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Tiffani Thiessen
Tiffani Thiessen at the Las Vegas Grand Prix Charity Gala.
Birth name	Tiffani-Amber Thiessen
Born	January 23, 1974 (1974-01-23) (age 33) Long Beach, California, United States
Other name(s)	Tiff
Occupation	Actress
Spouse(s)	Brady Smith (2005-Present)

Tiffani Thiessen (born January 23, 1974 in Long Beach, California) is an American television and film actress, best known for her role as Kelly Kapowski in Saved by the Bell and as Valerie Malone in Beverly Hills, 90210. After many years of going by her full name Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, she is now credited as simply Tiffani Thiessen^[1].

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Career 1.3 Personal life 2 Filmography 3 Award nominations 4 Radio 5 References 6 External links

She was born in Long Beach, California; her father, Frank, was a park designer and her mother, Robyn, was a homemaker. She is of German, Greek, Turkish and Welsh descent. She told InStyle: "I'm a mutt. I have so much of everything in me, and half of it I don't even know. German on one side, Greek, Turkish and Welsh on the other. My mom is very olive-skinned; I get my blue eyes from my dad."^[2]. She credits her brother, Todd, as one of her most important sources of inspirations, and mother and grandmother as her role models.^[3]. Her uncle, Roger Ernest, who attended college with Steven Spielberg and co-wrote one of his student films called Slipstream, and who appeared in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Sugarland Express playing a cop in both films, was the person who had first suggested that his niece enter show business.

As a child, she competed in many beauty pageants, and she won the Miss Junior America pageant in 1987.

Her first big break in show business was her role on the television program Saved By The Bell, as nice girl Kelly Kapowski, a role she continued playing in the short lived Saved by the Bell: The College Years. This was very different from her next major role, as a duplicitous vixen, Valerie Malone, on Beverly Hills, 90210.

She later guest-starred in the sitcom Two Guys and a Girl and the short-lived action show Fastlane, as well as guest-starring on Just Shoot Me!. Her transition to film has not gone well so far, as most of her movies, including Love Stinks, have been critically panned. In 2002, she appeared in the film Hollywood Ending directed by Woody Allen.

In 2005, she released a short (21 minute) film she had directed called Just Pray. It placed at several film festivals and was the first major effort from her new production company, Tit 4 Tat Productions.

In January 2007 Thiessen joined the cast of ABC's relationship drama What About Brian, playing the boss of Brian, and a potential love interest for Adam. However, in May 2007 ABC officially canceled the series.

During her Saved By The Bell and Beverly Hills, 90210 career she dated actor Brian Austin Green for about 7 years. They used to live together.

In March of 1999, her then-boyfriend, actor David Strickland, committed suicide. From October 2001 to April 2003, she was engaged to actor Richard Ruccolo, whom she had met during the Two Guys and a Girl run. On July 9, 2005, she married actor Brady Smith in Montecito, California.

Thiessen is a part of the Make-a-Wish Foundation. In February 2006, she accepted an invitation to serve on the National Advisory Council for the organization.

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1989	Saved by the Bell	Kelly Kapowski	TV series (she played in 1989-1992)
1992	Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style	Kelly Kapowski	TV movie
	A Killer Among Friends	Jenny Monroe	TV movie
1993	Son in Law	Tracy	Film
1993	Saved by the Bell: The College Years	Kelly Kapowski	TV series (1993-1994)
1994	Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas	Kelly Kapowski	TV movie
	Beverly Hills, 90210	Valerie Malone	TV series (she played in 1994-1998)
1995	The Stranger Beside Me	Jennifer Gallagher	TV movie
	She Fought Alone	Caitlin Rose	TV movie
1996	Sweet Dreams	Alison Sullivan	TV movie
	Buried Secrets	Annalisse Vellum	TV movie (and co-producer)
1999	Speedway Junky	Wilma Price	Film
	From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money	Pam	Film
	Love Stinks	Rebecca Melini/Juliette	Film
2000	Ivans XTC	Marie Stein	Film
	The Ladies Man	Honey DeLune	Film
	Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth	Hagitha Utslay	Film
2001	Everything But the Girl	Denise	TV movie
2001	A Christmas Adventure from a Book Called Wisely's Tales	Vixen (voice)	Animated film
2002	Hollywood Ending	Sharon Bates	Film
2002	Fastlane	Wilhelmina 'Billie' Chambers	TV series (2002-2003)
2005	Just Pray	-	Short film (co-producer only)
2006	Stroller Wars	Lainey	TV movie
2007	Pandemic	Kayla Martin	TV movie

Teen Choice Awards

• 2003 - Choice TV Actress: Drama, "Fastlane" - (Nominated)

Young Artist Awards

• 1989 - Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast, "Saved by the Bell" - (Nominated)
• 1991 - Best Young Actress Starring in an Off-Prime Time or Cable Series, "Saved by the Bell" - (Nominated)
• 1992 - Best Young Actress in an Off-Prime Time Series, "Saved by the Bell" - (Nominated)

• Recorded a public service announcement for Deejay Ra's 'Hip-Hop Literacy' campaign
• She was featured in the music video for the song "You're a God" by the rock band Vertical Horizon.

• Official Home Page
• Tiffani Thiessen at the Internet Movie Database
• tit 4 tat Productions - Tiffani Thiessen's own production company. Includes profile of Thiessen.
• Tiffani Thiessen biography
• Rave - Tiffani Thiessen fansite