The American stage, film and television actress Piper Lisa Perabo was born on October 31, 1976 in Dallas, Texas to Mary Charlotte and George William Perabo. She is named after the actress Piper Laurie and grew up in Toms River, New Jersey with her two younger brothers Noah, born May 1979, and Adam, born August 1981.
Perabo attended Toms River, NJ High School North and studied theater at Ohio University, graduating in 1998.
In 2000, she played the role of the FBI agent Karen Sympathy in the film “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle” and is best known for her portrayal of the aspiring songwriter Violet (“Jersey”) Sanford who relocates to New York to pursue her dream in the film “Coyote Ugly” (2000). Co-starring John Goodman as her protective father, she learns that the path to fulfilling her dream is not as easy as she thought it would be or be anything like she expected. Her performance earned her an MTV Movie Award for Best Music Moment for the song “One Way or Another.”
From 2001 to 2008, Perabo starred in a variety of independent and feature films including the Canadian movie “Lost and Delirious,” and “Slap Her… She’s French,” which was released in the United States under the title: “She Gets What She Wants” and under its original title in Europe. In 2003 movie “Cheaper by the Dozen,” she was cast in the role of Nora, first-born Baker child and reprised her role in the 2005 movie sequel. Perabo also starred in the 2003 movie “The I Inside,” and appeared in two feature films in 2004; “Perfect Opposites” and “George and the Dragon.”
Perabo has three films to her credit in 2005; “The Cave,” “Edison” and “Imagine Me & You” these films were followed by her critically acclaimed performance in the 2006 movie “The Prestige” and in 2008 Perabo played the role of the niece of the business woman Jamie Lee Curtis is the hugely successful film “Beverly Hills Chihuahua.”
In addition to feature films, Perabo made her Broadway debut in “Reasons to Be Pretty” by Neil LaBute and has been featured on the dramatic series “House.” She won the lead role of CIA officer Annie Walker in the USA Network television action series “Covert Affairs” in 2009. While filming an episode of the program in August, 2010 Perabo suffered an injury. At the end of the first season the network announced that the beginning of the second season of the program will postponed until summer of 2011.
