Jennette McCurdy

Jennette McCurdy was born in Garden Grove, California and has three older brothers. She gained interest in acting after watching Harrison Ford in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope right after her mother recovered from cancer. She started her acting career at the age of eight. In addition to supporting the Cody Waters Foundation, McCurdy was active in campaigns such as fighting climate change (she supports the World Wide Fund for Nature), stopping child soldiers (she is engaged in the Invisible Children Inc. group) and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. McCurdy did a PSA for Safe Kids USA which is aired on Nickelodeon and The N. McCurdy's first appearance was in 2000 on MADtv at eight years old. Since then she starred or guest starred in several television series, including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Malcolm in the Middle, Lincoln Heights, Will & Grace, Zoey 101 and True Jackson, VP. In 2003, she had the chance to act with her inspiration, Harrison Ford in the movie Hollywood Homicide. In 2005 she was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Television Series - Guest Starring Young Actress for her performance in Strong Medicine. Since 2007 she has had a starring role in the Nickelodeon TV series iCarly, as Carly's best friend Sam Puckett. In 2008 she was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her work on iCarly, and for her performance as Dory Sorenson in the TV movie The Last Day of Summer. She was nominated for a 2009 Teen Choice Award, in the Favorite TV Sidekick category for her work on iCarly. In June 2008, she announced on her official web site that she is working on her debut album. The first single, "So Close" was released on iTunes on March 10. The second single, "Homeless Heart", a cover of a song from Amanda Stott, was released on Tuesday, May 19. The song is for McCurdy's recently deceased friend Cody Waters, and 20% of proceeds were donated to the Cody Waters Foundation. She met Cody Waters through St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. On July 6, 2009, McCurdy announced on her official blog that she has signed a deal with Capitol Records Nashville.