Christina Applegate

Early Life and Training

Raised in Laurel Canyon, a neighborhood known for its artistic community in Los Angeles, Applegate was immersed in show business from an early age. She attended Excelsior High School in Los Angeles and was a classmate of actress Milla Jovovich. Much of her early training came from her mother, with whom she shared a close bond. Christina’s exposure to the performing arts early in life helped refine her acting and dancing abilities.

Early Start in Acting

Applegate's entrée into acting began in infancy. At just three months old, she appeared as a baby on the soap opera Days of Our Lives. She was also featured in a Playtex Nurser commercial alongside her mother. By the age of three, she voiced commercials for Kmart, portraying the character Miss Good Proof for four years.

By the age of eight, Applegate began appearing in films, with her screen debut in the horror movie Jaws of Satan (1981), also released as King Cobra. She continued to make guest appearances on television shows throughout the 1980s. Her major breakthrough came in 1987 when she was cast as Kelly Bundy in the Fox sitcom Married... with Children. The role catapulted her to fame and became one of the defining characters of her career.