Lacey Nicole Chabert (/ʃəˈbɛər/shə-BAIR; born September 30, 1982)[2] is an American actress. One of her first roles as a child actress was the part of Bianca Montgomery, the daughter of Erica Kane, on All My Children from 1992 to 1993. She gained further prominence for her portrayal of Claudia Salinger in the Fox television drama Party of Five (1994–2000).[3]
In film, she has appeared in Lost in Space (1998), Not Another Teen Movie (2001), and Daddy Day Care (2003); and had leading roles as Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls (2004), Meg Cummings in Dirty Deeds (2005), Dana Mathis in the horror remake Black Christmas (2006), and Penelope in the animated film All I Want for Christmas Is You (2017). Chabert has also appeared in more than 30 Hallmark Channel films.[4][5]
Chabert's extensive voice acting roles have included Eliza Thornberry in the Nickelodeon animated series The Wild Thornberrys (1998–2004) and the feature films The Wild Thornberrys Movie and Rugrats Go Wild; Meg Griffin during the first season of the animated sitcom Family Guy in 1999;[6] Mako in the video game Star Wars: The Old Republic, superhero Zatanna Zatara in DC Comics-related media, and Princess Elise in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
Early life
Lacey Nicole Chabert was born on September 30, 1982 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and raised in nearby Purvis.[7] Her father is Cajun from Louisiana.[8] She has a younger brother, Tony,[9] and an older sister, Chrissy.[10] Their oldest sister, Wendy, died of a heart attack in November 2021.[11][12][13][14] Lacey was "World's Baby Petite" in the "World's Our Little Miss Scholarship Competition" in 1985.[15] She also participated in beauty pageants as a child and was once named Miss Jr. Mississippi.[16]
Acting career
Some of Chabert's earliest roles were in television commercials for Burger King, TriaminicCough Syrup, Zest and Secret Beauties dolls.[17] In 1992–93, Chabert played the role of young Cosette in Les Misérables on Broadway. She appeared on The Broadway Kids' first album The Broadway Kids Sing Broadway (1994), where she sang her own solos on such songs as "The Girl I Mean to Be" (from The Secret Garden) and "Castle on a Cloud" (from Les Misérables).[17] In 1994, she landed the role of Claudia Salinger on the Fox network teen/family drama series Party of Five. The show centered on the five Salinger siblings, who are orphaned after their parents are killed in a car accident caused by a drunk driver.[18] The show received positive reviews and ran for six seasons, from September 12, 1994 to May 3, 2000.[19][20] She won The Hollywood Reporter's annual YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Drama TV Series in both 1997 and 1998 for Party of Five, and was nominated three other times for her work in 1999 to 2000. The YoungStar awards honor the best film, TV, and music performances made exclusively by 6- to 18-year-olds.
Chabert made her big-screen debut starring as Penny Robinson in Lost in Space (1998). She then had a supporting role as Amanda Becker in the parody film Not Another Teen Movie (2001), and provided the voice of Aleu, the title character's daughter, in Balto 2: Wolf Quest (2002).[6][21] In addition to her animation voice work as Eliza Thornberry from 1998–2004, Chabert was the voice of Meg Griffin, uncredited, on the first season of Family Guy in 1999, after which Mila Kunis took over the role when Chabert became too busy with schooling and her other work.
Chabert in 2007.
Chabert co-starred as Gretchen Wieners, the girl who tries to make her slang term "fetch" catch on, in the hit film Mean Girls (2004). She and her co-stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried went on to win the 2005 MTV Movie Award for "Best On-Screen Team". Chabert also played the title role in The Brooke Ellison Story, a 2004 television biopic produced and directed by Christopher Reeve, based on a real-life quadriplegic woman who overcame obstacles to graduate from Harvard University. Chabert then appeared in Hello Sister, Goodbye Life (2006) on ABC Family; had a role in a 2006 remake of the 1974 horror film Black Christmas, and in an episode of Ghost Whisperer opposite former Party of Five co-star Jennifer Love Hewitt. Her voice work in the second half of the decade included the roles of Princess Elise in the video game Sonic the Hedgehog and Gwen Stacy in The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series.
From 2013 to 2014, Chabert had a recurring role on the ABC Family sitcom Baby Daddy as Dr. Amy Shaw.[22] In 2015, she starred in the television film A Christmas Melody alongside Mariah Carey, Brennan Elliott, Kathy Najimy and Fina Strazza. It was viewed by 3.95 million people when it debuted on the Hallmark Channel on December 19, 2015.[23][24] In 2017, she provided her voice to the animated film All I Want for Christmas Is You, based on the book of the same title, written by Carey and Colleen Madden. The film also atars the voices of Carey, Breanna Yde and Henry Winkler.[25] She began 2018 with another Hallmark Channel original movie as part of its Valentine's Day Countdown.[citation needed]
In 2019, Chabert began starring in the Crossword Mysteries series on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel.[26] After several actors left the Hallmark Channel in 2022 to go to the new Great American Family network, Chabert voiced her allegiance to Hallmark, and signed a new contract allowing her to take on a larger role with the network, including producing some of her own movies.[27] Chabert portrayed marketing executive Josie Wilder in the network's romantic drama Sweet Carolina in 2021,[citation needed] in which Josie returns home and suddenly becomes her niece and nephew's guardian.[citation needed] Chabert wrote the film's story with Jonathan Prince and Michael Reisz.[citation needed]
In November 2023, Chabert starred in a Mean Girls-themed Black Friday commercial for Walmart, along with her original co-stars Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, Rajiv Surendra and Daniel Franzese.[28][29] A second commercial, titled "Gretchen's Wednesday", was entirely centered around Chabert's character Gretchen Wieners and her family life.[30] On November 27, 2023, it was announced that Chabert was working on an unscripted Hallmark project, Celebrations with Lacey Chabert, set to premiere in late 2024.[31] She will also be an executive producer of the series.[31] On May 13, 2024, Variety announced that Chabert has a lead role in the Netflix holiday film Hot Frosty.[32]Chabert stars as a widow who brings a snowman to life two years after losing her husband.[33]
Business ventures
In 2016, she wrote a blog series for People magazine's website, focusing on getting ready for her baby.[34][35] Chabert wrote about discovering that she was pregnant, learning that she was having a girl, and figuring out smart ways to hide her baby bump on film sets.[36]
In September 2022, Chabert launched her own apparel line with home shoppingtelevision networkHSN called the "Lacey Chabert Collection".[37][38] In an interview with InStyle, Chabert said: "I've always dreamed of having a clothing line."[39] The line includes jackets, jogger pants, leggings, socks, "Mommy & Me" dresses, and cardigans and is priced between $15.00 and $80.00.[37][40] Her first ready-to-wear collection for HSN was released in March 2024.[41]
In the media
Appearing in more than 30 Hallmark Channel films,[42] many of them holiday-themed, Chabert has been referred to as the 'Queen of Hallmark Christmas Movies'.[43][44][45] Chabert stated in an E! interview that, "one of the things I love about [working with Hallmark] is you're guaranteed a happy ending [...] I think in the world we're living in today, to be a part of a project that adds a little love and light and levity into the world is something I'm very proud of."[46] In February 2022, Chabert signed an exclusive multi-film deal with Hallmark Channel's parent company, Crown Media Family Networks.[47]
Chabert has been featured on numerous magazine covers, such as Stuff, People, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide[48] and Maxim.[49][50] She was on the cover of Maxim at age 31, and said, "I got the call from Maxim and then immediately put down the cupcake and ran to the gym."[51]
Chabert married her longtime boyfriend, David Nehdar, on December 22, 2013, in Los Angeles.[52] Chabert gave birth to their daughter in September 2016.[53]
Chabert, Lacey (October 26, 2020). "Lacey Chabert: Christmas Is Close to My Heart". Guideposts.
References
^Watkins, Billy (November 8, 2018). "Purvis' Lacey Chabert on hometown love and being queen of Hallmark Christmas movies". clarionledger.com. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
^Mendoza, N.F. (October 23, 1994). "The 'sparkle' that holds Fox's 'Party of Five' together is called Lacey". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
^Prahl, Amanda (November 5, 2021). "The 10 Actors You Always See in Hallmark Channel Movies". Popsugar.com.
^Lynne, Amanda (March 13, 2023). "How Many Hallmark Movies Has Lacey Chabert Actually Starred In?". The List. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
^ abEpstein, Daniel Robert. "Interview with Seth MacFarlane, Creator of the Family Guy". UGO.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
^Watkins, Billy (November 8, 2018). "Purvis' Lacey Chabert on hometown love and being queen of Hallmark Christmas movies". clarionledger.com. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
^"Vibe chat". Lacey Chabert.com. 1998. Archived from the original on December 16, 2006. Retrieved November 24, 2006.
^"Instagram post by Lacey Chabert". www.instagram.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^Neil, Shasha (January 14, 2023). "Lacey Chabert's 3 Siblings Ranked Oldest To Youngest". Oldest.org. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^"Lacey Chabert on recent death of her sister: 'I keep calling grief a journey'". TODAY.com. February 4, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^"Lacey Chabert Says Her 'Heart Aches So Deeply' 2 Months After Sister's Death: 'Incredibly Hard'". Peoplemag. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^Roy, Barsha (November 24, 2021). "How many siblings does Lacey Chabert have? 'Mean Girls' star reveals shocking death of sister Wendy". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^Lane, Liv (May 3, 2023). "Lacey Chabert Says She's Been Experiencing 'Terrible Anxiety'". Heavy.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^"Where Are They Now?". Ourlittlemiss.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
^Tube, Stage. "VIDEO: Lacey Chabert Talks About Being a Pageant Kid on LIVE WITH KELLY AND RYAN". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
^ ab"Lacey Chabert - Other works". IMDb. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^Strout, Paige (September 12, 2023). "'Party of Five' Cast: Where Are They Now?". Us Weekly. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^"Party of Five". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^"Party of Five - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^"Lacey Chabert interview by GameSpy (October 6, 2006)". Sonic Retro.
^Hack, Richard Steven (December 19, 2012). "ABC Family Casts Lacey Chabert and Grace Phipps to Guest Star in New Episodes of Original Series 'Baby Daddy'". TVbytheNumbers. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
^Parker, E (October 7, 2015). "Mariah Carey Directs 'A Christmas Melody' Movie In Time For The Holidays". CBS Radio. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
^Tietjen, Alexa. "Mariah Carey's Upcoming Hallmark Film A Christmas Melody Was Definitely Inevitable". VH1. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
^Tenreyro, Tatiana (September 6, 2017), "Mariah Carey Shares Adorable Trailer For Animated 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' Movie", Billboard, retrieved November 29, 2019
^"Crossword Mysteries: About the Movies". Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. August 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
^Jessica Rawden (December 25, 2022). "Lacey Chabert Shares How She Feels About Hallmark After Candace Cameron Bure Called It A 'Completely Different Network'". CinemaBlend.
^"Watch Mean Girls' Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert Reunite in Grool Video". E! Online. November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
^"'Mean Girls' Reunion! Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert Spotted Filming Secret Project". Peoplemag. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
^"Mean Girls Clip Reveals Who Gretchen Wieners Married". E! Online. November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
^ abRice, Lynette (November 27, 2023). "Lacey Chabert To Star In New Unscripted Program For Hallmark Media". Deadline. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
^Stephan, Katcy (May 13, 2024). "Lacey Chabert to Lead Netflix Holiday Rom-Com 'Hot Frosty'". Variety. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
^Pettibone, Kat (May 13, 2024). "Lacey Chabert Shifts From Hallmark to Netflix for Holiday Rom-Com". Us Weekly. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
^"Instagram post by Lacey Chabert". www.instagram.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^"Lacey Chabert's Blog: Getting Ready for Baby". Peoplemag. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^"Pretty in Pink! Inside Lacey Chabert's 'Feminine and Romantic' Nursery". Peoplemag. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^ ab"Lacey Chabert HSN". HSN. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
^"Lacey Chabert's First-Ever Clothing Collection Is So Fetch—and Includes Mommy & Me Looks". E! Online. September 12, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
^"Lacey Chabert's New HSN Clothing Collection Is Just as Joyful as Her Hallmark Movies". InStyle. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
^HSN. "Actress and Entrepreneur Lacey Chabert Launches First-Ever Apparel Collection Exclusively with HSN". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved January 29, 2023.
^"Get Ready Hallmark Fans, Because Lacey Chabert Announced an Exciting New Project". Good Housekeeping. March 20, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
^"The 10 Actors You Always See in Hallmark Channel Movies". November 5, 2021.
^Saurner, Lauren (December 17, 2019). "With Lori Loughlin disgraced, who's the new queen of Hallmark Christmas movies?". New York Post. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
^Gelman, Vlada (December 10, 2019). "Who's the Queen of Hallmark Holiday Movies? TVLine Crunches the Numbers". TV Line. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
^"Lacey Chabert – The Queen of Hallmark Movies". October 30, 2017. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
^"How Lacey Chabert Went from 'Mean Girls' to Hallmark Channel Movie Queen". May 22, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
^Petski, Denise (February 21, 2022). "Lacey Chabert Signs Multi-Picture Deal With Crown Media Family Networks". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
^"Instagram post by Lacey Chabert". www.instagram.com. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
^Fontoura, Maria (January 2007). "Jessica Hundley". Maxim Magazine Online. Archived from the original on January 20, 2007. Retrieved January 23, 2007.
^"Lacey Chabert Magazine Cover Photos - List of magazine covers featuring Lacey Chabert - FamousFix". FamousFix.com. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
^"Lacey Chabert: 'Nice girl next door' covers Maxim at 31". Los Angeles Times. October 3, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
^"Lacey Chabert Is Married". People. January 3, 2014.
^"Lacey Chabert Welcomes Daughter Julia Mimi Bella". People. September 8, 2016.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaa"Lacey Chabert (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 21, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
^Stephan, Katcy (May 13, 2024). "Lacey Chabert to Lead Netflix Holiday Rom-Com 'Hot Frosty'". Variety. Retrieved May 16, 2024.