Hewitt, Jennifer Love

views updated May 08 2018

Jennifer Love Hewitt

Singer

For the Record

Selected discography

Sources

Jennifer Love Hewitt has worn many hats during her career in entertainment. She started as an actor in commercials and a model in print ads at the age of ten. She cut her first album in 1992, and after appearing in recurring roles on several television series, she broke through to stardom playing the part of Sarah Reeves on the Fox television series Party of Five.

Her father is Tom Hewitt, her mother Pat Hewitt, a speech pathologist. Hewitts father and mother were divorced the year Hewitt was born, and she grew up mostly with her mother. Born in Waco, Texas, she was raised until the age of ten in Killeen, Texas. She has one sibling, an older brother named Todd Hewitt. Todd Hewitt was born in 1971, and he makes his living as a chiropractor.

Hewitts mother influenced her daughters taste in music at an early age, playing Otis Redding, Al Green, and Beatles records around the house while she was growing up. Hewitts talent for music became obvious before she entered elementary school; she had an impressive knack for remembering song lyrics and tunes.

When Hewitt was ten years old, she moved with her mother and brother to Los Angeles. There, almost immediately, Hewitt began her career in entertainment. She was just ten years old went she went on a world tour as a model to promote the L.A. Gear brand of clothing. She appeared regularly in commercials and print ads from then on.

Equally drawn to music and acting, Hewitt pursued both careers as a child in Los Angeles. Her acting career took off first when she landed recurring parts in such television series as McKenna, The Byrds of Paradise, Shaky Ground, and Kids Incorporated.

Hewitt recorded her first album while she was still a teenager. The album was called Love Songs, and it was released in Japan. Several tracks were distributed in Europe but none in her native United States.

Hewitts breakthrough acting role came on Party of Five, a family drama that debuted on the Fox network in 1995. The show featured a family of five siblings who were orphaned when their parents were killed by a drunk driver. Hewitt played Sarah Reeves, the girlfriend of one of the brothers. The show proved a critical and popular success, and it assured Hewitts fame. It also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Series of 1996 and a Humanitas Prize for Writing.

Hewitt graduated from Laurel Springs High School in Ojai, California, in 1997, and after her stint on Party of Five ended in 1999, Hewitt revived her Party of Five role in a new series called Time of Your Life. This show was an offshoot of Party of Five, and Hewitt was a coproducer on the series. The producers hoped that the show would capitalize on the success of the original

For the Record

Born on February 21, 1979, in Waco, TX.

Released first album, Love Songs, in Japan, 1992; released second album, Lets Go Bang, on the Atlantic label, 1995; starred on the hit Fox television series, Party of Five, 199599; released third album, Jennifer Love Hewitt, on Atlantic, 1996; starred in numerous movies, including House Arrest, which featured her music in the soundtrack, 1996;I Know What You Did Last Summer, 1997; the sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, which also featured her music, 1998; The Tuxedo, costarring action star Jackie Chan, 2002; released third album, BareNaked, on the Jive label, 2002.

Awards: Blockbuster Entertainment Award for I Know What You Did Last Summer, 1998.

Addresses: Record company Jive Records, 11 West 19th St., 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10011, website: http://www.jiverecords.com. Website Jennifer Love Hewitt Official Website: http://www.getmusic.com/microsites/jlove-hewitt.

series, but it never matched Party of Fives popularity and ran for only the 1999 season.

The same year that Hewitt first appeared on Party of Five, she released her first album in the United States, Lets Go Bang, on the Atlantic Records label. The following year saw the release of her second album, called Jennifer Love Hewitt. That year, 1996, was a busy one for Hewitt; she also appeared in the film House Arrest. The film featured several of her songs on the soundtrack.

Film roles for Hewitt followed in rapid succession after the release of House Arrest. She appeared in the horror films I Know What You Did Last Summer and its rorfil m s IKnow What You Did Last Summer For the soundtrack of the second film, she contributed the song How Do I Deal. Other films in which Hewitt has appeared include Cant Hardly Wait, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, The Suburbans, and Heartbreakers. The latter film stars Hewitt with Sigoumey Weaver as a mother and daughter con artist team who specialize in swindling men out of their money. The film, released in 2001, also features Gene Hackman and Ray Liotta.

The year 2002 brought a new level of success for Hewitts recording career. She moved from Atlantic to Jive Records, the same record label that features pop stars Britney Spears and Aaron Carter, and released her third album, BareNaked. This album was produced by singer-songwriter Meredith Brooks, and it was released in September of 2002, when Hewitt was 23 years old. Brooks also cowrote the songs on the album.

In spite of an album cover on which Hewitt appears topless (with her back to the camera), the albums title refers to baring it all emotionally, not literally. As Hewitt told the Montreal Gazettes Brendan Kelly, Initially when people hear the title BareNaked, they think automatically, Oh cool, were going to see Jennifer naked, which is not attractive nor necessary ever in life BareNaked is not about me actually being naked. It is about me inner bare-naked.

With this album, Hewitt surprised fans expecting what some thought of as superficial girl-pop in the vein of Britney Spears. Instead, as Hewitt told Kelly, she wanted to perform the kind of soulful rock she grew up listening to. Inspired by Janis Joplin, Billie Holliday, and other female vocalists who have made a lasting impact, Hewitt sought to challenge herself and not just do a pop record.

Initial critical reactions indicated that she was at least partially successful in this attempt, although All Music Guides Stephen Thomas Erlewine couldnt help noting that she had not completely transcended her show-biz kid origins. Nevertheless, Erlewine said that the album is very good in its style and is a nice new beginning for the singer and actress.

Even though Hewitt has been busy making a name for herself as a recording star, she has not let her acting career fall by the wayside. After starring in the ABC televsion movie The Audrey Hepburn Story, Hewitt landed a plum role as action star Jackie Chans costar in the 2002 film The Tuxedo.

Selected discography

Love Songs (Japan), 1992.

Lets Go Bang, Atlantic, 1995.

Jennifer Love Hewitt, Atlantic, 1996.

BareNaked, Jive, 2002.

Sources

Periodicals

Montreal Gazette, August 20, 2002, p. D5.

Texas Monthly, September 1998, p. 108.

Online

BareNaked, All Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com (November 5, 2002).

The Facts: Jennifer Love Hewitt, E! Online, http://www.eonline.com/Facts/People/Bio/0,128,46130,00.html (November 1, 2002).

FeaturesBiography, Jennifer Love HewittThe Official Website, http://www.safesearching.com/jenniferlovehewitt/features/bio.shtml (November 5, 2002).

Jennifer Love Hewitt, All Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com (November 1, 2002).

Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sony Pictures, http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/party/thestars/e.html (November 5, 2002).

Michael Belfiore

Hewitt, Jennifer Love 1979–

views updated May 23 2018

HEWITT, Jennifer Love 1979–

(Love Hewitt)

PERSONAL

Original name, Jennifer Hewitt; born February 21, 1979, in Waco, TX; daughter of Danny (a medical technician; some sources cite father's name, Tom) and Pat (a speech pathologist) Hewitt.

Addresses:

Office—Love Spell Entertainment, 500 South Buena Vista Dr., Bldg. 1E, Rooms 24–25, Burbank, CA 91521. Agent—Endeavor, 9601 Wilshire Blvd., 3rd Floor, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Manager—Danielle Thomas, Untitled Entertainment, 331 North Maple Dr., 2nd Floor, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Publicist—PYR Public Relations, 6725 Sunset Blvd., Suite 570, Los Angeles, CA 90028.

Career:

Actress, singer, songwriter, and producer. Love Spell Entertainment, Burbank, CA, principal. Appeared with the Texas Show Team (international tour group), c. 1988; L.A. Gear, trade show dancer on world tour, 1989; appeared in commercials, 1989—, including appearances for Neutrogena hair products, 1998–2003. Spokesperson for the Sears and Seventeen magazine Peak Performance Scholarship Program, 1996; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, national spokesperson, 2003; also affiliated with Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Tuesday's Child (pediatric AIDS foundation).

Awards, Honors:

Young Artist Award nominations, outstanding young ensemble cast (with others), 1990, and outstanding young ensemble cast in a youth series or variety show (with others), 1993, and Young Artist Award, outstanding youth ensemble in a cable or off–primetime series (with others), 1994, all for Kids Incorporated; Young Artist Award nomination, best professional actress/singer, 1996; YoungStar Award nomination, Hollywood Reporter, best young actress in a television drama series, 1997, Teen Choice Award nomination, choice television actress, 1999, and Blimp Award nomination, Kids' Choice Awards, favorite television actress, 2000, all for Party of Five; Block-buster Entertainment Award, favorite female newcomer in a film, Blockbuster Entertainment Award nomination, favorite horror actress, and Young Artist Award nomination, best leading young actress in a feature film, all 1998, for I Know What You Did Last Summer; Teen Choice Award, choice actress in a film, and Blockbuster Entertainment Award, favorite horror actress, both 1999, for I Still Know What You Did Last Summer; Young Artist Award nomination, best leading young actress in a feature film, and MTV Movie Award nomination, best female performance, both 1999, for Can't Hardly Wait; People's Choice Award, Proctor & Gamble Productions, favorite female performer in a new television series, 2000, for Time of Your Life; Teen Choice Award nomination, choice actress in a film, 2001; Teen Choice Award nomination, choice crossover artist (music/acting), 2003; DVD Premiere Award, best original song (with Chris Canute), 2003, for "I'm Gonna Love You," The Hunchback of Notre Dame II; Blimp Award, "favorite female butt kicker," 2003, for The Tuxedo.

CREDITS

Television Appearances; Series:

Robin, Kids, Incorporated (also known as Kids, Inc.), The Disney Channel, 1989–91.

Bernadette Moody, Shaky Ground, Fox, 1992–93.

Franny Byrd, The Byrds of Paradise, ABC, 1994.

Cassidy McKenna, McKenna, ABC, 1994–95.

Sarah Reeves, Party of Five, Fox, 1995–2000.

Sarah Reeves Merrin, Time of Your Life, Fox, 1999–2000.

Voice, The Weekenders (animated; also known as Disney's "The Weekenders"), ABC, 2000–2001.

Riley Reed, In the Game, ABC, 2005.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Title role, The Audrey Hepburn Story, ABC, 2000.

Samantha Andrews, If Only, ABC Family Channel, 2004.

Emily, A Christmas Carol (also known as A Christmas Carol: The Musical), NBC, 2004.

Katya Livingston, Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber, Oxygen, 2005.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Interviewee, Intimate Portrait: Audrey Hepburn, Lifetime, 1996.

Christmas Miracles, ABC, 1997.

Host, The Senior Prom, ABC, 1997.

Host, MTV's New Year's Eve Live, MTV, 1998.

Host, Director's Cut: World AIDS Day '99, MTV, 1999.

Teen People's 21 Hottest Stars Under 21, ABC, 1999.

The AFI's 100 Years … 100 Stars, CBS, 1999.

Comedy Central Presents the New York Friars Club Roast of Jerry Stiller, Comedy Central, 1999.

Interviewee, Celebrity Profile: Jennifer Love Hewitt, E! Entertainment Television, 2000.

The 25 Hottest Stars Under 25 (also known as Teen People's 25 Hottest Stars Under 25), MTV, 2001.

AFI's 100 Years … 100 Passions, CBS, 2002.

Host, 100 Greatest Love Songs, 2002.

Summer Music Mania 2002, Fox, 2002.

The 3rd Annual Women Rock! Girls and Guitars, Lifetime, 2002.

MTV Bash: Carson Daly, MTV, 2003.

Scream Queens: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 2004.

Host, The Story of Veterans Day, History Channel, 2004.

The Greatest: The 40 Hottest Rock Star Girlfriends … and Wives, 2005.

Also appeared as host of True Tales of Teen Romance and True Tales of Teen Trauma, both MTV.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Mad TV, Fox, 1997, 2000.

Herself, Later with Greg Kinnear, 1997.

Herself, Arthel & Fred, 1997.

Guest, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC, 1998, 1999, 2004.

Guest host, Saturday Night Live, NBC, 1998.

Herself, The View, ABC, 1998, 2002.

Jennifer Love Fefferman, "And Then There Was Shawn," Boy Meets World, ABC, 1998.

Herself, The Howie Mandel Show, 1998.

Co–host, Total Request Live (also known as TRL), MTV, 1998.

Voice of Medusa, "Hercules and the Gorgon," Hercules (animated; also known as Disney's Hercules), ABC and syndicated, 1999.

Herself, The Martin Short Show, syndicated, 1999.

Guest, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, 2001, 2002, 2004.

Guest, Late Show with David Letterman, 2001, 2002.

Guest, The Big Breakfast, Channel 4 (England), 2001.

Voice, "Stuck Together, Torn Apart," Family Guy, Fox, 2002.

Guest, The Panel, 10 Network (Australia), 2002.

Guest, Revealed with Jules Asner, E! Entertainment Television, 2002.

Guest, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, CBS, 2002.

Guest, The O'Reilly Factor, Fox News Channel, 2002.

Herself, "Barenaked," Making the Video, 2002.

Herself, "TV & Movie Week," Supermarket Sweep, 2002.

(In archive footage) Love Chain, E! Entertainment Television, 2003.

Herself, Banzai, Fox, 2003.

Guest, Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show, syndicated, 2003, 2004, 2005.

Guest, Tinseltown TV, International Channel, 2003.

Guest, The Wayne Brady Show, syndicated, 2003.

(In archive footage) Celebrities Uncensored, E! Entertainment Television, 2003.

Guest, V Graham Norton, 2003.

Chameleon, "Chameleon Chaos/Weedkiller," The Cramp Twins, 2003.

Nancy Sinatra, "The 7–10 Split," American Dreams, NBC, 2004.

Guest, On–Air with Ryan Seacrest, syndicated, 2004.

Nancy Sinatra, "Old Enough to Fight," American Dreams, NBC, 2004.

Herself, Punk'd, MTV, 2004.

Guest host, "And the Winner Is …," American Idol: The Search for a Superstar, Fox, 2004.

Guest, The Daily Show, Comedy Central, 2004.

Guest, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, CBS, 2005.

Also appeared as herself, Home Team with Terry Bradshaw.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

Presenter, The 1998 MTV Movie Awards, MTV, 1998.

Presenter, The 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, MTV, 1998.

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, UPN, 1998.

Presenter, The 25th Annual American Music Awards, ABC, 1998.

The 1999 Billboard Music Awards, Fox, 1999.

Presenter, The 1999 Teen Choice Awards, Fox, 1999.

The 5th Annual Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Fox, 1999.

Presenter, The 57th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2000.

2000 MTV Movie Awards, MTV, 2000.

Presenter, VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards, VH1, 2000.

The 2000 Teen Choice Awards, Fox, 2000.

The Teen Choice Awards 2001, Fox, 2001.

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, Nickelodeon, 2002.

Presenter, The Teen Choice Awards 2002, Fox, 2002.

Presenter, The 29th Annual American Music Awards, ABC, 2002.

Host, The 2002 World Music Awards, ABC, 2002.

MTV Video Music Awards 2002 (also known as VMAs 2002), MTV, 2002.

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards '03 (also known as Nickelodeon's 16th Annual Kids' Choice Awards), Nickelodeon, 2003.

(In archive footage) Saturday Night Live: The Best of Cheri Oteri, NBC, 2004.

Presenter, Nickelodeon's 17th Annual Kids' Choice Awards, Nickelodeon, 2004.

Television Appearances; Other:

Host, The Greatest, 1997.

Melinda Gordon, The Ghost Whisperer (pilot), CBS, 2005.

Television Work; Series:

Producer, Time of Your Life, Fox, 1999–2000.

Executive producer, In the Game, ABC, 2005.

Television Work; Other:

Co–executive producer, The Audrey Hepburn Story, ABC, 2000.

Singer of theme song, Scooby Doo and the Alien Invaders (animated movie), Cartoon Channel, 2000.

Film Appearances:

(As Love Hewitt) Andrea Kurtz, Munchie, New Horizons Home Video, 1992.

(As Love Hewitt) Heather Lofton, Little Miss Millions (also known as Home for Christmas and Little Miss Zillions), New Horizons Home Video, 1993.

Margaret, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Buena Vista, 1993.

Brooke Figler, House Arrest, Rysher Entertainment, 1996.

Julie James, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Columbia, 1997.

Leah Jones, Trojan War (also known as Rescue Me), Warner Bros., 1997.

Deb Friedman, Telling You (also known as Love Sucks), Division I Entertainment, 1998.

Amanda Beckett, Can't Hardly Wait, Columbia, 1998.

Julie James, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 1998.

Cate, The Suburbans, Columbia TriStar, 1998.

Voice of Helen, Zoomates, 1998.

The devil, The Devil and Daniel Webster, Family Room Entertainment, 2001.

Page Connors, Wendy, Jane Helstrom, and Allison Brechenhall, Heartbreakers, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 2001.

Voice of Madelaine, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (animated), Buena Vista Home Video/Walt Disney Home Video, 2002.

Voice of Thumbelina, The Adventures of Tom Thumb & Thumbelina (animated), Miramax, 2002.

Del Blaine, The Tuxedo, DreamWorks, 2002.

Voice of Chrissy, Groove Squad (animated; also known as Groove Squad Cheerleaders), Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 2002.

Alice Holbrook, The Truth about Love, FF Film and Music, 2004.

Voice of Dr. Liz Wilson, Garfield (animated; also known as Garfield: The Movie), Twentieth Century–Fox, 2004.

Voice of Princess Kyla, Delgo (animated), Key Creatives, 2005.

Film Work:

Producer, One Night, Eagle Cove Entertainment/Love Spell Entertainment/Winchester Films, 2002.

RECORDINGS

Albums:

(As Love Hewitt) Love Songs, released in Japan, 1992.

Let's Go Bang, Atlantic Records, 1995.

Jennifer Love Hewitt (includes "I Believe In …,""It's Good to Know I'm Alive" and "No Ordinary Love"), Atlantic Records, 1996.

Barenaked, Jive, 2002.

Recorded the singles "No Ordinary Love," Atlantic, 1996; "How Do I Deal," 143 Records, 1999; "Can I Go Now," Jive International, 2003; and "Barenaked," Jive.

Videos:

(As Love Hewitt) Dance! Workout with Barbie (exercise video), 1991.

Recorded the music videos "How Do I Deal," 1998, and "Can I Go Now," Jive, 2003; also appeared in the music videos "High" by Feeder, 1997; "Can't Get Enough of You Baby" by Smash Mouth, 1998; "Girl on TV" by LFO, 1999; and "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias, 2001.

WRITINGS

Film Music:

(With Chris Canute) Composer and lyricist, "I'm Gonna Love You," The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (animated), Buena Vista Home Video/Walt Disney Home Video, 2002.

Other:

Contributor to the book Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, Health Communications, 1996.

ADAPTATIONS

The 2005 television series In the Game, broadcast by ABC, is based on a story by Hewitt.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Contemporary Musicians, Volume 41, Gale, 2003.

Newsmakers 1999, Issue 2, Gale, 1999.

Periodicals:

Biography, September, 1999, pp. 52–56, 102.

Cosmopolitan, November, 1998, p. 228; February, 2000, pp. 24, 86.

Detour, June, 1998, pp. 70–71, 74.

Entertainment Weekly, April 17, 1998, p. 41; June 26, 1998, p. 24; October 30, 1998, p. 24; November 13, 1998, pp. 28–34; April 30, 1999, p. 95; September 10, 1999, p. 40; October 15, 1999, p. 48; December 3, 1999, p. 80.

Girlfriend, July, 1998, pp. 16–19.

In Style, November, 1998, p. 308.

Jane, September, 2002, pp. 178–181.

Lifetime, June, 2004, pp. 104–109.

Movieline, June, 1998, pp. 70–71, 74; November, 1998, pp. 40–44, 49, 80–81; September, 2002, pp. 48–53, 90.

Parade, March 26, 2000, p. 22.

People Weekly, September 23, 1996, p. 121; April 21, 1997, p. 100; September 29, 1997, p. 41; March 23, 1998, p. 43; November 30, 1998, p. 214; February 15, 1999, p. 45; March 27, 2000, p. 20.

Playboy, December, 1998, p. 20; December, 1999, p. 104.

Rolling Stone, May 27, 1999, p. 38; October 3, 2002, pp. 46–50.

Teen, May, 1998, pp. 52–53; January, 2000, p. 56.

Teen People, June, 2000, p. 92.

Texas Monthly, September, 1998, p. 108.

Time, March 27, 2000, p. 98.

Total Film, January, 1998, p. 36.

TV Guide, August 3, 1996, p. 48.

Urban Cinefile, July 5, 2001.

US, February, 1999, pp. 54–58, 95.

USA Weekend, March 24, 2000, p. 12.

Women's Wear Daily, March 13, 1998, p. 7.

Other:

Celebrity Profile: Jennifer Love Hewitt (television special), E! Entertainment Television, 2000.

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