Ginger of the Week

Alexandra Breckenridge (May 15, 1982) seemingly popped on the Hollywood scene this year, with a stand-out role in the hauntingly amazing series, "American Horror Story". She hails from Bridgeport, Connecticut, but her family moved cross-country to Mill Valley, California when she was still very young. She expressed an interest in acting and her mother moved her to Los Angeles when she was fifteen. She soon landed small roles on television shows like, "Freaks and Geeks", "Charmed", and "Dawson's Creek". She got her big break when she was cast opposite Katherine Heigl in the tv movie, "Romy and Michele: In the Beginning" as title character 'Michele'. From there she was cast in recurring roles on "Family Guy", and "True Blood", and now she co-stars in "AHS". Next up: "Cooper and Stone" (with Vanessa Ferlito)

Ginger of the Week

Tilda Swinton is one of those rare, off-beat actors, who manages to amaze audiences with every unique, powerhouse performance. Her Oscar winning role in 2006's "Michael Clayton" was mesmerizing and her new turn in 2011's "We Need to Talk About Kevin" (for which she just won the NBR Best Actress Award) is on track to score her another Academy accolade. Born in London, she attended Cambridge University and then set out to try her hand at theater. It was her supporting role in 2000's "The Beach" that put her on the Hollywood map. Since then she has had roles in "Vanilla Sky", "The Deep End", "Adaptation", and "The Chronicles of Narnia". Up next: "Moonrise Kingdom" (with Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, and Edward Norton).

Ginger of the Week

Laura Prepon hasn't been seen in much lately, but back in the early 2000s, she was a television queen. Born in New Jersey to a school teacher and a surgeon, Prepon studied at the Caroline Thomas' Total Theater Lab in New York City. She got her big break after moving to Los Angeles and landing the role of 'Donna' on "That '70s Show" in 1998. During the eight seasons of the show, Prepon took other roles, like that of the title character in the small film 'Karla' (the true story of a married couple who murdered women). Since the end of "That '70s Show", she's done several guest spots of television shows ("Medium", "House", and "In Plain Sight").

Ginger of the Week

American actor Rose McGowan was born in Florence, Italy. She spent her early childhood living in communes (her parents were members of the Children of God). McGowan moved to the northwest part of the US when she was ten (she didn't speak English at the time). At fifteen, she emancipated herself from her parents and set out to become a star. She started with a bit role in 1992's "Encino Man" and followed that up with a role in "The Doom Generation" (and a subsequent Spirit award nomination). It was her portrayal of 'Tatum' in 1996's blockbuster hit, "Scream", that got her the recognition she was looking for. She has since starred in the television show "Charmed" for five seasons, played another famous red-head, Ann-Margret, in the mini-series "Elvis", and starred in Robert Rodriguez' "Planet Terror". Up next is a role in "Conan the Barbarian".

Ginger of the Week

If you've ever tuned into ABC's mind-boggling show "Lost", you most likely remember the strawberry blonde, Rebecca Mader, who played anthropologist Charlotte Lewis. She was only in a few episodes, before her untimely demise, but she made a real impact. Born in Cambridge, England, Mader can be seen in "The Devil Wears Prada", "Men Who Stare at Goats", and a recurring role on ABC's new show "No Ordinary Family".

Ginger of the Week

Piper Laurie (Jan. 22, 1932) hails from Detroit and is the daughter of a furniture dealer and his wife. She signed a contract with Universal Studios at age 16 and had her breakthrough role in the film "Louisa". She started to work steadily from then on. It was her Oscar nominated role in "The Hustler" that put her on the map. She was nominated two more times for her performances in "Carrie" and "Children of a Lesser God". Since then she has costarred in "The Faculty", "Other People's Money", "The Dead Girl", and "Hounddog". She'll next appear in "Hesher" with Natalie Portman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Rainn Wilson.

Ginger of the Week

Carol Burnett was born in San Antonio, Texas to a film studio publicity writer and a movie theater manager. She moved to Hollywood with her grandmother (her parents were both alcoholics) at an early age. She studied theater at UCLA and then moved to NYC to pursue a career. Her first big break came after she was cast to play opposite Buddy Hackett in a short-lived show entitled, "Stanley". After that she did some Broadway work and then won an Emmy for her recurring role on the television show, "The Gary Moore Show". She rose to headliner status in 1962, when she starred with friend, Julie Andrews in a special called "Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall" (she won another Emmy). It was in 1967 that she finally became a mega-star with her own show entitled "The Carol Burnett Show" (the show would last until 1978). She has since starred in films like "Annie", "A Wedding", "Horton Hears a Who", and "Post Grad". She has also appeared as a guest star in numerous shows such as "Mad About You", "Mama's Family", "Law and Order", "Desperate Housewives", and "Glee".

Ginger of the Week

Evan Rachel Wood was born in North Carolina to actor parents. She began her career in plays (some even directed by her father). She soon landed several small roles in a few made-for-television-movies and appeared in the show "American Gothic". She landed a recurring role on the Sela Ward show, "Once and Again". From there she was cast in films like, "Practical Magic", "Little Secrets", and "Simone", but it was her lead role in the edgy flick "Thirteen" that garnered her a bit of fame. She was nominated for a Golden Globe and SAG award. After that she landed lead roles in "The Upside of Anger", "Pretty Persuasions", "Running with Scissors", "Across the Universe", and a recurring role as the Vampire Queen in "True Blood". Next up: "Mildred Pierce" (with Kate Winslet and Melissa Leo), "The Conspirator" (with Robin Wright and James McAvoy), and "The Ides of March" (with Ryan Gosling, Marisa Tomei, and George Clooney).

Ginger of the Week

New York-born Kate Mara started her career in a 1997 episode of "Law and Order". She landed two recurring roles on "Everwood" and "Nip/Tuck", but it was her role as Heath Ledger's daughter in "Brokeback Mountain" that really got her noticed. She has since appeared in "127 Hours", "Shooter", "Transsiberian" and "The Open Road". Next up, she'll appear in "Ironclad" (with Paul Giamatti and Brian Cox) and "Ten Year" (with Channing Tatum).

Ginger of the Week

Oxford grad, Katherine Parkinson, studied drama at the London Academy of Music and Drama. She began her career in plays like "The Age of Consent" with Julie Walters and "The Seagull" with Kristin Scott Thomas. She got her first big break with a recurring role on "Doc Martin" in 2005, but it was her hilarious turn as 'Jen' in the hit series "The IT Crowd", that has brought her tremendous fame in England. Since then, Parkinson has appeared in the films "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People", The Boat That Rocked", and "St. Trinian's 2".

Ginger of the Week

California native Eric Stoltz broke into Hollywood in 1982's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High". He went on to be cast as 'Marty McFly' in the blockbuster "Back to the Future", but was replaced after initial filming began. He didn't let this setback dissuade him though and went on to star in "Mask", "Some Kind of Wonderful", "Singles", and had a small, but very memorable role in 1994's "Pulp Fiction". Recently Stoltz appeared in "The Butterfly Effect", "The Honeymooners" and had recurring roles on "Grey's Anatomy" and "Will and Grace". Stoltz has also stepped behind the camera and filling the role of director for shows like "Law and Order", "Boston Legal", "Grey's Anatomy", and "Glee".

Ginger of the Week

Back in 1993, Chicago-born actor, Gillian Anderson got her big break when she was cast in a newly developed show on Fox called... "The X-Files". Starring as Agent Dana Scully, Emmy-winner Anderson went on to become a television and cult icon. "The X-Files" show ended in 2002, but spawned two movies in 1998 and 2008. Since then, Anderson has performed in "The House of Mirth", "The Last King of Scotland", and "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People". I can't wait to see what she does next.

Ginger of the Week

I started off this category with one of my favorite gingers, Bryce Dallas Howard. The offspring of another famous red-head (former actor and current director/producer Ron Howard), she has been a breathe of fresh air in an industry full of bottle-blonds. With her star-making debut in M. Night Shyamalan's spooky "The Village", she made her mark (and managed to out-shine big names Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, and Sigourney Weaver). With a string of other hits (including "Lady in the Water", "Spiderman 3", "Terminator: Salvation", and now as the new 'Victoria' in the Twilight saga) beautiful Howard has shown that nepotism isn't the only reason she has become a success.

Ginger of the Week

Molly Ringwald was born in Roseville, California, the daughter of a homemaker and chef. She started her career as a young child, appearing in several local commercials. When she was 11, she was cast in the first season of "The Facts of Life". Unfortunately, producers decided to take the show in a different direction and Molly was cut from the cast by season two. It wasn't a problem because in 1984, Molly was selected to play 'Samantha' in a new John Hughes-directed teen-comedy called "Sixteen Candles". Before it was even released, Molly was working on "The Breakfast Club" and she skyrocketed to fame as the new 'it' girl of the mid 80s. Her next venture was "Pretty in Pink" and this solidified her place as queen of the teen film, even landing her on the cover of Time Magazine. She later starred in "Fresh Horses", "The Pick-up Artist", and "Betsy's Wedding", but she never again found the kind of success she had once enjoyed. Currently, Ringwald costars in the television show "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" as mother to the main character.

Ginger of the Week

Jessica Chastain is pretty unknown at this point in her career, but you might recognize her soon. Born and raised in Northern California, Chastain made her way to New York to attend the prestigious school of the arts, Juilliard. Her first role was in a television movie adaptation entitled "Dark Shadows". She has done bit parts in shows like "Law and Order", "ER", and "Veronica Mars". She made her film debut in 2008's "Jolene", in which she played a teenage orphan who travels across country to experience life. Up next for the beautiful ginger: "The Tree of Life" (with Brad Pitt and Sean Penn), "The Fields" (with Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Sam Worthington), and "The Help" (with Viola Davis, Sissy Spacek, and Emma Stone).

Ginger of the Week

Lauren Ambrose is probably known best for her odd-ball roles than her red hair. Hailing from New Haven, Connecticut, Lauren is the daughter of an interior designer and caterer. Ambrose studied at the ACES Educational Center for the Arts and also became a trained opera singer at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. She started her career with bit parts in films like "In & Out", but it was her jump to lead actor in 1998's "Can't Hardly Wait", that got her noticed. Ambrose is best known for her twice Emmy-nominated performance in HBO's critically acclaimed series, "Six Feet Under" (which lasted five seasons). She has since focused on stage, starring with Susan Sarandon and Geoffrey Rush in the Broadway show "Exit the King". Next up she'll star in the films "Grassroots" (with Jason Biggs and Cedric the Entertainer) and "Wanderlust" (with Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd, and Malin Akerman).

Ginger of the Week

Funny lady Debra Messing was born in Brooklyn to Sandra and Brian Messing. When she was three, she moved with her family to Rhode Island. She majored in theater arts at Brandeis University and got her master's in fine arts from NYU's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. She made her television debut on an episode of "NYPD Blue" in the early 90s and then made her big screen debut in 1995's "A Walk in the Clouds". She got her big break in 1995 when she was cast as 'Stacey' in Fox's sitcom, "Ned and Stacey" (which costarred Thomas Haden Church). The show stayed on the air for two seasons, before being cancelled due to poor ratings. Messing didn't skip a beat because in 1998 (just one year later), she got the role of a lifetime when she was offered the part of 'Grace' in the sitcom "Will & Grace". She has since won a SAG award and an Emmy for her hilarious turn as goofy Grace Adler (the show lasted eight seasons). Messing has since appeared in the films "Along Came Polly", "The Wedding Date", "The Mothman Prophecies", and "The Women". She most recently starred in the television mini-series, "The Starter Wife". It was so popular, the network turned it into a show and ordered a whole season.

Ginger of the Week

After moving to America at the age of six, Swedish-born Ann-Margret was Hollywood's 'It' girl in the 1960s, with her sultry lips and strawberry-blonde waves. She possessed the looks of a sex symbol, but unlike many others, Ann-Margret had loads of real talent (singing, dancing, and acting). The Emmy and Golden Globe winner became familiar to audiences in 1963's "Bye Bye Birdie", playing innocent Kim Macafee. She went on to star in such films as "Viva Las Vegas" (with then-boyfriend Elvis Presley), "Stagecoach", "Criminal Affair", "Grumpy Old Men", and "The Break-Up". She even garnered two Oscar nominations for 1971's "Carnal Knowledge" and 1976's "Tommy".

Ginger of the Week

Rachel Hurd-Wood, who hails from London, first burst on the American scene in 2003's "Peter Pan" as Wendy Darling. Her naivety and innocence worked well against a wild Peter. Hurd-Wood went on to star in "An American Haunting" (with Sissy Spacek) as a tormented young Victorian girl. She eased naturally into more adult roles, like in the odd film "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" and the British flick "Dorian Gray". She continues to take roles in smaller films, instead of making the leap into big studio projects (which I'm sure she could do). Up next for Rachel, a lead role in "The Last Furlong".

Ginger of the Week

Alyson Hannigan, an actor since the age of four, stands out for her long career as much as her ginger locks. With two very successful television shows on her resume ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "How I Met Your Mother"), Hannigan is already ahead of most. She is known for playing a nice, nerdy gal, but she went against type in 1999's "American Pie" with her surprisingly raunchy portrayal of Michelle. Up next, Alyson reprises her role as Michelle in the 4th installment of "American Pie".