The Practice

Background:

Actress Jessica Capshaw, the daughter of actress Kate Capshaw and stepdaughter of Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg, is perhaps best known for her roles on the short lived sitcom “Odd Man Out” (ABC, 1999), the series “The Practice” (2002-2004) and as Dr. Arizona Robbins in the hit series “Grey’s Anatomy” (2009-2011). She also portrayed the recurring role of Nadia in the series “The L Word” (2007) and starred as Cassie Stewart in the TV film “Blind Trust” (2007). The blonde beauty has acted in a number of movies, including “The Locusts” (1997, starred her mother), “Denial” (1999), “The Love Letter” (1999, produced by and starred her mother), “Killing Cinderella” (2000), “The Mesmerist” (2002), Spielberg's “Minority Report” (2002), the comedy “A View Form The Top” (2003) and “The Groomsmen” (2006).

On the personal front, Capshaw has been married to Christopher Gavigan since 2004. They have two kids.

Spielberg's Stepdaughter

Childhood and Family:

The daughter of actress Kate Capshaw and her first husband Bob Capshaw, Jessica Capshaw was born on August 9, 1976, in Columbia, Missouri, while her parents were students at the University of Missouri. The family later relocated to New York. After her parents divorced, Jessica (at the time she was 3) lived with her celebrity mother. When she was 15, her mom married director Steven Spielberg. Through the marriage, she has two half sisters, Sasha (born in 1990) and Destry (born in 1996) and a half brother named Sawyer (born in 1992). She also has a stepbrother who is the son of Spielberg and his first wife, actress Amy Irving.

Jessica graduated from Harvard-Westlake High School in Los Angeles, California. She received a B.A in English literature from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1998. While in college, she spent her summers studying acting at the famed Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

In 2003, Jessica became engaged to Christopher Gavigan, whom she met in 2000. They married on May 22, 2004, and have two kids together.

Grey’s Anatomy

Career:

Jessica Capshaw knew she wanted to become an actress by age 14. She took part in high school's productions of “The Cherry Orchard,” “The Grapes of Wrath” and “Tea & Sympathy” and went on to perform in plays like “Arcadia” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” when she was a student at Brown University. At RADA, she starred as Puck in the company's production of “A Midsummer Nights Dream.” Her debut screen credit was as an intern on the acclaimed Holocaust film “Schindler's List” (1993), which was directed by her stepfather Steven Spielberg.

Capshaw made her early TV appearance in 1996 with a guest spot on the short-lived ABC police series “High Incident,” executive produced by Spielberg. She followed it up as Patsy in “The Locusts” (1997), which starred her mother. The two were reunited two years later in director Peter Chan's romantic comedy “The Love Letter,” which her mother produced. In between, Capshaw appeared in the indie drama “Daniel,” which debuted on Cinemax in 1998. She also landed an episodic role in the popular NBC medical drama “ER” (1999). Her efforts finally paid off when she won a regular role on the ABC sitcom “Odd Man Out” (1999).

Capshaw continued to establish herself with roles in films like “Big Time” (2000), starring Eric Szmanda, “Killing Cinderella” (2000), written and directed by Lisa Abbatiello, the ABC comedy “The Back Page” (2001), “Valentine” (2001), a horror film starring Denise Richards and David Boreanaz, and the comedy “The Mesmerist” (2002), opposite Neil Patrick Harris. 2002 also saw the actress reunited with her stepfather for the Oscar nominee “Minority Report,” which starred Tom Cruise.

It was also in 2002 that Capshaw gained success on the small screen when she joined the cast of the popular legal drama “The Practice” in the role of Jamie Stringer. She stayed with the show until its final season in 2004. While working on the show, she made a cameo appearance as a flight attendant in the Gwyneth Paltrow vehicle “View Form The Top” (2003).

After “The Practice” left the airwaves, Capshaw appeared as Rachel Wheeler in the TV miniseries “Into the West” (2005) and portrayed Mary in the failed sitcom “Thick and Thin” (2006). She also had a recurring role in the series “Bones” (2006) and a supporting role in the movie “The Groomsmen” (2006), written, directed by and starring Edward Burns. In 2007, she was featured as Nadia in episodes of the series “The L Word” and starred as Cassie Stewart in the television film “Blind Trust.”

In addition to appearances in an episode of “Head Case” (2009, series) and “One Angry Juror” (2010, television movie), Capshaw joined the cast of the popular medical series “Grey’s Anatomy” in the role of Doctor Arizona Robbins.

Awards:
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