Born in 1975 in Redwood City, California, Linda Cardellini dreamed of becoming an actress from a young age—a dream she actively pursued throughout her childhood. She grew up in a family of six as the youngest of four siblings and was raised in a Catholic household. Her father, Wayne David Cardellini, was a businessman, while her mother, Lorraine, was a homemaker. Cardellini is of mixed heritage, with Italian, Irish, English, Scottish, and German ancestry.
Her first experience on stage came at age 10, when she sang in a school production. Encouraged by the experience, she became heavily involved in school theater, participating in multiple productions and attending drama classes. She graduated from St. Francis High School in 1993 and subsequently moved to Los Angeles to pursue a professional career in television and film acting.
Linda Cardellini’s first significant break came in 1996 when she landed a starring role in the ABC Saturday morning live-action series, Bone Chillers. Following that, she made notable guest appearances on several prime-time television shows, including Clueless, Step by Step, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Boy Meets World.
Her breakout role came in 1999 with NBC’s cult classic series Freaks and Geeks, where she played the lead role of Lindsay Weir. Although the show ran for only one season (1999–2000), it earned a dedicated fan base and critical acclaim, significantly boosting her profile. This led to her casting as Velma Dinkley in the 2002 live-action adaptation of Scooby-Doo, cementing her presence in mainstream cinema.
| Net Worth 2021: | 9 million |
