Biography:
Shannyn Sossamon was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, but her family moved to Nevada when she was three. At 17, promptly after high school graduation, she left her small town life for a career in dance in Los Angeles. While attending Dance Unlimited, Shannyn began her alternate career as a D.J. in local clubs.

When a friend landed the Paltrow gig and needed to borrow her turntables, she came along to spin during the DJ's breaks and her effortless charisma caught the eye of a casting director. Soon after she was cast in the modernized period piece "A Knight's Tale" playing a medieval princess who catches the eye of Heath Ledger's battling squire.

Following her fairy tale-like discovery and subsequent female lead role, the exotically beautiful but girl-next-door unaffected Sossamon was featured in many a magazine, but was careful to avoid the media saturation trap that has ruined the careers of many a starlet. In 2002, "Forty Days and Forty Nights" was released, pairing the up and comer with fellow young Hollywood hotshot Josh Hartnett in a role that the actress hoped would prove her success in "A Knight's Tale" wasn't a fluke. Last year she also co-starred with James Van Der Beek in the feature adaptation of "Rules of Attraction", a 1980s-set adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' hit novel.

Next up she will be joining up with her A Knight’s Tale co-star Heath Ledger again in The Order, a mystery/thriller about a priest who becomes entangled in a dangerous conspiracy in the Catholic Church. It is set to come out this fall. In 2004 Shannyn is scheduled to be in The Other Side of Simple with Don Cheadle and Hayden Christensen.