Biography & Early Wealth Journey

Jessica Biel first became famous in the 1990s as Mary Camden on the long-running family drama "7th Heaven." She used the series as a springboard into movies, eventually starring in films including "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "Blade: Trinity," "The Illusionist," "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry," "Valentine's Day," and "Total Recall." Biel later engineered a significant second act behind the camera by co-founding Iron Ocean Productions with Michelle Purple. Through Iron Ocean, she starred in and produced "The Sinner," earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, and subsequently produced or starred in projects including "Cruel Summer," "Candy," and "The Better Sister." The latter spent 11 weeks in Prime Video's Top 10 and earned Biel a 2026 Critics Choice Award nomination. She also returned to feature filmmaking in 2026 with "Matchbox The Movie," starring alongside John Cena.

Early Life

Jessica Claire Biel was born on March 3, 1982, in Ely, Minnesota. Her mother, Kimberly, worked as a spiritual healer, while her father, Jonathan, was a business consultant who had previously worked for General Electric. Jessica has a younger brother, Justin Biel.

The family moved frequently during Jessica's childhood, living in Connecticut, Texas, Illinois, and Colorado. Biel was athletic from an early age, participating in soccer and gymnastics, while also becoming interested in musical theater. Beginning around age nine, she appeared in local productions including "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Sound of Music."

Primary Income Streams & Multi-Million Contracts

At 11, Biel participated in an International Modeling and Talent Association competition, where she won a scholarship to the Young Actors' Space in Los Angeles. She began modeling and appearing in commercials, including a television advertisement for Pringles.

Biel attended Fairview High School in Colorado and later enrolled at Tufts University in Massachusetts in 2000. She left college in 2002 to focus full-time on acting.

"7th Heaven"

Biel's breakthrough came in 1996 when, at age 14, she was cast as Mary Camden on "7th Heaven." The WB drama followed minister Eric Camden, his wife Annie, and their large family.

Real Estate, Luxury Assets & Personal Investments

The series became one of the network's biggest hits and turned Biel into a teen star. She remained a regular through the show's early seasons and continued making appearances after reducing her role.

While "7th Heaven" provided Biel with fame and financial stability, its wholesome image increasingly frustrated her as she tried to pursue more mature acting opportunities.

That tension became public in 2000 when Biel posed for a provocative photo spread in "Gear" magazine while still starring on the family-oriented series. The shoot caused a major controversy, and Biel later said she regretted doing it.

During her "7th Heaven" years, Biel was already expanding into film. She appeared opposite Peter Fonda in 1997's "Ulee's Gold," earning a Young Artist Award, and followed with "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "The Rules of Attraction."

Movie Career

Biel made a decisive break from her teen-star image with 2003's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." The horror remake became a significant box-office success, grossing more than $100 million worldwide on a relatively modest budget.

She followed with major studio projects including "Blade: Trinity" and "Stealth." In 2006, Biel received some of the strongest reviews of her film career for "The Illusionist," starring opposite Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti.

Biel subsequently worked across comedy, romance, drama, and action. In 2007, she appeared opposite Adam Sandler and Kevin James in "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry." Her other films have included "Easy Virtue," "Valentine's Day," "The A-Team," "New Year's Eve," "Total Recall," "Hitchcock," "The Truth About Emanuel," and "Shock and Awe."

Biel also voiced Neera in the animated film "Planet 51" and made voice appearances on shows including "Family Guy," "Johnny Bravo," and "BoJack Horseman."

After spending nearly a decade focused primarily on television and producing, Biel returned to feature filmmaking with the 2026 Apple TV action-adventure "Matchbox The Movie." She plays Aimee alongside John Cena, Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris, Arturo Castro, Danai Gurira, and Corey Stoll.

Iron Ocean Productions

Biel co-founded Iron Ocean Productions with her longtime producing partner Michelle Purple.

The company emerged partly from Biel's frustration with waiting for compelling acting roles to come her way. Producing gave her the ability to develop material herself, with Iron Ocean placing particular emphasis on female-led stories, thrillers, and psychologically complicated characters.

The move ultimately transformed Biel's career.

Iron Ocean produced the first season of "The Sinner," which premiered on USA Network in 2017. Biel starred as Cora Tannetti, a seemingly ordinary woman who inexplicably murders a stranger in public.

The performance earned Biel nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Television Film.

Although Biel did not return as an actress for the subsequent seasons of "The Sinner," she remained an executive producer throughout the show's four-season run.

Iron Ocean also produced "Cruel Summer," which became one of Freeform's biggest original-series launches, along with the Facebook Watch mystery "Limetown."

"Candy"

In 2022, Biel starred in and executive produced Hulu's "Candy."

She portrayed Candy Montgomery, the Texas woman accused of killing her friend Betty Gore with an axe in 1980. Melanie Lynskey played Gore.

The five-part limited series gave Biel another opportunity to combine her acting and producing work while continuing the darker psychological territory that had become Iron Ocean's specialty.

Her portrayal of Montgomery earned additional awards attention and reinforced Biel's transition from mainstream movie star to producer-driven prestige television performer.

"The Better Sister"

Biel starred alongside Elizabeth Banks in the 2025 Prime Video limited series "The Better Sister," adapted from Alafair Burke's novel.

Biel played Chloe Taylor, a successful magazine executive whose apparently privileged life collapses when her husband is murdered. Banks played Chloe's estranged sister, Nicky. Biel and Banks also served as executive producers through their respective production companies.

All eight episodes were released together, and the series spent 11 weeks in Prime Video's Top 10.

Biel's performance earned her a 2026 Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television, her first nomination from the organization since "The Sinner."

Business Ventures and Writing

Biel has pursued several ventures outside entertainment.

She was an early partner in BARE, an environmentally conscious accessories company founded by her brother. In 2021, Biel and entrepreneur Jeremy Adams co-founded Kinderfarms, a family health and wellness business that developed children's over-the-counter medicines and related products.

Biel also became an author in 2024 with "A Kids Book About Periods." Written in partnership with the nonprofit PERIOD., the book was designed to help children and parents discuss menstruation openly and reduce the stigma surrounding reproductive health.

(Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Personal Life

Jessica dated her "7th Heaven" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" co-star Adam LaVorgna from 1998 to 2001. She subsequently had an on-and-off relationship with Chris Evans between 2001 and 2006.

Biel began dating Justin Timberlake in 2007 after the two met at a birthday party. They became engaged in December 2011 and married in Italy on October 19, 2012.

Their first son, Silas Randall Timberlake, was born in April 2015. Their second son, Phineas, was born during the summer of 2020.

The family increasingly shifted its primary residence away from Los Angeles and New York in favor of Montana, where Biel and Timberlake have owned a home at the ultra-exclusive Yellowstone Club since 2015. Biel has said the move offered the family greater privacy and allowed their children to grow up away from the constant attention of photographers.

Biel has also been active in philanthropy. She founded the Make the Difference Network and has supported organizations including charity:water and WomanCare Global. In 2010, she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro as part of the Summit on the Summit campaign to raise awareness of the global clean-water crisis.

Jessica Biel Net Worth

FREDERIC J.BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

Awards and Honors

Biel won a Young Artist Award in 1998 for "Ulee's Gold." She received the Female Star of Tomorrow honor at ShoWest in 2005 and the Rising Star Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in 2007.

Her career received another wave of critical recognition with "The Sinner." Biel earned Emmy, Golden Globe, and Critics Choice nominations for her performance and additional recognition for her work as a producer.

In 2026, she received another Critics Choice Award nomination for "The Better Sister."

In 2015, Biel and Timberlake received the Inspiration Award at the GLSEN Respect Awards for their support of LGBTQ youth. Biel's work with charity:water also earned her an Impact Award at Variety's Power of Women event.

Real Estate

Jessica and Justin have bought and sold tens of millions of dollars' worth of real estate during their marriage.

In 2010, they paid $6.6 million for a roughly 2,600-square-foot penthouse in Manhattan's Soho neighborhood. They later listed it for $8 million but ultimately sold the property in 2018 for approximately $6.35 million.

In 2017, they paid $20.2 million for a roughly 5,400-square-foot duplex penthouse at 443 Greenwich Street in TriBeCa. The building became famous for its celebrity residents, who have included Harry Styles, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, and Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton.

Justin and Jessica sold their TriBeCa unit in January 2022 for $29 million, producing an approximately $8.8 million gross increase over their purchase price. Hamilton at one point owned the building's penthouse, which he purchased for $44 million.

The couple also owns an enormous Hollywood Hills estate that Justin purchased from actress Helen Hunt in 2002 for $8.3 million. The main residence measures roughly 12,000 square feet, and Timberlake later acquired an adjacent seven-acre parcel, bringing the total estate to more than 10 acres.

In October 2021, Justin and Jessica listed the Hollywood Hills compound for $35 million. The home did not sell, and the couple subsequently removed it from the market.

They previously owned approximately 130 acres near Franklin, Tennessee. Justin purchased the land for $4 million in 2015 and listed it for $10 million in 2023. The property sold in June 2024 for $8 million.

Yellowstone Club

Jessica and Justin have owned a residence at the ultra-exclusive Yellowstone Club near Big Sky, Montana, since 2015.

The private residential ski and golf community spans thousands of acres and offers members private ski terrain, an 18-hole golf course, restaurants, fitness facilities, and extensive outdoor recreation.

The amount Biel and Timberlake paid for their home has never been publicly disclosed. Membership itself has historically required a substantial initiation fee plus annual dues in addition to the cost of purchasing property.

The Yellowstone Club eventually became much more than a vacation property for the couple. Biel has explained that she and Timberlake largely moved away from Los Angeles and New York because raising their sons in Montana provided substantially more privacy. By the mid-2020s, the Big Sky residence had become the family's primary home.

Jessica Biel Net Worth

Biel

Justin Timberlake Net Worth

Timberlake