Sasha Barrese

About

Biography

Filmography

Biography

Sasha Barrese went from the shores of Hawaii and the streets of Paris to the red carpet of Hollywood with the kind of ease and grace that has defined her as an actress and model. Born Alexandra Barrese, Sasha grew up on the set of her mother Katherine's modeling shoots. After the pair moved back Paris to the U.S. in 1985, Sasha made her film debut alongside Katherine in the Whoopi Goldberg comedy "Homer & Eddie" (1989), and played Katherine's younger self in the romantic thriller "Jezebel's Kiss" (1990). She took the next 10 years off to attend school, during which time she also briefly modeled for agencies such as NEXT and Elite. After returning to acting with small but memorable performances in "American Pie" (1999) and on the ABC sitcom "Boy Meets World" (1993-2000), Sasha landed her first lead role on the short-lived WB sitcom "Run of the House" (2003-04). In 2009 the avid chess and poker player was cast as Justin Bartha's worried bride Tracy in "The Hangover," and later portrayed a vampire victim in the 2010 remake of "Let Me In." She may have been mostly on the sidelines in "The Hangover II" (2011) and "The Hangover III" (2013), but Sasha Barrese is still holding out for that big-screen leading role.

Born in Maui, HI, Barrese was raised alone by her mother, Katherine, who was just 16 when gave birth. A model and aspiring actress, Katherine moved to Paris with her infant daughter, who she brought along on modeling and photo shoots. After moving back the U.S., they made their film debut together in the road trip comedy "Homer & Eddie," and Sasha next portrayed Katherine's younger self in "Jezebel's Kiss," co-starring Malcolm McDowell. She spent the next decade concentrating on school (aside from the occasional modeling job through NEXT and Elite agencies), and eventually graduated from Massachusetts' Tabor Academy. Barrese, who is fluent in French, made her film debut in "American Pie" just months later, and quickly broke into TV with a guest role on the primetime teen sitcom "Boy Meets World."

Those two roles proved to be just the beginning for the art-loving Barrese. She worked steadily through the early 2000s in everything from the hit film "Legally Blonde" (2001) to the workplace sitcom "Just Shoot Me!" (NBC, 1997-2003) before being cast in "Run of the House" as one of four siblings left to fend for themselves when their parents relocate to Arizona. A brief stint on the airport drama "LAX" (NBC, 2004-05) was followed by a string of TV guest roles, and in 2009 Barrese landed a major break when she was cast as Tracy, Justin Bartha's worried fiancée, in the surprise hit "The Hangover." In addition to appearing in the well-received remake of the Swedish vampire film "Let Me In" and studying at the Actors Circle Theater in West Hollywood, Barrese has also reprised her role as Tracy in the increasingly desperate "Hangover" sequels.