Jennette McCurdy



Jennette Michelle Faye McCurdy (born June 26, 1992)[1] is an American film and television actress and country pop singer-songwriter. She is best known for her role as Sam Puckett on the Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly. She has also appeared in a number of notable television series, including Victorious, Zoey 101, True Jackson, VP, Malcolm in the Middle, and Lincoln Heights.

Early life
McCurdy was born in Long Beach, California, raised in Garden Grove, California, and has three older brothers: Marcus, Scott, and Dustin. She gained interest in acting after watching Harrison Ford in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope right after her mother recovered from breast cancer.

Career
Acting

McCurdy started her acting career in 2000 at the age of eight on MADtv. Since then she appeared in several television series, including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Malcolm in the Middle, Lincoln Heights, Will & Grace, Penguins of Madagascar, Zoey 101, True Jackson, VP, Law and Order SVU, Medium, Judging Amy, The Inside, Karen Sisco, Over There and Close to Home. In 2003, she had the chance to act with her inspiration, Harrison Ford in the movie Hollywood Homicide. In 2005, she was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Television Series – Guest Starring Young Actress for her performance in Strong Medicine as Hailey Campos. She has also appeared in several commercials such as one for Sprint and another commercial for crossing the road safely. Since 2007, she has a starring role in the Nickelodeon TV series iCarly opposite Miranda Cosgrove, Nathan Kress, Jerry Trainor, and Noah Munck, as one of Carly Shay's best friends Sam Puckett. In 2008, she was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her work on iCarly, and for her performance as Dory Sorenson in the TV movie The Last Day of Summer. She was nominated for a 2009 Teen Choice Award, in the Favorite TV Sidekick category for her work on iCarly. She also was cast to the role of Bertha in Fred: The Movie, a movie based on a YouTube series about Fred Figglehorn. On December 1, 2011, she signed into United Talent Agency's cast of actors and performers for film, TV, music and other areas, to a deal starring her in a pilot vehicle. She was previously with Creative Artists Agency and Larry Galper. In 2012, McCurdy starred in Nickelodeon sitcom "Sam & Cat" alongside Ariana Grande. McCurdy reprised her role from iCarly, as Sam Puckett, who is now Cat Valentine's roommate who get into wacky situations together.

Music

In June 2008, McCurdy announced on her official web site that she was working on her debut album. The first single, "So Close" was released on March 10, 2009. The second single, "Homeless Heart", was released on May 19. The song was released in honor of McCurdy's recently deceased friend Cody Waters, who died at the age of 9 from brain cancer, and 20% of the proceeds were donated to the Cody Waters Foundation. She met Cody Waters through St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In mid-2009, McCurdy signed with country music label Capitol Records Nashville. On April 16, 2010, samples of select songs from McCurdy's upcoming debut country album were released online. The song clips were released in order for fans to vote for which one they believed should be McCurdy's first single. "Not That Far Away" received the most votes, and was released to country radio on May 24, 2010 and iTunes shortly after on June 1.[citation needed] Capitol Nashville released an EP on August 17, 2010 which included "Not That Far Away" and four new songs, "Stronger", "Put Your Arms Around Someone", and "Break Your Heart". The iTunes version included "Me with You" as an bonus track. "Stronger" was later included on Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 35, released on August 31, 2010. McCurdy's second single, "Generation Love", was released as a digital download on March 22, 2011, followed by its release to radio April 25, 2011. Capitol Nashville released McCurdy's self-named extended play on February 8, 2012 at clothing retailer Justice. The album was released to iTunes June 1st.