Biography

Rachel Sarah Bilson was born in Los Angeles, California, on August 25, 1981 to a Jewish American father [writer/director/producer] Danny Bilson and Philadelphia-born Italian American mother [sex therapist] Janice Stango. Rachel also has several older brothers, who have stayed out of the limelight.

The Bilson family come from a long line in show business; great-grandfather, George Bilson, was the head of the trailer department at RKO Pictures; Brooklyn-born great-grandmother, Hattie Bilson, was a screenwriter; and grandfather, Bruce Bilson, is a film director.

Rachel’s parents divorced during her childhood, and in 1997, her father married actress Heather Medway. On December 19, 2001, Rachel’s half-sister, Hattie Bilson, was born.

Rachel has been noted as having a, “self-destructive, rebellious period” during her teen years. When she was thirteen, she and a group of her brother’s friends were involved in a car accident; a head-on collision with another car. As a result, Rachel was unconscious for a few days, has a scar above her right eye, and sometimes suffers from migraines and memory loss. She has stated that the experience changed her, encouraging her to stop getting into trouble, and to stop her from going down that road.

Rachel graduated from Walter Reed Middle School in 1996, and Notre Dame High School in 1999. During her time at Notre Dame, she appeared in stage productions of Bye Bye Birdie, Once Upon a Mattress, and The Crucible, appearing on stage with Katharine McPhee, who would later be a finalist on American Idol.

Rachel attended Grossmont College in San Diego, but dropped out after one year, taking her father’s advice to pursue a professional acting career. Around this time, Rachel made several appearances in commercials, including advertisements for Raisin Bran and Pepto-Bismol. She made her screen debut in early 2003, appearing in episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 8 Simple Rules… for Dating My Teenage Daughter, and cast in the short film ‘Unbroken’ – a PSA about date rape.

Rachel was subsequently cast in The O.C., which debuted August 2003. Her character, Summer Roberts, was initially intended to appear in only a few episodes, but became a series regular after a successful run as the on-screen romance with character Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) became a noted aspect of the series. As a result of the success from The O.C., Rachel became well-known among teenage audiences.

Rachel’s debut film role was in The Last Kiss (2006), a romantic comedy-drama starring Zach Braff and Jacinda Barrett as the leads. In the film, which opened on September 15, 2006, Rachel plays a college student who seduces Braff’s character. She had long wanted to work with Braff, having admired the film, Garden State (2004), which he directed and starred in. A body double was used for the film’s sexual scenes between Bilson and Braff’s characters, as Bilson specified that she feels really strongly about not appearing in a nude scene. One review of the film noted that Bilson played the role with “surprising depth”, although another critic described her role as “Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction as an airhead valley girl with a hot bod.”

Rachel has stated that she prefers acting in feature films to appearing on television, and that she would like the kind of roles “that Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are offered.” She has specified that though she is grateful for the success of The O.C., she feels that the show is over and that she is ready to move on to film roles.

In September 2006, unconfirmed reports surfaced that Rachel was linked to star in a film version of the comic book character Wonder Woman; Rachel has since stated that these reports were untrue. The reports spawned solely from a ‘Wonder Woman’ costume she wore in an episode of The O.C. (season 2.)

In late 2006, Rachel was [secretly] cast in the role of Millie in Doug Liman’s upcoming thriller, Jumper, replacing Australian actress Teresa Palmer. She stars opposite Hayden Christensen and began filming her scenes in October. The film is scheduled for a February 14, 2008 release.

In late 2007, Rachel appeared in a two-episode arc on [The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz's NBC comedy] Chuck opposite Zachary Levi as a potential love interest.

Rachel began dating her The O.C. co-star, Adam Brody, in 2003. In 2004, it was reported that the two were engaged. In 2005, Brody gave Rachel a pit bull, Penny Lane, as a birthday present. The couple later adopted another dog, Thurmen Murmen. In late 2006, they ended their relationship.

Rachel has been recognized by several media sources as being a “fashion junkie”. She has described herself as having a vintage sense of style, and noted Kate Moss and Diane Keaton as inspirations. Her favorite designers are Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs and Chanel.

Rachel also enjoys watching television game shows, especially Jeopardy! and has stated that if she were not an actress, she would be a pre-school teacher. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California.