Ginnifer Goodwin



Ginnifer Goodwin (born Jennifer Michelle Goodwin; May 22, 1978) is an American television and film actress, best known for her role as Margene Heffman on the HBO series Big Love and starring in the movies Mona Lisa Smile and He's Just Not That into You.

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Contents
[hide]*1 Early life
 * 2 Career
 * 3 Personal life
 * 4 Filmography
 * 5 References
 * 6 External links
 * }

[edit] Early life
Goodwin was born Jennifer Michelle Goodwin in Memphis, Tennessee. Her mother, Linda Goodwin-Parkinson (née Kantor), is a former educator who now works for FedEx, and her father, Tim Goodwin, formerly owned and operated a recording studio.[1] [2] She changed her name from "Jennifer" to "Ginnifer" because that is how she and her family pronounced it in their regional dialect.[3] Her younger sister, Melissa Goodwin, is a stop motion animator on shows such as the Emmy Award-winning Robot Chicken, on which Ginnifer has also appeared as voice talent.

Goodwin was affiliated with the North American Federation of Temple Youth and was active in BBYO at the Jewish Community Center in Memphis growing up; she had a bat mitzvah.[4] After graduating from Lausanne Collegiate School in 1996, Goodwin attended Hanover College (majoring in Theatre) for one year before moving on to Boston University's College of Fine Arts, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting, with honors, in 2001.[1]

[edit] Career
Goodwin first had roles in the popular NBC television programs Law & Order and Ed before appearing in the Comedy Central television movie Porn 'n Chicken. She later had substantial roles in the films Mona Lisa Smile, ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Win_a_Date_with_Tad_Hamilton! Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!], Walk the Line—in which she portrayed Vivian Liberto, Johnny Cash's first wife—and Birds of America''. She also played Dori Dumchovic in the dark comedy Love Comes to the Executioner.[5] Goodwin played a leading role as Margene Heffman, the third wife in a polygamous family, on the HBO original series Big Love, which concluded on March 20, 2011.

Goodwin starred as Gigi in He's Just Not That into You, which was released in February 2009. For this role, she received a nomination for the People's Choice Award for Breakout Movie Actress.[6] In April 2009, she began filming Ramona and Beezus (playing Ramona Quimby's Aunt Bea), co-starring with John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, and Selena Gomez.[7]

In 2008, MaxMara honored Goodwin with a "Face of the Future" award, an award recognizing up and coming women in film.[8] Also, Goodwin was one of the celebrities featured in Gap's Fall 2008 ad campaign.[9]

[edit] Personal life
She is currently engaged to actor Joey Kern.

Goodwin is a vegan and has become a spokesperson for Farm Sanctuary's Adopt-A-Turkey Project in 2009, having adopted a whole flock herself.[10]