Michelle Lynn Monaghan (born
March 23 1976) is an
American actress.
Biography
Early life
Monaghan was born in
Winthrop, Iowa, the daughter of Sharon Monaghan (who ran a day care center in the family's home), and Bob Monaghan (a factory worker and part time farmer).
[USA WEEKEND Magazine][Michelle Monaghan Interview: Michelle Monaghan plays Julia Meade in Mission: Impossible III] She has two older brothers, Bob and John
[Michelle Monaghan Biography - Yahoo! Movies] and her family frequently fostered and adopted children. She graduated from East Buchanan High School, Class of 1994, where she was the class president and acted in several plays. After graduation, she moved to
Chicago to study
journalism at
Columbia College Chicago. Between studying, she did some
modeling in the United States and in
Milan,
Singapore,
Tokyo and
Hong Kong. She left college with one semester remaining to move to
New York to pursue modeling and acting.