Rebecca Gayheart on AllMovie

For years recognizable solely for her work as "the Noxzema Girl," Rebecca Gayheart has become one of many models to attempt the transition to acting. Gayheart, if not widely known, has certainly increased her recognition with her work in films such as Urban Legend and Jawbreaker.

Born August 12, 1972 in Hazard, KY, Gayheart moved to New York at the age of 15 following a summer modeling job in the city. She studied acting at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Studio, and during her education there, she landed her first role, on the NBC soap opera Loving. Her stint on the show lasted from 1992 to 1993 and led to further television work, most notably on Beverly Hills 90210. During this time, she also acted in a number of forgettable television shows, and it wasn't until her part as a sorority girl in 1997's Scream 2 that she started to find film work. Her first project after Scream 2 was in Nothing to Lose, but her following film, 1998's Urban Legend, was successful enough to earn her a place among Hollywood's latest batch of up-and-coming starlets.

After Legend, Gayheart co-starred with fellow Scream-er Neve Campbell in the obscure Canadian film Hair Shirt (1998). Her next project, the Heathers take-off Jawbreaker, faltered both at the box office and with critics, but did Gayheart the service of casting her in another leading role, helping to increase her fresh-scrubbed profile.