Andrea Joy Cook, popularly known as A.J
@Film & Theater Personalities, Birthday and Childhood
Andrea Joy Cook, popularly known as A.J
A.J. Cook born at
A.J. Cook married her long-time boyfriend Nathan Anderson in 2001. They currently reside in Los Angeles, California, with their two sons, Mekhai, born in 2008, and Phoenix Sky, born in 2015.
Cook, who is a Christian, is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Andrea Joy Cook was born on 22nd July 1978, in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada to parents Michael and Sandra Cook. She has three siblings named Nathan, Paul, and Angela.
She grew up near Whitby, a town in Ontario, where she attended the Anderson Collegiate Vocational Institute.
At an early age she was declared legally blind because of severe astigmatism. However, she managed to correct her vision with the help of contacts and thick glasses. Later on, she also had to undergo surgery.
She started dancing when she was a little girl and also took jazz, tap and ballet lessons. She initially planned to open a dance studio before she decided to try her luck in acting.
A.J. Cook's first acting role was in the TV series 'Goosebumps', which was based on the popular Goosebumps horror story book series by American author RL Stine. Her next appearances were in the TV movies 'His Father's Shoes' and 'Elvis Meets Nixon'.
In 1999, she made her film debut in the drama film 'The Virgin Suicides'. She gained popularity the following year for her appearance in 'Higher Ground' where she was seen in one of the main roles. The show did well and was quite appreciated. However, due to the sale of its broadcast network it had to be cancelled after one season.
In 2001, she played a lead role in the British Canadian horror film 'The Ripper'. Two years later she appeared in a main role in 'Final Destination 2', an American supernatural horror film which turned out to be a commercial success.
She played an important role in the American supernatural drama 'Tru Calling' which started airing from 2003 on Fox network. The show focused on a medical student serving her internship in a morgue. Her life takes a turn when a corpse seems to come to life and ask for help. Despite having an interesting plotline, the show received low ratings in the US.
In 2005, she played a lead role in the horror TV movie 'Bloodsuckers' which was directed by Matthew Hastings. The show received mixed reviews.
‘Tru Calling’, an American supernatural drama series, was one of the early works in Cook’s career. Created by Jon Harmon Feldman, the series had an interesting plotline about a 22-year-old medical student who was serving her internship in a morgue. Her life turns upside down when a corpse awakens and asks for her help.
The show starred A.J. Cook as the best friend of the protagonist. Other actors in the series included Eliza Dushku, Zach Galifianakis, Shawn Reaves, and Matt Bomer.
Her role in ‘Criminal Minds’ an American police procedural crime drama was much appreciated. The show started airing from 2005 and has been running for twelve years now. Created by Jeff Davis, the series follows an FBI team, and focuses on how they manage to catch criminals by analyzing their behavior.
Other actors in the series included Mandy Patinkin, Thomas Gibson, Lola Glaudini, Shemar Moore, and Matthew Grey Gubler. The show has won numerous awards such as the Image Award and People’s Choice Award.
Cook played the lead role in the 2014 American horror film ‘Wer’. Directed by William Brent Bell, the film starred her as an attorney who learns that her client is a werewolf. Other actors in the movie were Vik Sahay, Simon Quarterman and Sebastian Roché.