Emmanuelle Chriqui

Early life

Chriqui was born in Montreal, Quebec, the daughter of Sephardi Jewish parents from Morocco. Her mother, Liliane, was born in Casablanca, and her father, Albert, in Rabat; Chriqui has relatives in Israel. Her family practiced Orthodox Judaism in the Sephardic tradition.

Chriqui has an older brother, Serge, and an older sister, Laurence. When she was almost two, her family moved to Toronto, Ontario. She grew up in Markham, Ontario, a suburb northeast of the city. Her mother, an aesthetician who once told Emmanuelle she would become an actress, died when Chriqui was sixteen years old.

As a child, she took acting classes, for which her brother paid. Chriqui attended the drama program at Unionville High School. After high school, Chriqui decided to pursue a career in acting.

Career

Chriqui began acting as a 10-year-old in a McDonald's commercial. She moved to Vancouver in the mid-1990s, guest-starring in series such as Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Forever Knight, Once a Thief, and Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal. Her first Hollywood role was as a supporting character in Detroit Rock City (1999). Chriqui's first feature role was in Chris Koch's Snow Day (2000). She later appeared in several movies, such as 100 Girls, Wrong Turn, On the Line and In the Mix. She played Eve in the 2005 comedy National Lampoon's Adam & Eve, and played Adam Sandler's love interest in the 2008 film You Don't Mess with the Zohan.

Chriqui was nominated for a Best Actress DVD Exclusive Award for her performance in 100 Girls and was nominated, with Lance Bass, for a Choice Liplock Teen Choice Award in On the Line. In April 2008, she won the Standout Performance Trophy at the Young Hollywood Awards.

Chriqui also starred in several music videos including Hinder's "Lips of an Angel", Zac Brown Band's "Whatever It Is", and Charles Perry's "I Could Be the Best Time of Your Life". She threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers game on June 8, 2008. Chriqui was on the cover of the Autumn 2008 issue of Naked Eye.

She appeared in the 2008 film Cadillac Records as Revetta Chess, where she performed with Beyoncé Knowles. Chriqui was seen in 2009 as one of several women whose lives interconnect in the comedy Women in Trouble and appeared in its 2010 sequel Elektra Luxx.

In 2010, Chriqui joined Showtime's 2011 series, The Borgias. She is also the voice of Cheetara in the ThunderCats 2011 animated series.