Shannon Elizabeth Fadal (born September 7, 1973) is an American actress, conservationist, animal activist, model and poker player. A popular
sex symbol
A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive.Pam Cook, "The trouble with sex: Diana Dors and the Blonde bombshell phenomenon", In: Bruce Babinigton (ed.), ''British Stars and Stardom: From Alma Taylor to ...
and teen idol of the 1990s and 2000s, Elizabeth is best known for her roles in the films ''
American Pie'', ''
Tomcats'', ''
Scary Movie
''Scary Movie'' is a 2000 American slasher parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon and Shawn Wayans (who both also star), alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Anna Far ...
'', and ''
Love Actually
''Love Actually'' is a 2003 Christmas romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. It features an ensemble cast, composed predominantly of British actors, many of whom had worked with Curtis in previous film and television proje ...
''. She also starred in the films ''
Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back'', ''
Thirteen Ghosts'', ''
Cursed'', and ''
Night of the Demons'', and played a recurring role in the sitcom ''
That '70s Show
''That '70s Show'' is an American television Period piece, period teen sitcom that aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the ficti ...
'' and was a series regular in ''
Cuts''.
Elizabeth splits her time between
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
, South Africa, and the USA, and runs her non-profit organization, an animal rescue turned conservation organization she co-created in 2001—previously Animal Avengers. The org is currently working alongside SANParks and Brett Barlow to care for Munu the Rhino and build him a sanctuary and breeding program. The Foundation has also launched One Woman's Legacy, a scholarship program that helps African women break through the glass ceiling in conservation studies. She is a professional poker player, and in 2006 was named "one of the leading celebrity poker players."
Early life
Elizabeth was born in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, to a father of
Lebanese ancestry, and to a mother of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and
Irish ancestry. She was raised in
Waco, Texas
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...
, from 3rd grade through high school; Elizabeth graduated from
Waco High School in 1991.
In high school, she was a member of the
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
team and at one point considered a professional tennis career. Elizabeth worked as a model for
Ford &
Elite models
Elite Model Management (MM) refers to two independent chain modeling agencies that originated as one in Paris, France in 1972 with subsequent locations in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London and Toronto. In 2004, the agencies in New York, Miami, ...
before she began a career in film.
Career
Elizabeth appeared in several films and television shows before being cast in 1999's ''
American Pie'' in the role of Nadia. It was a major box office success. Elizabeth subsequently appeared in several Hollywood films, including ''
Scary Movie
''Scary Movie'' is a 2000 American slasher parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon and Shawn Wayans (who both also star), alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Anna Far ...
'', ''
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'', and ''
Tomcats''. Elizabeth starred in the
UPN
The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which prod ...
series ''
Cuts'' until the show was canceled in May 2006. Elizabeth recurred in ''
That '70s Show
''That '70s Show'' is an American television Period piece, period teen sitcom that aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the ficti ...
'' for a number of episodes.
In 2000 and 2003, she was featured in ''
Maxim''. In June 2008 she was ''Maxims cover girl. She provided the likeness and voice for
Serena St. Germaine in the 2004 video game ''
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing''. Elizabeth was one of the celebrities on an episode of
NBC's ''
Thank God You're Here'' along with
Tom Green,
Chelsea Handler, and
George Takei. Elizabeth was among the cast of the sixth season of ''
Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
'', partnered with
Derek Hough. Elizabeth was the seventh star eliminated from the competition.In 2006, Elizabeth described
poker
Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...
as her second career and was called "one of the leading celebrity poker players."
At that time, she visited the
Las Vegas Valley
The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the Southern Nevada, southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Stat ...
up to three times each month to participate in poker games with top players. Elizabeth does not appear to have been as active a poker player since scoring 12 tournament cashes from 2006 through 2010 – she has only one tournament cash (in 2013) thereafter.
Elizabeth played in the Main Event of the
2005 World Series of Poker
The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2nd, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7th. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15th marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports an ...
under the guidance of
Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu (; born July 26, 1974) is a Canadian professional poker player who has won six World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and two World Poker Tour (WPT) championship titles. In 2014, independent poker ranking service Global Poker Ind ...
, and won a special tournament celebrating the opening of a new poker room at
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks.
Caesars P ...
hotel in January 2006, beating out 83 celebrities and poker professionals to win $55,000. She also cashed four times in the World Series of Poker in 2006 and 2007, but again busted out of the Main Event early. In 2007, she advanced to the semi-finals of the
NBC in a field consisting of the top poker professionals before losing to eventual champion
Paul Wasicka.
Elizabeth was the host of the comedy/burlesque series "Live Nude Comedy" in 2009. Elizabeth also featured in
Chris Brown
Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...
's "
Next to You" music video as Brown's girlfriend in 2011. In 2019 she reprised her role as Justice in ''
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot
''Jay and Silent Bob Reboot'' is a 2019 American satirical buddy stoner comedy film written, directed, edited by, and starring Kevin Smith. Referring to his 2001 comedy ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'', Smith has described the film as a remake/ ...
.''
Personal life
Elizabeth was married to actor
Joseph D. Reitman
Joseph David Reitman (born May 25, 1968) is an American actor, producer, director, and writer.
Early life
Joe Reitman grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, and majored in theatre at Pitzer College in Claremont, California, in order to pursu ...
from 2002 to 2005. She is an environmentalist and
vegan
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...
. She is a cousin of New York-based television host and relationship coach
Tamsen Fadal
Tamsen Fadal (born ) is an American journalist, news anchor at WPIX in New York City and author of ''The New Single: Finding, Fixing and Falling Back In Love With Yourself.'' She is host/executive producer of ''The Broadway Show''. Fadal is an ad ...
. Animal Avengers, a
non-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
animal rescue organization founded by Elizabeth and her then-husband Reitman,
is dedicated to rescuing and finding a home for homeless pets, reducing
pet overpopulation In some countries there is an overpopulation of pets such as cats, dogs, and exotic animals. In the United States, six to eight million animals are brought to shelters each year, of which an estimated three to four million are subsequently euthani ...
, promoting responsible pet guardianship and preventing
animal cruelty.
Among many fundraising events, Team Bodog raised over $50,000 for Animal Avengers in a celebrity poker night on October 8, 2005. The event was hosted by tournament director
Matt Savage
Matthew "Matt" Savage (born May 12, 1992) is an American autistic savant musician.
Early life
Born in Sudbury, Massachusetts,Pine, Dan"Autistic jazz prodigy already playing with greats" ''The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California'', Septem ...
. In 2016, she began participating in numerous other Bodog-sponsored charity events as well. The organization, based in Brazil, lead
3D printing
3D printing or additive manufacturing is the Manufacturing, construction of a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design, CAD model or a digital 3D modeling, 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is ...
of prosthetic body parts for animals, including a beak for
goose Victoria.
Elizabeth has served as the spokesperson for
Farm Sanctuary's Adopt a Turkey program, urging people to adopt a turkey instead of eating one for Thanksgiving. She uses social media, particularly
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
posts, to raise awareness about rhino poaching at the Poached Rhino fundraiser.
She is currently married to Simon Borchert as of 2022.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
''Dancing with the Stars''
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elizabeth, Shannon
1973 births
Living people
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Houston
Actresses from Waco, Texas
American expatriates in South Africa
American film actresses
American people of Arab descent
American people of Lebanese descent
American people of English descent
American people of German descent
American people of Irish descent
American poker players
American television actresses
Female poker players
Participants in American reality television series
Waco High School alumni