Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Christine Cuoco (/ˈkwoʊkoʊ/ KWOH-koh;[1] born November 30, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for starring as Penny on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019) and as the title character in the HBO Max comedic thriller The Flight Attendant (2020–2022).[2] The latter earned her nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards.
Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting
- Actress
1992–present
-
Karl Cook(m. 2018; div. 2022)
Tom Pelphrey (2022–present)
1
Briana Cuoco (sister)
Cuoco has also played Billie Jenkins in the fantasy series Charmed (2005–2006), voiced the title role in the animated series Harley Quinn since 2019, and played the lead role in the comedy thriller series Based on a True Story (2023). Her film work includes several television films, such as Quicksand: No Escape (1992) and Growing Up Brady (2000), as well as Virtuosity (1995), Hop (2011), The Wedding Ringer (2015), The Man from Toronto, Meet Cute (both 2022), and Role Play (2024). She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014[3] and in 2017 founded Yes, Norman Productions.
Early life
Kaley Christine Cuoco was born on November 30, 1985, in Camarillo, California, the elder daughter of Layne Ann (née Wingate), a homemaker, and Gary Carmine Cuoco, a realtor.[4] Her father is of Italian descent while her mother is of English and German ancestry.[5] Her sister, Briana, is an actress and singer who competed on the fifth season of The Voice and has a recurring role on the HBO Max series The Flight Attendant[6] and on Harley Quinn as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. As a child, Cuoco was a ranked amateur tennis player, a sport she took up when she was three years old.[7] She stopped playing at the age of 16 to pursue a career in acting.[8]
Career
1995–2006: Early work and 8 Simple Rules
Cuoco made her first feature film appearance as the young Karin Carter in the 1995 action thriller Virtuosity.[9] From 2000 to 2001, she appeared on the CBS sitcom Ladies Man and in 2000 she portrayed former The Brady Bunch star Maureen McCormick in the TV film Growing Up Brady as well as starring in the Disney Channel original film Alley Cats Strike. In September 2002, she began a starring role as Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter (afterwards 8 Simple Rules). Bridget was the oldest child, despite Cuoco being six years younger than Amy Davidson, who played her younger sister.
In addition to the final season of 8 Simple Rules, Cuoco had starring roles on the NBC miniseries 10.5, the ABC Family original film Crimes of Fashion, the independent film Debating Robert Lee,[10] and in the film The Hollow at the same time. She also voiced the character of Brandy Harrington, a 14-year-old anthropomorphic mixed-breed dog, on the Disney Channel animated series Brandy and Mr. Whiskers. She voiced the character of Kirstee Smith in Bratz from 2004 to 2005. In the eighth season of the TV series Charmed, she appeared as Billie Jenkins, a powerful young witch with the powers of telekinesis and projection. Executive producer Brad Kern stated that Cuoco's character was initially brought in as a possible spin-off.
Personal life
While working on The Big Bang Theory, Cuoco privately dated co-star Johnny Galecki for roughly two years, until December 2009. She later told CBS Watch in September 2010 that they have remained on good terms since ending their relationship.[35]
On September 13, 2010, Cuoco broke her leg in a horse-riding accident and missed the filming of two episodes of The Big Bang Theory.[36]
In October 2011, she became engaged to addiction specialist Josh Resnik, but ended their engagement by March 2012.[37] She became engaged to professional tennis player Ryan Sweeting in September 2013, after three months of dating. They married on December 31, 2013, in Santa Susana, California.[38] On September 25, 2015, it was announced that she and Sweeting had decided to divorce.[39] The divorce was finalized on May 9, 2016.[40]
Cuoco began dating equestrian Karl Cook in late 2016.[41][42] They became engaged on November 30, 2017, Cuoco's 32nd birthday,[43] and were married on June 30, 2018.[44] In September 2021, the couple announced their separation, stating "we have realized that our current paths have taken us in opposite directions".[45] In June 2022, their divorce was finalized.[46]
Cuoco confirmed her relationship with actor Tom Pelphrey in May 2022.[47] Five months later, she announced on Instagram that they were expecting their first child together.[48] Cuoco gave birth to their daughter on March 30, 2023.[49]