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Krysten Alyce Ritter (born December 16, 1981) is an American actress and former model. She appeared in the films What Happens in Vegas (2008), 27 Dresses (2008) and Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009), and had recurring roles in the television series Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, and 'Til Death. She was the lead in "Valley Girls" (an episode of The CW's Gossip Girl), and was featured in the AMC television drama series Breaking Bad and the romantic comedy She's Out of My League (2010).

Early life and modeling

Ritter grew up on a beef farm near Shickshinny, Pennsylvania, where her mother, stepfather and sister still live. Her father lives in nearby Benton; she is of no relation to the late John Ritter. Ritter was scouted by a modeling agent at her local shopping mall, the Wyoming Valley Mall, at the age of 15 at a modeling event. Ritter described herself at the time as "tall, gawky, awkward, and really, really skinny" to Philadelphia Style magazine.^[1] While in high school, she traveled to New York on her days off, and began modeling in New York and Philadelphia. She signed with the Elite Model Management agency and then with Wilhelmina Models.

Ritter moved to New York City at the age of 18 and established an international modeling career in print ads and on television. She did magazine, catalog, and runway work in New York, Milan, Paris and Tokyo.^[2] Ritter modeled for about 5 years. She gained notice from Wilhelmina's acting division, and went on her first audition, a television commercial for Dr Pepper. Ritter told Philadelphia Style that she felt her "outgoing and bubbly and funny" personality as a performer helped her transition into acting naturally by letting her entertain the casting people.^[1] "I felt like this is where I belonged", she added.^[1]

Acting

Ritter began pursuing film acting and trained with Marjorie Ballentine, an acclaimed acting coach.^[3] Ritter describes her acting influences as Katharine Hepburn, Geena Davis, Juliette Lewis, Lucille Ball and Gilda Radner. She won several bit film roles starting in 2001, and then played a 1950s art history student in Julia Roberts' Mona Lisa Smile (2003). She also juggled careers as a writer, a musician, and in business. In 2006, she appeared in All This Intimacy, a two act Off Broadway play by Rajiv Joseph, at the Second Stage Theatre.^[4]

Ritter played Gia Goodman, the mayor's daughter, on the second season of Veronica Mars, and played Rory Gilmore's friend, Lucy, for eight episodes in the television series Gilmore Girls from 2006 to 2007. She also played Allison Stark in the Fox sitcom 'Til Death. Ritter was then cast in a number of romantic comedy films. She had a supporting role in What Happens in Vegas (2008), and co-starred with Isla Fisher in Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) as Suze. Ritter spent 3 months shooting She's Out of My League (2010) in Pittsburgh. She plays Patty, the cynical best friend of Molly (Alice Eve) who falls for Kirk (Jay Baruchel), a security agent at the Pittsburgh airport.^[2]

Ritter was cast as Carol Rhodes in "Valley Girls",^[5] an episode The CW's television series Gossip Girl. The episode was a backdoor pilot for a proposed spin-off series, set in 1980s Los Angeles, that would chronicle the teenage years of the character Lily van der Woodsen.^[6] Ritter described her character Carol, Lily's sister, as "the outcast," and "an '80s Sunset Strip rocker" to Access Hollywood.^[7] The series was not picked up by the network for the 2009-2010 season.^[8]

Ritter co-starred on the second season of AMC's television drama Breaking Bad,^[6] and finished the film How to Make Love to a Woman (2009), based on a best-selling book by adult film star Jenna Jameson. She also co-starred with Jason Behr in the independent film The Last International Playboy (2009), as Ozzy, a drug addict.^[9] Ritter sold a television pilot that she wrote based on her experiences as a model, named Model Camp, and as of 2009, was also writing a female-buddy comedy film.^[10] She appeared in the comedy Web series Woke Up Dead in 2009, playing Cassie.^[11]

Ritter will star in the Starz TV series Gravity with Ivan Sergei, Ving Rhames and Rachel Hunter, a comedy/drama series that follows a group of out-patient suicide survivors.^[12] Ritter will also star in Vamps, a romantic comedy written and directed by Amy Heckerling.^[13] She stars alongside Alicia Silverstone in the vampire love story film.^[14] She will star opposite Ben Barnes in the independent film Killing Bono, based on the book Killing Bono: I Was Bono’s Doppleganger about the early days of the Irish rock band U2. The film began shooting in Belfast in January 2010, directed by Nick Hamm, and will continue in London.^[15]

Personal life

Ritter lives in Los Angeles, where she moved in 2007 from Brooklyn. She bought what she describes as a "pimped-out" Prius.^[16] As of November 2008, she is renting an apartment in a house in Silver Lake with her roommate, interior designer Lauren Bratman.^[17] She told Philadelphia Style that she misses "the climate and the seasons of Pennsylvania".^[1] She has naturally black hair, and sings and plays guitar in a band named Ex Vivian in her spare time. She describes her personal style as "thrown-together rock ’n’ roll nineties grunge", and told Seventeen magazine, "I would wear my combat boots on every [red] carpet if I could!"^[1][16] As of 2009, her boyfriend is Scott Culver, a music video director.^[18]

Filmography

References

External links

• Krysten Ritter at the Internet Movie Database
• Krysten Ritter Discusses Breaking Bad at AMCtv.com