A successful Canadian actress - yes that is what Natasha Henstridge is all about. She was born August 15, 1974, in Springdale, Newfoundland, Canada, to a housewife mother and a biker/contractor father. At the age of 14 Henstridge went to Paris to start a career in modeling after being first runner up in the worldwide Look of the Year contest, sponsored by the Casablanca Modeling Agency, who also has represented Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell. At age 15 she was the model for a number of beauty products like Oil of Ulay, Old Spice and also the cover model for Cosmopolitan.
However this was not allw hat she wated. She got the recognition as a successful and beautiful model but she was nit satisfied with it at all. Like so many other model-turned-actresses before her, Henstridge grew tired of being just another pretty face and craved a more intellectually stimulating career. She left the runways of Paris for the lights of Hollywood and never looked back. At 21, Henstridge beat out hundreds of other doe-eyed hopefuls when she was cast in Species for MGM. The studio was so confident in Henstridge's star quality that even before the film's debut, they signed the gray-eyed, statuesque beauty to a three-picture deal. Henstridge's parents, though thrilled with their daughter's success, were somewhat apprehensive about the nude scenes that the role required. "Can't you do Disney films?" they asked her at the time. But Henstridge, comfortable with her body from years of modeling, recognized this as a role that would get her noticed.
She was right. Species took in over $100 million at the box office, making Henstridge a hot property, albeit only temporarily. She was edged out for roles in blockbusters including Independence Day, Men in Black and L.A. Confidential and the roles she did land in Maximum Risk, Adrenalin and Standoff were as forgettable as the films themselves.
In 1998, Henstridge returned as an extraterrestrial in Species II playing Eve, a kinder, gentler alien cloned from Sil's offspring and used as bait to lure yet another errant alien wreaking havoc on earth. Much to Henstridge's disappointment, the sequel did not fare nearly as well as the original and she found herself tackling the Hollywood audition process all over again. Roles in lesser known films such as Bela Donna, Dog Park, Kill You Twice and It Had to Be You kept Henstridge busy and bankrolled, but did little to raise her profile. Guest spots in television shows including Homeboys in Outer Space, The Outer Limits and a voice cameo in Comedy Central's South Park also went all but unnoticed. Rumors had Henstridge cast as a Bond girl in Tomorrow Never Dies but it never came to pass.
Then came the comedy hit The Whole Nine Yards, in which she played mob moll Cynthia Tudeski. Her turn as the estranged wife of a hit man (played by Bruce Willis) who manages to charm her way out of getting whacked and falls in love with Matthew Perry in the process, garnered critical praise and put Henstridge back on the short list for casting agents.
In 2000 Henstridge appeared in the Ben Affleck/Gywneth Paltrow romantic comedy, Bounce. Her small but pivotal role as the woman for whom Affleck, in the hopes of having a fling, gives up his seat on an ill-fated flight to another passenger, further increased her momentum.
In addition to Ghosts of Mars, Henstridge completed no fewer than five films including Second Skin, Kevin of North, The Judith Exner Story, Riders and the TV movie Beauty and Power. If that weren't enough, she's also got an energetic toddler to take care of. Three years ago, the now 27-year-old Henstridge gave up the Hollywood party scene to become a mum. Tristan River Waite, a healthy baby boy, was born on October 14, 1998. His father is actor Liam Waite, Henstridge's fiancé of the last few years and co-star in Ghosts of Mars and Second Skin.
The happy couple met when Henstridge was on a blind date with one of Waite's friends. So far, they're in no rush to get married and are happy just basking in the joys of parenthood. Henstridge was briefly married once before to actor Damien Chapa in 1996 when the two eloped to Las Vegas after a six-month courtship. The impulsive union lasted less than a year after which Chapa sued her for spousal support. Five years later, Henstridge claims she holds no grudges, calls Chapa her friend and writes off the whole experience as being a little too young and "wild at heart." A reason not unlike the one she gives for her two tattoos; on her derriere a bearded lion wearing a crown (she's a Leo) from her own design and on her tailbone, a male and female symbol intertwined, both of which she says were "From when I was young and stupid."
Now a little bit older and a little bit wiser, Henstridge prefers the simple life to that of L.A.'s fast pace. Happily settled in L.A.'s rustic Hollywood Hills with fiancé and sons (Tristan and Asher), Henstridge is perfectly content playing house and waiting for the scripts to come in, which they have done.
In 2001 Henstridge accepted the role of Cassie in the television series She Spies. The series managed to last two seasons.
Natasha reprised her role of Cynthia Tudeski in The Whole Ten Yards. Unfortunately the sequal did not live up to the standard set by The Whole Nine Yards.
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