Homo erectus Temporal range: 1.9–0.1 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Pliocene–Pleistocene
Homo erectus, Natural History Museum, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Family:	Hominidae
Genus:	Homo
Species:	H. erectus
Binomial name
†Homo erectus (Dubois, 1892)
Synonyms
† Pithecanthropus erectus † Sinanthropus pekinensis † Javanthropus soloensis † Meganthropus paleojavanicus

Homo erectus (meaning "upright man," from the Latin ērĭgĕre, "to put up, set upright") is an extinct species of hominid that lived from the end of the Pliocene epoch to the later Pleistocene, about 1.3 to 1.8 million years ago. The species originated in Africa and spread as far as India, China and Java.^[1][2] There is still disagreement on the subject of the classification, ancestry, and progeny of H. erectus, with two major alternative hypotheses: erectus may be another name for Homo ergaster, and therefore the direct ancestor of later hominids such as Homo heidelbergensis, Homo neanderthalensis, and Homo sapiens; or it may be an Asian species distinct from African ergaster.^[1][3][4]

Origin[link]

The first theory is that H. erectus migrated from Africa during the Early Pleistocene, possibly as a result of the operation of the Saharan pump, around 2.0 million years ago, and dispersed throughout much of the Old World. Fossilized remains 1.8 to 1 million years old have been found in Africa (e.g., Lake Turkana^[5] and Olduvai Gorge), Europe (Georgia and Spain), Indonesia (e.g., Sangiran and Trinil), Vietnam, China (e.g., Shaanxi) and India.^[6]

The second theory is that H. erectus evolved in Asia and then migrated to Africa. The species occupied a Caucasus site called Dmanisi, in Georgia, from 1.85 million to 1.77 million years ago, at the same time or slightly before the earliest evidence in Africa. Excavations found 73 stone tools for cutting and chopping and 34 bone fragments from unidentified creatures.^[7][8]

Discovery and representative fossils[link]

Homo erectus tautavelensis skull

Calvaria "Sangiran II" Original, Collection Koenigswald, Senckenberg Museum

The Dutch anatomist Eugène Dubois, who was fascinated especially by Darwin's theory of evolution as applied to man, set out to Asia (the place accepted then, despite Darwin, as the cradle of human evolution), to find a human ancestor in 1886. In 1891, his team discovered a human fossil on the island of Java, Indonesia; he described the species as Pithecanthropus erectus (from the Greek πίθηκος,^[9] "ape", and ἄνθρωπος,^[10] "man"), based on a calotte (skullcap) and a femur like that of H. sapiens found from the bank of the Solo River at Trinil, in East Java. (This species is now regarded as H. erectus.)

The find became known as Java Man. Thanks to Canadian anatomist Davidson Black's (1921) initial description of a lower molar, which was dubbed Sinanthropus pekinensis,^[11] however, most of the early and spectacular discoveries of this taxon took place at Zhoukoudian in China. German anatomist Franz Weidenreich provided much of the detailed description of this material in several monographs published in the journal Palaeontologica Sinica (Series D).

Craniums
1. Gorilla 2. Australopithecus 3. Homo erectus 4. Neanderthal (La Chapelle aux Saints) 5. Steinheim Skull 6. Euhominid

Nearly all of the original specimens were lost during World War II; however, authentic Weidenreichian casts do exist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, and are considered to be reliable evidence.

Throughout much of the 20th century, anthropologists debated the role of H. erectus in human evolution. Early in the century, however, due to discoveries on Java and at Zhoukoudian, it was believed that modern humans first evolved in Asia. A few naturalists (Charles Darwin most prominent among them) predicted that humans' earliest ancestors were African: he pointed out that chimpanzees and gorillas, who are human relatives, live only in Africa.^[12]

From 1950s to 1970s, however, numerous fossil finds from East Africa yielded evidence that the oldest hominins originated there. It is now believed that H. erectus is a descendant of earlier genera such as Ardipithecus and Australopithecus, or early Homo-species such as H. habilis or H. ergaster. H. habilis and H. erectus coexisted for several thousand years, and may represent separate lineages of a common ancestor.^[13]

The skull of Tchadanthropus uxoris, discovered in 1961 by Yves Coppens in Chad, is the earliest fossil human discovered in Africa.^[14] This fossil "had been so eroded by wind-blown sand that it mimicked the appearance of an australopith, a primitive type of hominid".^[15] Though some first considered it to be a specimen of H. habilis,^[16] it is no longer considered to be a valid taxon, and scholars rather consider it to represent H. erectus.^[14][17]

[edit] Homo erectus georgicus

Fossil skull from Dmanisi.

Homo erectus georgicus (Georgian: ქართველი ადამიანი) is the subspecies name sometimes used to describe fossil skulls and jaws found in Dmanisi, Georgia, which although first proposed as a separate species is now classified within H. erectus.^[18][19][20] A partial skeleton was discovered in 2001. The fossils are about 1.8 million years old. The remains were first discovered in 1991 by Georgian scientist, David Lordkipanidze, accompanied by an international team that unearthed the remains. Implements and animal bones were found alongside the ancient human remains.

At first, scientists thought they had found mandibles and skulls belonging to Homo ergaster, but size differences led them to name a new species, Homo georgicus, which was posited as a descendant of Homo habilis and ancestor of Asian Homo erectus. This classification was not upheld, and the fossil is now considered a divergent subgroup of Homo erectus, sometimes called Homo erectus georgicus'.^[21][22][23]

Location of discovery

At around 600 cubic centimetres (37 cu in) brain volume, the skull D2700 is dated to 1.77 million years old and in good condition offering insights in comparison to the modern human cranial morphology. At the time of discovery the cranium was the smallest and most primitive Hominina skull ever discovered outside of Africa. However, in 2003 a significantly smaller brained hominid was found on the isle of Flores, H. erectus floresiensis. Homo erectus georgicus exhibits strong sexual dimorphism with males being significantly larger than females.

Subsequently, four fossil skeletons were found, showing a species primitive in its skull and upper body but with relatively advanced spines and lower limbs, providing greater mobility. They are now thought not to be a separate species, but to represent a stage soon after the transition between Homo habilis and H. erectus, and have been dated at 1.8 million years before the present, according to the leader of the project, David Lordkipanidze.^[24][25] The assemblage includes one of the largest Pleistocene Homo mandibles (D2600), one of the smallest Lower Pleistocene mandibles (D211), a nearly complete sub‐adult (D2735), and a completely toothless specimen (D3900).^[26]

Classification and special distinction[link]

Many paleoanthropologists still debate the definition of H. erectus and H. ergaster as separate species. Several scholars suggested to drop the taxon Homo erectus, and suggested instead to equate H. erectus with Archaic H. sapiens.^{[27][28][29][30][31]} Some call H. ergaster the direct African ancestor of H. erectus, proposing that it emigrated out of Africa and migrated into Asia, branching into a distinct species.^[32] Most dispense with the species-name ergaster, making no distinction between such fossils as the Turkana Boy and Peking Man.^{[citation needed]} Though "Homo ergaster" has gained some acceptance as a valid taxon, these two are still usually defined as distinct African and Asian populations of the larger species H. erectus.

Reconstruction of how Homo erectus may have looked

Model of Homo erectus from Museum of Archaeology, Herne, Germany

Reconstruction based on evidence from the Daka Member, Ethiopia

While some have argued (and insisted) that Ernst Mayr's biological species definition cannot be used here to test the above hypotheses, one can, however, examine the amount of morphological cranial variation within known H. erectus / H. ergaster specimens, and compare it to what one sees in disparate extant groups of primates with similar geographical distribution or close evolutionary relationship. Thus, if the amount of variation between H. erectus and H. ergaster is greater than what one sees within a species of, say, macaques, then H. erectus and H. ergaster may be considered two different species.

The extant model of comparison is very important, and selecting appropriate species can be difficult. (For example, the morphological variation among the global population of H. sapiens is incredibly small^[33] and our own special diversity may not be a trustworthy comparison.) As an example, fossils found in Dmanisi in the Republic of Georgia were originally described as belonging to another closely related species, Homo georgicus, but subsequent examples showed their variation to be within the range of Homo erectus, and they are now classified as Homo erectus georgicus.

Replica of lower jaws of Homo erectus from Tautavel, France

H. erectus had a cranial capacity greater than that of Homo habilis (although the Dmanisi specimens have distinctively small crania): the earliest remains show a cranial capacity of 850 cm³, while the latest Javan specimens measure up to 1100 cm³,^[34] overlapping that of H. sapiens.; the frontal bone is less sloped and the dental arcade smaller than the australopithecines'; the face is more orthognatic (less protrusive) than either the australopithecines' or H. habilis's, with large brow-ridges and less prominent zygomata (cheekbones). These early hominins stood about 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in), and were more robust than modern humans.^[35]

The sexual dimorphism between males and females was slightly greater than seen in H. sapiens, with males being about 25% larger than females. However, their dimorphism is drastically lesser than that of the earlier Australopithecus genus. The discovery of the skeleton KNM-WT 15000, "Turkana boy" (Homo ergaster), made near Lake Turkana, Kenya by Richard Leakey and Kamoya Kimeu in 1984, is one of the most complete hominid-skeletons discovered, and has contributed greatly to the interpretation of human physiological evolution.

For the remainder of this article, the name Homo erectus will be used to describe a distinct species for the convenience of continuity.

Use of tools[link]

Homo ergaster used more diverse and sophisticated stone tools than its predecessors: H. erectus, however, used comparatively primitive tools. This is possibly because H. ergaster first used tools of Oldowan technology and later progressed to the Acheulean:^[36] while the use of Acheulean tools began ca. 1.8 million years ago,^[37] the line of H. erectus diverged some 200,000 years before the general innovation of Acheulean technology. Thus the Asian migratory descendants of H. ergaster made no use of any Acheulean technology. In addition, it has been suggested that H. erectus may have been the first hominid to use rafts to travel over oceans.^[38]

Use of fire[link]

Sites in Europe and Asia seem to indicate controlled use of fire by H. erectus, dating back at least 1 million years.^[39] A presentation at the Paleoanthropology Society annual meeting in Montreal, Canada in March 2004 stated that there is evidence for controlled fires in excavations in northern Israel from about 690,000 to 790,000 years ago. A site called Terra Amata, located on the French Riviera, which lies on an ancient beach, seems to have been occupied by H. erectus; it contains evidence of controlled fire, dated at around 300,000 years ago. Excavations dating from approximately 790,000 years ago in Israel suggest that H. erectus not only controlled fire but could light fires.^[40] Finally, evidence from a site in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa is consistent with controlled fire use by H. erectus one million years ago.^[39] Despite these examples, some scholars continue to assert that the controlled use of fire was not typical of H. erectus, but only of later species of Homo, such as H. heidelbergensis, H. neanderthalensis, and H. sapiens).

Sociality[link]

A diorama in National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta, depicting the life size model of stone equipped hunter, a Homo erectus family living in Sangiran about 900,000 years ago.

Homo erectus was probably the first hominid to live in a hunter-gatherer society, and anthropologists such as Richard Leakey believe that it was socially more like modern humans than the more Australopithecus-like species before it. Likewise, increased cranial capacity generally coincides with the more sophisticated tools occasionally found with fossils.

The discovery of Turkana boy (H. ergaster) in 1984 gave evidence that, despite its Homo-sapiens-like anatomy, it may not have been capable of producing sounds comparable to modern human speech. Ergaster likely communicated in a proto-language lacking the fully developed structure of modern human language but more developed than the non-verbal communication used by chimpanzees.^[41] Such inference has been challenged by the discovery of H. ergaster/erectus vertebrae some 150,000 years older than the Turkana Boy in Dmanisi, Georgia, that reflect vocal capabilities within the range of H. sapiens.^[42] Both brain-size and the presence of the Broca's area also support the use of articulate language.^[43]

H. erectus was probably the first hominid to live in small, familiar band-societies similar to modern hunter-gatherer band-societies.^[44] H. erectus/ergaster is thought to be the first hominid to hunt in coordinated groups, use complex tools, and care for infirm or weak companions.

There has been some debate as to whether H. erectus, and possibly the later Neanderthals,^[45] may have interbred with anatomically modern humans in Europe and Asia. See Neanderthal admixture theory.^[46]

Descendants and subspecies[link]

Homo erectus remains one of the most successful and long-lived species of Homo. As a distinct Asian species, however, no consensus has been reached as to whether it is ancestral to H. sapiens or any later hominids.

• Homo erectus
  • Homo erectus erectus
  • Homo erectus yuanmouensis
  • Homo erectus lantianensis
  • Homo erectus wushanensis
  • Homo erectus nankinensis
  • Homo erectus pekinensis
  • Homo erectus palaeojavanicus
  • Homo erectus soloensis
  • Homo erectus tautavelensis
  • Homo erectus georgicus

Related species

• Homo ergaster
• Homo floresiensis
• Homo antecessor
• Homo heidelbergensis
• Homo neanderthalensis
• Homo sapiens
  • Homo sapiens sapiens
• Homo rhodesiensis
• Homo cepranensis

The discovery of Homo floresiensis in 2003 and of the recentness of its extinction has raised the possibility that numerous descendant species of Homo erectus may have existed in the islands of Southeast Asia and await fossil discovery (see Orang Pendek). Homo erectus soloensis, who lived on Java at least as late as about 50,000 years ago, would be one of them. Some scientists are skeptical of the claim that Homo floresiensis is a descendant of Homo erectus. One explanation holds that the fossils are of a modern human with microcephaly, while another one holds that they are from a group of pygmies.

Individual fossils[link]

Original fossils of Pithecanthropus erectus (now Homo erectus) found in Java in 1891

Some of the major Homo erectus fossils:

• Indonesia (island of Java): Trinil 2 (holotype), Sangiran collection, Sambungmachan collection, Ngandong collection
• China: Lantian (Gongwangling and Chenjiawo), Yunxian, Zhoukoudian, Nanjing, Hexian
• India: Narmada (taxonomic status debated!)
• Kenya: WT 15000 (Nariokotome), ER 3883, ER 3733
• Tanzania: OH 9
• Vietnam: Northern, Tham Khuyen, Hoa Binh
• Republic of Georgia: Dmanisi collection
• Ethiopia: Daka calvaria
• Eritrea: Buia cranium
• Denizli Province, Turkey: Kocabas fossil^[47]

See also[link]

• Homo ergaster
• Java Man
• List of fossil sites (with link directory)
• List of primate and hominin fossils (with images)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Homo erectus

• MNSU
• Archaeology Info
• Homo erectus - The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program
• Homo erectus at Stanford University
• Possible co-existence with Homo Habilis - BBC News
• John Hawks's discussion of the Kocabas fossil
• Peter Brown's Australian and Asian Palaeoanthropology

Eugene Dubois

Marie Eugène François Thomas Dubois (28 January 1858 – 16 December 1940) was a Dutch paleoanthropologist and geologist. He earned worldwide fame for his discovery of Pithecanthropus erectus (later redesignated Homo erectus), or 'Java Man'. Although hominid fossils had been found and studied before, Dubois was the first anthropologist to embark upon a purposeful search for them.

Biography[link]

Dubois was born and raised in the village of Eijsden, Limburg, where his father, Jean Dubois was an apothecary, later the mayor. Interested in all phenomena of the world of nature, Eugène explored the "caves" ("grotten", actually underground limestone mines) of Mount Saint Peter and amassed collections of plant parts, stones, insects, shells, and animal skulls. From age 12-13 on, he attended school in the Limburg city of Roermond, boarding with a family there and then he dropped out. In Roermond he attended lectures on Charles Darwin's new theory of evolution given by the German biologist, Karl Vogt.

Resisting his father's plan for him to train to follow in his footsteps, Dubois, encouraged by his teachers, decided in 1877 to study medicine at the University of Amsterdam. While a student, he taught anatomy at both of the brand new (founded 1880) art schools housed at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam (Amsterdam State Museum) the Rijksschool voor Kunstnijverheid (State School for Applied Arts) and the Rijksnormaalschool voor Teekenonderweizers (State Normal School for Drawing Instructors).^[1] In 1884 he completed his medical degree. He declined an offer from the University of Utrecht of a position as a docent. Instead, at the invitation of his anatomy instructor, Max Fürbringer, he decided to train as an academic. From 1881 to 1887 he studied comparative anatomy and became Fürbringer's assistant. In 1885 he investigated the larynx of vertebrates, which led him to develop a hypothesis of the evolution of this organ. Nevertheless, his chief interest was in human evolution, influenced by Ernst Haeckel, who reasoned that there must be intermediate species between apes and human.

Dubois contributed an article on whale anatomy to a book by the Dutch zoologist, Max Weber, and, inspired by the fresh discovery of new Neanderthal fossils at the Belgian town of Spy, he spent his vacation fossil hunting in the vicinity of his birthplace. In the Henkeput near the village of Rijckholt, where a prehistoric flint mine had just been discovered in 1881, he found some prehistoric human skulls.

Reasoning that the origins of the human species must be in the tropics, in 1887 he joined the Dutch army and arranged to be posted in the Dutch East Indies (the Dutch colony that is now independent Indonesia), to the dismay of his academic colleagues. With his wife and newborn daughter he moved to the colony to search for the missing link in human evolution. (He was unalterably convinced there was only one missing link.^[2])

Hominid discoveries[link]

Between 1887 and 1895, Dubois searched at potential sites near rivers and in caves, first on the island of Sumatra, then on the Indonesian island of Java.

In 1891, Dubois discovered remains of what he described as "a species in between humans and apes". He called his finds Pithecanthropus erectus ("ape-human that stands upright") or Java Man. Today, they are classified as Homo erectus ("human that stands upright").^[3] These were the first specimens of early hominid remains to be found outside of Africa or Europe.

In 1895, Dubois returned to Europe and toured the continent to convince his colleagues that he had indeed found a missing link. Although most anthropologists were intrigued, they did not always agree with Dubois' interpretations. After that, Dubois refused others access to his fossils, until he was forced to do so in 1923.

Later years[link]

In 1897, the University of Amsterdam awarded Dubois an honorary doctorate in botany and zoology, but he had to wait until 1899 for a professorship. In that year, he was appointed a professor in geology, a function that did not keep him from his research in anatomy. He was also (from 1897 until 1928) keeper of paleontology, geology and mineralogy at Teylers Museum,^[4] where he also kept the H. erectus remains.

Although the scientific debate slowly began to turn in his favour in the 1920s and 1930s, he died embittered in 1940.^{[citation needed]} He was buried in Venlo.^{[citation needed]}

His paleontological collection and scientific archive remain at Naturalis in Leiden.^[5]

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Eugène Dubois

• List of fossil sites (with link directory)
• List of hominina (hominid) fossils (with images)

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Morwood, Mike, and van Oosterzee, Penny. 2007. A new human: the startling discovery and strange story of the "hobbits" of Flores, Indonesia. Smithsonian Books.

Further reading[link]

• Pat Shipman, The Man who Found the Missing Link. Eugène Dubois and His Lifelong Quest to Prove Darwin Right, Harvard University Press (April 30, 2002), 528 pages, ISBN 0-674-00866-9.

External links[link]

• (Dutch) DUBOIS - The Quest for the Missing Link, www.eugenedubois.eu
• Biographies: Eugene Dubois at TalkOrigins Archive
• http://www.cryingvoice.com/Evolution/ApeMen2.html
• Fossil Hominids, Human Evolution: Thomas Huxley & Eugene Dubois at www.understandingevolution.com

Ali Larter
Larter at the Annual Taurus World Stunt Awards in 2007
Born	Alison Elizabeth Larter (1976-02-28) February 28, 1976 (age 36) Cherry Hill, New Jersey, U.S.
Other names	Allegra Coleman
Occupation	Actress, model
Years active	1997–present
Spouse	Hayes MacArthur (2009–present)
Children	Theodore Hayes MacArthur

Alison Elizabeth "Ali" Larter (born February 28, 1976)^[1] is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the dual roles of Niki Sanders and Tracy Strauss on the NBC science fiction drama Heroes^[2][3] as well as her guest roles on several television shows in the 1990s.

Larter's screen debut came in the 1999 film Varsity Blues, followed by the horror films House on Haunted Hill and Final Destination as Clear Rivers. Major supporting roles in the comedy Legally Blonde and the romantic comedy A Lot Like Love led her to lead roles as the titular character in Marigold and in the 2009 thriller Obsessed. Larter achieved wider fame after her portrayal of video game heroine Claire Redfield in the successful films, Resident Evil: Extinction and Resident Evil: Afterlife.^[4]

Larter's presence in the media is reinforced by her appearances in lists compiled by Maxim, FHM and Stuff as well as People magazine's "Best Dressed List" in 2007. After a three year long relationship with actor Hayes MacArthur, the two married in August 2009^[5] and have a son, Theodore Hayes MacArthur, born December 2010.^[6]

Early life and modelling[link]

Born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey,^[7] Larter is the daughter of Margaret, a realtor, and Danforth Larter, a trucking executive. She attended Carusi Middle School and later graduated from Cherry Hill High School West during her time as a model.^[8] Her parents have since moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania.^[9]

Larter began her modelling career at the age of 14 when a modelling scout discovered her on the street and was asked to star in a Phillies commercial, this led to a modeling contract with the prestigious Ford Modeling Agency in New York.^[10] Larter subsequently skipped her senior year to model in Australia, Italy and Japan,^[10] the latter a country she would temporarily settle in at the age of seventeen.^[11]

While modelling in Italy, Larter met fellow model and aspiring actress Amy Smart^[12] and the two "became instant friends", according to Larter.^[13] A modelling job later took her to Los Angeles, whilst there, she decided to take acting classes with Smart.^[12] The two then moved into an apartment together.^[12] In November 1996, Larter portrayed fictional model Allegra Coleman in an Esquire magazine hoax.^[14] When speaking about the cover and her subsequent fame, Larter said, "When the door opens for you in Hollywood, you need to run with it. You know?"^[15] Larter is currently signed to IMG Models.^[16]

Career[link]

Career progression: 1997–2005[link]

Larter landed her first professional roles in 1997 when she appeared in several television programs. She appeared in an episode of the Brooke Shields television series Suddenly Susan, and the short-lived series Chicago Sons. These roles were followed by a number of other appearances on Dawson's Creek, Chicago Hope, and Just Shoot Me!

In 1999, Larter began her film career with an appearance in Varsity Blues, which re-united her with Dawson's Creek star Van Der Beek and close friend Amy Smart. Smart had persuaded Larter to audition for the movie,^[10] in which she played Darcy Sears, a love interest for one of the main characters. Varsity Blues drew a domestic box office gross of $53 million.^[4] That year she made appearances in the teen comedies Giving It Up and Drive Me Crazy. Larter also starred in the horror remake House on Haunted Hill which was made for around $20 million. The movie was panned by critics,^[17] but grossed $15 million on its opening weekend and went on to earn over $40 million overall.^[4]

In 2000, Larter starred as one of the main characters, Clear Rivers, in the teen supernatural horror film Final Destination. Also starring Devon Sawa and Kerr Smith, the movie's premise followed several teenagers who survive a plane crash but are stalked and killed by death itself. Final Destination made $112 million by the end of its theatrical run.^[18] The following year, she appeared in the comedy Legally Blonde with Reese Witherspoon. She played Brooke Taylor Windham, a widow accused of her husband's murder.^[19] The film earned the top spot with $20 million in its opening weekend^[20] and ended up grossing $141 million worldwide.^[21] With $96 million of it total gross deriving from domestic markets, Legally Blonde is Larter's highest grossing film domestically.^[4]

Larter next appeared as Zerelda Mimms in the western comedy American Outlaws.^[22] Directed by Les Mayfield and co-starring Colin Farrell and Scott Caan, the movie was poorly received by critics^[23] and at the box office making $13 million at the end of its theatrical run.^[4] She also starred in Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. That year, Larter appeared on the cover of Maxim magazine and performed in the stage play The Vagina Monologues in New York City.^[10] In Spring 2002, Larter moved from Los Angeles to New York. "I was too young and impressionable to handle the pressures of L.A." Larter recalled in an interview, "I'm a woman now. I am no longer the little girl who could be easily influ­enced."^[24]

Her first project there was to reprise her role as Clear Rivers in the sequel to Final Destination entitled Final Destination 2. In an interview with IGN, Larter explained her return to the franchise: "When New Line asked me to come back, I thought it was great. They showed me the script and let me have some input, and it was really terrific."^[25] The film opened at number 2 with $16 million^[26] to mixed critical reception.^[27] A year later, Larter served as an associate producer of and starred in the thriller Three Way. In 2005, Larter appeared in the independent political thriller, Confess, and had a role in the romantic comedy A Lot Like Love alongside Amanda Peet and Ashton Kutcher.

International recognition: 2006–2009[link]

Larter promoting Heroes at Comic Con 2006

Larter moved back to Los Angeles in 2005.^[11] Her first audition was for the NBC science fiction drama television series Heroes.^[28] Larter played the characters of Niki Sanders, who suffered from DID, and Tracy Strauss on the show created by Tim Kring. Larter's initial character Niki Sanders, was a wife, mother, and a former internet stripper from Las Vegas who exhibits superhuman strength and alternate personalities who go by the names of Jessica and Gina. "Ali read for the part and just owned it from the second she walked in.", Kring said to The Chicago Tribune, "It was a very impressive audition."^[28] The series collected a number of accolades in its first season including a People's Choice Award and nominations from the Primetime Emmy Awards and Golden Globes.^[29] As of the third season, Larter began to play a new character, Tracy Strauss, who possessed the ability to freeze objects; and later, turn her body into water.^[30] Larter ultimately decided against starring in the sequel to House on Haunted Hill stating, "I feel so lucky with the things I am doing right now, and that's so long ago for me."^[31]

In 2007, Larter starred in Marigold as the title character alongside Salman Khan.^[32] The movie, released in August 2007, was about an American actress (Larter) who goes to India and gets caught up in the eccentric world of Bollywood. Filming took place in North India and London, commencing in June 2004.^[32] In an interview with the BBC, Larter explained how she came about the role of Marigold and expressed why she wanted to star in the film: "I was living in (director) Willard Carroll's guesthouse when he gave me the script. He had written this really strong female character and for me, it was an opportunity to overcome my fear of singing and dancing because I have no professional training. Also, I would get to live in another country for couple of months. With Heroes I didn't think of it as that huge sci-fi series and it was the same for Marigold. I really focused on the character and loved this journey she went on and the experiences she had.^[33] She was paid a seven-figure salary for the role of Marigold.^[34]

It was this year that she was cast alongside Milla Jovovich in the horror film Resident Evil: Extinction, portraying the character of Claire Redfield. Her role sent her to Mexicali, Mexico for filming from May to late July, and required her hair to be dyed a light red.^[35] Larter explained her character Claire: "She became the leader of this convoy. She's incredibly strong, patient. I think she serves a role for everyone within this convoy, let it be a mother to someone, a buddy, a best friend."^[35] Larter also attended the 2007 Comic Con International, her second appearance at the event, to promote the movie. The movie was released in theaters on September 21, 2007 and made a total of $147 million worldwide.^[36] She appeared with Hayes McArthur in the comedy Homo Erectus the same year. She also appeared as Evelyn Garland in the biographical film Crazy, based on guitarist Hank Garland. In an interview for Resident Evil: Extinction, Larter had expressed interest in producing films in the future, saying, "I definitely have many ideas and different avenues that I want to take as my career goes on."^[35]

In April 2009, Larter starred opposite Beyoncé Knowles and Idris Elba in the Screen Gems-produced thriller Obsessed.^[37] The film follows an office executive (Elba) whose marriage to Knowles' character is threatened by the aggressive interests of a co-worker, portrayed by Larter. In an interview with Glam, Larter said that she "was excited to get the chance to play a femme fatale. I love playing women that are dark and vulnerable and sort of filled with a little bit of crazy emotion."^[38] Derek Malcolm of The London Evening Standard said the movie was a "dim reworking of Fatal Attraction" and noted, "Larter as the pathological minx is the best thing about it."^[39] Obsessed suffered critically but eventually opened at #1 in its opening weekend with $28 million^[40] and with a total domestic gross of $68 million, became Larter's second highest grossing film in North-America.^[4] It resulted in Larter's third Teen Choice Award nomination and an MTV Movie Award for Best Fight with Beyonce.^[41]

Recent and future roles: 2010–present[link]

Larter and Jovovich (left) promoting Resident Evil: Afterlife at Comic Con 2010

Larter reprised her role as Claire Redfield in Resident Evil: Afterlife, which was filmed in 3D and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson.^[42] She attended WonderCon and Comic Con to promote the movie.^[43][44] In an interview with JoBlo.com, Larter talked about her role in the film: "I guess people liked me as her...I'm excited that they brought me back. I love working with Milla, and it's also very excited to have Paul back directing this. To work with the man who really created this world and this vision was what excited me about joining this next installment."^[45] The movie was not well received by critics with the Philadelphia Inquirer stating the movie "lacks the humanity - interesting characters, funny one-liners - that made its predecessors enjoyable B-movies."^[46] The movie was an international success nonetheless, earning $296 million worldwide^[47] and becoming Larter's highest grossing picture to date. As of August 2011, Larter's films have grossed a total of $552 million domestically.^[4]

Recently, Larter appeared as the title character in a short film for Absolut Vodka entitled Lemon Drop.^[48] Larter is linked to the role of Col. Virginia Lake in the big-screen adaptation of UFO, which stars Joshua Jackson,^[49] and the role of Cheryl in a feature version of the Sundance short film, The Rambler directed by Calvin Reeder.^[50] While at WonderCon, Larter commented on Heroes' possible fifth season. "I think that we'll be back...I think that there are still stories that need to be told."^[43] NBC announced the show's cancellation on May 14, 2010.^[51][52]

Larter is set to star in a new Fox TV series written by Josh Friedman entitled, The Asset. She will play the lead role of Anna King, 'a globe-trotting “Human Intel Specialist,” working in the field under journalist cover.'^[53]

In the media[link]

Larter first appeared in the media when she portrayed the fictional character of Allegra Coleman on the November 1996 issue of Esquire.^[9] The magazine, which billed Coleman as the movies' next dream girl, told of Allegra's relationship with David Schwimmer, how Quentin Tarantino broke up with Mira Sorvino to date her, and how Woody Allen overhauled a film to give her a starring role. When the magazine was published, Esquire received hundreds of phone calls about the non-existent Coleman and various talent agencies sought to represent her, even after the hoax was revealed.^[14][54] Larter herself received a considerable amount of attention after the cover; she received phone calls from morning TV shows and others for interviews.^[9] The Esquire cover led Larter to a role on Varsity Blues. One particular scene where Larter's character, Darcy Sears, wears nothing but whipped cream to cover herself has become a media favorite. It has been referenced a number of times in the media^[48][55][56] including on MTV's Jersey Shore where one character refers to it as the "Varsity Blues outfit".^[57] The scene also made Maxim's list of Earth-Shattering Nude Scenes at #9.^[58]

In 2002, Larter ranked #40 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World". She was listed as #49, #19 and #91 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World" in 2007,^[59] 2008^[60] and 2009^[61] respectively. Maxim also ranked her #6 in their Hot 100 for 2007^[62] and #92 in 2008.^[63] In 2008, AskMen.com featured her as #92 on the "100 Most Desirable Women in the World".^[64] Also ranking #2 on Maxim's "Hottest Women of Horror Movies" list,^[65] Larter has been acknowledged as a "Scream Queen" by MSN due to her appearances in horror/thriller films.^[66] After the success of Heroes, Larter appeared on People's "Ten Best Dressed List" as "The Newcomer" in 2007.^[67] Victoria's Secret also acknowledged her in their list, naming her Sexiest Legs of 2008.^[68] In 2009, Larter was named Cosmopolitan magazine's Fun Fearless Female of the year at a ceremony held in Beverly Hills.^[69]

Larter promotes natural beauty. At the 2007 Emmy Awards, Larter styled her own hair as opposed to using her hair-styling team. This was part of the Dove Hair's "Real Beauty" challenge which required her to use Dove's new moisturizing shampoos, conditioners and treatments.^[70] She also states that she refuses to conform to the idea of the perfect Hollywood body. In an interview with Allure, Larter revealed she once was asked by producers, by faxes sent out to her agent and manager, to lose weight. "I just remember sitting in my trailer hysterically crying from the embarrassment I felt about myself, my body - and that no one could talk to me directly."^[71]

Larter appeared in Glamour along with fellow actresses Rachel Bilson and Diane Lane in 2007. When asked if she still wishes she had the same body she had at 20 she replied, "No. I actually think I look better now because I feel so much better about myself now. And that's what's so exciting. As you get older, you get better…. Look at all these incredible women, like Vanessa Redgrave, who are still so beautiful. The reason is because they embrace who they are."^[72] She has appeared on the covers of Shape, Cosmopolitan, Allure, Glamour, Lucky, InStyle, Maxim and Entertainment Weekly.^{[13][73][74][75][76]}

Personal life[link]

During her time as a model, Larter moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. In 2002, she moved to New York for a period of three years. In an interview with Phillymag, Larter gave reason for the move: "I took some time off to define myself outside the pressures of the industry..Part of me really needed to know if this is what I wanted to do with the rest of my life."^[77] In January 2005, she moved to Los Angeles for a role in Heroes.^[28]

In December 2007, Larter and her boyfriend of three years, Hayes MacArthur, were engaged to marry.^[78] They had met on the set of National Lampoon's Homo Erectus. In a 2007 interview with Cosmo, Larter said "I told my boyfriend after three weeks that I wanted to marry him and that we could do it tomorrow".^[79] On August 1, 2009, Larter married MacArthur^[80] in an intimate outdoor ceremony which took place at MacArthur's parent's estate in Kennebunk, Maine.^[81] During the ceremony, guests arrived via trolleys to the sounds of Irish music playing in honor of MacArthur's heritage,^[5] among the invited was Larter's close friend Amy Smart.^[5] The couple later purchased a three story home in the Hollywood Hills for $2.9 million.^[82] On July 20, 2010, Larter announced that she and MacArthur were expecting their first child^[83] and later, on the September 10th episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, announced that she was expecting a boy.^[84] Larter admitted that she and MacArthur left the country for Europe in an effort to hide the news of the pregnancy.^[85] Larter gave birth to the couple's son, Theodore Hayes MacArthur, on December 20, 2010.^[6]

In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Larter "mused" on the state of her life, "I work on a TV show I love, I have the opportunity to do movies with actors I respect, and I'm in love with the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, who pushes me and excites me...There's this fighter in me that kind of needs to be put to rest a little bit. I don't need to be so tough to protect myself."^[7] While speaking to Vanity Fair at the premiere of her film Obsessed, Larter spoke about her own obsessions, "I love to cook. I spend weekends reading cookbooks—it's really my relaxation."^[86] She has ranked Scarface, The Bourne Identity, Best in Show, Blue Sky and Grey Gardens as her favorite films.^[87] In June 2010, Larter was one of thousands of delegates from 130 countries who participated in a United Nations conference, 'Women Deliver' in Washington D.C..^[88]

Filmography[link]

References[link]