Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City. She made her screen debut in the television adaptation of Danielle Steel's romance novel Zoya in 1995. She had guest television appearances and supporting film roles, as well as a featured role on the teen drama television series Time of Your Life (1999–2000) and a supporting role in the war drama Pearl Harbor (2001). Garner gained recognition for her leading performance as CIA officer Sydney Bristow in the ABC spy-action thriller television series Alias (2001–2006). For her work on the series, she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress – Television Series Drama and the Screen A...