Rebecca Alie Romijn (pronounced
Ro-main; born November 6, 1972) is an
American
actress and former
fashion model. She is best known for her role as
Mystique in the X-Men films, and for her role as
Alexis Meade on the hit show,
Ugly Betty, until recently in the episode "
Betty Suarez Land" when she left for France.
Biography
Early life
Romijn (pronounced "Ro-Maine" in the USA - its proper Dutch pronunciation is
ɛin[The [1] in Romijn as a Dutch word is an alveolar trill. The diphthong 'ɛi', not found in English, involves something like a move from the vowel 'ɛ' in 'bed' to the vowel 'i' in 'bead']) was born in
Berkeley,
California, the daughter of Elizabeth (
née Kuizenga), a public school English teacher and textbook author, and Jaap Romijn, a custom furniture maker.
[Rebecca Romijn-Stamos Biography (1972-)][Rebecca rules. | Cosmopolitan (, 2000)] Her father, a native of
Barneveld, The Netherlands, is Dutch, and her mother is a second-generation
Dutch American[Rebecca Romijn Biography - Yahoo! Movies] who met Romijn's father while studying in Europe.
[The Rebecca Romijn Fanpage] Romijn's maternal grandfather, Dr. Henry B. Kuizenga, was a
Presbyterian minister and
seminary professor.
[www.sfgate.com/cgi-birticle.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/06/25/MNKUIZENGA1.DTL] Her maternal grandmother is first cousins with
Dorothy Letterman,
David Letterman's mother. Many sources say that she was once nicknamed the "Jolly Blonde Giant" but she has admitted to making that up 'for a laugh'.
[Rebecca Romijn biography] While studying
music (voice) at the
University of California, Santa Cruz,
she became involved with
fashion modeling and eventually moved to Paris for more than two years. She stands tall.
Career
Among other jobs, Romijn modeled for the swimsuit issue of
Sports Illustrated and for
Victoria's Secret. She also was the host of
MTV's
House of Style from 1998 to 2000. Rebecca is a fixture on annual lists of the world's most beautiful women by publications such as
Maxim (2003–2007), AskMen.com (2001–2003, 2005–2006) and
FHM (2000–2005).
She also appeared as a guest in the animated talk show
Space Ghost Coast to Coast in an episode titled "Chinatown."
In 2000's
X-Men, Romijn had her first major movie role as
Mystique; she returned to the role in 2003's sequel
X2: X-Men United, and again for
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). In these movies her costume consisted of blue makeup and some strategically placed
prosthetics on her otherwise nude body. In
X2: X-Men United she shows up in a bar in one scene in her "normal" look, and also in
X-Men: The Last Stand, she appears as a dark-haired "de-powered" Mystique. She had her first leading role in
Brian De Palma's
Femme Fatale (2002). She also has starred in movies such as
Rollerball,
The Punisher and
Godsend. She played the leading role in
Pepper Dennis, a short-lived
TV series on
The WB. This series showcased Romijn's talents for comedy, singing, modeling, drama, and adventure.
In January 2007, Romijn made her first appearance on the
ABC series
Ugly Betty as a full time regular.
[Watch with Kristin - E! Online] She plays
Alexis Meade, a
male-to-female transsexual and the sibling of lead character
Daniel Meade. In April 2008, however, it was reported that Romijn would only be appearing as a recurring character in season 3 due to a change in direction by the writing staff.
In November 2007, Romijn made a guest appearance on the ABC series
Carpoolers, where she played the ex-wife of the character Laird, played by her real-life husband
Jerry O'Connell.
[Watch with Kristin - Chatting with Carpoolers' Designated Driver]
Personal life
Rebecca attended the
University of California at Santa Cruz in 1990–91 where she lived in dorm 1 at
Stevenson College. She studied music and participated in the dorm talent show, singing a musical comedy routine with a high school friend who joined her at UCSC. During the summer following her freshman year, Rebecca began her career modeling and did not return for her sophomore year.
She married actor
John Stamos on September 19, 1998. During her marriage, she used the name
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in both her personal and professional life. The couple announced their separation on April 12, 2004, and divorced on March 1, 2005. She has since returned to using her birth name.
Romijn was asked by
Elle magazine in April 2002 whether making
Femme Fatale had given her any new ideas about her sexuality. She said, "You know, in my early twenties I wondered if I was interested in women and so I kind of, well ... did my homework.
[2] And it turns out I'm pretty straight".
[fix]
On September 19, 2005, Rebecca announced her engagement to actor
Jerry O'Connell. The date of the announcement was controversial, as it would have been her seventh anniversary with Stamos, if not for their divorce.
[Jerry O'Connell News - Crossing Jordan, Rebecca Romijn engagement] On July 14, 2007, Romijn married O'Connell in
Ojai,
California.
[Wihlborg, Ulrica. Rebecca Romijn Weds Jerry O'Connell, People, July 15, 2007. Accessed August 2, 2008.]
On July 28, 2008, it was announced that Romijn is pregnant. According to
Us Weekly magazine,
[EXCLUSIVE: Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell Expecting Twins!, Us Magazine, July 28, 2008. Accessed August 2, 2008.] she and O'Connell are expecting
twins due in the winter.
People magazine reports that the babies are girls, conceived without the assistance of
fertility drugs.
[Rebecca Romijn & Jerry O'Connell Are Expecting Twins, People, July 28, 2008. Accessed August 2, 2008.] They are planning on naming one of the girls Dolly after
Dolly Parton.
Filmography
Film
[] in the
X-Men film series]].
Television
