What's Your Number may refer to:

• "What's Your Number?" (song), 2004 single by American hip hop group Cypress Hill, featuring Tim Armstrong; its music video was directed by Dean Karr and featured numerous guest appearances
• What's Your Number?, 2011 American comedy film directed by Mark Mylod, based on Karyn Bosnak's book 20 Times a Lady, screenplay by Gabrielle Allen and Jennifer Crittenden, starring Anna Faris and Chris Evans

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2010)

Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill performing at Bonnaroo in 2006
Background information
Also known as	DVX (Devasting Vocal Excellence)
Origin	South Gate, California, United States
Genres	Hip hop, rap rock, alternative hip hop, west coast hip hop
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Ruffhouse, Columbia, Sony Music, Priority, EMI
Associated acts	Soul Assassins, Tom Morello, Everlast, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Slash, House of Pain, Xzibit, Funkdoobiest, Adil Omar, Young De, Travis Barker, Psycho Realm, La Coka Nostra, Rusko, Rage Against the Machine, Fergie, La Coka Nostra
Website	CypressHill.com
Members
B-Real DJ Muggs Sen Dog Eric Bobo
Past members
Mellow Man Ace

Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first Cuban-American/Latino hip hop group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide. It is one of the most well-known groups in West Coast rap and was critically acclaimed for their first two groundbreaking albums.^[1]

History[link]

Formation (1988)[link]

Senen Reyes (also known as Sen Dog) and Ulpiano Sergio Reyes (also known as Mellow Man Ace) are brothers who initially lived in South Gate, California. In 1971, their family had immigrated to the United States, settling in the Los Angeles neighborhood of South Gate. In 1988, the two brothers teamed up with Lawrence Muggerud (also known as DJ Muggs) and Louis Freese (also known as B-Real) to form a hip-hop group named DVX (Devastating Vocal Excellence). The band soon lost Mellow Man Ace to a solo career, and changed their name to Cypress Hill, after a street in South Gate.^[2]

Early works and mainstream success (1989–1995)[link]

After recording a demo in 1989, Cypress Hill signed a record deal with the major label, Columbia Records. Their self-titled first album was released in August 1991. The lead single was the double A-side "The Phuncky Feel One"/"How I Could Just Kill a Man" which received heavy airplay on urban and college radio. The other two singles released from the album were "Hand on the Pump" and "Latin Lingo", the latter of which combined English and Spanish lyrics. The success of these singles led to the album selling two million copies in the US alone. The group made their first appearance at Lollapalooza on the side stage in 1992.

Black Sunday, the group's second album, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in 1993, recording the highest Soundscan for a rap group up until that time. Also, with their debut still in the charts, they became the first rap group to have 2 albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 at the same time. With "Insane in the Brain" becoming a crossover hit, the album went triple platinum in the U.S. and sold about 3.25 million copies.

The band headlined the Soul Assassins tour with House of Pain and Funkdoobiest as support, then performed on a college tour with Rage Against the Machine and Seven Year Bitch. In 1993, Cypress Hill also had two tracks on the Judgment Night soundtrack, teaming up with Pearl Jam on the track "Real Thing" and Sonic Youth on "I Love You Mary Jane".

The group later played at Woodstock 94, introducing new member Eric Bobo, son of Willie Bobo and formerly a percussionist with the Beastie Boys. Rolling Stone magazine named the group as the best rap group in their music awards voted by critics and readers. Cypress Hill played at Lollapalooza for two successive years, topping the bill in 1995. They also appeared on the "Homerpalooza" episode of The Simpsons. Prior to Bobo joining the crew, Panchito "Ponch" Gomez sat in as a percussionist when not acting.

Their third album III: Temples of Boom was released in 1995, selling 1.5 million copies and reaching number 3 on the Billboard 200 on the strength of the hit single "Throw Your Set in the Air".^{[citation needed]} Cypress Hill also contributed a track "I Wanna Get High" to the High Times sponsored Hempilation album to support NORML.

Continued career (1996–2002)[link]

Sen Dog took a break from the band to form a Los Angeles based rap rock band SX-10.^[3] Meanwhile in 1996, Cypress Hill appeared on the first 'Smokin' Grooves' tour, featuring Ziggy Marley, The Fugees, Busta Rhymes and A Tribe Called Quest. The band also released a nine track EP Unreleased and Revamped with rare mixes. In 1997, band members focused on their solo careers. Muggs released Soul Assassins: Chapter 1 featuring contributions from Dr. Dre, KRS-One, Wyclef Jean and Mobb Deep. B-Real appeared with Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J and Method Man on "Hit Em High" from the multi-platinum Space Jam Soundtrack. He also appeared with RBX, Nas and KRS-One on "East Coast Killer, West Coast Killer" off Dr. Dre's Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath album, and contributed to an album entitled The Psycho Realm with the band of the same name. Though the focus that year was not on group efforts, the band played Smokin' Grooves with George Clinton and Erykah Badu.

Cypress Hill released IV in 1998 which went gold in the U.S., on the backs of hit singles "Tequila Sunrise" and "Dr. Greenthumb." Sen Dog also released the Get Wood sampler as part of SX-10 on the label Flip. In 1999, Cypress Hill helped with the PC crime video game Kingpin: Life of Crime. Three of their songs from the 1998 IV album were in the game ( "16 Men Till There's No Men Left", "Checkmate" and "Lightning Strikes"). B-Real also did some of the voices of the people in the game. Also in 1999, the band released a greatest-hits album in Spanish, Los grandes éxitos en español. In 2000, Cypress Hill then fused genres with their fifth album, Skull & Bones, which was a two-disc album. The first disc, "Skull" was composed of rap tracks while "Bones" explored further the group's forays into rock. The album reached the Top 5 on the Billboard 200 and number 3 in Canada. The first single was "Rock Superstar" for rock radio and "Rap Superstar" for urban radio. Following the release of the album, Cypress Hill (along with MxPx) landed a slot opening for The Offspring on the Conspiracy of One tour. The band also released Live at the Fillmore, a concert disc recorded at the Fillmore (in San Francisco) in 2000. Cypress Hill continued their experimentation with rock on the Stoned Raiders album in 2001. However, its sales were a disappointment, as the disc did not even reach the top 50 of the U.S. album charts. In 2001, the group appeared in the film How High.

[edit] Till Death Do Us Part (2003–2007)

Cypress Hill recorded "Just Another Victim" for WWE as a theme song for Tazz. At the time, WWE was using original music for almost all of the wrestlers, so this was an unusual step for the company to take, but it remains one of the more memorable songs to emerge from the wrestling organization. The band released Till Death Do Us Part on March 23, 2004. The album saw the band experiment with reggae especially on the lead single "What's Your Number". The track features Tim Armstrong of Rancid on guitar and backup vocals. It is based on the classic song "The Guns of Brixton" on The Clash's London Calling and has proven to be a success on the modern rock charts. However, the album represented a further departure from the signature sound of their first four albums. The album also features appearances by Damian Marley, son of Bob Marley, Prodigy of Mobb Deep and producers the Alchemist and Fredwreck.

In 2004, the song How I Could Just Kill A Man was included in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas created by Rockstar Games, playing on West Coast hip hop radio station Radio Los Santos. In December 2005 a best of compilation album titled Greatest Hits From the Bong was released including 9 hits from previous albums and 2 new tracks. The group's next album was tentatively scheduled for an early 2007 release. In the summer of 2006, B-Real appeared on Snoop Dogg's single "Vato", which was produced by Pharrell Williams.

In 2007 Cypress Hill toured with their full line up as a part of the Rock the Bells tour, held by Guerilla Union, and headlined with Public Enemy, Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, and a reunited Rage Against the Machine. Other acts included Immortal Technique, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, The Roots, EPMD, Pharoahe Monch, Jedi Mind Tricks, Erykah Badu, MF Doom, Sage Francis, Brother Ali, The Coup, Blue Print, Lucky I Am, Living Legends, Felt, Cage, Mr. Lif, Grouch & Eligh, Slightly Stoopid, and Hangar 18.

[edit] Departure from Sony and Rise Up (2008–present)

On July 25, 2008, Cypress Hill performed at a benefit concert at the House of Blues Chicago, where a majority of the proceeds went to the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness.^[4]

In August 2009, a new song by Cypress Hill, titled "Get 'Em Up", was made available on iTunes. The song is featured on the Madden NFL 2010 video game.^[5]

In November 2009, a new version of Guns N' Roses classic "Paradise City" performed by Cypress Hill, Slash and Fergie was made available as a bonus track to Slash's single "Sahara" off Slash's solo album Slash.

Cypress Hill's eighth studio album, Rise Up, features contributions from Everlast, Tom Morello, Daron Malakian, Pitbull, Marc Anthony and Mike Shinoda.^[6] The album was released on Priority Records/EMI Entertainment, as the group was signed to the label by new Creative Chairman Snoop Dogg on January 15, 2010. The album was finally released on April 20, 2010.^[7] The album's introduction single, "It Ain't Nothin'" was released as a free download from the group's official website. The song "Rise Up" was featured at WWE's pay-per-view, Elimination Chamber, as the official theme song for that event, and was released as the third single for the album, with "Armada Latina" being fourth. The song also appeared in the trailer of the movie The Green Hornet.

Cypress Hill commenced its Rise Up tour in Philadelphia on April 10, 2010. Julio G had replaced DJ Muggs for the tour. Muggs had been absent due to working on several other projects, including separate albums with B-Real and Sen Dog. The group was supposed to stop in Tucson, Arizona but canceled the show in protest of the recent immigration legislation. At the Rock en Seine festival in Paris on August 27, 2010 they said in an interview that they would wait and see what happens with the legislation before going back there.^[8] Cypress Hill performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in late August 2010, on the 28th at Leeds and the 29th at Reading.

In summer 2012, Cypress Hill and Dubstep artist Rusko will be releasing a collaborative EP entitled 'Cypress X Rusko'.

Style[link]

Rapping[link]

One of the band's most striking aspects is B-Real's exaggeratedly high-pitched nasal vocals.^[2] In the book Check the Technique B-Real describes his nasal style, saying his rapping voice is "high and annoying... the nasal style I have was just something that I developed... my more natural style wasn't so pleasing to [DJ Muggs and Sen Dog's] ears"^[9] and talking about the nasal style in the book How to Rap, B-Real says, "you want to stand out from the others and just be distinct... when you got something that can separate you from everybody else, you gotta use it to your advantage."^[1] Sen Dog's voice is deeper, more violent and often shouted alongside the rapping; his vocals are often emphasized by adding an additional background/choir voice to say them. Sen Dog's style is in contrast to B-Real's, who says, "[Sen's] voice is so strong", and "it all blends together" when they are both on the same track.^[9]

Both B-Real and Sen Dog started writing lyrics in both Spanish and English and B-Real was inspired to start writing raps from watching Sen Dog and Mellow Man Ace writing their lyrics,^[9] and originally B-Real was going to just be the writer for the group rather than a rapper.^[9] Their lyrics are noted for bringing a "cartoonish" approach to violence by Peter Shapiro and Allmusic.^[2][10]

Production[link]

The sound and groove of their music, produced by Muggs, is notable for its spooky sounds and stoned aesthetic; with its bass-heavy rhythms and odd sample loops ("Insane in the Brain" is notable for having a pitched-altered horse neigh looped in its chorus), it carries a psychedelic value, which lessened in the later albums.^[2][10]

The band is also known for involving rock instruments. In their songs – this has caused the band to sometimes be classified as a rap rock group.^[2] The double album Skull & Bones consists of a pure rap album ("Skull") and an entire CD of rap/rock songs ("Bones"). Also in IV, there is "Lightning Strikes" which doesn't truly use electric guitars, but a synthesized version of it. In the live album Live at The Fillmore some of the old classics are played in a rock/metal version, with Sen Dog's band SX-10 and Eric Bobo playing the rock instrument.

The band's music is constantly subject to change: while the first album and Black Sunday follow a more minimalistic and funky sound, III (Temples of Boom) has a very dark, spooky atmosphere and heavy beats, sometimes approaching hardcore rap. IV introduced more diverse sounds on the beats while maintaining the hardcore edge. The first albums are mostly influenced by psychedelic music, but the band eventually got closer to modern rap as it is today while still experimenting with rock from time to time, like on "Skull and Bones" and "Stoned Raiders".

The band involves horns in their songs, and often have guitar and horns together in the instrumentals. "What's Your Number?", "Trouble", "Tequila Sunrise", and "(Rock) Superstar" have become some of the band's most popular songs featuring these elements.

Side and solo projects[link]

Eric Bobo is part of the group Sol Invicto with producer Richie Londres and Stephen Carpenter of the Deftones. Eric Bobo is also a main member of Cultura Londres Proyecto which is a Spanish Hip Hop group from London, England. In 2008, he released his first solo album "Meeting Of The Minds" on Nacional Records. In 2011, he joined up with Chilean DJ Latin Bitman to form the group Ritmo Machine & in November 2011 they released the album "Welcome To The Ritmo Machine" on Nacional Records with special guests Sick Jacken (Psycho Realm), Ana Tijoux, Sen-Dog, Mix Master Mike (Beastie Boys), P-Nut (311), Pato Machete & Chali 2na (Jurassic 5).

2009 saw the releases of both B-Real and Sen Dog's solo efforts Smoke N Mirrors and Diary of a Mad Dog. B-Real is also part of a super-group called Serial Killaz with both Xzibit and his protege Young De. B-Real started his own production company called Audio Hustlaz, with which he has worked and featured on tracks with Kurupt, Young De, Xzibit, Adil Omar, Snoop Dogg, Bitza and others, and has also done guest appearances for La Coka Nostra, Ill Bill, Prozak, Akrobatik, The Outlawz, Nipsey Hussle and Apathy.

Other notable side projects include B-Real's rap metal group Kush with members from Deftones and Fear Factory who are as yet to release any official material.

Sen Dog has released one album with his rap metal group SX-10.

Muggs has released collaborative albums with Sick Jacken, GZA, Planet Asia, Ill Bill and others.

Discography[link]

• Cypress Hill (1991)
• Black Sunday (1993)
• Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom (1995)
• Unreleased and Revamped (1996)
• Cypress Hill IV (1998)
• Skull & Bones (2000)
• Stoned Raiders (2001)
• Till Death Do Us Part (2004)
• Rise Up (2010)

Awards and Nominations[link]

Grammy Awards

MTV Video Music Awards Awards

Band Members[link]

Current Members

• B-Real – lead rapping (since 1988)
• DJ Muggs – turntables, production (since 1988)
• Eric Bobo – drums, percussion (since 1993)
• Sen Dog – rapping (since 1988)

Former Members

• Mellow Man Ace - rapping (1988)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Cypress Hill interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' April 2010
• Cypress Hill interview, August 2010, Radio France Internationale
• Cypress Hill on Velvet Hammer Site
• Cypress Hill at Legacy Recordings (Sony Music)
• Eric Bobo video interview

Tim Armstrong
Background information
Birth name	Timothy Lockwood Armstrong
Also known as	Lint, Tim Timebomb
Born	(1965-11-25) November 25, 1965 (age 46) Berkeley, California, United States
Origin	Albany, California, U.S.
Genres	Punk rock, ska punk, street punk, hardcore punk
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, producer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, synthesizer, harmonica
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Lookout!, Hellcat, Epitaph
Associated acts	Rancid, Devils Brigade, Transplants, Operation Ivy, Dance Hall Crashers, Downfall, Basic Radio, Shaken 69, Box Car Racer, The Silencers, The LJs, Generator, Danny Diablo
Website	www.ratsinthehallway.com[dead link]
Notable instruments
Hagström Viking Gretsch Country Club Gibson SG

Timothy Lockwood Armstrong (born November 25, 1965)^[1] is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work with punk rock bands Rancid, Operation Ivy, Downfall, and the Transplants. He is also the owner and operator of Hellcat Records.

Personal life[link]

Armstrong was born November 25, 1965 and was raised primarily by his mother. At the age of five, he met Matt Freeman while playing Little League Baseball in Albany, California. Freeman and Armstrong formed a band many years later based on their shared love of bands such as The Clash and the Ramones. They both went to Albany Middle and High School. Armstrong married musician Brody Dalle in 1997, when she was only 18 and the couple divorced in 2003. Many of the lyrics on the album Indestructible deal with Armstrong's feelings about his divorce.

Music career[link]

Basic Radio[link]

Basic Radio was founded in 1985 and included Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong. The band never released any albums or EPs, but recorded demos, and soon after its break-up, Operation Ivy was founded.

Operation Ivy[link]

In 1987, along with singer Jesse Michaels and drummer Dave Mello, Armstrong and Freeman formed the ska punk band Operation Ivy and enjoyed modest success before the group disbanded in 1989, the same night the album was released. The band would go on to achieve worldwide cult success in the years following its break-up.

Downfall[link]

Downfall was an aftershock of Operation Ivy. Armstrong, Freeman, and Mello were joined by Mello's brother Pat, and Jason Hammon. Pat and Jason would both play guitar, while Armstrong took up duties on vocals. They lasted three months (December 1989 to March 1990), playing only at a few parties and twice at Gilman St. They released one song on Maximumrocknroll's They Don't Get Paid, They Don't Get Laid, but Boy, Do They Work Hard! compilation, one song on David Hayes' Very Small World compilation, one song on Lookout! Records' Can of Pork compilation, and recorded a demo. It disbanded when Freeman joined MDC on bass while Armstrong was a roadie for the band, while Pat and Dave went on to form Schlong.

Rancid[link]

After the demise of Operation Ivy, Armstrong (being severely depressed) began to suffer from alcoholism, and eventually became homeless.^[2] During this time, Freeman suggested the two start a new band together, partially in hopes of curbing Armstrong's alcohol addiction. Armstrong began writing songs that would appear on their first album. Their new band, Rancid would eventually go on to become one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful punk rock bands of all time.

The Transplants[link]

In 1999, Armstrong invited roadie Rob Aston ("Skinhead Rob") to add lyrics to some solo material that Armstrong had been creating in his basement, and the two worked together writing and recording music. They formed the group Transplants with Travis Barker of Blink-182 and released their self-titled debut album on October 22, 2002. A second Transplants album, Haunted Cities, was released on June 21, 2005. The Transplants break-up was confirmed by Rob Aston on January 16, 2006, when he told a reporter that the group had split. However, Barker has recently announced that the trio is currently working on a new album. They played their first show since 2006 on Conan to promote the bands drummer, Travis Barker, new solo album by playing the song "Saturday Night" which is featured on Barker's solo album. It was announced in November 2011 on the Transplants official Facebook page that their new album would be "finished" in December 2011.

Other projects[link]

Armstrong co-wrote eight songs with Pink for her 2003 album Try This. He has also collaborated with Gwen Stefani on her debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and has contributed guest vocals on songs for such bands as Bad Religion, Time Again, The Matches, Mest, Good Charlotte, Head Automatica, The Aggrolites and Box Car Racer. He and Matt Freeman also play in a psychobilly band called Devils Brigade. In 2007, he released his first solo album entitled A Poet's Life with The Aggrolites as his backing band. The track from that album "Into Action" was reported as the number one most played and requested in 2007 on then XM Satellite Radio channel Fungus 53.^[3] It was announced on August 12, 2011 that Tim Armstrong was working on an album with reggae artist Jimmy Cliff.^[4] Their first single, a cover of The Clash song "The Guns of Brixton", was released on October 4, 2011. Sacred Fire EP was released late November 2011 and they are planning to release a full length album in 2012.

Armstrong in Nashville, TN on 6/27/2008

Hellcat Records[link]

Armstrong started Hellcat Records in 1997 as a sub-label of Epitaph, owned by Armstrong's friend and Bad Religion member Brett Gurewitz. Armstrong acts as a talent scout for Hellcat, and has final say concerning what groups are signed to the label. Armstrong also owns the merchandise manufacturer Machete Mfg,^[5] which provides merchandise for bands on Hellcat Records.

Signature model guitar[link]

In 2010, Gretsch Guitars introduced the G5191BK Tim Armstrong Electromatic guitar. The single cutaway hollowbody electric guitar featured a 17" wide body in a flat-black urethane finish, parallel tone bars and sound post, two “Black Top” Filter'Tron pickups, Grover tuners, big block fretboard inlays, a harp tailpiece and gold-plated hardware. Gretsch advertising for the model prominently features Armstrong with the guitar.^[6] It is based on his 1970's-era Gretsch Country Club model which he spray-painted black and flipped to accommodate his left-handed playing.^[7] The signature model is available in both right and left-handed models. Fender also put out a signature acoustic model based on Tim's favorite 60's era Fender acoustic guitar. The "Hellcat" has hellcat inlays in the 3 5 and 7th fret positions and two skulls in the 12th fret. It is outfitted with a tortoise shell pick guard and Fishman brand electronics. It is available in right and left handed models.

Discography[link]

Operation Ivy[link]

Guitar and backing vocals. Credited as "Lint".

• Hectic (1988)
• Energy (1989)
• Plea for Peace (1992)
• '69 Newport (1993)

Downfall[link]

• Can of Pork - "North Berkeley"
• Very Small World - "New Regulations"
• They Don't Get Paid, They Don't Get Laid, But Boy Do They Work Hard! - "Long Way to Go"
• Later That Same Year - "My City"

Special Forces[link]

Bass Guitar. Credited as "Lint".

• Red White and Blue (Special Forces Single) (1991)

Rancid[link]

Guitar and vocals.

• Rancid (1993)
• Let's Go (1994)
• ...And Out Come the Wolves (1995)
• Life Won't Wait (1998)
• Rancid (2000)
• Indestructible (2003)
• Let the Dominoes Fall (2009)

Bad Religion[link]

• Stranger Than Fiction (1994) - guest vocals on "Television"

Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards[link]

• Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards (2001) - guitar, backing vocals
• Viking (2004) - vocals on "My Life to Live"

Transplants[link]

Guitar and vocals.

• Transplants (2002)
• Haunted Cities (2005)

Travis Barker[link]

• Give The Drummer Some (2011) - "Saturday Night"

Solo albums[link]

Guitar and vocals.

• A Poet's Life (2007)
• "Tim Timebomb Sings Songs From Rock N Roll Theater" (2012)

Devils Brigade[link]

Guitar and backing vocals.

• Stalingrad/Psychos All Around Me (2003)
• Vampire Girl (2005)
• Devils Brigade (2010) - Lead vocals on "Bridge of Gold" and "Gentlemen of the Road".

Jimmy Cliff[link]

Guitar and Production

• Sacred Fire EP (2011)

Produced albums[link]

• Answer That and Stay Fashionable (1995) by AFI
• East los Presents (1997) by Union 13
• At Ease (1997) by The Gadjits
• F-Minus (2000) by F-Minus
• Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards (2001) by Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards
• Try This (2003) by Pink
• Viking (2004) by Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards
• The Stories Are True (2006) by Time Again
• Decomposer (2006) by The Matches
• Live Freaky! Die Freaky! (2006) by John Roecker
• Sound Soldier (2007) by Skye Sweetnam

Filmography[link]

• Larry Is Dead (1995) director, actor, producer
• Live Freaky! Die Freaky! (2003) producer, narrator
• The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004) acting
• Give 'Em the Boot (2005) producer
• Punk's Not Dead (2007) producer
• "Rock N Roll Theater" (2011) Actor, Producer, Writer

References[link]

External links[link]

• Rancid official website
• Journey to the End: The TIM ARMSTRONG Fanlisting

Anna Faris
Faris at the 84th Academy Awards Red Carpet 2012
Born	Anna Kay Faris (1976-11-29) November 29, 1976 (age 35) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1991–present
Spouse	Ben Indra (2004–2008) Chris Pratt (2009–present)

Anna Kay Faris^[1] ( /ˈɑːnə ˈfærɨs/; born November 29, 1976)^[1] is an American actress and singer. She is known for her starring role in the Scary Movie film series, as well as roles in The Hot Chick (2002), Lost in Translation (2003), Just Friends (2005), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Smiley Face (2007), The House Bunny (2008), Take Me Home Tonight (2011),What's Your Number? (2011) and The Dictator (2012). She provided voice acting in the animated film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and was a recurring character on the television sitcom Friends.

Early life[link]

Anna Faris was born in Baltimore, Maryland.^[1] Her mother, Karen, was a special education teacher^[2] at Seaview Elementary School^[3] in Edmonds, Washington, where Faris was raised. Her father, Jack Faris, is a sociologist who worked at the University of Washington as a vice president of internal communications^[2] and later headed the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association.^[2][4] She has a brother, Robert, who is also a sociologist and a professor at the University of California, Davis.^[4][5] At age 6, Faris moved with her family to Edmonds, Washington.^[3] Her parents encouraged her to pursue acting when she was young,^[6] and she gave her first professional acting performance at age 9, in a three-month run of Arthur Miller's one-act play Danger: Memory! at the Seattle Repertory Theater. She went on to play Scout in a production of To Kill a Mockingbird at the Issaquah, Washington, Village Theatre, and played title character in Heidi and Rebecca in Our Town. At 14, while attending Edmonds-Woodway High School, she appeared in a frozen-yogurt TV commercial. After graduating from high school in 1994, Faris attended the University of Washington and earned a degree in English literature.^[3]

Film career[link]

Her first film role came shortly after college, in the independent production Lovers Lane (1999), in which she played an ill-fated cheerleader. Her breakout role came the following year in the horror-film parody Scary Movie (2000). She gained further popularity after she received the role of the recurring character Erica, the mother whose twin babies are adopted by Chandler and Monica Bing, in the final season of the American sitcom Friends. She said she was "cast last-minute" in the film Lost in Translation (2003), in which she played an actress promoting an action movie.^[7]

Faris at the premiere of Observe and Report at the 2009 South by Southwest Festival

Faris appeared in the film Waiting... (2005), with Ryan Reynolds and Justin Long. That same year she appeared again with Reynolds in Just Friends, playing a supporting role as a pop-diva singer named Samantha James. Also that year came Faris's role as LaShawn Malone in Brokeback Mountain. Faris starred with Uma Thurman and Luke Wilson in My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006). In 2007, she played in Mama's Boy, with Jon Heder, Jeff Daniels and Diane Keaton, and starred in 2007's Smiley Face, a role that won her "Stoner of the Year" at High Times magazine's Stony Awards, in Los Angeles, on October 13, 2007.^[8]

In 2008, she produced and starred in The House Bunny, about a retired Playboy bunny.^[4] In the summer 2007 season of HBO's Entourage, Faris guest-starred as herself in three episodes. She also made an appearance as herself in a video on eatdrinkordie.com with Internet wine guru Gary Vaynerchuk. Faris co-starred as the cosmetic counter employee on whom Seth Rogen has a crush in Jody Hill's 2009 comedy, Observe and Report.^[9] After that, she co-starred with Bill Hader providing voices for the animated film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, in which she played weather reporter Sam Sparks. In 2010, Faris starred in Yogi Bear, playing Rachel, a nature documentarian who follows the antics of a bear in fictional Jellystone Park.^[10][11]

In 2011, she appeared in the comedy Take Me Home Tonight, playing Topher Grace's character's twin sister.^[12] She starred in What's Your Number?, released in 2011. The film was a romantic comedy based on Karyn Bosnak’s book 20 Times a Lady.^[13]

In 2012, she starred opposite of Sacha Baron Cohen in The Dictator, a satire which followed the deposed dictator of Wadiya, as he lived out temporary exile in the United States.^[14]

In the media[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2012)

Faris has appeared on the covers of Raygun, Playboy, Self, Cosmopolitan, and other magazines. She was listed as No. 57, #39, and No. 42 in Maxim magazine's "Hot 100" in 2004, 2009, and 2010 respectively. In 2009, she was ranked No. 60 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World", and ranked No. 96 in 2010. Ask Men featured her as No. 78 on "100 Most Desirable Women in the World" in 2009.

In 2010, Cosmopolitan magazine named her "the Cosmo’s Fun Fearless Female of the Year" – stating that “She makes us laugh – and cringe – by pushing the limits of comedy in a way no other actress can."

Personal life[link]

During filming of the 1999 independent horror film Lovers Lane in London, Faris met her first husband, Ben Indra.^[3] They began dating in that year and were married in June 2004. She filed for divorce in April 2007, citing irreconcilable differences.^[15] As part of their divorce agreement, Faris agreed to pay Indra $900,000 in addition to other property and acting royalties.^[16] The divorce was finalized in February 2008.^[17]

Faris met her second husband, actor Chris Pratt, on the 2007 set of Take Me Home Tonight.^[6] They became engaged in January 2009,^[18] and married on July 9, 2009 in a small ceremony in Bali.^[19] In May 2012, the couple announced that they are expecting their first child.^[20]

Filmography and awards / nominations[link]

Other awards[link]

• 2012 CinemaCon Comedy Star of the Year Award^[22]

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Anna Faris

• Anna Faris at the Internet Movie Database
• Onion A.V. Club interview

Christopher Pratt may refer to:

• Christopher Dale Pratt, a British business executive
• Christopher Pratt, Canadian painter
• Chris Pratt, American actor

See also[link]

• Chris Prat, lacrosse player

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