Freddie Prinze Jr. biography

Synopsis

Born on March 8, 1976, in Los Angeles, California, Freddie Prinze Jr. pursued acting after high school and appeared on the television sitcom Family Matters. His first major film success was I Know What You Did Last Summer, which led to star roles in several teen romantic comedies. He married his Scooby-Doo co-star, Sarah Michelle Gellar, in 2002. They have one child.

Early Life

Freddie James Prinze Jr. was born on March 8, 1976, in Los Angeles, California. Prinze is best known as a leading man in commercially successful teen films.

Prinze's father, Freddie Prinze Sr., was a popular television actor who appeared as a mechanic on the hit series Chico and the Man. Prinze's parents divorced when he was still an infant, and in 1977, his father committed suicide while under the influence of prescription drugs. Prinze Sr. was only 22 years old.

Freddie Prinze Jr. attended high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but shortly after graduating, he headed to Hollywood to pursue an acting career.

Commercial Success

Not long after relocating to California, Prinze made appearances on the television series Family Matters and the ABC Afterschool Special Too Soon For Jeff. Prinze's film debut came in 1996, with the little-remembered To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, also starring Claire Danes.

In 1997, Prinze won a supporting role in the dark comedy House of Yes. But it was later that year that Prinze got his big break in the hugely popular horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer. The movie spawned a sequel the following year that met with equal commercial success.

Beginning in 1999, Prinze starred in a string of romantic films aimed at the teen demographic, including She's All That (1999), Down to You (2000), Boys and Girls (2000), Summer Catch (2001) and Scooby-Doo.

Personal Life

After rumors of a secret Vegas wedding, Prinze officially married his Scooby-Doo co-star, Sarah Michelle Gellar, in September 2002.