Kaley Christine Cuoco (born November 30, 1985 in Camarillo, California) is an American actor known for being blonde, bubbly and occasionally ditzy in a lot of TV shows from the Turn of the Millennium onward.
A California native, she bagged her first film at the age of ten when she played a small supporting role in the sci-fi thriller Virtuosity. She appeared in various TV guest spots, Made For TV Movies and low radar films before getting her big break in 2002. The sitcom 8 Simple Rules saw her playing Bratty Teenage Daughter extraordinaire Bridget Hennessy. The show lasted three seasons, and during its run she also voiced the titular Brandy in the cartoon Brandy & Mr. Whiskers. After 8 Simple Rules was cancelled, she surfaced on the eighth and final season of Charmed - portraying a witch called Billie Jenkins (who has continued to appear in the comic book continuations). But after Charmed it was her next role that would really cement her fame.
A sitcom about a group of nerds saw Kaley starring as the Girl Next Door called The Big Bang Theory proved to be a smash hit and catapulted all its cast members to stardom - Kaley included. When she's not on The Big Bang Theory she's a regular on commercials for Priceline.com, portraying the daughter of William Shatner. Her role on The Flight Attendant, as both an executive producer and lead character Cassie Bowden has garnered her new attention, including both a Golden Globe and Screen Actor's Guild award nominations.
Selected Filmography:
- My So-Called Life (1994) - Young Angela Chase
- Northern Exposure (1994) - Miranda
- Virtuosity (1995) - Karin Carter
- Alley Cats Strike (2000) - Elisa Bowers
- 8 Simple Rules (2002-2005) - Bridget Hennessy
- The Hollow (2004) - Karen
- Brandy & Mr. Whiskers (2004-2006) - Brandy Harrington (voice)
- Loonatics Unleashed (2005-2006) - Weathervane (voice)
- Charmed (2005-2006) - Billie Jenkins
- Prison Break (2007) - Sasha Murray
- The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019) - Penny
- Killer Movie (2008) - Bianca Chapman
- Hop (2011) - Samantha O'Hare
- The Last Ride (2011) - Wanda
- The Wedding Ringer (2015) - Gretchen Palmer
- Alvin and the Chipmunks The Road Chip - Eleanor
- Harley Quinn (2019) as Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn (voice)
- Curb Your Enthusiasm (2021) as Heidi
- The Flight Attendant (2020-2022) as Cassie Bowden
- Based on a True Story (2023-) as Ava Bartlett
Tropes:
- The Cast Show Off: Bridget of 8 Simple Rules occasionally plays tennis on the show, allowing Kaley to show off her tennis skills (she had played for thirteen years).
- Costume Backlash: For her introduction episodes on Charmed she had to wear a tight black leather outfit and wig, which she hated. Another episode featured her getting turned into an Amazon warrior princess - and Kaley burst into tears when she saw the costume she would have to wear.
- Dawson Casting: In The Hollow, she was nineteen playing sixteen.
- Dyeing for Your Art: For the indie film Burning Bodhi she cut her hair into a pixie. She kept it for Season 8 of The Big Bang Theory but put in extensions after wrapping the season.
- Friendship on the Set:
- She became best friends with her on-screen 8 Simple Rules sister Amy Davidson.
- She described Alyssa Milano coming up to her on her first day of Charmed, hugging her and saying "welcome to our show".
- I Want You to Meet an Old Friend of Mine: Amy Davidson voices a character called Tiffany in an episode of Brandy & Mr. Whiskers who bonds with Brandy. The two actors had played sisters on 8 Simple Rules.
- Ms. Fanservice: Is often cast in roles that stand out for beauty, with flattering and revealing wardrobe to boot. She was even brought into Charmed (1998) to fulfill the Fanservice requirements that the three lead female actors were getting tired of doing.
- Playing Against Type:
- Extremely in the film Burning Bodhi, which is a drama where she plays a troubled single mother with a drug habit.
- While The Flight Attendant has some comedy elements, it's less a sitcom and more of a vehicle for her to go against type and show her dramatic chops.
- Real-Life Relative: Her sister Briana appears in Season 2 of The Flight Attendant.
- Real Life Writes the Hairstyle: In Seasons 6 and 7 of The Big Bang Theory, Penny wears her hair up a lot because Kaley was getting tired of how long it took to do her hair before filming, and she agreed to cut it for Burning Bodhi hoping it would lessen the time spent getting ready. Unfortunately, she found out it was actually harder to maintain the short hair, which is why Penny grows it out again after Season 8.
- Reality Subtext: On Charmed Billie is an aspiring demon hunter who volunteers to help the Charmed Ones, and give them more free time. In reality the character was introduced in order to give the three lead female actors less work to do.
- Romance on the Set: She and Johnny Galecki secretly dated early during The Big Bang Theory's run.
- Stage Names: An interesting aversion, as when many women get married to men they legally change their last name to their husbands' but continue to be credited by their original name. When Kaley married Ryan Sweeting she had her name hyphenated Cuoco-Sweeting and was credited as such for a little less than two years before divorcing and retaining her original name again.
- Star-Making Role: 8 Simple Rules started in and The Big Bang Theory solidified it.
- Throw It In!: She injured her leg during Season 3 of 8 Simple Rules, so they wrote in an episode where Bridget gets a leg injury in the shower.
- What Could Have Been: She revealed in an interview
that she auditioned for, and was "devastated" to not get, the role of Birdie in Glass Onion, losing out to Kate Hudson.
