Rachael Leigh Cook (born October 4, 1979) is an American actress. She came to fame after her role in the 1999 teen romantic comedy, She's All That, and has since mostly appeared in lower-profile films.
Cook was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Thomas H. Cook (a social worker and former stand-up comic) and JoAnne (an Italian American cooking instructor and weaver). She began working as a print model at the age of 10, most notably in nationwide advertisements for Target and appearing on the boxes of Milk-Bone dog biscuits for medium sized dogs.
At the age of fourteen, Cook began auditioning for acting work. Her modeling agency sent her to read for a short film, 26 Summer Street (1996). She first gained national attention when she was featured in a memorable This is Your Brain on Drugs public-service television advertisement. Consequently, Cook began her feature film career, debuting in The Baby-Sitters Club (1995).
Cook's two highest-profile lead roles to date have been in the films She's All That (1999) and Josie and the Pussycats (2001). Cook has also appeared in a number of independent films and in the 2005 television miniseries Into the West. In 2002, she was ranked #26 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World". Her most recent role was the voice of Tifa Lockhart in the third-person shooter RPG Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus. She also voiced Tifa in the video game Kingdom Hearts II and in the CG movie, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. She also starred in the video for New Found Glory's 2002 single, "Dressed to Kill".
Cook owns her own production company, called Ben's Sister Productions (in reference to her younger brother, an aspiring filmmaker).
Cook has dated actors Vincent Kartheiser, Ryan Reynolds, Shane West and Rider Strong. She married actor Daniel Gillies in August 2004, after their engagement in December 2003.
Cook, a vegetarian, lives mostly in Los Angeles, but frequently goes back to visit her family in Minnesota.
