Alison Elizabeth "Ali"
Larter (born February
28, 1976) is a Saturn
Awards-nominated
American actress and
former fashion model
best known for her
screen roles aimed at
teenage audiences.
Larter is currently
starring on the hit
television series
Heroes. She has also had
roles in successful
Hollywood films
including, Varsity
Blues, House on Haunted
Hill, Final Destination,
Legally Blonde, and most
recently Resident Evil:
Extinction.
Personal life
Ali Larter was born in
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
to parents Margaret, a
homemaker, and Danforth
Larter, a trucking
executive.She attended
Carusi Middle School and
Cherry Hill High School
West. She began modeling
with Ford Models at the
age of fourteen and
traveled the world. At
seventeen, Larter
settled temporarily in
Japan. A year later, in
1995, she accompanied
her boyfriend in his
move to Los Angeles,
California. Soon after,
she began taking acting
classes, at a friend's
suggestion.
Larter is best friends
with actress Amy Smart
with whom she co-starred
in Varsity Blues. The
two had previously been
roommates before
pursuing acting careers.
Larter has also lived in
Miami and then New York
City after the spring of
2002. In January 2007,
she moved to Los Angeles
to take on the
commitment of working on
Heroes.
Career
In November 1996,
Larter portrayed the
hoax model Allegra
Coleman in Esquire
magazine. The article
published in the
magazine told of the
fictional model's
relationship with David
Schwimmer, how Quentin
Tarantino broke up with
Mira Sorvino to date
her, and Woody Allen's
overhaul of a film to
have her star. Even
after the hoax had been
revealed, its effects
lingered, and various
talent agencies sought
to represent the
non-existent Coleman.
Larter landed her first
professional roles in
1997, in which she
appeared for one episode
in the Brooke Shields'
television series,
Suddenly Susan, and the
short lived television
series Chicago Sons. The
roles were followed by a
number of other
appearances on Dawson's
Creek with James Van Der
Beek, Chicago Hope and
Just Shoot Me!
In 1999, Larter began
her film career with an
appearance in Varsity
Blues which re-united
her with Dawson's Creek
star Van Der Beek, and
close friend Amy Smart.
Varsity Blues drew a
domestic box office
gross of $53 million,
making Larter's first
film a commercial
success. Afterwards,
Larter appeared in teen
comedies, Giving It Up
and Drive Me Crazy. That
year as well, Larter
starred in the horror
remake House on Haunted
Hill. Made for around
$20 million, the movie
was panned by the
critics but grossed $15
million on its opening
weekend and went on to
earn over $40 million.
In 2000, Larter starred
in the teenage audience
aimed horror film Final
Destination as the
"final girl" Clear
Rivers. The following
year in 2001, she
appeared in the comedy
Legally Blonde with
Reese Witherspoon,
western American Outlaws
with Colin Farrell and
the Kevin Smith film Jay
and Silent Bob Strike
Back. That year as well,
Larter performed in the
stage play The Vagina
Monologues in New York
City. The next year in
2002, Larter was ranked
#40 in Stuff magazine's
"102 Sexiest Women in
the World". In 2003,
Larter reprised her role
as Clear Rivers in the
sequel to Final
Destination, Final
Destination 2. The
series went on for a
third installment
without Larter as her
character was killed off
in the second
installment of the
series. In 2005, Larter
appeared in the
independent film Confess
and the romantic comedy
A Lot Like Love
alongside Amanda Peet
and Ashton Kutcher.
2006 saw Larter in the
biographical film Crazy
based on guitarist Hank
Garland. As of September
2006, Larter has been
portraying Niki Sanders
on the NBC Emmy
Award-nominated science
fiction drama television
series Heroes, created
by Tim Kring. The show
includes an ensemble
cast including Hayden
Panettiere, Milo
Ventimiglia, Leonard
Roberts, Masi Oka and
Greg Grunberg. Larter's
character Niki Sanders,
who is a wife and
mother, is a former
internet stripper from
Las Vegas who exhibits
superhuman strength and
an alternate personality
who goes by the name of
Jessica. After
completing half its
first season, Heroes had
already collected an
assortment of honors and
accolades, and Larter
had been nominated for
"Best Supporting
Actress" for the 33rd
Saturn Awards.
In 2007, Larter starred
in the Bollywood
Marigold as the title
character along side
Salman Khan, which was
released in August. She
also joined the cast of
the popular film
franchise Resident Evil:
Extinction portraying
the character Claire
Redfield in the horror
film with Milla Jovovich.
Her role sent her to
Mexicali, Mexico for
filming from May to late
July in which she also
dyed her hair a light
red for the film. Larter
explains on her
character Claire, "She
became the leader of
this convoy. She's
incredibly strong,
patient. I think she
serves a role for
everyone within this
convoy, let it be a
mother to someone, a
buddy, a best friend."
Larter also attended the
2007 Comic Con
International, her
second appearance at the
event, to promote the
film, which was released
in theaters on September
21, 2007. This year as
well, she will appear in
the comedy Homo Erectus.
Larter was also featured
as #6 in Maxim's Hot 100
for 2007.
In an interview for
Resident Evil:
Extinction, Larter had
expressed interest in
producing films in the
future, saying, "I
definitely have many
ideas and different
avenues that I want to
take as my career goes
on."
Filmography
Year
Title
Role
1999
House on Haunted Hill
Sara Wolfe
Varsity Blues
Darcy Sears
Drive Me Crazy
Dulcie
2000
Final Destination
Clear Rivers
2001
American Outlaws
Zerelda 'Zee' Mimms
Jay and Silent Bob
Strike Back
Chrissy
Legally Blonde
Brooke Taylor Windham
2003
Final Destination 2
Clear Rivers
2004
3-Way
Isobel
2005
Confess
Olivia Averill
A Lot Like Love
Gina
2006
Heroes (TV series)
Niki/Jessica Sanders
Crazy
Evelyn Garland
2007
Marigold
Marigold
Resident Evil:
Extinction
Claire Redfield
Homo Erectus
Fardart
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