Andrea Joy "A.J." Cook (born July 22, 1978) is a Canadian
actress best known for her role as
Special Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau in the
CBS crime drama
Criminal Minds. She has also appeared in several
Hollywood films including
The Virgin Suicides,
Out Cold, and
Final Destination 2.
Early life
Cook was born in
Oshawa,
Ontario and spent most of her life growing up in
Whitby. Her father, Mike, is a teacher and her mother, Sandra, works for a psychiatrist.
She has three siblings, Nathan, Paul, and Angela. Cook is a member of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As a devout
Mormon, she accepts only roles that do not conflict with her faith.. At four years of age, Cook began taking
jazz,
tap and
ballet lessons. She danced competitively for many years, before deciding at the age of 17 that she wanted to try
acting.
Career
Cook's first job was in a
McDonald's commercial in 1997. She graduated to series work with a guest role on the television series
Goosebumps, and parts in two television movies,
In His Father's Shoes and
Elvis Meets Nixon. Cook launched her feature film career as one of five captivating suicidal sisters in 1999's
The Virgin Suicides. Also that year, she took a starring role in the TV series
Higher Ground, in which Cook played Shelby Merrick, a rough-around-the-edges teenage girl dealing with abuse and heartache at a wilderness school for struggling kids.
Higher Ground lasted one season, ending with a romance between Shelby and
Hayden Christensen's character, Scott.
After
Higher Ground, Cook appeared in the 2000
TV movie The Spiral Staircase (alongside
Higher Ground alum
Kandyse McClure), and then captured leading roles in several films, including
Out Cold (as
Jason London's love interest),
Ripper,
I'm Reed Fish, and
Final Destination 2.
She currently stars as Jennifer "J.J." Jareau in the
CBS drama
Criminal Minds.
Personal life
In September 2001, Cook married her long-time boyfriend Nathan Anderson, whom she met in a film class at Utah Valley University (UVU). She later moved to
Salt Lake City,
Utah to be with him and currently resides in Los Angeles,
California.
In March 2008, it was reported that Cook and Anderson would be expecting their first child in October.
The couple welcomed son Mekhai Allan Anderson on Saturday, September 13. Weighing in at 7 lbs, 10 oz and 20 inches long, Mekhai was born at 8:50 p.m. A.J. said "He's such a good baby. I feel so lucky that he's mine. My husband and I feel very blessed!"
Filmography
Television
