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Neve Campbell
You always knew when she was pissed off–this sullen darkness would come over her face. She wouldn’t complain, but you knew she was upset.
— Christian Campbell, on his sister, Neve
IN 1995, Time magazine dubbed Canadian-born actress Neve (rhymes with “rev”) Campbell “TV’s most believable teenager,” listing her side by side with Bart Simpson’s feisty, forgetful granddad, Abraham J. Simpson, as one of six bright lights in the vast wasteland of network television. Ever the pragmatist, Campbell didn’t let the distinction go to her head. “People started calling up and congratulating me,” she later told one interviewer, “and all I could think of was, ‘My picture’s next to Grandpa Simpson.’ I mean, Grandpa Simpson’s awesome, but you can’t take it too seriously.” Campbell, who played brainy, responsible Julia Salinger on the long-running Fox drama Party of Five, does take one thing very seriously: her acting career. During Party of Five’s six-year run, she frequently put in 18-hour days on the set; and during her summer hiatuses, she made movies. Many small-screen stars struggle to trade in the grueling work schedule and character stereotyping of a hit television series for the less hectic schedule and character variety to be found in film, only to discover that finding a solid breakout film role is no easy task. But Campbell struck box-office gold on her second outing, in the lead role of the sleeper 1996 hit Scream, horror director Wes Craven’s tongue-in-cheek homage to slasher flicks.
Performing is all in the family for Campbell, whose Dutch-descended mother and Scottish father met on an acting job. Though her parents split up shortly after she was born, they were in full support of Campbell when she decided, after taking in a performance of The Nutcracker at the age of 6, that she wanted to learn ballet. Three years of private lessons paid huge dividends when the prestigious National Ballet of Canada, which takes on only a handful of new students from among the thousands who apply each year, accepted the 9-year-old Campbell. The young dancer studied with the company for five years before the intense demands on her time and her gifts became too much for her to bear. “I basically had a nervous breakdown,” Campbell has since recalled of the extreme performance pressures that caused her to give up ballet and follow the generally less mentally and physically taxing pursuit of acting. Quite understandably, having the words “Spent five years with the National Ballet” on her résumé helped the aspiring thespian win a role in a Toronto production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera just months after she had hung up her toe-shoes. At 15, Campbell was the youngest member of the cast, and she ended up staying on for two years and 800 performances.
Canadian television producers came knocking after Campbell bid Phantom a fond adieu, and the next couple of years witnessed her appearances in several commercials, a handful of television movies, and a Canadian feature film, Paint Cans. South of the border, audiences got their first good look at the beguiling ingenue in 1994, when MTV aired several episodes of the Canadian TV series Catwalk, a show Campbell had walked out on after a single season because she felt her character had become little more than a sex-fiend. That same year, she appeared in a lead role in the NBC movie I Know My Son Is Alive, alongside American television veterans (and real-life couple) Corbin Bernsen and Amanda Pays. NBC producers subsequently persuaded their young discovery to fly out to Southern California to get a better feel for the American television industry. Within weeks of arriving in Los Angeles, Campbell beat out 300 other hopefuls to secure a role in a Fox pilot about four siblings and their baby brother who must raise themselves after their parents die in an accident. Thanks largely to Campbell’s fetching, fresh-faced looks and the hunky appeal of co-stars Matthew Fox and Scott Wolf, Party of Five became a staple for the all-important youth demographic, and survived several threatened cancellations to become one of the most popular drama series on TV.
In addition to scoring points with starry-eyed teens, Party of Five’s cast members impressed critics across the nation with the caliber of their acting, and, before long, Hollywood producers came calling. Wisely, Campbell opted not to complicate her graduation to the silver screen by stretching her abilities. For her role in 1996’s The Craft, she switched from playing an angst-ridden teen who must cope with such everyday problems as unwanted pregnancy and family alcoholism to playing an angst-ridden teen who must cope with such everyday problems as witchcraft and levitation. Opening atop the heap at the late-spring box office, The Craft scored a modest success, which properly primed audiences for the Yuletide release of Campbell’s next screen vehicle, the blood-soaked Scream. Once again, Campbell played it safe, taking on the role of yet another angst-ridden teen, this one preyed upon by a serial killer with a yen for horror movie conventions. Veteran director Wes Craven surrounded Campbell with a bevy of pretty faces (including those of Drew Barrymore, Courteney Cox, and Skeet Ulrich); screenwriter Kevin Williamson loaded the script with sarcastic one-liners; and — ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom! — teens everywhere flooded into theaters for a bit of good old-fashioned sex appeal and stabbing.
Ever since she Scream-ed her lungs out in theaters across America, Campbell’s career has been on the fast track, both on the small and big screens. Apart from her Party of Five tenure (which ended in 2000), she returned to theaters in the imaginatively titled sequel to Scream, Scream 2, in which she co-starred with fellow lovelies Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jada Pinkett Smith. She next teamed with Kevin Bacon and Matt Dillon for Wild Things, a twisty modern noir that positioned Campbell as an oversexed white-trash teen; with Mike Myers and Salma Hayek for the disco-era homage 54; and with fellow TV titans Matthew Perry and Dylan McDermott for the unimaginative 1999 romantic comedy Three to Tango. Scream 3 hit theaters in early 2000.
Unfortunately, Campbell’s personal life hasn’t been quite as smooth-sailing: in July 1997, she separated from her husband of two years, actor Jeff Colt; the couple divorced the following May. She is currently keeping company with fellow thesp John Cusack.
Occupation: Actress, Dancer
Date of Birth: October 3, 1973
Place of Birth: Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Sign: Sun in Libra, Moon in Capricorn
Relations: Ex-husband: Jeffrey Colt (actor); father: Gerry (drama coach); mother: Marnie Neve (yoga instructor); brother: Christian (actor); half-brothers: Alex, Damian; companion: John Cusack
Education: High school
Fan Mail: C/O Creative Artists Agency
9830 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
USA
Neve Campbell: Credits
MOVIES
Actor
Drowning Mona — 2000
Scream 3 — 2000
Three to Tango — 1999
Wild Things — 1998
54 — 1998
Scream 2 — 1997
The Craft — 1996
Scream — 1996
Love Child — 1995
Paint Cans — 1994
The Dark — 1994
TV
Saturday Night Live — 1997 (Host)
The Canterville Ghost — 1996 (Movie)
Mad TV — 1995 (Appearance)
Are You Afraid of the Dark? — 1994 (Series, Appearance)
Baree: The Wolf Dog — 1994 (Movie)
Party of Five — 1994 - 2000 (Series)
I Know My Son is Alive — 1994 (Movie)
The Forget-Me-Not Murders — 1994 (Movie)
Web of Deceit — 1993 (Movie)
Catwalk — 1992 - 1993 (Series)
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues — 1992 (Series, Appearance)
Kids in the Hall — 1989 (Series)
Campbell, Neve Web sites
The Danish Neve Campbell Page
News, biography, articles, films, gallery, multimedia, links, tributes, message board and more.
http://www.nevecampbell.dk/
Last reviewed by hvrijsse
Celebrity Spotlight: Neve Campbell
Information about Neve movies. Also includes some exclusive pictures.
http://www.hollywood.com/pressroom/events/campbell…
Last reviewed by Pallas11
Columbia Tristar: Party of Five
Dedicated to the show and its stars, the page contains a chat, multimedia, headlines, special features and more.
http://www.spe.sony.com/tv/shows/party/
Last reviewed by ccrowe21
Neve Online
Current news about Neve Campbell, star of Party of Five and the Scream movies. Lots of information about the actress with photos, audio and video clips, and more.
http://www.neveonline.com/
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
1440 Media: Neve Campbell
Filmography, mailing list, and picture gallery. Also featuring the Julia Salinger School of Acting.
http://www.radiofree.com/profiles/neve_campbell/
Last reviewed by ehtangelder
Absolute Celebrities: Neve Campbell
Includes biography, filmography, links, and pictures.
http://www.absolutecelebrities.com/neve/
Last reviewed by Pallas11
Ace Celebrities: Neve Campbell
Site promotes Campbell through a biography of her career, pictures from various magazines, a filmography, and related articles.
http://www.acecelebrities.com/Celebrities/C/Neve_C…
Last reviewed by hvrijsse
All Neve Campbell
Includes six galleries, also a biography and filmography.
http://www.all-celebrities.com/neve/
Last reviewed by Pallas11
Jon’s Neve Campbell Site
Fan site provides pictures of the actress.
http://conceptdesign.simplenet.com/model/neve/
Last reviewed by hvrijsse
Mike Cahill’s Neve Campbell Page
Plenty of pictures, links, a newsletter, chat, biography, articles and interviews.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/2070/neve1….
Last reviewed by hvrijsse
Mr. Showbiz Celebrities: Neve Campbell Profile
Photo, bio, news, and credits.
http://mrshowbiz.go.com/people/nevecampbell/
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
Neve Campbell Online
Articles, interviews, audio clips, filmography, and more.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Studio/6575/
Last reviewed by hvrijsse
Neve Campbell Web Domain
A biogaphy, links, news, contact information and of course pictures on this fan site.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Cinema/5565/
Last reviewed by hvrijsse
Neve Campbell World
Find pictures, news, and information on the famous Candian princess Neve Campbell.
http://www.geocities.com/super_model_picture_galle…
Last reviewed by nickky658
Neve Campbell: Canadian Princess
Pictures, biography, interviews, fan club information, plus a link to the Tourette Syndrome Association.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/4253/neve…
Last reviewed by hvrijsse
Neve Heaven
Pictures, interviews, news, biography, links and contacts for the actress are all included on this fan site.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/8595/
Last reviewed by hvrijsse
Sortrack’s Neve Campbell Site
Extensive collection of categorized photos.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/4114/neve.h…
Last reviewed by hvrijsse
Photo Gallery-
Topics: Actress, Celebrities
Tags: Canadian feature, Celebrity Spotlight, Christian Campbell, National Ballet, Nutcracker, silver screen, Simpson's feisty, Tango, Wes Craven's
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