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."

- 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.

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 Jorge Garcia prior to Once Upon A Time on How I Met Your Mother.
 * 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".

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.