Pretty, dark-haired actress Jessica Biel impressed viewers with her realistic portrayal of teenager Mary Camden, the mostly level-headed eldest daughter of a progressive minister, on The WB’s family drama “7th Heaven” (1996- ). A familiar face to the teen set through her work on the popular series and her numerous magazine covers, Biel was cast opposite heartthrob Jonathan Taylor Thomas in the 1998 holiday film “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”, playing his well-grounded and assertive girlfriend Allie. Her first film role was in “Ulee’s Gold” (1997), starring Peter Fonda, in which she played Fonda’s troubled granddaughter Casey, a departure from her “7th Heaven” role.
