Born:
February 25, 1976
in
Los Angeles, California
Best Known For:
The American version of The Office, and Parks and Recreation.
Early-life:
Rashida Leah Jones was born on February 25, 1976, in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of music producer Quincy Jones and his third wife, Twin Peaks actress Peggy Lipton. Her older sister, Kidada, is also an actress. Rashida's name is Egyptian for righteous. She was voted Most Likely to Succeed at her high school in Sherman Oaks, and went on to study at Harvard.
Career:
Jones made her TV debut in miniseries The Last Don in 1997. Other early projects include Myth America, If These Walls Could Talk 2, and Freaks and Geeks. Her big break came when she was cast in gritty TV series Boston Public. She had a regular role for two years, but quit the show in 2002. Since then, she's appeared in such little-seen movies as Roadside Assistance, Now You Know, Death of a Dynasty, and Little Black Book. She joined the cast of the American version of The Office in 2006 in a recurring role, and she has played Ann Perkins in the sitcom Parks and Recreation since 2009. Recent big-screen roles have included I Love You, Man, Cop Out and The Social Network. More recently, she has appeared in The Big Year and The Muppets.
Quote:
"Be friendly to everybody, protect yourself, people sometimes want a piece of you for no good reason, and always do things out of love, not fear."
Trivia:
In 2013, she made her directorial debut, directing the music video for Sara Bareilles' song Brave.