Katherine Heigl was born November 24, 1978, in Washington D.C., to parents Paul and Nancy. Raised in New Canaan, Connecticut, along with her two older brothers and older sister, Katherine Heigl's time in the spotlight began when she started modeling.

Once Wilhelmina, a modeling agency, got hold of photos of a then 9-year-old Katherine Heigl, it didn't take long for her to get modeling jobs. She appeared in magazine ads and a Sears catalogue, and made her television debut with a role in a Cheerios commercial.

Modeling paved the way to acting for Katherine Heigl, as it did for young actresses such as Rachael Leigh Cook and Mena Suvari. By the age of 12, she could be seen on the silver screen in the 1992 film That Night, making her feature film debut.

After a role in Steven Soderbergh's King of the Hill, Katherine Heigl appeared as Gerard Depardieu's daughter in the 1994 remake of the French film My Father the Hero. Her role as the beautiful teen having to bear with her father's strict rules was not a stretch for the actress; apparently, she was not allowed to date until she was 16.

Venturing into the action genre, next up for Katherine Heigl was the film Under Siege 2: Dark Territory as Steven Seagal's niece.

She only pursued a full-time acting career after graduating from New Canaan High School, where she balanced acting and modeling with the hectic life of a student. With appearances in Seventeen magazine, as well as film and television roles under her belt, Katherine Heigl moved to the hub of acting to further her career.

Once in L.A., Katherine Heigl starred in independent films such as Prince Valiant, Stand-Ins (as Rita Hayworth's stand-in) and the Disney feature Wish Upon a Star. After a role in the 1998 Bride of Chucky, the latest installment of the Chucky slasher series, and the film Bug Buster, Katherine Heigl starred opposite Peter Fonda in the made-for-TV film The Tempest.

Katherine Heigl started making herself comfortable on television, becoming a regular on the 1999 short-lived drama Roswell -- a former hit alien series on the WB network. She actually auditioned for the three female lead roles before winning the role of Isabel, the "alien on earth" character she portrays on the show.

While working on Roswell, Katherine Heigl made time to take on two film projects, with roles in 100 Girls and Valentine.

In the spring of 2001, Katherine Heigl appeared in NBC's TV movie Ground Zero, but it was shelved by the network for two years and eventually broadcast in 2003. Also in 2005, Katherine Heigl was cast opposite Johnny Knoxville in The Ringer, a Farrelly brothers comedy. Soon after, she was cast as Isabella Linton in the MTV modern adaptation of Emily Bront's classic novel Wuthering Heights.

Katherine Heigl biggest break has come in the form of the hit series Grey's Anatomy where she can be seen every week as Dr. Isobel Stevens. With all the good press and accolades the show received, it was obvious Katherine Heigl's star was on the rise.

Katherine Heigl appeared in the hit comedy Knocked Up in 2007. The following year she was the lead role in another lighthearted flick, 27 Dresses. With her Grey's Anatomy stardom following her everywhere she goes, and her rising notoriety on the big screen, Katherine Heigl's booming popularity was evident when she was named No. 1 on AskMen.com's Top 99 of 2008.

Sexiness

Katherine Heigl's sex appeal level was the subject of much discussion. We wanted to approach her with the idea of our "Babe Thermometer," but we quickly figured out that the idea would get shot down in a heartbeat when we suggested where the thermometer should be placed.

So we resigned ourselves to a more primitive sex appeal test; how long it would take before male staffers made a comment about a) her anatomy or, b) what they would "do" to her. Needless to say, about two seconds elapsed before a comment was made, which easily qualified Katherine Heigl for the Sexiness Hall Of Fame.

Success

Though her filmography is longer than you'd expect for someone her age (she's been appearing in films since the age of 12), Katherine Heigl's role in Roswell introduced her to Generation Y.

This generation matured since the end of Roswell in 2000 and developed more mature tastes in TV shows, and luckily for them, so did Katherine Heigl. She reappeared for her grown-up fans in the Golden Globe-winning hospital drama Grey's Anatomy and fun flicks like Knocked Up (2007) and 27 Dresses (2008).