Kaley Christine Cuoco (pronounced /ˈkeɪliː ˈkwoʊkoʊ/; born November 30, 1985)[1] is an American television actress. She is best known for her roles as Bridget Hennessy on the sitcom 8 Simple Rules, Brandy Harrington on Brandy & Mr. Whiskers, Billie Jenkins on the supernatural drama series Charmed, and Penny on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.[1]
Cuoco was born in Camarillo, California,[1] to Gary Carmine Cuoco, an Oxnard, California, realtor, and Layne Ann Wingate, a homemaker. She has a younger sister, Briana Kaley was educated on sets and earned her high school diploma at the age of 16. She has many pets, including a Jack Russell Terrier named Raquel.[2]
Cuoco began modeling and acting at age 6. Her first major role was in the 1992 TV movie Quicksand: No Escape. Her role as Maureen McCormick in the 2000 TV movie Growing Up Brady brought her much attention, as well as a role on the CBS sitcom Ladies Man. In 2004, in addition to her role on 8 Simple Rules where she played a teenager, she has had starring roles on the NBC miniseries 10.5, on the ABC Family original movie Crimes of Fashion, and in the independent film Debating Robert Lee.[1] In 2000 she starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Alley Cats Strike.
Cuoco was named #78 on FHM-Us' 100 Sexiest Women in 2005 and #21 in 2008.[3] She began voicing the character of Brandy Harrington on the Disney Channel's cartoon, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, later in 2004.
Cuoco played Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules. Bridget was the eldest child, despite Cuoco being six years younger than her on-screen little sister (Amy Davidson), and was portrayed as "the most beautiful girl in the school." She had several boyfriends throughout the series and used her feminine wiles to exert significant control over the boys she encountered.
In the eighth season of the hit cult TV show Charmed Cuoco appeared as Billie Jenkins. Executive producer Brad Kern stated Kaley's character was initially brought in as a possible spin-off. In 2004, Cuoco co-starred in the movie The Hollow with stars Nick Carter and Kevin Zegers.
In September 2007, Cuoco began a starring role in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. She plays Penny, a beautiful and down-to-earth Cheesecake Factory employee who moves in next door to two geeks, Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki). In the show, she moved to California from Omaha to pursue a career in acting.
Cuoco also starred in the Lifetime film To Be Fat Like Me which premiered on January 8, 2007.[4] She also played a minor role in the Prison Break episodes "The Message" and "Chicago" as well as taking the leading female role in the horror movie Killer Movie in 2008.
Cuoco currently lives in San Fernando Valley, California, with her German Shepherd named Duke and her Chihuahua-Dachshund mix named Petey. She enjoys horseback riding, kickboxing, bowling, and playing the drums. One of her favorite hobbies is table tennis. On Ellen, she presented Ellen with a table tennis paddle signed by The Big Bang Theory cast. She was a nationally ranked amateur tennis player, a hobby she took up when she was three years old,[1] until she switched to acting full time with 8 Simple Rules in 2002. She is "newly single", as she said on an interview with Maxim Magazine US in the March 2010 edition.
