Katherine Dee "KaDee" Strickland (born December 14, 1977) is an
American actress. Well-known in her hometown of
Patterson, Georgia when she was a child, she began acting during high school. Strickland studied the profession in
Philadelphia and
New York City, where she obtained mostly small roles in film, television and theater projects, among them
The Sixth Sense (1999). Her participation in the 2003
Hollywood films
Anything Else and
Something's Gotta Give led to her receiving significant parts in the horror pictures
Anacondas and
The Grudge (both 2004). In the period they were released, Strickland was referred to as "the pride of Patterson" and the horror fandom's "newest
scream queen", though her performances in both films received mixed critical reviews. In 2005, Strickland garnered positive critical comment for the romantic comedy
Fever Pitch, and in 2007, she was a cast regular in the television shows
The Wedding Bells and
Private Practice. Strickland has spoken against the emphasis placed on beauty in the
Los Angeles acting community, in which she says her
Southern U.S. background has helped to distinguish her from other
blonde-haired actors. She has spoken of an affinity for her strong female characters and a desire to avoid sexualizing or sensationalizing her presentation of herself as a woman.