Elizabeth Banks' onscreen career has been steadily rising since the up-and-coming actress won the Young Hollywood Award for "Exciting New Face" back in 2003. With roles in such notable Hollywood hits as the Spider-Man films and Seabiscuit, Banks has not only had the pleasure of sharing the screen with Tobey Maguire multiple times, but has also been nominated -- alongside Maguire, Jeff Bridges, William H. Macy, and Gary Stevens -- for an "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture" award by the Screen Actors Guild for her performance in the latter.

Of course, a move from New York to Los Angeles also may have had something to due with her landing more film roles, Banks forged on with roles in the cult comedy Wet Hot American Summer and the romantic drama Ordinary Sinner in 2001, with a supporting performance as Betty Brant in the 2002 box-office smash Spider-Man providing her most substantial onscreen performance to date.

With roles opposite Madonna in Swept Away and Leonardo DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can, it was obvious that Banks' career was on the rise, but it was her winning performance in Seabiscuit that truly put her on the map.

Public Name: Elizabeth Banks
Birth Name: Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell
Date of Birth: February 10, 1975
Place of Birth: Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA

Filmography

• The H-Man Cometh (2008)
• Fred Claus (2007)
• Spider-Man 3 (2007)
• Definitely, Maybe (2007)
• Meet Bill (2007)
• "Scrubs" (5 episodes, 2006)
• Invincible (2006)
• Slither (2006)
• Daltry Calhoun (2005)
• The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
• "Stella" (1 episode, 2005)
• The Baxter (2005)
• The Sisters (2005)
• Sexual Life (2005)
• Heights (2004)
• Spider-Man 2 (2004)
• Seabiscuit (2003)
• The Trade (2003)
• Stella Shorts 1998-2002 (2002)
• Catch Me If You Can (2002)
• "Without a Trace" (1 episode, 2002)
• Swept Away (2002)
• Spider-Man (2002)
• "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1 episode, 2001)
• Ordinary Sinner (2001)
• Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
• Shaft (2000)
• "Sex and the City" (1 episode, 2000)
• "Third Watch" (1 episode, 1999)
• Surrender Dorothy (1998)