Emily Deschanel Biography

Emily was born on October 11, 1976, in Los Angeles, California, US, in an upper middle class family, to Caleb Deschanel and Mary Jo Deschanel (née Weir).

Both her parents are associated with the world of film and television. Her father is a cinematographer and director, while her mother is an actress who has made her mark in both films and TV.

Her younger sister Zooey Deschanel is also a renowned American actress and singer-songwriter.

Deschanel comes from a mixed ancestry of French, Irish, Dutch, Swiss, and English.

She studied at the ‘Harvard-Westlake School,’ an independent co-educational university preparatory day school, in Los Angeles, California. She also studied at the ‘Crossroads School,’ a private, K-12 independent college preparatory school, located in Santa Monica, California.

Thereafter, she attended ‘Boston University’ from where she completed the ‘Professional Actors Training Program,’ graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theater.

She made her feature film debut in 1994 with the Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda starrer American romantic comedy-drama ‘It Could Happen to You.’ Deschanel played the role of an animal rights activist in the film.

In 2000, she played ‘Maggie’ in a short film titled ‘It's a Shame About Ray.’ The year that followed saw her essaying the role of ‘Maude Allyn’ in the television movie ‘The Heart Department.’

She then played ‘Pam Asbury,’ a lecturer and host of Psychic TV, in the Stephen King scripted TV miniseries ‘Red Rose.’ She appeared in three of its episodes in 2002.

In 2002, she also portrayed ‘Cassie Germaine’ in the American police procedural crime-drama TV series ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.’ She played the role in the 17th episode of its third season. She also played ‘Annie Franks’ in the drama series ‘Providence’ in two of its episodes titled ‘Cloak & Dagger’ and ‘The Eleventh Hour.’

She played ‘Laura Harris’ in Jane Weinstock’s directorial debut ‘Easy’ in 2003. She also portrayed ‘Sam’ in the TV movie ‘The Dan Show,’ which released the same year.

One of her notable roles is that of ‘Mrs. Morgan’ in the 2003 blockbuster American epic war drama film ‘Cold Mountain,’ which starred Nicole Kidman and Jude Law among others.

In 2004, she played ‘Rosanna Travis’ in the April 9th-released American war film ‘The Alamo.’ She also appeared as a receptionist in the June-released super hit film ‘Spider-Man 2,’ starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. That year, she was also featured in a short film titled ‘Old Tricks’ and in the episode ‘All the News Fit to Print’ from the TV series ‘Crossing Jordan.’

‘Interview’ magazine named her among the ‘six actresses to watch’ in 2004.

She started the year 2005 with the starring role of ‘Kate Houghton’ in the Stephen T. Kay-directed New Zealand-American supernatural horror film ‘Boogeyman.’ Although the film received negative critical reviews, it became a smashing hit at the box-office. That year, she was also featured in two short films, namely ‘That Night’ and ‘Mute.’

Deschanel’s popularity increased when she landed a role in the American crime procedural drama TV series ‘Bones’ that started airing on Fox from September 13, 2005. The series ended on March 28, 2017 after completing 12 seasons comprising 246 episodes.

‘Bones’ was created by Hart Hanson and was loosely based on the career and novels of American crime writer, academic, and forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs.

Deschanel played the role of the main protagonist, an intelligent forensic anthropologist and kinesiologist Dr. Temperance Brennan. ‘Bones’ also starred David Boreanaz, who played ‘FBI Agent Seeley Booth.’

Her remarkable performance in ‘Bones’ not only earned her much acclaim and popularity but also a number of nominations for ‘Teen Choice Awards’ and ‘People's Choice Awards.’ She also earned a ‘Best Actress – Television Series Drama’ nomination at the 2006 ‘Satellite Awards.’

Beginning from the third season of ‘Bones,’ Deschanel and Boreanaz became the co-producers of the series. Thereafter, they served as producers from the middle of its fourth season.

Meanwhile in 2006, she essayed the role of ‘Mary Haskins’ in the Josh Lucas starrer American sports drama film ‘Glory Road,’ which became a commercial success. The following year, she was featured as ‘Maggie’ in the short film ‘The Diagnosis.’

She played ‘Dr. Farquad’ in the Cameron Diaz starrer American drama film ‘My Sister's Keeper,’ which released on June 26, 2009.

The Anne Renton directed 2011 comedy drama film ‘The Perfect Family’ saw her playing the lead role of ‘Shannon Cleary.’

She was one of the hundred narrators of the documentary film ‘Unity’ that discusses the transformation of humanity. The documentary, which was released worldwide on August 12, 2015, was narrated by artists, actors, filmmakers, musicians, entertainers, authors, athletes, businessmen, and military personnel.

Well-known for her portrayal of ‘Dr. Temperance Brennan’ in ‘Bones,’ Deschanel went on to reprise the character in single episodes of other series as well; she was seen playing ‘Dr. Brennan’ in an episode titled ‘Dead Men Tell No Tales’ in ‘Sleepy Hollow’ (2015) and in the episode ‘Love And/Or Marriage’ in ‘BoJack Horseman’ (2016).

She voiced a character in an episode titled ‘Bart’s Not Dead’ for the animated sitcom ‘The Simpsons.’ She then joined the cast of the TNT drama series ‘Animal Kingdom’ where she played the recurring role of ‘Angela’ in the fourth season. Subsequently, she became part of the main cast of the series.

Emily married American actor, screenwriter, and producer David Hornsby on September 25, 2010. The couple is blessed with two sons, Henry Lamar Hornsby, born on September 21, 2011, and Calvin, born on June 8, 2015.

She is a vegan and a dedicated advocate of animal rights. She narrated the documentary ‘My Child Is a Monkey’ and remained an associate producer of yet another show titled ‘How I Became an Elephant.’

In pursuit of promoting regular screening of breast cancer for the charitable program ‘Stand Up 2 Cancer,’ she along with Katharine McPhee, Minka Kelly, Jaime King, and Alyson Hannigan developed a video slumber party that featured on ‘FunnyorDie.com.’

Deschanel, along with Boreanaz and the executive producers of ‘Bones,’ filed a lawsuit against Fox in 2015 for denying them financial benefits for the books that they wrote based on the series. In February 2019, they won the case and an arbitrator awarded them $179 million.