Kaley Cuoco
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Kaley Christine Cuoco (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> born November 30, 1985) is an American actress. She starred as Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules (2002–2005), Penny on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019), and as the title character in the HBO Max comedic thriller The Flight Attendant (2020–2022).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The lattermost earned her nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards.
Cuoco has also played Billie Jenkins in the fantasy series Charmed (2005–2006), voiced the title role in the animated series Harley Quinn since 2019, and played the lead role in the comedy thriller series Based on a True Story (2023). Her film work includes several television films, such as Quicksand: No Escape (1992) and Growing Up Brady (2000), as well as Virtuosity (1995), Hop (2011), The Wedding Ringer (2015), The Man from Toronto, Meet Cute (both 2022), and Role Play (2024). She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and in 2017 founded Yes, Norman Productions.
Early lifeEdit
Kaley Christine Cuoco was born on November 30, 1985, in Camarillo, California. She is the elder daughter of Layne Ann (née Wingate), a homemaker, and Gary Carmine Cuoco, a real estate agent.<ref name="Yahoo Movies">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her father is of Italian descent while her mother is of English and German ancestry.<ref name=Ethnicity>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her sister, Briana, is an actress and singer who competed on the fifth season of The Voice and co-starred with her on the HBO Max series The Flight Attendant<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and on Harley Quinn as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. As a child, Cuoco was a ranked amateur tennis player, a sport she took up when she was three years old.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} No. 54 in Girls' 14 Singles.</ref> She stopped playing at the age of 16 to pursue a career in acting.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
CareerEdit
1995–2006: Early work and 8 Simple RulesEdit
Cuoco made her first feature film appearance as the young Karin Carter in the 1995 action thriller Virtuosity.<ref>Entertainment Tonight. CBS. November 30, 2012.</ref> In 2000, she portrayed former The Brady Bunch star Maureen McCormick in the TV film Growing Up Brady as well as starring in the Disney Channel original film Alley Cats Strike, and then in 2001, she appeared on the CBS sitcom Ladies Man. In September 2002, she began a starring role as Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter (afterwards 8 Simple Rules). Bridget was the oldest child, despite Cuoco being six years younger than Amy Davidson, who played her younger sister.
In addition to the final season of 8 Simple Rules, Cuoco had starring roles on the NBC miniseries 10.5, the ABC Family original film Crimes of Fashion, the independent film Debating Robert Lee,<ref>"Debating Robert Lee (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 29, 2014.</ref> and in the film The Hollow at the same time. She also voiced the character of Brandy Harrington, a 14-year-old anthropomorphic mixed-breed dog, on the Disney Channel animated series Brandy and Mr. Whiskers. She voiced the character of Kirstee Smith in Bratz from 2004 to 2005. In the eighth season of the TV series Charmed, she appeared as Billie Jenkins, a powerful young witch with the powers of telekinesis and projection. Executive producer Brad Kern stated that Cuoco's character was initially brought in as a possible spin-off.Template:Citation needed
2007–2016: The Big Bang Theory and other rolesEdit
In September 2007, Cuoco began starring in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, playing Penny, a Cheesecake Factory employee and aspiring actress who lives across the hall from physicists Dr. Leonard Hofstadter and Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Prior to the 2010–2011 season, she earned US$60,000 an episode for the series, the same as her co-stars. In 2010, the cast negotiated a raise for each actor to make US$200,000 per episode.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As of August 2014, Cuoco and her co-stars from The Big Bang Theory Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons each earned an estimated US$1 million per episode.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In late October 2012, Cuoco enlisted the help of her sister Briana to organize a flash mob on the set of the show, in which she and the cast and crew surprised the studio audience by suddenly lip syncing and dancing to Carly Rae Jepsen's song "Call Me Maybe". A video of the event was posted on YouTube and became a viral success.<ref name=TVGuide>Ratledge, Ingela (December 3, 2012) "Big Bang's Flash Mob Mentality". TV Guide. p. 6</ref><ref>"The Big Bang Theory Flash mob! [Full version compilation]". NommiXproductions. YouTube. November 16, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.</ref> A clip from the performance was also played during Cuoco's January 8, 2013, appearance on the late-night talk show Conan.<ref>Template:Cite episode</ref>
Cuoco starred in the Lifetime film To Be Fat like Me, which premiered on January 8, 2007.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She played a minor role in the Prison Break episodes "The Message" and "Chicago", as well as starring in the comedy horror spoof Killer Movie in 2008. She also appeared in the 2010 film The Penthouse. In 2011, she posed nude in Allure magazine's annual "Naked Truth" feature.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That same year, she appeared in the films Hop and The Last Ride.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She was also chosen to host the Teen Choice Awards in 2011,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> as well as the People's Choice Awards in 2012 and 2013.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She is a regular on Priceline.com commercials as the daughter of William Shatner's character.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2017–present: Harley Quinn animated series and The Flight AttendantEdit
In October 2017, Cuoco founded Yes, Norman Productions, a television production company which entered an exclusive multi-year first-look production deal with Warner Bros. Television. Her first project through Yes, Norman was an adaptation of the book The Flight Attendant, written by author Chris Bohjalian, which was developed into a comedy-drama series of the same name. Cuoco starred in the series as Cassie Bowden, and also served as executive producer.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Flight Attendant premiered on November 26, 2020, on WarnerMedia's streaming platform HBO Max to widespread critical acclaim, and was renewed for a second season on December 18, 2020.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="acclaim">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="flight renewal">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In October 2018, it was announced that Cuoco would voice the title character of the DC Universe adult animation series Harley Quinn, and also serve as executive producer.<ref name="deadline-2018-04">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The series premiered on November 29, 2019, to critical acclaim.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In September 2020, it was announced that the series was renewed for a third season and would move to HBO Max.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In August 2019, it was announced that Cuoco would executive produce the upcoming CBS comedy Pretty, which is written and also executive produced by Lindsey Kraft and Santina Muha.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In April 2020, Cuoco joined the cast of the upcoming action comedy film The Man from Toronto as the female lead alongside Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In March 2021, it was announced that Cuoco would play Doris Day in an upcoming limited series based on A. E. Hotchner's 1976 biography, Doris Day: Her Own Story. She will also serve as an executive producer of the series.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In May 2021, her production company expanded its Warner Bros. Television overall deal.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Personal lifeEdit
While working on The Big Bang Theory, Cuoco privately dated co-star Johnny Galecki for roughly two years, until December 2009. She later told CBS Watch in September 2010 that they have remained on good terms since ending their relationship.<ref name=KaleyJohnny>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
On September 13, 2010, Cuoco broke her leg in a horse-riding accident and missed the filming of two episodes of The Big Bang Theory.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In October 2011, she became engaged to addiction specialist Josh Resnik, but ended their engagement by March 2012.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She became engaged to professional tennis player Ryan Sweeting in September 2013, after three months of dating. They married on December 31, 2013, in Santa Susana, California.<ref name=Marriage>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On September 25, 2015, it was announced that she and Sweeting had decided to divorce.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The divorce was finalized on May 9, 2016.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Cuoco began dating equestrian Karl Cook in late 2016.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They became engaged on November 30, 2017, Cuoco's 32nd birthday,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and were married on June 30, 2018.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In September 2021, the couple announced their separation, stating "we have realized that our current paths have taken us in opposite directions".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In June 2022, their divorce was finalized.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Cuoco confirmed her relationship with actor Tom Pelphrey in May 2022.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Five months later, she announced on Instagram that they were expecting their first child together.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Cuoco gave birth to their daughter Matilda on March 30, 2023.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> They announced their engagement on August 14, 2024.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
In 2023, Cuoco launched an online pet product business entitled, "Oh Norman!".<ref name="ohnorm">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="ohnormweb">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
FilmographyEdit
FilmEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Virtuosity | Karin Carter | |
| 1997 | Picture Perfect | Little Girl | |
| 1999 | Can't Be Heaven | Teresa Powers | |
| 2004 | Debating Robert Lee | Maralee Rodgers | |
| 2005 | Lucky 13 | Sarah Baker | |
| 2006 | Wasted | Katie Cooning | |
| 2006 | Bratz Passion 4 Fashion – Diamondz | Kirstee Smith | Voice |
| 2006 | Bratz: Genie Magic | Kirstee Smith | Voice |
| 2007 | Cougar Club | Amanda | |
| 2008 | Killer Movie | Blanca Champion | |
| 2010 | Template:Sortname | Erica Roc | |
| 2011 | Hop | Sam O'Hare | |
| 2011 | Template:Sortname | Wanda | |
| 2014 | Authors Anonymous | Hannah Rinaldi | Also executive producer |
| 2014 | Template:Sortname | Woman in the Store | Unrated version |
| 2015 | Template:Sortname | Gretchen Palmer | |
| 2015 | Burning Bodhi | Katy | |
| 2015 | Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip | Eleanor | Voice |
| 2016 | Why Him? | Justine | Voice |
| 2017 | Handsome | Herself | |
| 2022 | Template:Sortname | Anne | |
| 2022 | Meet Cute | Sheila | Also executive producer |
| 2024 | Role Play | Emma | Also producer |
TelevisionEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Quicksand: No Escape | Connie Reinhardt | Television film | |
| 1994 | My So-Called Life | Young Angela Chase | Episode: "Father Figures" | |
| 1994 | Northern Exposure | Miranda | Episode: "Hello, I Love You" | |
| 1996 | Ellen | Little Ellen Morgan | Episode: "The Bubble Gum Incident" | |
| 1997 | Toothless | Lori | Television film | |
| 1998 | Mr. Murder | Charlotte Stillwater | Miniseries | |
| 1998 | Template:Sortname | Pammie Green | Episode: "Mini-pause" | |
| 2000 | Don't Forget Your Toothbrush | Ashley | Episode: "March 12, 2000"Template:Citation needed | |
| 2000 | Alley Cats Strike | Elisa Bowers | Television film | |
| 2000 | Growing Up Brady | Maureen McCormick | Television film | |
| 2001 | Ladies Man | Bonnie Stiles | Main role | |
| 2001 | 7th Heaven | Lynn | Episode: "Relationships" | |
| 2002 | First Monday | Alyssa | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2002 | Template:Sortname | Vanessa | Episode: "Shallow Gal" | |
| 2002 | Template:Sortname | Kristin Ferris | Episode: "My Name is Evil" | |
| 2002–2005 | 8 Simple Rules | Bridget Hennessy | Main role | |
| 2004 | Template:Sortname | Carly Michaels | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2004 | 10.5 | Amanda Williams | 2 episodes | |
| 2004 | Punk'd | Herself | Episode: "May 9, 2004" | |
| 2004 | Crimes of Fashion | Brooke Sarto | Television film | |
| 2004–2006 | Brandy & Mr. Whiskers | Brandy Harrington | Voice, main role | |
| 2004 | Template:Sortname | Karen | Television film | |
| 2004 | Complete Savages | Erin | Episode: "For Whom the Cell Tolls" | |
| 2005–2006 | Bratz | Kirstee Smith | Voice, main role | |
| 2005–2007 | Loonatics Unleashed | Paula Hayes / Weather Vane | Voice, 3 episodes | |
| 2005–2006 | Charmed | Billie Jenkins | Main role | |
| 2007 | To Be Fat like Me | Alyson Schmidt | Television film | |
| 2007 | Prison Break | Sasha Murray | 2 episodes | |
| 2007–2019 | Template:Sortname | Penny | Main role | |
| 2012 | Drew Peterson: Untouchable | Stacy Peterson | Television film | |
| 2016 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Herself | Episode: "Kaley Cuoco Wears a Black Blazer and Slip on Sneakers" | |
| 2016 | Lip Sync Battle | Herself | Episode: "Josh Gad vs. Kaley Cuoco"<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| 2018 | Best.Worst.Weekend.Ever. | Herself | Episode: "Issue 8" | |
| 2019–present | Harley Quinn | Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn | Voice, main role; also executive producer | |
| 2019 | Young Sheldon | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Voice, episode: "Teenager Soup and a Little Ball of Fib" |
| 2020–2022 | Template:Sortname | Cassie Bowden | Main role; also executive producer | |
| 2021 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Heidi | Episode: "The Watermelon" | |
| 2023–2024 | Based on a True Story | Ava Bartlett | Main role; also executive producer | |
| 2024 | Kite Man: Hell Yeah! | Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn | Voice, episode: "Pilot, Hell Yeah!"; also executive producer |
Awards and nominationsEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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