Jennifer Garner

Early life

Jennifer Garner was born on April 17, 1972 in Houston, Texas but moved to Charleston, West Virginia at the age of three. Her father, William John Garner, worked as a chemical engineer for Union Carbide and her mother, Patricia Ann (née English), was a homemaker and, later, an English teacher at a local college. She has an older sister, Melissa Wylie, and a younger sister, Susannah Carpenter. Garner has described herself as a typical middle child who sought to differentiate herself from her accomplished older sister. While Garner did not grow up in a politically active household, her father was "very conservative" and her mother "quietly blue." She attended a local United Methodist Church every Sunday and went to Vacation Bible School. As teenagers, Garner and her sisters were not allowed to wear makeup, paint their nails, pierce their ears or dye their hair; she has joked that her family's "take on the world" was "practically Amish."

Garner attended George Washington High School in Charleston; she played saxophone in the marching band and was water girl for the football team. While Garner was not a bad student, she did not get "straight As" and instead wanted to perform "in any kind of production." She participated in musicals at the local community theater, the Charleston Light Opera Guild, and took piano, singing and ballet lessons. In 1990, Garner enrolled at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, where she changed her major from chemistry to theater and was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority. She spent the fall semester of 1993 studying at the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut. In 1994, she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater performance.

1994–2001: Career beginnings and Alias

As a college student, Garner did summer stock theater. In addition to performing, Garner helped to sell tickets, build sets, and clean the venues. She worked at the Timber Lake Playhouse in Mount Carroll, Illinois in 1992, the Barn Theatre in Augusta, Michigan in 1993, and the Georgia Shakespeare Festival in Atlanta, Georgia in 1994. Garner moved to New York City in 1995. During her first year in the city, Garner earned $150 per week as an understudy for a Roundabout Theatre Company production of A Month in the Country, starring Helen Mirren and F. Murray Abraham, and made her first on-screen appearance as Melissa Gilbert's daughter in the romance miniseries Zoya. In 1996, she played an Amish woman in the television movie Harvest of Fire and a flirtatious shopkeeper in the Western miniseries Dead Man's Walk. She appeared in the independent short film In Harm's Way and made one-off appearances in the legal dramas Swift Justice and Law & Order. She met Stephen Colbert while filming an episode of Spin City and became an occasional babysitter for his children. Garner also supplemented her income by working as a hostess at Isabella's restaurant on the Upper East Side.

After moving to Los Angeles in 1997, Garner won her first leading role in the television movie Rose Hill and made her first feature film appearance in the period drama Washington Square. She appeared in the comedy movie Mr. Magoo, the independent drama 1999 and Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry; most of her performance was cut from Allen's film. In 1998, Garner appeared in an episode of Fantasy Island and was cast as a series regular in the Fox drama Significant Others. Will Joyner of The New York Times praised her ability to "provide the leavening ingredient of innocent insight" but Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly felt there was no center to the character, as played by Garner. Fox cancelled the series after airing three of six filmed episodes. Garner's most significant role of 1998 was in J.J. Abrams' college drama Felicity. During a two-episode guest appearance, she befriended Abrams and met her first husband Scott Foley. In 1999, Garner was cast as a series regular in another Fox drama, Time of Your Life, but it was cancelled midway through the first season. Also in 1999, she appeared in the miniseries Aftershock: Earthquake in New York and in two episodes of the action drama The Pretender. Garner played the girlfriend of Ashton Kutcher's character in the comedy Dude, Where's My Car? (2000). In 2001, she appeared briefly opposite her husband Foley in the drama Stealing Time and had a small role as a nurse in the war epic Pearl Harbor.

Garner rose to fame in 2001 when she was cast as the star of the ABC spy drama Alias. The show's creator, J.J. Abrams, wrote the part of Sydney Bristow with Garner in mind: "I always thought she had something in her personality that was funnier and sexier and smarter and more mischievous than anything I'd seen her do ... I wanted to show that." However, he had to convince wary studio executives that Garner was right for the role. Robert Bianco of USA Today remarked: "You've probably never noticed her. You'll notice her now ... Garner creates one of the season's strongest new characters — a sensitive young woman who hides her vulnerability behind a mean right cross." Julie Salamon of The New York Times said she brought "an attractive combination of vulnerability and entrepreneurial self-protectiveness" to the role. Alias aired for five seasons between 2001 and 2006; Garner's salary began at $40,000 per episode and rose to $150,000 per episode by the series' end. During the show's run, Garner won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress (with a further three Globe nominations), and received four nominations for the Emmy Award for Best Actress.

2002–11: Transition to film

While Alias was airing, Garner continued to work in film intermittently. She had an "other-worldly" experience when Steven Spielberg called to offer her a role as a high-class call girl in Catch Me if You Can (2002). After seeing her in Alias, Speilberg felt sure "she would be the next superstar". She filmed her scene opposite Leonardo DiCaprio during a one-day shoot. Garner's first co-starring film role was in the action movie Daredevil (2003), in which she played Elektra to Ben Affleck's Daredevil. The physicality required for the role was something Garner had discovered "an aptitude for" while working on Alias. Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times said she "realizes Elektra more through movement than by way of her lumpy, obvious lines. She hasn't mastered the combat skill of tossing off bad material." While Daredevil received mixed reviews, it was a box office success. Also in 2003, Garner voiced herself in an episode of The Simpsons.

Garner's first leading film role, in the romantic comedy 13 Going on 30 (2004), was widely praised. She played a teenager who finds herself trapped in the body of a 30-year old. Garner chose Gary Winick to direct the film and they continued to look for other projects to do together until his death in 2011. Manohla Dargis of the Los Angeles Times found her "startling": "Whenever she's on screen you don't want to look anywhere else." Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly praised an "utterly beguiling" performance: "You can pinpoint the moment in it when Garner becomes a star." Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post remarked: "Garner is clearly cut out to be America's next Sweetheart; she has the same magic mix of allure and accessibility that the job calls for." 13 Going on 30 was a moderate commercial success. Garner reprised the character of Elektra in the 2005 Daredevil spin-off Elektra; it was a box office and critical failure. Claudia Puig of USA Today concluded that Garner "is far more appealing when she's playing charming and adorable, as she did so winningly in 13 Going on 30. Garner next starred opposite Timothy Olyphant in the romantic drama Catch and Release. Although filmed in 2005 in between seasons of Alias, it was not released until early 2007 and failed to recoup its production budget. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone praised Garner's ability "to blend charm and gravity" but Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle felt that, while her "natural beauty and likability are still assets, [she] seems occasionally challenged by what should be an easy role."

After a one-year break following the conclusion of Alias, her wedding to Affleck, and the birth of her first child, Garner returned to work in 2007. Her supporting role in Juno as a woman desperate to adopt a child was described by Kyle Buchanan of New York Magazine as a turning point in her career: "She came into the movie a steely figure, and left it as the mother you'd give your own child to ... Writer Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman expertly deploy Garner's innate humanity as a trump card." Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly said she had never "been lovelier or more affecting." She played an FBI investigator in the action thriller The Kingdom (2007). She was nursing her baby during filming in Arizona and was hospitalized on two occasions with heatstroke. In late 2007 and early 2008, Garner played Roxanne to Kevin Kline's Cyrano de Bergerac at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway. In preparation for the role, Garner worked with vocal and movement coaches and took French lessons. Ben Brantley of The New York Times described her performance as "captivating": " Ms. Garner, I am pleased to report, makes Roxane a girl worth pining over ... [She] speaks Anthony Burgess’s peppery rhymed translation with unaffected sprightliness. If she’s a tad stilted in the big tragic finale, her comic timing is impeccable." The New Yorker's theater critic was impressed by her "feistiness" and " lightness of comic touch". The play was recorded before a live audience and aired on PBS in 2008. In 2007, Garner became a spokesperson of skin care brand Neutrogena.

Garner co-starred in two romantic comedies in 2009. She first appeared opposite Matthew McConaughey in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. While Michael Phillips of The Chicago Tribune found Garner "easy to like and sharp with her timing", he was disappointed to see her as "the love interest, which is not the same as a rounded character." Similarly, Manohla Dargis of The New York Times was dismayed to see the actress appear as "less a co-star than a place holder (you can almost see the words “enter generic female lead” in [the] screenplay)." Garner's second performance of 2009 was opposite comedian Ricky Gervais in his directorial debut The Invention of Lying. Gervais was keen to cast Garner – "always happy and always pleasant to everyone" – against type. David Edelstein of New York Magazine said she "proves again (the first time was 13 Going on 30) what a dizzying comedienne she is. She looks as if the wheels in her head are not just turning but falling off and needing to be screwed back on." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times praised an "inspired, seemingly effortless, performance" while Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said she "has never been better onscreen ... Garner gets to show a comic facility we haven't seen before." Garner then appeared in Garry Marshall's ensemble romantic comedy Valentine's Day (2010), sharing scenes with Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel and Patrick Dempsey. In 2011, she had a supporting role in Arthur as the villainous arranged bride of Russell Brand's character.

2012–present

Garner played a mother for the first time in 2012, starring opposite Joel Edgerton in the drama The Odd Life of Timothy Green. It received mixed reviews from critics and was a modest commercial success. Claudia Puig of USA Today found her "convincing as a warm-hearted, if tense, mom" while Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune said she brought "fervent sincerity and a welcome touch of comic eccentricity" to the role. Also in 2012, Garner starred in the satirical comedy Butter, which received mixed feedback from critics and poor earnings at the box office. Peter Debruge of Variety praised "the best bigscreen use of Jennifer Garner’s comedy gifts since 13 Going on 30” while Peter Travers of Rolling Stone described her as the "best in show" : "[She] knows how to play comedy of the absurd." However, Scott Bowles of USA Today remarked: "Garner is a terrific actress, but here she's asked to cackle her lines in a voice a full octave above her natural one." Also in 2012, she appeared opposite Alfred Molina in the YouTube short Serena. Also in 2012, she became a spokesperson for food company Luvo.

Garner reunited with Matthew McConaughey in the 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club, which received positive reviews and was a box office success. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone described her as "a radiant actress of rare spirit and sensitivity" while Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post remarked: "McConaughey and Leto may have the showiest roles, but Garner deserves equal praise for her sensitive, straightforward performance." Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times said: "Garner is once again cast as a quintessentially decent, all-American girl, albeit a doctor. But the question of whether the actress has deeper emotional layers to bring to the screen is not answered here." David Edelstein of New York Magazine said: "It’s not a well-shaped role, but I’ve gotten to the point where I’m happy to see Garner in anything. She’s incapable of phoniness." Also in 2013, she became the first celebrity spokesperson of Max Mara.

In 2014, she starred opposite Kevin Costner in the sports drama Draft Day. Mick LaSalle of The San Francisco Chronicle remarked: "It's not much of a role, but she's perfectly nice in it. Perhaps someday someone will give Garner a chance to be something other than perfectly nice." Garner also co-starred with Steve Carell in the 2014 Disney adaptation of the popular children's book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Sandie Angulo Chen of the Washington Post said: "Garner, who has long mastered the art of playing harried and overworked moms, is pleasantly frazzled." Also in 2014, Garner appeared in Men, Women & Children. Christopher Orr of The Atlantic said: "Garner does what she can as the Snooping Mom from Hell, but ultimately it’s not much. The role is like a caricature of her performance in Juno, minus the ultimate (and essential) redemption." In late 2014, Capital One signed Garner as their spokeswoman for their Capital One Venture Air Miles credit card. In 2015's Danny Collins, starring Al Pacino and Annette Bening, Garner had a supporting role as the wife of Bobby Cannavale's character. Stephanie Merry of the Washington Post felt she "gives the movie a powerful jolt of emotion."

In 2016, Garner appeared in the Christian drama Miracles from Heaven. Ken Jaworowski of The New York Times praised a "dedicated" and "heartfelt" performance while Nigel Smith of The Guardian found "her subtly wrought work ... tremendously effective" in an otherwise "crassly manipulative" film. She starred opposite Kevin Spacey in the comedy Nine Lives. Katie Walsh of the Los Angeles Times jokingly asked Garner to "send us some kind of signal if you need help" while Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said she was "stranded in a nothing role." She also made an uncredited cameo appearance in Mother's Day.

Garner appeared in Wakefield, which was released in May 2017. The Tribes of Palos Verdes, filmed in 2016, will be released in 2017. In 2017, she will provide the voice of Mama Llama for Netflix’s new original animated preschool series Llama Llama while, in 2018, she will provide a voice for a character in Amusement Park. In early 2017, she filmed a role in Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. She also filmed a role in friend Judy Greer's directorial debut A Happening of Monumental Proportions, set for release in 2017.

Early childhood education

In 2009, Garner became an artist ambassador for Save the Children, promoting national literacy, nutrition and early education efforts. Since 2014, Garner has served on the board of trustees for Save the Children, the United States branch of the British children's charity, advocating for early education. She had been an ambassador for six years, and frequently visits with families involved in the organization's Early Steps to School Success program, which coaches families to help children learn in the early years. In 2011 she partnered with Frigidaire as part of her work with Save The Children. In 2013, Garner took her eldest daughter Violet to a Save The Children gala in New York: "My husband and I have never taken our kids to a public event before, but I brought my daughter Violet, because ... I want her to see the passionate commitment Mark Shriver and Hillary Clinton have to make the world a better place for everyone." In 2014, she joined the Invest in Us campaign., and in January 2015, she appeared in A Path Appears, a PBS documentary which focuses on rural poverty among children in West Virginia.

Other

In 2007, Garner said she was "not a particularly outwardly political person." In 2002, Garner filmed a 30-second television advertisement for her childhood friend Corey Palumbo, running as a Democratic candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates. In 2006, Garner spoke at a rally in support of Democratic Congressional candidate Jerry McNerney in Pleasanton, California. In 2008, she hosted two fundraisers for Obama during the 2008 Democratic Primary. In 2014, Garner donated $25,000 to the campaign of Democratic politician Wendy Davis. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Garner hosted a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in Bozeman, Montana and attended voter registration and phone bank events for Clinton in Reno, Nevada.

Garner has campaigned for laws to protect her children from paparazzi. "There's an idea that because our pictures are everywhere that we are complicit in it. When really what happens is they're waiting outside our door every single day. My kids take karate for example, and we have our classes at the same time every week. So the guys know when we have karate, and so 20 of them wait there for us every single class. So that's a lot of energy coming at little, little kids." In August 2013, Garner testified alongside Halle Berry before the California Assembly Judiciary Committee in support of a bill that would protect celebrities' children from harassment by photographers. The bill passed in September 2013 and is now California law.

In 2007, she appeared in a global warming awareness video produced by the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

Relationships and family

Garner had a five-year relationship with Scott Foley. They met on the set of Felicity in 1998. They married in a ceremony at their home on October 19, 2000 and separated in March 2003. Garner filed for divorce in May 2003, citing irreconcilable differences, and divorce papers were granted in March 2004. She dated her Alias co-star Michael Vartan from August 2003 to mid-2004.

Garner began dating Ben Affleck in mid-2004, having established a friendship on the sets of Pearl Harbor (2001) and Daredevil (2003). They were married on June 29, 2005, in a private Turks and Caicos ceremony. Victor Garber, who officiated the ceremony, and his husband Rainer Andreesen were the only guests. Garner and Affleck have three children: daughters Violet Anne (b. December 2005) and Seraphina "Sera" Rose Elizabeth (b. January 2009), and son Samuel "Sam" Garner (b. February 2012). They announced their intention to divorce in June 2015, and jointly filed legal documents in April 2017, seeking joint physical and legal custody of their children.

Religion

Although Garner stopped attending church regularly after moving to Los Angeles, each of her three children were baptised as members of the United Methodist Church in her hometown of Charleston, West Virginia. In 2015, she and her family began attending weekly Methodist church services in Los Angeles.

Stalking incident

Garner was stalked by Steven Burky from 2002 to 2003, and again from 2008 to 2009. She, her husband, and her daughter Violet obtained a restraining order in 2008. Burky was arrested in December 2009 outside her daughter's preschool. He was charged with two counts of stalking, to which he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. In March 2010, he was ruled insane, sent to California's state mental hospital, and ordered to stay away from the Affleck family for 10 years if released from hospital.