Acting
Jul 21, 1978
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
A.J. Cook
Acting
Biography
Andrea Joy "A.J." Cook (born July 22, 1978) is a Canadian actress best known for her role as Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau in the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds. She has also appeared in several Hollywood films including The Virgin Suicides, Out Cold, and Final Destination 2. Cook was born in Oshawa, Ontario, and spent most of her life growing up in Whitby, where she attended Anderson Collegiate Vocational Institute. Her father, Mike, is a teacher, and her mother, Sandra, works as a psychiatrist.She has three siblings, Nathan, Paul, and Angela. Cook is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.A dancer from age four,Cook began taking jazz, tap and ballet lessons. She danced competitively for many years, before deciding at the age of 16 that she wanted to try acting. On August 3, 2001, Cook married her long-time boyfriend, Nathan Andersen, whom she met in a film class at Utah Valley University. She later moved to Salt Lake City, Utahto be with him and currently resides in Los Angeles, California.In March 2008, it was reported that Cook and Andersen would be expecting their first child in October.Their son, Mekhai Allan Andersen, was born on September 13, 2008. Cook said "He's such a good baby. I feel so lucky that he's mine. My husband and I feel very blessed!"Mekhai made a brief appearance as Henry LaMontagne in Criminal Minds in Season 5 when Cook's character Jennifer Jareau was in a pharmacy buying children's medicine which leads to a breakthrough in the case the BAU was currently trying to solve.[13] He reprised the role of Henry in the Criminal Minds two-hour season seven finale in 2012. Cook and Andersen are also the owners of a Yorkshire Terrier named Zara.Cook was considered legally blind at an early age because of a severe astigmatism, but wore contacts to correct her vision. She eventually underwent surgery where a lens implant was used to correct the impairment.Cook is best friends with actress Meghan Ory. Description above from the Wikipedia article A. J. Cook (actress), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Feature Films (23)
A group of male friends become obsessed with five mysterious sisters who are sheltered by their strict, religious parents.
The Virgin Suicides
When Kimberly has a violent premonition of a highway pileup she blocks the freeway, keeping a few others meant to die, safe...Or are they? The survivors mysteriously start dying and it's up to Kimberly to stop it before she's next.
Final Destination 2
A massacre survivor studies serial killers under a famous expert, but her classmates soon start dying at the hands of a Jack the Ripper copycat.
Ripper: Letter from Hell
The evil Djinn is back at it again, this time wreaking havoc on the students of Illinois' Baxter University. His victim is a beautiful, innocent and studious teenage girl named Diana Collins who accidentally opened up the Djinn's tomb and released him.
Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell
When an old high school crush returns to his small hometown, Reed Fish's once simple, calculated life begins to unravel. A drunken incident prompts Reed's fiancée and the entire town to turn against him.
I'm Reed Fish
Television & Series (10)
Higher Ground told the story of Mount Horizon High School, a therapeutic boarding school for troubled teens, where the students learned to face their personal struggles with addiction, abuse, or disorders. [Higher Ground is an American-Canadian drama action television show shot outside Vancouver, British Columbia. The series ran from January 14, 2000 - June 16, 2000 and aired on Fox Family. It stars Joe Lando, Hayden Christensen, A.J. Cook, Meghan Ory, Kandyse McClure, and Jewel Staite.]
Higher Ground
A university graduate working in the city morgue is able to repeat the same day over again to prevent murders or other disasters.
Tru Calling
Framed for murder and on the run, a former thief struggles to expose the vanguard of an alien invasion with the help of a conspiracy theorist and newly discovered prophecies of Nostradamus.
First Wave
Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal is a Canadian science fiction television series that surrounds a scientific team that deals with all manner of paranormal phenomena around the world; from alien abductions to possessions. The organization depicted in the series is loosely inspired by a real-life scientific organization. While locations in the series took place worldwide, the series was primarily filmed in and around Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and aired 88 episodes over four seasons from 1996 to 2000.
Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal
An elite team of FBI profilers analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. The Behavioral Analysis Unit's most experienced agent is David Rossi, a founding member of the BAU who returns to help the team solve new cases.
