Actress Elizabeth Banks was born Elizabeth Mitchell in Pittsfield, a small city in the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts near the New York border, on February 10, 1974. She describes herself as having been seen as a “goody two-shoes” in her youth who was nominated to be the local Harvest Queen.

Banks left home to attend college at the University of Pennsylvania, from which she graduated Magna cum Laude, and went on to attend the Advanced Training Program at the prestigious American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, from which she graduated in 1998. She then moved to New York and worked in the theater as well as obtaining her first roles on-screen, small parts in movies and guest-star roles on television series. Seeking more screen work, Banks moved to Los Angeles and the supporting roles soon came, and required that she change her name to avoid confusion with another actress named Elizabeth Mitchell who had already established herself. Her first signal success came in her delightful, brief performance in Spider-Man (2002), for which she is best known despite subsequent leading roles, as “Betty Brant”, the secretary of the cantankerous newspaper tycoon. (Banks has reprised the role in the Spider-Man series.)

Lasts Twitts

Twitted on 3 February 2012, 5:30 pm
ElizabethBanks: I grew up Irish + WASP + Catholic so trust me, order this beauty at tonight's Happy hour: http://t.co/xJoguc6X
Twitted on 3 February 2012, 2:40 pm
ElizabethBanks: Did everybody already see this? Why am I just seeing this? #HungerGames http://t.co/5GduYX6t
Twitted on 3 February 2012, 2:12 pm
ElizabethBanks: True story, @bwilliams and I appear in a 30 Rock episode together and today we are both rocking #GoRed - hugs Bri! #twitterbombforacause
Twitted on 3 February 2012, 1:28 pm
ElizabethBanks: Celebrate Wear Red Day with all your #heart. RT this message and @Macys will donate $2 to @GoRedForWomen! RT RT RT!!
Twitted on 3 February 2012, 11:53 am
ElizabethBanks: Here I am in my #GoRed dress at Macy's! http://t.co/77j8KxE1
Twitted on 3 February 2012, 11:40 am
ElizabethBanks: Let's all live as long and wonderfully well as @BarbaraJWalters who supports #GoRed and women's heart health. Thanks Babs!
Twitted on 3 February 2012, 10:31 am
ElizabethBanks: RT @GoRedForWomen: Check out @ElizabethBanks wearing red this morning while on the Sirius XM show "Getting Late". #WearRedDay #GoRed htt ...
Twitted on 3 February 2012, 10:06 am
ElizabethBanks: Thanks @Mariobatali for delish food at LUPA last night and for supporting #GoRed today! #hearthealthforladies
Twitted on 3 February 2012, 9:04 am
ElizabethBanks: @mariamenounos knows what's up today - thanks for rocking red to bring awareness to heart health #GoRed
Twitted on 2 February 2012, 6:36 pm
ElizabethBanks: Remember how Sun was going to leave Jin but the island made them fall in love again? #wistfulaboutLost

This post is tagged actor, American, comedian