Bethany Joy Lenz was born on April 2, 1981 in Hollywood Florida. Until 2003, Bethany Joy used Joie Lenz as her stage name. The unusual spelling of her name was adopted in her early teens. Today she is simply Bethany Joy.

At four, her father, Bob, a history teacher and therapist, and her mother, Cathie, a personnel manager and entrepreneur, moved to Arlington, Texas. It was in Texas, while attending Pope Elementary, that Bethany Joy began acting. She landed her first role at seven as a Munchkin in an adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz." At ten, she was bitten by the acting bug when she landed the role of Scout in "To Kill a Mockingbird" at the Irving Community Theater in Texas. On a trip to Los Angeles with a drama school, she landed her first professional job in a commercial for "Swan Crossing," a teen series.

Job opportunities moved Bethany Joy and her family to New Jersey when she was eleven. She immediately began auditioning and quickly became a commercial veteran, appearing in commercials for Eggos Waffles and Dr Pepper. While a sophomore in high school, she landed the role of Linda Halleck in the Stephen King movie thriller "Thinner."

In March of 1998, at 17, Bethany Joy began the role that would rocket her into stardom. She earned a nine episode stint on Guiding Light as Reva Shayne's teen-aged clone. Bethany Joy's performance as the spunky and vulnerable clone earned her raves and acclaim from viewers, critics, and GL executives alike. In fact, GL execs were so impressed they decided to keep her in mind should another role arise. It was not too long before this came to pass.

In November of 1998, Bethany Joy began what has become her most popular role to date, Michelle Bauer, Guiding Light's proverbial girl next door. While working on the demanding daytime serial Guiding Light, Bethany Joy graduated from Eastern Christian School in New Jersey in 1999 and landed the much coveted role of "Rose Cronin" in the highly anticipated ABC TV-movie return of 70's favorite "Mary & Rhoda." She also appeared in the off-Broadway musical "Foxy Ladies Love/Boogie 70's Explosion."

In October of 2000, at the end of her two year contract with Guiding Light, Bethany Joy chose to leave her popular role and decided it was time to move on and pursue her dreams. Not only has she proved herself as an actress, Bethany Joy is also a talented musician and singer with a four-octave range. Since leaving Guiding Light Bethany Joy has completed a demo of original music and continues to writing screenplays. She has also had guest starring roles on many prime-time shows, including "Felicity", "Charmed" and "The Guardian."

Bethany Joy is currently starring in WB's drama "One Tree Hill." Bethany Joy loves photography, painting, and her dog, Scout, a Springer spaniel. She has many dreams that include attending college, movie roles, her own music, Broadway, and training at London's prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Credit: joieluckclub.com