Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American film and television actress, producer.
Garner was born in Houston, Texas to Patricia Ann English (a teacher) and William Jack Garner, a chemical engineer; she is the middle child between two sisters, Melissa Garner Wiley (born in 1969) and Susannah Garner Carpenter (born in 1975). When she was four years old, her father’s job with Union Carbide forced the family to relocate to Charleston, West Virginia, where Garner lived until her college years.
In 1990, Garner graduated from George Washington High School in Charleston, West Virginia, where she played the saxophone. She also studied ballet for nine years before enrolling at Denison University to study chemical engineering. Upon realizing that she enjoyed stage acting more than science, Garner changed her major to drama. Garner graduated from Denison in 1994, and planned to continue her drama education at Yale University. However, keen for experience, she visited a friend in New York City in 1995 and decided to take her chances in theatre.
