Jennifer Morrison

"It is exciting to play a character that is so deeply conflicted and fiercely compelled to fight for what she believes is right."

- Jennifer Morrison src

Jennifer Morrison is the American actress who portrays Emma Swan on ABC's Once Upon a Time.

Biography
Jennifer Marie Morrison was born on April 12, 1979 in Chicago and raised in Arlington Heights. She is the daughter of Judy and David L. Morrison, who are both music teachers, and has two younger siblings, a brother and sister, Julia. At age five, while still in kindergarten, Jennifer auditioned for a second grade play despite being two years too young; nabbing a role in a school production of The Hobbit. She also grew up studying piano, clarinet and voice skills. From entering into local modeling contests, this helped to attract an agent that brought Jennifer into the world of child acting and modeling. At age ten, she was booking modeling and commercial gigs for brands like J.C. Penney and Rice Krispies while auditioning for film and television roles with a note worthy photoshoot at age eleven landing her on a kids' version of US magazine Sports Illustrated with basketball superstar Michael Jordan in 1992. Her movie debut came in the 1994 film Intersection alongside Richard Gere and Sharon Stone. She attended Chicago's Prospect High School, and after graduating in 2000, she attended Loyola University, where she majored in Theatre with a minor in English. Afterwards, Jennifer moved on to study at the Steppenwolf Theater Company.

Success followed with various film and TV roles, including the lead in Urban Legends: Final Cut. She came to widescale public attention in 2004 for her recurring role as Dr. Allison Cameron in the hit series House, for which she was nominated for a prestigious Screen Actors Guild Award. Since leaving House, her career has continued to progress with roles in films like Star Trek, How I Met Your Mother and Warrior.

On May 8, 2017, Jennifer announced she was leaving the series.

Trivia

 * Jennifer appears in more episodes of Once Upon a Time than any other cast member.
 * Appears in two music videos; Nick Lachey's "Shut Up" and The Donnas's "Too Bad About Your Girl".
 * Is working 16 hours per day of work on Once Upon a Time.
 * Took a two-day crash course in skateboarding for her role in Grind before becoming a pro.
 * Was one of the producers that discovered an early draft of Glee and brought it to the attention of writer Ryan Murphy. He, along with two other writers, adapted the draft into a television show. Jennifer is credited as an associated producer on Glee's first season for her involvement.
 * Is often asked if she is related to sixties musician Jim Morrison.
 * Previously dated Once Upon a Time co-star Sebastian Stan.
 * Is good friends with Once Upon a Time co-star Jamie Chung.
 * Has worked with co-star Jessy Schram prior to Once Upon a Time. They shared scenes together in the House episode "Needle in a Haystack".
 * Has worked with co-star Jorge Garcia prior to Once Upon A Time on How I Met Your Mother.
 * Worked with fellow Once Upon a Time actresses Ginnifer Goodwin and Ava Acres on a short film called Five, directed by Demi Moore. Ginnifer played Ava's mother, and Jennifer played her aunt.
 * Is close friends with Once Upon a Time co-star Ginnifer Goodwin.
 * Is allergic to cats.
 * Is naturally blonde.
 * Has many scars on her body due to having moles removed.
 * Narrated the special "Secrets of Storybrooke".
 * Is close friends with Once Upon a Time co-star Colin O'Donoghue and his family. Colin's wife Helen is one of her closest friends.
 * Her favorite book is East of Eden.
 * At a fan convention in Vancouver in March 2013, Jennifer stated that she used to watch Once Upon a Time, but she has problems distancing herself from it and hasn't been watching in a few years.
 * Is allergic to peppers.
 * Jennifer and her younger self, Mckenna Grace, are both set to appear in the 2017 horror film Amityville: The Awakening.

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.