JoAnna García Swisher (''née'' García; born August 10, 1979) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Sam in '' Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' (1994–96), Vicki Appleby in '' Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2000), and Cheyenne Hart-Montgomery on

The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. ...

/ CW sitcom '' Reba'' (2001–07). She has also gained popularity with her acting roles in '' Privileged'' (2008–09), '' Better with You'' (2010–11), '' Animal Practice'' (2012), ''

Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in the ...

'' (2013–18), ''

The Astronaut Wives Club ''The Astronaut Wives Club'' is a 2015 American period drama television series developed by Stephanie Savage for ABC. It is based on Lily Koppel's 2013 book of the same name. The series tells the story of the wives of the Mercury Seven—America ...

'' (2015), and '' Sweet Magnolias'' (2020-present). García also stars as Lindsey Johnson in Hallmark Channel's ''As Luck Would Have It'' (2021).

Early life

García was born in

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, to Loraine, a homemaker and former elementary school teacher of Spanish descent, and Jay García (1945-2019), a

gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined area ...

from Cuba.Deggans, Eric
"'Reba' has a touch of Tampa"
''St. Petersburg Times'', February 1, 2002. She has one brother, Michael García. She began performing at age 10 when she auditioned for a local theater production and landed the lead.

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

discovered her, but her parents put school first and she acted in local plays to keep up with her passion. She was the homecoming queenJoanna García
at superiorpics.com at Florida's Tampa Catholic High School. Garcia is a devout Catholic.

Career

While in Florida, García guest starred in ''

seaQuest DSV ''SeaQuest DSV'' (stylized as ''seaQuest DSV'' and also promoted as simply ''seaQuest'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it ...

'', '' Second Noah'', and '' Superboy'' and several movies of the week. While attending high school, she was re-discovered by

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

and starred for three seasons as Samantha on '' Are You Afraid of the Dark?''. She commuted from Florida to Montreal, Canada, where the show was filmed. She was cast at the age of fifteen on the 1994 television drama '' Party of Five'', playing the recurring character Hallie. She had a recurring role on '' Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2000) portraying the character of Vicki Appleby, the popular freshman

cheerleader Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

who spent seven minutes in heaven with the ultimate geek, Bill Haverchuck ( Martin Starr). She then briefly attended college at

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority, but later quit school to pursue acting full-time, moving to Los Angeles, California. García went on to portray the character of Cheyenne Hart-Montgomery, Reba's (

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...

) oldest daughter on

/ CW sitcom '' Reba'' (2001–07). She was featured on the short-lived CBS comedy '' Welcome to the Captain''. Beginning in the fall of 2008, she starred as Megan Smith in the CW series ''Privileged'' (originally known as ''How to Survive the Filthy Rich''). On the big screen, García was seen in the comedy spoof ''

Not Another Teen Movie ''Not Another Teen Movie'' is a 2001 American teen parody film directed by Joel Gallen and written by Mike Bender, Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson, Phil Beauman, and Buddy Johnson. It features an ensemble cast including Chyler Leigh, Chris Eva ...

''. She has also appeared in the original television movies '' From the Earth to the Moon'' (1998) and ''Love's Deadly Triangle: The Texas Cadet Murder'' (1997). She also appeared in the

ABC Family The American cable television, cable and satellite television network that is now known as Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through several different owners (and s ...

original movie ''

The Initiation of Sarah ''The Initiation of Sarah'' is a 1978 American made-for-television supernatural horror film directed by Robert Day. It first aired on ABC on February 6, 1978, and starred Kay Lenz as a shy, withdrawn young woman who discovers that she has psychi ...

'', which premiered in October 2006. In 2008, she had a role in ''A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride'', playing Roxanne. She had a leading role in the

TV movie ''

Revenge of the Bridesmaids ''Revenge of the Bridesmaids'' is a 2010 ABC Family Original Movie that premiered on July 18, 2010. It stars Raven-Symoné as Abigail and Joanna García as Parker, undercover bridesmaids with a mission to break up a wedding. In addition, the film ...

''. In 2009, García had a recurring role on The CW drama '' Gossip Girl'' playing the role of Bree Buckley, an irreverent evil

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

-type who is politically progressive but from a conservative Southern family. She appeared in four episodes in season three. In December 2009, she guest starred as Maggie,

Ted Mosby Theodore Evelyn Mosby is a fictional character and the protagonist in the American sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'', portrayed by Josh Radnor. He serves as the show's narrator from the future, voiced by Bob Saget, as he tells his children the " ...

's college buddy on ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his ...

''. García starred in the ABC sitcom '' Better with You''. The show centers on two sisters who were at different points in their romantic relationships: one was unmarried and in a long-term relationship, and the other (García) got married after getting pregnant from a one-night stand. It was canceled on May 13, 2011. Garcia guest-starred on '' The Penguins of Madagascar'' in the episode "The Officer X Factor/Love Hurts", which aired on February 12, 2011. In 2012, Garcia appeared in four episodes of the

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

dramedy ''

Royal Pains ''Royal Pains'' (stylized ℞oyalPains) is an American comedy-drama television series that ran on the USA Network from 2009 to 2016. The series was based in part on actual concierge medicine practices of independent doctors and companies. The ca ...

'' as a nephrologist treating Jack O'Malley (

Tom Cavanagh Thomas Cavanagh (born October 26, 1963) is a Canadian actor. He is known for a variety of roles on American television, including starring roles in '' Ed'' (2000–2004), ''Love Monkey'' (2006) and '' Trust Me'' (2009), and recurring roles on ...

).Mitovich, Matt Webb (September 7, 2011)
Exclusive: JoAnna Garcia Scrubs In As Mysterious ''Royal Pains'' Doc
tvline.com In 2013, during season three of the series ''

'' she began playing the recurring role of the Ariel from '' The Little Mermaid''.

Personal life

In 2008, García became engaged to Trace Ayala, the personal assistant and childhood friend of

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

who co-founded the clothing company

William Rast William Rast is an American clothing line founded by Justin Timberlake and Trace Ayala. It is most known for their premium jeans. On October 17, 2006, Justin Timberlake and Trace Ayala put on their first fashion show to launch their new William R ...

. In August 2009, ''People'' magazine reported that García was dating baseball player Nick Swisher. They became engaged in May 2010, and married on December 11, 2010, at the Breakers Hotel & Resort in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoas ...

Bridesmaids Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party in a Western traditional wedding ceremony. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often a close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony. Traditi ...

for García included friends and fellow actresses Jamie-Lynn Sigler,

Melissa Peterman Melissa Margaret Peterman is an American actress and comedian. She has played the role of Barbra Jean in the television comedy series '' Reba'', appeared as Bonnie Wheeler in the ABC Family/ Freeform series ''Baby Daddy'', and was host of ABC Fami ...

, and

. Since her marriage, she has been credited as Joanna García Swisher. They have two daughters, one born in 2013 and the other in 2016.

Causes and interests

García volunteers as a teacher for children who are learning English as a second language. She is involved with the organization Make the Commitment, whose purpose is to raise awareness about

cervical cancer Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later symptoms may include abnormal ...

.TV Star Joanna Garcia Brings Nationwide Cervical Cancer Awareness Campaign to Chicago
, MakeTheConnection.org, 2005.TV Star Joanna Garcia Brings Nationwide Cervical Cancer Awareness Campaign to Miami
, MakeTheConnection.org, 2005.Rybak, Hollie (October 4, 2005)
Actress spreads awareness of cervical cancer at U. South Florida-area event
''The Oracle''. usforacle.com She has an organization called We Reach, a charity which has assembled an advisory board in the entertainment industry to help young girls around the country organize charity events in their hometowns. The charity also has the goal of empowering young women.

Filmography

Film

Television

Accolades

References

External links

*
JoAnna Garcia
at

Country Music Television Country Music Television (CMT) is an American pay TV network owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. Launched on March 5, 1983, as Country Music Television, CMT was the first nationally available channel devoted to coun ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swisher, JoAnna Garcia 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Tampa, Florida American child actresses American educators American entertainers of Cuban descent American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American Roman Catholics Catholics from Florida Florida State University alumni Hispanic and Latino American actresses Living people University of Florida alumni 1979 births