Christina Applegate has been acting for her whole life. She has spent most of her childhood and adult life in front of the cameras and has shared incredible moments with her fans both on and off screen. She was born to parents who were prominent in the Hollywood scene; her father was a record producer and her mother was a singer and actress. She has Hollywood written all over her genes, and this has been apparent with each successful stride she made in her career.
Applegate played an iconic role in Married with Children, which in many ways was a groundbreaking role that changed the way television sitcoms were viewed. She made an award-winning appearance on Friends, and she struggled with some medical battles which she openly discussed with fans.
Christina Applegate took a break from the spotlight but has now returned with a powerful role in the Netflix series, Dead to Me, for which she has just received an Emmy nomination.
Christina Applegate Began Acting as a Baby
Christina Applegate was thrown into the Hollywood scene and in front of the cameras at a very young age. When she was just three-months-old, she appeared alongside her mother in the popular soap opera, Days of Our Lives. She went on to participate in various commercials on television, including one for Playtex Bottles and another for KMart.
Married with Children Released Her Inner Spirit
Applegate is best known for her role as Kelly Bundy on the sitcom Married with Children. She played the sexually promiscuous and highly rebellious role from 1987 to 1997, and this launched her to superstardom. She began to release her inner spirit and was able to transition from being what she described as a "dark kid" to the powerful, comedic actress that she is now known to be. The show enabled her to express herself more freely and truly unleashed her comedic capabilities.
Tattoo Revelations
Christina Applegate has always been very comfortable sharing a lot about her life in front of the cameras, and has gone on record describing the significance of each of her six tattoos... except for one. She has kept one of her ink creations close to her heart and has not discussed it with the press. Each carefully designed tattoo has a deep meaning, and she revealed to The List that they helped to keep her grounded. She stated, "My tattoos sort of reflect the things that are most important to me — protection, God, my mom."
Her Friends Role Wins Her an Award
Christina Applegate played many other roles during her long career in Hollywood, but one of the roles she is remembered for the most happens to be a short appearance on the set of Friends. She played Amy, the sister of Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), and she won an Emmy for it!
Cancer & Surgeries for Applegate
Christina Applegate took pause from her career and put all her energy into battling breast cancer. She is a breast cancer survivor who faced this serious health condition head-on, in a ferocious manner. Opting against radiation, she underwent a double mastectomy instead. That was enough to put her on edge and she worried about having to face this issue again in the future. After the birth of her daughter, Applegate had her fallopian tubes and ovaries removed as a preventative measure.
Becoming A Mom
Christina became a mom at the age of 39 when she welcomed her daughter, Sadie into the world. After her grueling battle with cancer, she credits motherhood for giving her new perspective, and a healthier, happier outlook on life. When speaking about her daughter, she said, "She's healed me in so many ways, she's just made my life so much better. She's opened my whole soul."
Dead to Me
Christina Applegate is now in another transformative leading role as she plays Jen on the Netflix hit series; Dead to Me. She stars alongside Linda Cardellini in this dark comedy which she credits for pulling her out of her semi-retired state.
This has been an impactful role for Applegate in many ways. Her character transitions through some difficult life moments, and while this was the initial appeal and connection that drew her to this role, it has also played a part in unearthing some of the issues she has needed to confront in her own life. "I've had times in my life that were so incredibly painful, and I, in other people's eyes, wasn't dealing with it the way I should have dealt with it," she revealed during an interview.
Christina Applegate has just been nominated for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series" for her role in Dead to Me, as she continues to trailblaze through another chapter of her successful role, both in life and in Hollywood.