Emily Deschanel
Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Emily Erin Deschanel (Template:IPAc-en; born October 11, 1976)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> is an American actress. She played Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan in the Fox crime procedural series Bones (2005–2017).
Early life and education
Emily Erin Deschanel was born in Los Angeles, California,<ref name=tvgborn>Template:Cite web</ref> to cinematographer and director Caleb Deschanel and actress Mary Jo Deschanel (née Weir). Her younger sister is actress and singer-songwriter Zooey Deschanel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her paternal grandfather was French, from Oullins, Rhône; her roots also include Swiss, Dutch, English, Irish, and other French ancestry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="lat">Template:Cite news</ref>
In elementary school, Deschanel was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Deschanel attended Harvard-Westlake School and Crossroads School in Los Angeles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1998, she graduated from the Boston University College of Fine Arts.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref>
Career
In 1994, Deschanel made her feature film debut in the romantic comedy-drama It Could Happen to You, on which her father worked as chief cinematographer. Her next notable role was as Pam Asbury in Stephen King's horror miniseries Rose Red in 2002. Then she appeared in Cold Mountain, The Alamo, and Glory Road and was named one of "six actresses to watch" by Interview Magazine in 2004.
In 2005, Deschanel was cast as Dr. Temperance Brennan on the Fox crime procedural comedy-drama Bones, based on the novels and the career of forensic anthropologist and author Kathy Reichs, created by Hart Hanson. The series ran for 12 seasons from September 13, 2005, to March 28, 2017. For her performance, she received a 2006 Satellite Award nomination and a 2007 Teen Choice Award nomination. Deschanel and co-star David Boreanaz served as co-producers at the start of the show's third season, before becoming producers in the middle of the show's fourth season. While Bones was still in production, Deschanel also played the Brennan character on a 2015 episode of Sleepy Hollow and a 2016 episode of BoJack Horseman.
Deschanel, with Alyson Hannigan, Jaime King, Minka Kelly, and Katharine McPhee made a video slumber party featured on FunnyorDie.com to promote regular breast cancer screenings for the organization Stand Up 2 Cancer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In recent years, her passion for animal welfare has led her to providing the narration for My Child Is a Monkey and serving as an associate producer on the documentary film How I Became an Elephant.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Deschanel ranked number 72 in The 2012 Hot 100 on AfterEllen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Deschanel starred in the 2022 Netflix miniseries Devil in Ohio.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Activism
Deschanel is a vegan and a supporter of animal rights causes. She has said she went vegan after watching the film Diet for a New America.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She can be seen in an Access Hollywood video at the book launch event of Karen Dawn's Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals, discussing her belief that vegetarian and vegan diets help the environment, and a video on the homepage of the book's website talking about the importance of animal rights.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She collaborated with PETA on a video encouraging mothers to raise their children as vegans.<ref>"Emily Deschanel promotes vegan diet," Winnipeg Free Press, 9 May 2013.</ref> In September 2014, she joined the board of directors at Farm Sanctuary.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="LAT_Farm_Sanctuary">Template:Cite news</ref>
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Personal life
Deschanel was raised Roman Catholic but is no longer practicing and has expressed agnostic views, saying "I am more of a spiritual person, if anything, and I am of the belief that we don't know, and I'm not going to pretend that I do."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On September 25, 2010, Deschanel married It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor and writer David Hornsby in a small private ceremony in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On September 21, 2011, Deschanel gave birth to their first son.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On June 8, 2015, she gave birth to their second son.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2015, Deschanel, alongside Boreanaz, Reichs and Bones executive producer Barry Josephson, filed suit against Fox claiming they were cheated out of their share of series profits.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In February 2019, an arbitrator awarded them $179 million: $128 million in punitive damages, $32 million in compensatory damages, $10 million in prejudgment interest and more than $9 million in fees and costs. In May 2019, the Los Angeles Superior Court voided the punitive damages, with the plaintiffs' attorneys saying they would appeal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September 2019, the parties came to an undisclosed settlement.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In January 2025, Emily and Zooey Deschanel's childhood home was destroyed in Pacific Palisades due to the events of the January 2025 Southern California wildfires and the Palisades Fire.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | It Could Happen to You | Animal rights activist | |
| 2000 | It's a Shame About Ray | Maggie | Short film |
| 2003 | Easy | Laura Harris | |
| Cold Mountain | Mrs. Morgan | ||
| 2004 | Template:Sortname | Rosanna Travis | |
| Spider-Man 2 | Receptionist | Cameo | |
| Old Tricks | Woman | Short film | |
| 2005 | Boogeyman | Kate Houghton | |
| Mute | Claire | Short film | |
| That Night | Annie | Short film | |
| 2006 | Glory Road | Mary Haskins | |
| 2007 | Template:Sortname | Maggie | Short film |
| 2009 | My Sister's Keeper | Dr. Farquad | |
| 2011 | Template:Sortname | Shannon Cleary<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2015 | Unity | Narrator | Documentary |
| 2023 | Big Boys | Nicole | Feature |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Template:Sortname | Maude Allyn | Television movie |
| 2002 | Rose Red | Pam Asbury | 3 episodes; Miniseries |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Cassie Germaine | Episode: "Surveillance" | |
| Providence | Annie Franks | 2 episodes | |
| 2003 | Template:Sortname | Sam | Television movie |
| 2004 | Crossing Jordan | Michelle | Episode: "All the News Fit to Print" |
| 2005–2017 | Bones | Temperance Brennan | Main role; also producer; Director: "The Hope in the Horror" |
| 2009 | Tit for Tat | Emily | Episode: "The Booby Scare" |
| 2010–2011 | Template:Sortname | Julia Roberts (voice) | Episode: "Cleveland Live!" |
| Herself (voice) | Episode: "Hot Cocoa Bang Bang" | ||
| 2012 | American Dad! | Temperance Brennan (voice) | Episode: "Less Money, Mo' Problems" |
| 2014; 2019 | Drunk History | Babe Didrikson Zaharias / Marina Raskova | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Sleepy Hollow | Temperance Brennan | Episode: "Dead Men Tell No Tales" |
| 2016 | BoJack Horseman | Herself (voice) | Episode: "Love And/Or Marriage" |
| 2018 | The Simpsons | Herself (voice) | Episode: "Bart's Not Dead" |
| 2019 | Animal Kingdom | Angela | Recurring role (Season 4)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2019 | Superstore | Herself (voice) | Episode: "Employee App" |
| 2021 | The Rookie | Sarah Nolan | Episode: "Brave Heart" |
| 2022 | Devil in Ohio | Dr. Suzanne Mathis | 8 episodes; Miniseries |
Awards and nominations
In May 2025, Deschanel delivered the commencement speech for her alma mater, Boston University, and received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts.<ref name=":0" />
References
External links
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- Pages with broken file links
- 1976 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Actresses from Los Angeles
- American agnostics
- American film actresses
- American people of Dutch descent
- American people of English descent
- American people of French descent
- American people of Irish descent
- American people of Swiss descent
- American television actresses
- American veganism activists
- Women veganism activists
- American women television producers
- Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni
- Crossroads School alumni
- Former Roman Catholics
- People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Harvard-Westlake School alumni
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