Sara Paxton

To take a page from Sara Paxton's 2009 CW drama series, the actress truly lived "The Beautiful Life." She started acting and modeling at a young age, and received her first Emmy nomination at age 16. Paxton went from playing a spoiled teen on "Darcy's Wild Life" (Discovery Kids, 2004-06) to an ethereal mermaid in "Aquamarine" (2006) to a brutalized victim in "The Last House on the Left" (2009) with the ease of a seasoned actress. It was no surprise Paxton looked up to Goldie Hawn and Reese Witherspoon, two versatile blonde beauties equally adept at drama and comedy - something Paxton aspired to emulate.

Sara Paxton was born on April 25, 1988 in Woodland Hills, CA. She was the only child of Lucia, a dentist, and Steve, a businessman. Her father was a distant relative of actor Bill Paxton. The future star began modeling and acting at a young age, appearing at age eight in the Jim Carrey comedy "Liar, Liar" (1997) as a young child at a party. She graduated from El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills in 2006 before pursuing a full time acting career.

During the early 2000s, Paxton began appearing in television commercials and musical theater. Even at a young age, the actress proved her versatility, landing roles on the popular teen series "Lizzie McGuire" (Disney Channel, 2001-04), as well as the daytime soap opera, "Passions" (NBC, 1999-2008). Her first recurring role fell into her lap in 2002 when she was cast as Sarah Tobin on the short-lived sitcom, "Greetings From Tucson" (WB, 2002 - 2003).

Two years after "Greetings From Tucson," Paxton's career took off full throttle. She was cast alongside teen heartthrob Jesse McCartney in "Summerland" (WB, 2004-05). Paxton played McCartney's obsessive and troubled girlfriend Sarah Borden in a meaty role that truly showed she could do more than just be "the girl-next-door." Unfortunately, teen fans also resented Paxton's character, as she was responsible for taking pin-up boy McCartney's virginity on the show. Next up was the film "Sleepover" (2002), where she played Stacie, another mean girl who made life impossible for its star, Alexa Vega.

While Paxton was great as a supporting character, the Discovery Kids Channel saw her potential as a series lead. In 2004, the San Fernando Valley local - and admitted shopaholic - starred in "Darcy's Wild Life," about a rich girl from Malibu who relocates to a rural farm. The role earned Paxton an Emmy nomination in 2006. While in the middle of filming "Darcy," the actress joined fellow teen stars Emma Roberts (niece of Julia Roberts) and Joanna "JoJo" Levesque in Australia to film the coming-of-age comedy, "Aquamarine." Paxton played the title role, a mermaid who helps two young girls understand true friendship and how to deal with the heartbreak of boys over one magical summer. Not surprisingly, the mermaid role was compared to Darryl Hannah's Madison in "Splash" (1984), but Paxton held her own with her predecessor's comedic charm and megawatt smile.

After a few more comedic film projects, including the Snow White-inspired "Sydney White" (2007) and the spoof "Superhero Movie" (2008), Paxton moved on to her darkest project to date - "The Last House on the Left," playing Mari Collingwood, a young woman who gets kidnapped and victimized by a deranged gang of prison escapees. The horrifying film was a remake of Wes Craven's 1972 version, and Paxton's role was physically and mentally draining. "It was definitely a challenge when I read the script, I was looking for a challenge at the time," she said. "I'd just finished doing 'Aquamarine' and 'Sydney White' and those were really fluffy, light-hearted comedies. I never wanted to be put in any kind of box because that's really depressing to me to always be playing the same thing."

While acting was her first love, Paxton also dabbled in music. She recorded the single "Connected" for the "Aquamarine" soundtrack, as well as worked with actor-singer and fellow teen sensation, Drake Bell, for the "Superhero Movie" title track, "Superhero Song." Paxton - who always remarked in interviews how important college was to her - applied to the University of Southern California's film studies program in 2006. She expressed interest in starting a production company when she finished school. But in the meantime, Paxton continued brightening up the small screen by starring in the ensemble drama, "The Beautiful Life," alongside Mischa Barton and Corbin Bleu. The series followed a group of models living and working in New York City, but was unfortunately cancelled shortly after only two episodes.