Born January 2, 1983, in Los Angeles, California, Catherine Ann Bosworth spent most of her childhood traveling throughout the United States, including San Francisco, Connecticut and Massachusetts. An award-winning equestrian, her big break came about in 1998 during a casting call for Robert Redford's The Horse Whisperer.

Kate figured that attending an audition would be a great experience, and the fact that the film focused on horses gave her that extra push to go ahead and attend the casting call. With little more than a role in a community theater production of Annie to her credit, Kate was a natural and charmed her way into the supporting role of Judith, the female lead's best friend, but not before leaving the producers with her impromptu headshot -- a picture of Kate from a Christmas family portrait.

With the doors of Hollywood open to her at such an early age, Kate was met with the age-old dilemma of school versus career. A member of the National Honor Society, she decided to continue her high-school education, as well as her involvement with community sports. After an 18-month hiatus, she was drawn to Hollywood again in 2000, with back-to-back roles in The Newcomers and Remember The Titans, with Denzel Washington.

After landing the role of Bella on the short-lived WB series Young Americans, Bosworth was also a rarity on television, as an actual teen actress portraying a teen.

Two years later, it was director John Stockwell's turn to reintroduce us to America's latest sweetheart with the surfing film, Blue Crush. Easily defined as a blend of Charlie's Angels and Beach Blanket Bingo, 2002's Blue Crush featured Bosworth as a chambermaid/aspiring professional surfer. With the female cast sharing a beach house in Oahu for two months, they were forced to undergo a rigorous training regimen, which included seven hours of running, swimming, weight training, and surfing. According to Bosworth, it wasn't easy; "Standing on a surfboard is like trying to stand on soap. You're going to fall."

But Kate met the challenge head-on, and had the cuts and scars to prove it. She even ended up going to the hospital for a CAT scan after a nasty spill left her unconscious. The film's surprise strong opening meant that Big would have a whole new fan base, especially among the MTV crowd. As the poster girl for this "new wave" of girl power, Bosworth was happy to portray a character she could relate to -- a young woman who was strong-willed, determined, independent, and sexy.

In 2002, she also appeared in Roger Avary's The Rules of Attraction. The film explored the darker side of college life, with Kate portraying a strung-out party girl. Leaving her wholesome prep-school image behind, she attracted the attention of director James Cox, who was in the midst of casting his latest film, Wonderland.

Due for a July 2003 release, the film follows the life of legendary adult film star John Holmes and stars Val Kilmer in the lead role. Dyeing her hair brown for the part, Bosworth portrays Dawn Schiller, the real-life teenage lover of the X-rated king.