Katherine Heigl: The roller coaster ride of her career

Katherine Heigl, 40, has had a remarkable career since starting her acting career in 1994. Big Hollywood blockbusters, millions of dollars in wages and an Emmy for their outstanding performance in the TV series "Gray's Anatomy" are just a few milestones. The actress, who is celebrating her 40th birthday today, also leads a life as if in a picture book. She looks stunning, has married her dream husband and is the mother of two adopted and a biological child. Nevertheless, she was at times regarded as the most hated Hollywood actress. A look back at the turbulent life of an actress who does not mince words.

Katherine Heigl, who has German and Irish ancestry, was arrested on November 24, 1978 in Washington D.C. born. She is the youngest of four siblings, Sister Margaret is adopted. In 1986, Heigl's brother Jason died at the age of fifteen following the consequences of a car accident. Because of this incident, Heigl is committed to organ donation today, as all the organs of her dead brother were then donated. Together with her mother, she also works for neglected dogs and has himself founded the organization "Heigl's Hounds of Hope".



Career start in 1992

Her family was always strict and belonged to the Mormon faith community. So Heigl was not allowed to go out with men before the age of 16. Despite her strict parents, Heigl started her career at the age of nine as a children's model. In 1992, the aspiring actress got her first role in "Magic of a Summer" alongside Juliette Lewis (45). The first big star was not long in coming: in 1994 she was able to prove her talent on the side of Gérard Depardieu (69) in the movie "Daddy Cool".

To further her career, Heigl moved to Los Angeles with her mother after completing her high school diploma in 1997. After a few engagements and even a detour to the horror genre followed a permanent place in the science fiction series "Roswell". On set she also met her friend, the actor Jason Behr (44), with whom she was dating from 1999 to 2001.



The big breakthrough with "Gray's Anatomy"

However, Heigl landed the big coup in 2005. The role of Dr. Ing. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens in the series "Gray's Anatomy" brought her international fame and grew her fan base enormously. In 2007 she won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress, twice she was nominated for the Golden Globe. But the picture-book career should get first deep cracks.

In 2007, "First Time" with Heigl in the lead role. In an interview, the Hollywood star referred to the film as sexist. The comedy is also a film that represents "women as humorless, quarrelsome women and the men as lovable, silly guys". Heigl was for the first time regarded as an ungrateful diva - a reputation she reinforced with similar statements and performances.

In 2008, she retired a new Emmy nomination for "Gray's Anatomy" because she "did not feel that she had the material to justify a nomination this season." In fact, the first rumors about a possible series-Aus made the round. In the late-night show by David Letterman (71) Heigl complained about a 17-hour day on the set of doctors series, a short time later announced her press officer. Katherine Heigl, the unbearable diva?



"Suddenly I had the call of the bitch away"

The final release of "Gray's Anatomy" came then in 2010. Wanted was the end of Heigl not, but the different opinions of her and producer Shonda Rhimes (48) were no longer compatible. Heigl wanted a more important role, but this request was denied. "Unfortunately, I dared to criticize the script, I just found that the scripts are getting more and more lame - and that's exactly what I've noted," Heigl said openly after the sad series ending. The big Hollywood career went downhill rapidly. While the actress was still starring in blockbusters such as "27 Dresses" and "The Naked Truth" during her time as Isobel Stevens and was able to post more than $ 12 million in film per film, her reputation in Hollywood was ruined.

"All of a sudden, I got rid of the call of the bitch, and that was the industry as a whole, when I came to events, I was viewed at an angle, the media tore me up," Heigl said. "Suddenly I read the strangest things about myself, I demanded a certain wardrobe equipment that tyrannizes costume designers - I was stylized as a monster nobody wanted to work with anymore."

Private family happiness

As much as Heigl had to fight for his job, her private life was so happy.In 2007, she married musician Josh Kelley, 38, whom she met at a music video shoot. Two years after the wedding, the couple adopted little Naleigh from Korea. 2012 was followed by another adoption: Naleigh got a sister named Hope Adalaide Marie. Just before Christmas 2016, Joshua Bishop Kelley Jr. was born - the actress's first biological child.

Since the tumultuous departure of "Gray's Anatomy" Heigl could no longer record Hollywood roles that are too big, the rumors that she is moody, demanding, un-colleague and rude still hold. In 2018, however, the mother of three was back on TV. In the eighth and final season of the lawyer series "Suits" she plays Samantha Wheeler, a new partner in the law firm Specter Litt. Heigl describes the role as a true dream role: "I have never played a woman who is more like me, Samantha knows who she is, what she wants and how she can get it, she does not apologize for anything, I love her! "

8 Years After, Katherine Heigl Admits Criticizing Knocked Up Was "Dumb" (March 2024).



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