'''Elisha Ann Cuthbert''' (born November 30, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known as a former host of the Canadian children's television series ''
Popular Mechanics for Kids'' and had roles in numerous other Canadian productions before moving to Los Angeles at the age of 17. She made her American television debut in the action-thriller ''
24''. Cuthbert began her Hollywood career with small roles in ''
Old School'' and ''Love Actually'' in 2003 and went on to star in her first feature film, ''
The Girl Next Door'', in 2004. Over the course of her career, Cuthbert has participated in a wide range of works spanning multiple genres and media.
Early life
Cuthbert was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the first child of Kevin and Patricia Cuthbert. Her family moved to Longueuil, Quebec, and Cuthbert grew up in Greenfield Park, near Montreal, learning a few words in French as a result of her surroundings.
[http://elisha-fans.com/elisha-cuthbert-biography.htm "Biography" ''Elisha Cuthbert @ ELISHA FANS.COM'', retrieved on May 13, 2006.]She began her career in 1989 by modeling for various lines of children's clothing and also became a foot model. She made her first televised appearance in the horror-themed series for children, ''
Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' as a young girl in the episode "The Tale of the Nightshift" (she would later become a series regular) and landed her first role in a feature film in the family drama ''
Dancing on the Moon''. She went on to star in several family-themed movies and an airplane thriller, ''
Airspeed'', and also hosted ''
Popular Mechanics for Kids'' with Jay Baruchel.
Cuthbert's role as host of ''Popular Mechanics'' sometimes required her to act as a foreign correspondent, and she was required to fly around the world despite her aversion to plane travel.
[Wilson, Staci Layne. http://www.horror.com/php/article-784-1.html "House of Wax Interview: Elisha Cuthbert" Horror.com, April 29, 2005, retrieved May 13, 2006.] Her reporting captured the attention of then-First Lady Hillary Clinton, who invited her to visit the White House.
[Bronstein, Jake. http://elisha-fans.com/interview/4.htm "FHM Interview" ''FHM'', October 2002, retrieved May 13, 2006]Career
thumb|right|200px|Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer
In 2000, Cuthbert graduated from Centennial Regional High School and journeyed to Los Angeles, California to pursue a Hollywood acting career. Soon after, she was cast in the role of Kim Bauer, daughter of CTU agent Jack Bauer in the television series ''
24''. Cuthbert had given herself a deadline of six months to make something of her trip and was about to return home when she was offered the part during the last week. The show drew continual critical
