Age, Biography, and Wiki
Katherine Heigl was born on November 24, 1978, in Washington, D.C. She began her career as a child model before transitioning to acting in her late teens. Heigl gained early recognition for her role in the sci-fi series "Roswell" and later became a household name with her portrayal of Dr. Izzie Stevens in "Grey's Anatomy" from 2005 to 2010.
| Occupation | Film Producer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 24 November 1978 |
| Age | 46 Years |
| Birth Place | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Horoscope | Sagittarius |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Katherine Heigl stands at approximately 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm) and maintains a fit physique, typical for her active career in film and television. Her weight and other measurements are not frequently reported but are consistent with her on-screen presence.
| Height | 5 feet 8 inches |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Heigl is married to actor Josh Kelley. The couple has been together since 2005 and has three children together. They have been known for their strong and supportive relationship, often sharing family updates on social media.
Heigl started her career as a child model with Wilhelmina Models before turning her attention to acting, making her film debut in That Night (1992) and later appearing in My Father the Hero (1994), Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995), Wish Upon a Star (1996) and Bride of Chucky (1998). She then landed the role of Isabel Evans on The WB television series Roswell (1999–2002), for which she received nominations for the Saturn Awards and Teen Choice Awards.
She is the youngest of four children of Nancy (née Engelhardt), a personal manager, and Paul Heigl, a financial executive and accountant. Her father is of Irish and German ancestry (including Swiss-German), and her mother is of German descent. Heigl lived in Northern Virginia and then Denver, before her family moved to the town of New Canaan, Connecticut, when Katherine was five, and where she lived the rest of her childhood.
In 1986, her older brother Jason died of injuries suffered in a car accident, after being thrown from the back of a pickup truck while out for lunch with some of his high school classmates. Her brother's death led Heigl's Lutheran mother and Catholic father to convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Heigl, then eight, was raised in that faith.
When Heigl was nine, her aunt, along with her parents, sent photos of her to a modeling agency. Within a few weeks, she was signed with Wilhelmina Models as a child model. Soon after she was signed with the agency, a client picked her for use in a magazine ad, where she made her modeling debut. At the time, Heigl was earning $75 an hour posing for Sears and Lord & Taylor catalogs. The first time Heigl appeared in a national television ad was for Cheerios cereal.
Heigl began studying acting and made her film debut in That Night (1992). She played Christina Sebastian in Steven Soderbergh's Depression-era drama King of the Hill before being cast in her first leading role in the 1994 comedy My Father the Hero. During this time, Heigl continued to attend New Canaan High School, balancing her film and modeling work with her academic studies. Heigl dropped out of New Canaan High School after her sophomore year to pursue her career in Hollywood.
In 1995, she starred in the Steven Seagal-directed action thriller Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. Heigl portrayed a 16-year-old named Sarah traveling by train through the mountains with her uncle Casey Ryback (Seagal), an ex-SEAL counter-terrorist expert, in order to visit the grave of her deceased father. The train is hijacked by mercenaries in Colorado, who keep Heigl's character as a hostage. Much of her work in the film was opposite Morris Chestnut, Sandra Taylor and Everett McGill. Despite an increased focus on acting, Heigl still modeled extensively, appearing regularly in magazines such as Seventeen.
She landed the lead role in Disney's made-for-television film Wish Upon a Star in 1996, portraying two body-swapping characters along with Danielle Harris. That year Heigl's parents divorced, and her mother was diagnosed with cancer. After her high school graduation in 1997, Heigl moved into a four-bedroom house in Malibu Canyon, California with her mother, who also became her manager. In 1998, she co-starred with Peter Fonda in the television movie The Tempest, an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name. The setting of the film was changed to Civil War Mississippi. She also starred in the horror film Bride of Chucky.
In 2007, Heigl had her high-profile film breakthrough with Knocked Up (2007), a comedy from writer/director Judd Apatow, opposite Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, and Apatow's wife, Leslie Mann. Upon its June 2007 theatrical release, the film received generally positive reviews from critics and proved to be a box office success and a summer romcom hit. The fees Heigl commanded increased after the film's success. The movie grossed $148,761,765 in the U.S., for which she earned a salary of US$300,000. Heigl's role in the film transformed her into Hollywood's new "It girl" according to Vanity Fair.
She starred opposite Rosario Dawson and Geoff Stults in the erotic thriller Unforgettable (2017), portraying a divorcée who torments the new fiancée of her ex-husband. The film was her first wide release in three years; it garnered mediocre reviews and grossed a paltry US$4.7 million in its opening weekend. Nevertheless, The Globe and Mail remarked that "Heigl works overtime to humanize the resentful mom—her face is like an old-fashioned cash register with the prices popping up—but she's more fun to watch as the story grows ugly and violent, and she unleashes the demon within".
In June 2006, Heigl became engaged to singer Josh Kelley, whom she had met a year earlier on the set of his music video for "Only You". They chose not to live together before they were married, with Heigl later explaining, "I think I just wanted to save something for the actual marriage... I wanted there to be something to make the actual marriage different than the dating or the courtship." They were married on December 23, 2007, in Park City, Utah. They live with their children in Oakley, Utah.
Heigl has worked with Best Friends Animal Society on several projects, including their Pup My Ride program. The program transports small dogs from high-kill animal shelters to other parts of the US where there is a higher demand for such dogs. She gave a grant to Best Friends to fund a year of the program. Heigl and her mother, Nancy, started Heigl's Hounds of Hope, which operates as part of the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation.
In the same year, Heigl was honored by "Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI)" for her dedication and commitment to adoption, and by the American Cancer Society for her work in helping to amplify the awareness of cancer-related issues through her public support of her mother's journey with the disease.
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| Husband | Josh Kelley (m. 2007) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Katherine Heigl's net worth is estimated to be around $30 million. This wealth stems from her successful roles in television shows like "Grey's Anatomy" and films such as "Knocked Up," "27 Dresses," and "One for the Money." Her salary per episode for "Grey's Anatomy" was reportedly between $125,000 and $200,000, although exact figures vary.
Career, Business, and Investments
Heigl's career spans over two decades, with notable roles in television and film. She has appeared in "The Ugly Truth," "Life as We Know It," and "New Year's Eve," solidifying her status as a leading actress in romantic comedies. In addition to acting, Heigl has ventured into producing and has been involved in various philanthropic efforts, especially in animal welfare. Her real estate investments, including properties in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, have also contributed to her net worth.
She is also executive producer on her leading television roles, which include the short-lived NBC television series State of Affairs from 2014 to 2015, the Netflix series Firefly Lane (2021–2023) and the upcoming limited series Woodhull. She has voiced characters in the animated film The Nut Job (2014) and its 2017 sequel. Heigl also had a main role in the final two seasons of the USA Network legal drama series Suits (2018–2019).
In 2005, Heigl was cast as medical intern Dr. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. The show, initially a mid-season replacement, became a huge ratings success and one of the highest-rated series on broadcast TV. The same year, Heigl landed the starring role in the independent film Side Effects (2005), a romantic comedy about marketing and the pharmaceutical industry, for which she was also executive producer. A year later, Heigl was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film for her work on Grey's Anatomy.
Speculation as to whether Heigl would leave Grey's Anatomy persisted through most of season six. On March 11, 2010, Heigl reportedly did not show up for work on the show, and Heigl and series creator Shonda Rhimes subsequently reached an agreement to immediately release Heigl from her contract. As a result, Heigl's appearance on the January 21 episode of Grey's Anatomy was her final appearance of that season and, thus far, in the series. Heigl said that she left the show to focus not on her film career, but on her family. The backlash over Heigl's comments on Knocked Up and Grey's Anatomy has given Heigl a reputation of being difficult to work with which was seen to have damaged her career.
In 2011, Heigl appeared in the ensemble romantic comedy New Year's Eve, directed by Garry Marshall. Despite being a commercial success, grossing over $142 million worldwide, the film received generally negative reviews. Heigl next had the lead role in One for the Money (2012). Based on a series of novels by Janet Evanovich, the film's lead character is Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter working for a bonding company. The film was a financial failure, grossing just over $36 million worldwide against its production budget of $40 million. For her performance, Heigl received a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actress.
Heigl starred in the romantic drama Jackie & Ryan (2014), opposite Ben Barnes, portraying a recent single mom battling to hold onto her daughter and the love interest of a modern-day train hopper. The film was released in a limited release and through video on demand by Entertainment One in the United States. She also voice-acted the squirrel Andie in the animated film The Nut Job which was released on January 17, 2014. She reprised her role in its 2017 sequel, The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature which was released theatrically on August 11, 2017.
Heigl returned to form when she was cast in the USA Network legal drama series Suits, playing the role of Samantha Wheeler, a new partner at the fictional law firm of Zane Specter Litt. Heigl remained on the show for its final two seasons.
Social Network
Heigl maintains a presence on social media platforms, often sharing updates about her family life and professional projects. However, she is not as active as some other celebrities, choosing to keep her personal life relatively private.
In 2003, Heigl appeared in three television movies, including the horror genre Evil Never Dies, a modern-day variation on the Frankenstein story co-starring Thomas Gibson; and Love Comes Softly for Hallmark Entertainment as Marty Claridge, a young, newlywed traveling west, and reprised her role in the sequel Love's Enduring Promise the next year. Dale Midkiff was her co-star in both Hallmark films. Heigl played Isabella Linton in MTV's modern revamp of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. In October 2003, Heigl was cast opposite Johnny Knoxville in The Ringer, a Farrelly brothers comedy that was released in December 2005. Heigl starred as Romy in the 2005 television film Romy and Michele: In the Beginning, a prequel to the 1997 film Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.
Heigl starred with James Marsden in the film 27 Dresses, for which she received US$6 million. The New York Post expressed some disappointment with the mismatch of Heigl's talent and the film's "chick-flick" triviality, suggesting Heigl might be more compatible "with female directors such as Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don't Cry) or Tamara Jenkins (The Savages)...". Heigl was announced the Most Desirable Woman of 2008, according to AskMen. Anne Fletcher, the director of 27 Dresses described her as having the "‘It’ factor". She explained further, "You can't buy it; you can't learn it; you can't create it; it just is. We haven't had one of her in many years. Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan— those have been our go-to girls for romantic comedy for a very long time, but we haven't had a new one. Katie has beauty, vulnerability, identifiability. She's funny, charming, lovely to watch. Her slightest eye movement is captivating; you know instantly what's going on."
"My motive was to encourage other women like myself to not take that element of the movie too seriously, and to remember that it's a broad comedy'; and added, 'Although I stand behind my opinion, I'm disheartened that it has become the focus of my experience with the movie.'"
There was some speculation that Heigl might be leaving Grey's Anatomy after the end of its fifth season. This speculation revolved around her refusal to submit her name for Emmy consideration for the previous season. Heigl had disagreements with the character's direction in the fourth season, deeming the storyline involving Izzie's affair with George a "ratings ploy" that served to be "shocking" and others speculated she would leave due to the time devotion in producing a film version of Carolyn Jessop's book Escape. Heigl said publicly that she'd opted out of the Emmy race that year because she felt the material she'd received didn't warrant Emmy consideration. The comment reportedly angered the show's producers and writers, who interpreted it as a slight on their work. Grey's showrunner Shonda Rhimes said she was not insulted by Heigl's Emmy withdrawal, and noted that Heigl's character was downplayed during the season because Heigl had asked for a lighter work schedule. Despite Heigl's reported displeasure with the previous season, and persistent rumors that her character had died, ABC confirmed that Heigl would return for the sixth season of Grey's.
In June 2010, Heigl starred in the Lionsgate comedy-thriller Killers, with Ashton Kutcher. She next starred in and produced the big-screen drama Life As We Know It, directed by Greg Berlanti, which revolved around a woman and a man whose respective best friends die in a car accident. Following the deaths, they begin to share in caring for their late friends' orphaned daughter. Heigl received $12 million for both films.
In 2015, Heigl starred as the titular role in the independent film Jenny's Wedding, about a woman who finally decides to get married, but her choice of partner tears her conventional family apart. An Indiegogo campaign was later launched to help raise money for post-production costs, and like Heigl's previous few projects, the film was distributed for a VOD and limited release in certain parts of the United States only.
In January 2021, Heigl declared in an interview with The Washington Post promoting Firefly Lane that she was "done apologizing" for her past reputation and criticized being labelled as "difficult" in the late 2000s and early 2010s. She also acknowledged how it may have impacted her career. Her 27 Dresses co-star James Marsden defended the actress' "courage" and "strong convictions" and remarked unsurprise at her career expanding role in executive production. In September 2021, she endorsed the IATSE strike and remarked heavy criticism for speaking up about the harsh working conditions on the set of Grey's Anatomy that the crew endured, while also commenting on health and safety failures in long-hour productions. In 2022, her former co-star Ellen Pompeo stated in a podcast that Heigl would have been branded a "hero" today for her 2009 remarks about their 17-hour workday. She further stated, "But she’s ahead of her time, made a statement about our crazy hours and of course, [it was like] ‘Let’s slam a woman and call her ungrateful.'"
In the summer of 2023, Heigl and her former co-star Ellen Pompeo reunited at Variety Studio: Actors on Actors, where they talked about their time on Grey's Anatomy and Heigl's departure from the show, among other things. Heigl said: “I was so naive. I got on my soapbox, and I had some things to say, and I felt really passionate about this stuff. I felt really strong. I felt so strongly that I also got a megaphone out on my soapbox. There was no part of me that imagined a bad reaction. I felt really justified in how I felt about it and where I was coming from. I've spent most of my life — I think most women do — being in that people-pleasing mode. It's really disconcerting when you feel like you have really displeased everybody. It was not my intention to do so, but I had some things to say, and I didn’t think I was going to get such a strong reaction.” Pompeo responded: “You know what I love? There are two roles women fit into, victim or villain. And the women who are victims are only victims because they don't have the guts to be the villain."
Education
Katherine Heigl's educational background is not extensively detailed in public sources. She focused on her career from a young age, transitioning from modeling to acting in her late teens.
Heigl accepted a role in Ground Zero, a television thriller scheduled to be telecast that fall which was based on the bestselling James Mills novel The Seventh Power, in the spring of 2001. She co-starred as a brilliant and politically-concerned college student who helps to build a nuclear device to illustrate the need for a change in national priorities. The device ends up in the hands of a terrorist following betrayal by a fellow student. However, after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the film was shelved as its plot was considered inappropriate. It was released in 2003 under the title Critical Assembly. After the 9/11 attacks, Heigl recorded a public service announcement for the American Red Cross to help raise money for victims.
