A. J. Cook

This article is about the actress. For the trade unionist, see A. J. Cook (trade unionist).

A. J. Cook
Cook at the 2012 Fan Expo Canada
Born	Andrea Joy Cook (1978-07-22) July 22, 1978 Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1997–present
Spouse(s)	Nathan Andersen (m. 2001)
Children	2
Website	www.ajcookofficial.com

Andrea Joy "A. J." Cook (born July 22, 1978) is a Canadian actress known for her role as Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau in the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds. She has also appeared in films such as The Virgin Suicides (1999), Out Cold (2001), and Final Destination 2 (2003).

Early life

Cook was born in Oshawa, Ontario, and spent most of her life growing up in Whitby, where she attended Anderson Collegiate Vocational Institute. She has three siblings: Nathan, Paul, and Angela. Cook was declared legally blind in the second grade because of a severe astigmatism, but wore contacts and thick glasses to correct her vision. In 2007 she underwent surgery during which a lens implant corrected the impairment. 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. Cook also taught dance when she was younger and has stated that if she hadn't become an actress, she would most likely have set up a small dance studio somewhere. In an interview, she admitted that she still tap dances.

Career

Cook at the 2010 National Memorial Day Concert

Cook's first job was in a McDonald's commercial in 1997. She graduated to series work with a guest role on the television series Goosebumps, and parts in two television movies, In His Father's Shoes and Elvis Meets Nixon. Cook launched her feature film career as one of five captivating suicidal sisters in 1999's The Virgin Suicides. Also that year, she took a starring role in the TV series Higher Ground, in which Cook played Shelby Merrick, a rough-around-the-edges teenage girl dealing with abuse and heartache at a wilderness school for struggling kids. Higher Ground lasted one season, ending with a romance between Shelby and Hayden Christensen's character, Scott.

After Higher Ground, Cook appeared in the 2000 TV movie The Spiral Staircase (alongside Higher Ground alum Kandyse McClure), and then captured leading roles in several films, including Out Cold (as Jason London's love interest), Ripper, I'm Reed Fish, and Final Destination 2. In 2003, Cook guest starred in Dead Like Me. She was also in season one of Tru Calling as Lindsay Walker.

Since September 2005 she has starred as Jennifer "J.J." Jareau in the CBS drama Criminal Minds. On June 14, 2010, it was announced that her contract option would not be picked up for season six as a series regular reportedly due to budget cuts on the show, but she did return for two episodes to wrap up her character's storyline due to thousands of letters and petitions written to the show's producers. She also returned for one episode for the departure of Paget Brewster from the series. On April 16, 2011, it was reported that she had signed to reappear for two more seasons of the show. In 2013, it was announced she was hired as a spokeswoman for Proactiv. She appeared in the January/February 2014 issue of Maxim magazine. She was ranked at 88 on the Maxim Hot 100 2014 list.

Personal life

Cook is a Mormon, but does not limit her acting solely to roles reflecting her beliefs. On August 3, 2001, she married her long-time boyfriend, Nathan Andersen. The two met in a film class at Utah Valley University, and she later moved to Salt Lake City, Utah to be with him. They reside in Los Angeles, California with their two sons.

In March 2008, it was reported that Cook and Andersen would be expecting their first child in September. Their son, Mekhai, was born in 2008. Mekhai makes a brief appearance as Henry LaMontagne in Criminal Minds, when Cook's character is buying children's medicine from a pharmacy. He reprised the role in the two-hour season seven finale in 2012 and several other episodes throughout the series. In March 2015, Cook and Andersen announced they were expecting a second child. The couple's second son, Phoenix Sky, was born in July 2015.

Cook is best friends with actress Meghan Ory.

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	In His Father's Shoes	Lisa	Movie
1997	Elvis Meets Nixon	Hippie Chick	Movie
1997	Goosebumps	Kim Carter	Episode: "Don't Wake Mummy"
1997–98	Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal	Jill Starling / Lee Mason	Episodes: "Second Sight/Chocolate Soldier", "Hell Week"
2000	The Spiral Staircase	Local Girl	Movie
2000	Higher Ground	Shelby Merrick	Main role (22 episodes)
2000	First Wave	Lindsay Tilden	Episode: "The Flight of Francis Jeffries"
2003	Dead Like Me	Charlotte	Episode: "Sunday Mornings"
2003–04	Tru Calling	Lindsay Walker	Main role (season 1: 21 episodes)
2005	Bloodsuckers	Fiona	Movie
2005–present	Criminal Minds	Jennifer "JJ" Jareau	Main role
2011	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Debbie Shields	Episode: "Mask"
2011	Bringing Ashley Home	Libba	Movie

Cook filming Bring Ashley Home in 2010

Film

Year	Title	Role
1997	Laserhawk	Pretty Girl
1999	Blue Moon	Alison
1999	The Virgin Suicides	Mary Lisbon
1999	Teen Sorcery	Dawn
2001	Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell	Diana Collins
2001	Ripper	Molly Keller
2001	Out Cold	Jenny
2002	The House Next Door	Lori Peterson
2003	Final Destination 2	Kimberly Corman
2006	I'm Reed Fish	Theresa
2007	Night Skies	Lilly
2008	Misconceptions	Miranda Bliss
2010	Mother's Day	Vicky Rice
2012	Least Among Saints	Cheryl
2013	Wer	Kate Moore

External links

• A. J. Cook at the Internet Movie Database
• A. J. Cook at TVGuide.com
• A. J. Cook Bio at CBS — Criminal Minds