Born in Pomona, California, on April 28, 1981, Alba, whose father was in the Air Force, moved with her family to Biloxi, Mississippi, when she was an infant, but she eventually moved back to California nine years later. It was back in California that she embarked on an acting career; having been in love with the idea of acting since she was five, Alba took her first acting class at the age of 12, and nine months later, she landed her first agent.
She got her start on television, making appearances on shows like Beverly Hills 90210, and she made her film debut in the 1994 kids comedy Camp Nowhere. She was originally hired for a short time but got lucky when one of the main actresses dropped out. Jessica, who had the same color hair as the actress, eagerly took over the spot. After her first movie, Jessica appeared in two commercials for Nintendo and J.C. Penny and a few independent films.
In 1994, she landed a reoccurring role in "The Secret World of Alex Mac." She played a snob who made life hard for the main character with magical powers. Also in 1994, she landed the role of Maya for a pilot of "Flipper." Following her debut, Alba did a great deal of work on television.
She got her first substantial film role as the object of the protagonist's disastrous affection in the teen horror comedy Idle Hands in 1999; that same year, she played one of the nasty popular girls who terrorize Drew Barrymore in the romantic comedy Never Been Kissed.
Bursting onto the national scene in James Cameron's made for TV action drama "Dark Angel," Jessica Alba closed out the century as one of Hollywood's more promising new talents.
She was originally hired for a short time but got lucky when one of the main actresses dropped out. Jessica, who had the same color hair as the actress, eagerly took over the spot. After her first movie, Jessica appeared in two commercials for Nintendo and J.C. Penny and a few independent films.
In 1994, she landed a reoccurring role in "The Secret World of Alex Mac." She played a snob who made life hard for the main character with magical powers. Also in 1994, she landed the role of Maya for a pilot of "Flipper."