January Jones

Early Life and Education

January Jones was born on January 5, 1978, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Karen Cox, a store manager, and Marvin Jones, an exercise physiologist. She was named after the character January Wayne from Jacqueline Susann's novel Once Is Not Enough. She has two sisters, both of whose names also begin with the letter "J."

In 1979, her family moved to Hecla, South Dakota. Jones later returned to Sioux Falls and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1996.

Film and Television Career

Jones began her acting career with supporting roles in films such as Anger Management, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, and Love Actually. She gained broader recognition for her performance as Cadence Flaherty in American Wedding, the third installment in the American Pie series, where her character was pursued by both Steve Stifler and Paul Finch.

In 2005, she appeared in Tommy Lee Jones's The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, a project she has cited as one of the most creatively fulfilling experiences of her career. She went on to portray Carol Dawson, wife of football coach William "Red" Dawson, in the 2006 sports drama We Are Marshall. Jones also starred in Love's Enduring Promise, playing the eldest daughter of a pioneer family who falls in love with a mysterious stranger.