Mary, the second oldest of the Camden siblings, is very different from her brother Matt. She can occasionally be stubborn, willful, and even something of a brat. But Mary would probably describe herself as strong, independent, and very cool.
There is one thing-besides sports-that Mary is extremely good at. She uses Matt's sense of respnsibility toward her as a tool to get under his skin. In this, she succeeds nearly every time.
Of course, Mary loves her older brother. And even though he may not like to admit it, Matt feels the same way toward his sister.
Mary is a junior in high school. Though she is not one of the most popular kids in her class, she's not a dork, either. she's a very good student, but what she's really known for is her athletic skill.
To put it simply, Mary is a total jock. She loves all sports, but excels at basketball. She is one of the star players on her high school girls' basketball team and takes the game very seriously. She was devastated when she had to sit out part of the season because of an injury to her leg. Mary also suffers from "performance anxiety," which caused her to ban her family from watching her play in a very important game.
Much of MAry's stubbornness is inherited from her strong-willed mother. Mary would never admit to this, however. She sees her mom as being out to thwart her every wish, like the time she wanted to get a tattoo with her teamates.
"Moms always think they know better," Mary once said, adding, "and I guess maybe they do."
Mary has a sometimes frustrating relationship with her yougner sister Lucy. This problem is made worse by fact that Mary and Lucy have to share a bedroom.
Though Mary hasn't dated much-most of the guys in school are afraid of being shown up by her athletic skills-she has had a few crushes. Some of her dating experiences have been siastrouse, like the time she sneaked away from home to attend a wild fraternity party with an even wilder classmate.
Luckily for Mary, however, she usually has Matt to bail her out. Not that she would ever appreciate her brother's help, though!
Mary's most serious crush was on a guy named Wilson. He was a little older, and had far more experience in terms of dating. Mary-and her family-were shocked to learn that Wilson had a secret past and was the widowed father of a little baby. Thsi revalation changed their relationship in a big way.
Mary is played by 17-year-old newcomer JESSICA BEIL.
Jessisa, of "Jessie" as her friends call her, was born in Ely, Minnesota, on March 3, 1982. She spent much of her childhood moving from place to place. While growing up, Jessie lived in Texas, Florida, Conneticutt, and Colorado. But moving to all four corners of the United States didn't have a negative impact on Jessie's bubbly personality. In fact, if anything, all that moving around made her even more outgoing and friendly. Wherever Jessie arrived, she quickly made friends.
Like her character, one of Jessie's first loves is sports. "Mary's very athletic," Jessie told 16 magazine, "and I love to play sports, too."
Her favorite games?
Jessie told Tiger Beat that she "loves to play football, basketball, and hockey. And I play soccer and [do] gymnastics and swimming and every other sport there is." Lately, Jessie has taken up in-line skating. Watch out, x-treme skaters!
Of course, like her character, Jessie is more than just a jock. She is determined to attend college when she finishes high school, even if it means putting acting on hold for a while.
7th Heaven marked Jessica's television debut. But she was not entirely new to the public eye when she was cast as Mary Camden. Jessie had already done two years of commercial work and fashion modeling.
Even earlier, when she was only eight years old, Jessie began voice and singing lessons. Her music training led to Jessie's passion for acting.
When she moved to Colorado, Jessie began auditioning for regular theater productions. She landed roles in several musicals, including The Sound of Music, Beauty and the Beast, and Anything Goes. She also found work in local commercials and continued with her modeling jobs.
The skills she developed on stage gave Jessie an opportunity that few young hopefuls get-the chance to be seen by show-business talent scouts.
In colorado, a talent agency told Jessie to head to California for an annual competition held by the International Modeling and Talent Association.
"So I went to California," Jessie told a reporter. Though her expectations were not high, she was discovered by a famous and respected acting instructor.
"The teacher's name was Daine Harding," Jesiie recalls. "She gaveout a scholarship every year to her acting school." Jessie won the scholarship. "I decided to come out and use that so I wouldn't have to pay for acting clsses." she said. And best of all, Jessie's parents were behind her one hundred percent.
In 1994, the family relocated to Southern California so that she could persue her acting dreams. Her stunning figure, green eyes, statuesque build (Jessie is five feet seven inches tall), and boundless energy energy landed Jessie more modelling gigs.
But it was in 1996 that Jessica Biel really "arrived": she won the role of Mary Camden on 7th Heaven! Both Brenda Hampton and Aaron Spelling thought that Jessie was perfect for the role. As Jessie tells it, Mary Camden and Jessica Biel are so much alike that "it's kind of hard to think of something that's different about us."
Since her debut on 7th Heaven, Jessie has won other parts. She appeared in a film called It's a Digital World. Then she played opposite teen heartthrob Jonathan Taylor Thomas in the movie I'll Be Home for Christmas. But Jessie got the most attention playing Oscar-nominated actor Peter Fonda-s rebellious granddaughter in the critically acclaimed film Ulee's Gold.
Despite her busy schedule, Jessie still finds time to model. She has appeared on the covers of Sassy, YM, and Seventeen. During those rare moments when she's not working, she likes to spend time eith her family, especially her little brother, Justin.
Jessie loves her younger brother so much she invented a very special game for him on his birthday. She hid a thousand dollars from her first paycheck for Justin to find as a treasure hunt. She wanted him to be able to buy the stereo system he'd been dreaming about!
When she's not working or at home with family. Jessie likes to hang out and act like an average teenager with her best friend, Jesse.
Yes, Jessie and Jesse have almost the same name-and they're real pals!
"I've never had a friend like Jesse," Jessie told YM. "She is someone I can be crazy with and also someone I can tell everything to. We can be wild or as dorky as we want, but our opinion of each other never changes."
What does Jessie think of show business?
She told TV Guide that it was harder to get a driver's license than it was to land her part on 7th Heaven.
"I had no time to do driver's ed," Jessie explained. When she finally landed her permit, she practiced driving on the studio parking lot. things were going well-until she crashed the family car into a trailer!
