Emily Erin Deschanel (; born October 11, 1976) is an American actress. She portrayed Dr.

Temperance "Bones" Brennan Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, Ph.D. (born Joy Keenan) is a fictional character portrayed by Emily Deschanel in the American Fox television series ''Bones''. An anthropologist, forensic anthropologist, and kinesiologist, she is described ...

in the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

crime procedural series ''

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...

'' (2005–2017).

Early life

Deschanel was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California, to cinematographer and director

Caleb Deschanel Joseph Caleb Deschanel, (born September 21, 1944) is an American cinematographer and director of film and television. He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography six times. He is a member of the National Film Preservat ...

and actress

Mary Jo Deschanel Mary Jo Deschanel (née Weir; born November 25, 1945) is an American actress. She is known for roles in the film '' The Right Stuff'' and the television series ''Twin Peaks''. Life and career Deschanel was born as Mary Josephine Weir. Her ancest ...

(

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Weir). Her younger sister is actress and singer-songwriter

Zooey Deschanel Zooey Claire Deschanel (; born January 17, 1980) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She made her film debut in '' Mumford'' (1999) and had a supporting role in Cameron Crowe's film '' Almost Famous'' (2000). Deschanel is known for h ...

. Her paternal grandfather was French, from Oullins,

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

; her roots also include Swiss, Dutch, English, Irish, and other French ancestry. Deschanel attended

Harvard-Westlake School Harvard-Westlake School is an independent, co-educational university preparatory day school consisting of two campuses located in Los Angeles, California, with approximately 1,600 students enrolled in grades seven through twelve. Its two predec ...

and Crossroads School in Los Angeles before graduating from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

's Professional Actors Training Program with a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

in Theater.

Career

In 1994, Deschanel made her

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

debut in the romantic comedy-drama '' It Could Happen to You'', on which her father worked as chief cinematographer. Her next notable role was as Pam Asbury in

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

's horror miniseries '' Rose Red'' in 2002. Then she appeared in '' Cold Mountain'', '' The Alamo'', and ''

Glory Road ''Glory Road'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, originally serialized in ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (July – September 1963) and published in hardcover the same year. It was nominated for ...

'' and was named one of "six actresses to watch" by ''

Interview Magazine ''Interview'' is an American magazine founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol and British journalist John Wilcock. The magazine, nicknamed "The Crystal Ball of Pop", features interviews with celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thinke ...

'' in 2004. In 2005, Deschanel was cast as Dr. Temperance Brennan with

David Boreanaz David Paul Boreanaz ( born May 16, 1969) is an American actor, television producer, and director known for playing the roles of vampire-turned-private investigator Angel on The WB/UPN ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' supernatural drama (1997–2003 ...

as FBI agent Seeley Booth on the

crime procedural comedy-drama ''

'', based on the novels and the career of

forensic anthropologist Forensic anthropology is the application of the anatomical science of anthropology and its various subfields, including forensic archaeology and forensic taphonomy, in a legal setting. A forensic anthropologist can assist in the identification o ...

and author

Kathy Reichs Kathleen Joan Reichs (née Toelle, born 1950) is an American crime writer, forensic anthropologist and academic. She is an adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Early life and education Kathleen J ...

, created by

Hart Hanson Hart Hanson (born July 26, 1957) is an American-born television writer and producer, as well as an author. His family moved to Canada when he was a child. He received a B.A. from the University of Toronto and a MFA from the University of Britis ...

. The series ran for 12 seasons from September 13, 2005, to March 28, 2017. For her performance, she received a 2006 Satellite Award nomination and a 2007 Teen Choice Award nomination. Deschanel and Boreanaz served as co-producers at the start of the show's third season, before becoming producers in the middle of the show's fourth season. While ''Bones'' was still in production, Deschanel also played the Brennan character on a 2015 episode of '' Sleepy Hollow'' and a 2016 episode of ''

BoJack Horseman ''BoJack Horseman'' is an American adult animation, adult animated Black comedy, black Comedy drama, comedy-drama streaming television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F ...

''.

Deschanel, with

Alyson Hannigan Alyson Lee Hannigan (born March 24, 1974) is an American actress. After starting her career at age four with appearances in commercials, she moved to Hollywood at age 11 and soon got an agent. Hannigan began her film career with supporting r ...

Jaime King Jaime King (born April 23, 1979) is an American actress and model. In her modeling career and early film roles, she used the names Jamie King and James King, which was a childhood nickname given to King by her parents, because her agency alread ...

Minka Kelly Minka Kelly (born June 24, 1980) is an American actress and model. Her first starring role was in the NBC drama series '' Friday Night Lights'' (2006–2009) and she has also appeared on the shows '' Parenthood'' (2010–2011), ''Charlie's Ang ...

, and

Katharine McPhee Katharine Hope McPhee (born March 25, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. In May 2006, she rose to fame as the runner-up on the fifth season of ''American Idol.'' Her eponymous debut album was released on RCA Records on Janua ...

made a video

slumber party A sleepover is a social occasion where a young person stays at the home of a friend. Multiple people and/or friends may sleepover at the friend's home, typically a younger person will partake in a sleepover, however an adult or older person may s ...

featured on

FunnyorDie.com Funny or Die is a comedy video website and film/television production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a reg ...

to promote regular breast cancer screenings for the organization Stand Up 2 Cancer. In recent years, her passion for animal welfare has led her to providing the narration for ''My Child Is a Monkey'' and serving as an associate producer on the documentary film ''How I Became an Elephant''. Deschanel ranked number 72 in The 2012 Hot 100 on AfterEllen. Deschanel starred in the 2022

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

miniseries ''

Devil in Ohio ''Devil in Ohio'' is an American suspense thriller limited series created by Daria Polatin based on Polatin's book of the same name for Netflix. The series consists of eight episodes and was released on September 2, 2022. Plot summary Mae, a ...

''.

Personal life

Deschanel is a

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 ...

and a supporter of

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

causes. She has said she went vegan after watching the film ''

Diet for a New America ''Diet for a New America'' is a 1987 bestselling nonfiction book by John Robbins. The book links the impacts of factory farming on human health, animal welfare and the environment, in an "animal-rights, pro-environment, vegetarian message." It w ...

''. She can be seen in an ''

Access Hollywood ''Access Hollywood'', formerly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created ...

'' video at the book launch event of

Karen Dawn Karen Dawn is an American animal rights and welfare advocate and writer. Biography and work Karen Dawn was born in the United States and grew up and was schooled in Australia. She studied at the University of NSW — a science degree with a ...

's ''Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals'', discussing how

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...

and vegan diets help the environment, and a video on the homepage of the book's website talking about the importance of animal rights. She collaborated with

PETA Peta or PETA may refer to: Acronym * Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943 * People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization * People Eating Tasty Animals, an ...

on a video encouraging mothers to raise their children as vegans. In September 2014, she joined the board of directors at

Farm Sanctuary Farm Sanctuary is an American animal protection organization, founded in 1986 as an advocate for farmed animals. It was America's first shelter for farmed animals. It promotes laws and policies that support animal welfare, animal protection, a ...

. Deschanel was raised

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

but is no longer practicing and has expressed

agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...

views, saying "I am more of a spiritual person, if anything, and I am of the belief that we don't know, and I'm not going to pretend that I do." On September 25, 2010, Deschanel married ''

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed by McElhenney and Glenn Howerton that premiered on August 4, 2005 on FX and later FXX beginning with the ninth season in 2013. It stars Charlie ...

'' actor and writer

David Hornsby David Alan Hornsby (born December 1, 1975) is an American actor, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for a recurring role as defrocked priest Matthew "Rickety Cricket" Mara on the FX comedy series ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'', f ...

in a small private ceremony in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. On September 21, 2011, Deschanel gave birth to their first son. On June 8, 2015, she gave birth to their second son. Both pregnancies were written into ''Bones''. Deschanel is best friends with her ''Bones'' co-star

Michaela Conlin Michaela Conlin (born June 9, 1978) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Angela Montenegro on the Fox crime procedural comedy-drama '' Bones'' which she played from 2005 to 2017. She also known for her recurring roles in t ...

, who played her best friend Angela Montenegro on the show. She is also friends and has a strong working relationship with her ''Bones'' co-star

. In 2015, Deschanel filed suit against Fox alongside Boreanaz, Reichs and ''Bones'' executive producer Barry Josephson, claiming they were cheated out of their share of series profits. In February 2019, an arbitrator awarded them $179 million: $128 million in punitive damages, $32 million in compensatory damages, $10 million in prejudgment interest and more than $9 million in fees and costs. In May 2019, the Los Angeles Superior Court voided the punitive damages, with the plaintiffs' attorneys saying they would appeal. In September 2019, the parties came to an undisclosed settlement.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Deschanel, Emily 1976 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American agnostics American film actresses American people of Dutch descent American people of English descent American people of French descent American people of Irish descent American people of Swiss descent American television actresses Television producers from California American women television producers Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni Crossroads School alumni Former Roman Catholics Harvard-Westlake School alumni Living people American veganism activists