Jessica Szohr: American Actress
Jessica Szohr was born on 31st March 1985 in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin to Hungarian and African American parents and has been modeling professionally since she was six. She appeared in print ads for Quaker Oats and Kohl’s department stores before pursuing an acting career.
She completed high school a semester early and moved to Los Angeles in pursuit of acting. She made her acting debut on CW’s Gossip Girl for three seasons.
Jessica Szohr’s Biography
Jessica Karen Szohr was born March 31 in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin to African-American fathers and Hungarian mothers respectively. At six years old she began modeling, eventually landing her first national campaign with Quaker Oats at 10 before going on to appear in print ads for Kohl’s department store, Mountain Dew, Crate, and Barrel Sears Jockey among many others. Shortly after graduating from Menomonee Falls High School early with her mother, she moved with them both to Los Angeles to pursue acting careers more pursued than before.
Szohr began her acting career with small parts in television guest stars and low-budget movies. She received some notice for recurring roles on two ABC dramedies – What About Brian and Joan of Arcadia (both ran for six episodes each) before breaking through as Vanessa Abrams on CW teen drama Gossip Girl in 2007. With this role as part of its iconic Manhattan-based Upper East Side soap opera, she established herself on her path toward stardom.
Szohr soon found herself being offered more movie roles after Gossip Girl wrapped, appearing in independent films such as Somebody Help Me (2007) and The Reading Room (2005), and Fired Up! (2009) before landing roles in Piranha 3D (2010) as well as Hirokin (2012) post-apocalyptic sci-fi sci-fi sci-fi. Szohr also made appearances in I Don’t Know How She Does It (2011) Tower Heist (2012) and Love Bite (2012) among others.
Tv roles she has performed include an ongoing role on DirecTV’s MMA drama Kingdom (2014) as art/photog Laura Melvin and an upcoming appearance as Lt. Talla in Fox’s science fiction show The Orville (2015).
Szohr has kept her relationship with professional ice-hockey player Brad Richardson under wraps, yet is believed to be in a serious relationship since 2019. Szohr will make her feature film debut in Darren Lynn Bousman’s supernatural thriller Silent House which also stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Adam Scott, and Jason London.
Jessica Szohr’s Movies
Jessica Szohr finally established herself after appearing in several minor guest star roles and low-budget films as Vanessa Abrams on The CW’s Gossip Girl teen drama. While initially known for modeling campaigns such as Kohl’s Department Store and Quaker Oats print ads, her acting talent eventually won out.
Born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin of Hungarian and African American heritage, Szohr grew up in a family-oriented small town where she played soccer and cheered on the school team. When she was six, she started modeling and earned her first gig with Quaker Oats national campaign! Later in high school, she participated in student council as well as opening a cleaning service that serviced teachers’ homes – which eventually turned into her job!
Young actress Annabel Rose quickly moved from stage to film roles such as those found in Somebody Help Me (2007), The Reading Room (2006), and Fired Up! (2009). Later she appeared as Kelly in Dimension Film’s tongue-in-cheek horror Piranha 3D (2010) before taking on her most memorable character yet: Orange from Hirokin: The Last Samurai (2012) – an independent post-apocalyptic sci-fi flick set after apocalyptic events happened on Earth.
My Wife and Kids, Joan of Arcadia, and What About Brian were among her early television appearances before becoming best known for her role as Vanessa Abrams on Gossip Girls (2007-13). Since then she has ventured into larger dramatic projects, such as the indie drama Art Machine (2012) which portrayed an outlaw hipster-pyrotechnic artist hybrid character; as well as the medical thriller pilot Complications (2013) where she had multiple characters to portray simultaneously.
Szohr was also featured as Laura Melvin on DirecTV’s MMA drama Kingdom (2014), while in 2017 she made her Hulu sci-fi series debut as Lt. Talla Keyali from Hulu sci-fi series The Orville. This fictional spaceship travels through space with aliens, robots, and other strange lifeforms.
Szohr’s future releases include A Simple Favor (2018) in which she plays Emily Wilson, a high-profile publicist blackmailed by her ex-husband. Additionally, she will star as Violet Weston in Netflix series The Rhythm Section as she moves to New York and befriends young singer Charlie.
Jessica Szohr’s TV Shows
Jessica Szohr began acting while still in high school. Beginning as a model in Wisconsin for Kohl’s department stores and other brands, she soon graduated a semester early and moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting professionally. Jessica hails from a Hungarian mother and an African-American father; both her parents were former professional basketball players on the Milwaukee Bucks team.
Szohr made her name as one of the breakout stars on Gossip Girl with her character Vanessa Abrams on the CW show, drawing both positive and negative attention for the way she played her part – also winning several awards as a result!
Szohr continued her acting career after Gossip Girl ended, appearing in films such as Somebody Help Me, The Reading Room, and Fired Up! In 2010, she signed on as the star of the independent movie Piranha 3D; other film roles she has had include Love Wedding Marriage I Don’t Know How She Does It and I Don’t Know How She Does It. Currently, she stars as Talla Keyali in Seth MacFarlane’s series The Orville.
Her ongoing TV credits include recurring roles on the Fox series Light Years and ABC drama pilot The List; a guest appearance on ABC drama pilot The List; lead role as Gretchen Polk on USA Network medical drama Complications. As well as the Showtime series Shameless and DirecTV series Kingdom; Renee in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks for Showtime and Laura Melvin on the CW show The 100.
She has appeared in television commercials for Pepsi, Crate and Barrel, Sears, JanSport, and Jockey; as well as modeling fashion shows for designer clothing lines like Chanel, Givenchy, and J Brand. Szohr is represented by Buchwald Management and can also be found appearing in music videos by Taylor Swift for 22 consecutive times!
Jessica Szohr’s Personal Life
Jessica Szohr is a prime example of the power of hard work and consistency to pay off in Hollywood. Within months of taking up print modeling, the actress managed to go from minor print model to landing a major television role on an iconic series such as I Don’t Know How She Does It and eventually landing movie roles as well.
She has also appeared in multiple television shows such as What About Brian, CSI: Miami, and Gossip Girl – during which time she briefly dated co-star Ed Westwick but their romance quickly disintegrated; currently though she has found love again with a professional ice hockey player Brad Richardson.
Bowie Ella Richardson was born to them on March 23, 2018. Though their relationship has remained private, it’s evident that they care deeply for one another.
Szohr has also been very involved in sports; she served on her high school’s cheerleading squad and participated in various student council activities; she graduated a semester early from Menomonee Falls High School to focus on acting.
Szohr appeared as a regular cast member on ABC dramedy What About Brian for six episodes and appeared in Daughtry’s music videos “Over You” and “Greatest Days”. She has also made appearances in The Internship, Kingdom and Twin Peaks as well as movies such as Fired Up!, Piranha 3D and I Don’t Know How She Does It.
Szohr is an avid traveler and has visited dozens of countries worldwide. Her activities include snowboarding, yoga, and climbing as well as playing guitar and piano – she even owns four dogs! In addition to acting she has modeled in numerous fashion campaigns for brands like Quaker Oats and Kohl’s department store as well as numerous beauty product endorsements. Szohr professes Christianity and has spoken openly about it in interviews in the past.
