Jennifer was born in Houston and raised in West Virginia. Her mother was an English teacher and her father was a chemical engineer. Jennifer's original aspirations were towards ballet and chemistry; however, New York and acting eventually beckoned. Jennifer began acting in television movies before moving on to feature films such as "Pearl Harbor," "Deconstructing Harry," and "Dude, Where's My Car?" She came to mainstream attention when she played the main role of Sydney Bristow on the spy series, "Alias." She snagged the role, thanks to creator J.J. Abrams, who previously casted her in the WB Drama "Felicity." Jennifer is happily married to her "Pearl Harbor" co-star Ben Affleck. They had a daughter named Violet in December 2005.