film.... |
Paula | |
| 2001 | Perfume Perfume (2001 film) Perfume is a 2001 film about the fashion industry in New York City.-Plot:Prior to a major show, the people involved find themselves embroiled in their own personal battles.... |
Blair | |
| 2001 | Max Keeble's Big Move Max Keeble's Big Move Max Keeble's Big Move is a 2001 Disney live-action teen comedy film directed by Tim Hill, written by David L. Watts, James Greer, Jonathan Bernstein, and Mark Blackwell, and starring Alex D. Linz as the title character. The film is set in University Place, Washington. It was released in North... |
Ms. Dingman | |
| 2003 | Duplex Duplex (film) Duplex is a 2003 American black comedy film directed by Danny DeVito, and starring Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore.The film was called Our House for its release in the United Kingdom and Ireland.-Plot:... |
Celine | |
| 2004 | Raising Helen Raising Helen Raising Helen is a 2004 American comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall and written by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler. It stars Kate Hudson, John Corbett, Joan Cusack, Hayden Panettiere, Spencer and his sister Abigail Breslin and Helen Mirren... |
Martina | |
| 2005 | Hitch Hitch (film) Hitch is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant and starring Will Smith. The film, which was written by Kevin Bisch, co-stars Eva Mendes, Kevin James, and Amber Valletta. Smith plays a professional matchmaker who makes a living teaching men how to woo women... |
Allegra Cole | |
| 2005 | Transporter 2 Transporter 2 Transporter 2 is a 2005 action film directed by Louis Leterrier and produced by Luc Besson. It is the sequel to The Transporter . It is itself followed by Transporter 3 .... |
Audrey Billings | |
| 2006 | Man About Town | Brynn Lilly | Direct-to-video |
| 2006 | The Last Time The Last Time (film) The Last Time is a 2006 film starring Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser and Amber Valletta.-Plot:Ted Ryker is the top salesman in the New York office of a business machine company. The corporate stock lives by quarterly sales numbers, the competition is very intense, and the economy may be headed... |
Belisa | |
| 2007 | Dead Silence Dead Silence Dead Silence is a 2007 horror film, directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell, the creators of Saw... |
Ella | |
| 2007 | Premonition Premonition (2007 film) Premonition is a 2007 American drama film directed by Mennan Yapo and starring Sandra Bullock and Julian McMahon. Principal photography took place in Louisiana.-Plot:... |
Claire | |
| 2007 | My Sexiest Year My Sexiest Year My Sexiest Year is a 2007 romantic comedy/drama starring Frankie Muniz and Harvey Keitel and was written and directed by Howard Himelstein. The film is a romantic coming-of-age story in which the kindness bestowed by a glamorous model is returned 30 years later by the young man in whom she inspired... |
Marina | |
| 2008 | Days of Wrath Days of Wrath Days of Wrath is a 2008 drama film starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Laurence Fishburne and Wilmer Valderrama. The film is directed by Celia Fox, and written by Mitchell Kapner and Michael Markee.-Plot:... |
Jane Summers | |
| 2009 | Gamer | Angie | |
| 2010 | The Spy Next Door The Spy Next Door The Spy Next Door is a 2010 American spy comedy family film starring Jackie Chan, Amber Valletta, Billy Ray Cyrus and George Lopez. Filming started in late October in New Mexico and was finished in late December 2008. The film was released on January 15, 2010 in the United States. The film was... |
Gillian | |
| 2011 | Girl Walks Into a Bar Girl Walks into a Bar Girl Walks Into a Bar is a 2011 multiple story line ensemble comedy film produced exclusively for Internet distribution. It is directed by Sebastián Gutiérrez from his own script, much like the anthology style of Gutiérrez's Women in Trouble, and follows a group of apparent strangers in... |
Camilla |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Hysteria - The Def Leppard Story Hysteria - The Def Leppard Story Hysteria – The Def Leppard Story is a 2001 made-for-television movie about the English hard rock/ heavy metal band Def Leppard. The film premiered on July 18, 2001 and is available on DVD in the US.-Plot:... |
Lorelei Shellist | Television movie |
| 2004 | Lucky Lucky (TV series) Lucky is an American dark comedy television series which ran for one season on FX Networks in 2003. The show starred John Corbett as Michael "Lucky" Linkletter, a professional poker player and gambling addict. The series was created by Robb Cullen and Mark Cullen... |
Sarah | 1 episode |
| 2005 | Punk'd Punk'd Punk'd is an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series that first aired on MTV in 2003 and was created by Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg, produced and hosted by Ashton Kutcher. It bore a resemblance to both the classic hidden camera show Candid Camera and to TV's Bloopers... |
Herself | 1 episode |
| 2011-present | Revenge Revenge (TV series) Revenge is an American television drama inspired by the Alexandre Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo starring Madeleine Stowe and Emily VanCamp. It debuted on ABC on September 21, 2011, and currently airs on Wednesday nights at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central... |
Lydia Davis | TV series; Recurring role |