Tiffani Thiessen
Tiffani Amber Thiessen (born January 23, 1974) is an American actress. Her roles as Kelly Kapowski on NBC's Saved by the Bell (1989–1993) and its spin-off media, and as Valerie Malone on Fox's Beverly Hills, 90210 (1994–98) established her as a teen idol of the 1990s. For the latter, she earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination.
Also recorded as Tiffani Amber Thiessen
Tiffani Thiessen

Rach · Flickr: Sharif Atkins, Marsha Thomason, Tiffani Thiessen Tim DeKay · CC BY 2.0
- Full name
- Tiffani-Amber Thiessen.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Occupation
- actress, model, film director and film producer.
- Known for
- Saved by the Bell, Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Beverly Hills, 90210, Fastlane and White Collar.
- Honours
- Young Artist Awards.
- Languages
- English.
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Tiffani Amber Thiessen (born January 23, 1974) is an American actress. Her roles as Kelly Kapowski on NBC's Saved by the Bell (1989–1993) and its spin-off media, and as Valerie Malone on Fox's Beverly Hills, 90210 (1994–98) established her as a teen idol of the 1990s. For the latter, she earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination.
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In this article
Early life
Early life
Thiessen has appeared in several films, such as Son in Law (1993), Speedway Junky (1999), From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999), Love Stinks (1999), Ivans Xtc (2000), Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th (2000), The Ladies Man (2000), Hollywood Ending (2002) and Cyborg Soldier (2008). She directed the short film Just Pray (2005), for which she earned a nomination from the Tribeca Festival for Best Narrative Short. She hosted the Cooking Channel series Dinner at Tiffani's (2015–2017) and the MTV comedy clip show Deliciousness (2020–2022).
Thiessen was born in Long Beach, California, the daughter of Robyn (née Ernest), a homemaker, and Frank Thiessen, a park designer and landscape architect. She has credited her brother, Todd, as one of her most important sources of inspiration, and her mother and grandmother as role models. Thiessen told InStyle magazine: "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."
Career
Career
Thiessen participated in beauty pageants during her childhood and was crowned Miss Junior America in 1987. The following year, she appeared on the cover of Teen magazine, having won the magazine's "Great Model Search". In 1989, she was named Cover Girl's "Model of the Year", and landed her first role of Kelly Kapowski on NBC's television sitcom Saved by the Bell, starring until its end in 1993. The success of the show gave her career a boost and Thiessen received Young Artist Award nominations for Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in 1990 and Best Young Actress Starring in an Off-Primetime Series in 1991 and 1993. Simultaneously, Thiessen guest-starred on series such as Married... with Children, Charles in Charge and Step by Step. In 1992, she starred in her first television movies Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style and A Killer Among Friends, making her film debut in Son in Law in 1993. She then continued with starring in spin-off Saved by the Bell: The College Years in its single season (1993–94) and in television movie Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas (1994), which marked the end of the original Saved by the Bell series. In 1994, after her tenure on Saved by the Bell had ended, Thiessen landed the role of Valerie Malone in Fox's Aaron Spelling-produced hit teen-drama Beverly Hills, 90210, to fill the void after Shannen Doherty's departure. She was the first actress to directly join the main cast of the show and portrayed Valerie until 1998, when she left in the early episodes of the ninth season of the show. While starring in 90210, Thiessen began to take on continuous dramatic leading roles in television films: The Stranger Beside Me (1995) and She Fought Alone (1995), Sweet Dreams and Buried Secrets in 1996. After her departure from the show, she appeared in a number of films, including Speedway Junky (1999), From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999), Love Stinks (1999) and The Ladies Man (2000); she also guest-starred on NewsRadio (1999), Two Guys and a Girl (2000), Just Shoot Me! (2001) and Good Morning, Miami (2003–04). In 2000, she was featured in the music video for "You're a God" by Vertical Horizon, portraying a beauty pageant contestant, in her first music video appearance. That year she also dropped her middle name which she had been including professionally for many years and is now credited as simply Tiffani Thiessen. Thiessen was Spelling's first choice to replace Doherty in the series Charmed in 2001, but she refused his offer because she was hoping the NBC pilot for Everything But the Girl would be picked up. The role eventually went to Rose McGowan. Meanwhile, Thiessen starred in direct-to-video parody film Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth (2000) and in television movie Everything But the Girl (2001), before appearing in the Woody Allen-directed film Hollywood Ending (2002) and starring in action-drama series Fastlane (2002–03) as Wilhelmina 'Billie' Chambers, for which she received a Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice TV Actress – Drama/Action Adventure. In 2003, she launched her production company Tit 4 Tat Productions, producing and directing the short film Just Pray in 2005, which earned distinctions at several film festivals, including winning Best Score at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, an Academy Award qualifying festival. The original motion picture soundtrack album, co-produced by Thiessen and Al Gomes of Big Noise, was placed on the Official Ballot for the 49th Annual Grammy Awards by The Recording Academy in several categories including Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. Later on, she starred in television movies Stroller Wars (2006) and Pandemic (2007), she joined the cast of ABC's drama What About Brian (2007) for its last five episodes and starred in the science fiction film Cyborg Soldier (2008). In 2008, she made her second music video appearance, this time for Ben Lee's "American Television". Thiessen appeared with her husband Brady Smith on the September 6, 2009 episode of season four of the reality show HGTV Design Star. Interior designer Lonni Paul, one of the final three contestants of the season, was given the task of redesigning Thiessen's guest bedroom with an eco-friendly theme; Thiessen and Paul now have a nursery furniture line called PetitNest. From 2009 through 2014, Thiessen appeared in the USA Network crime series White Collar as Elizabeth Burke. On February 4, 2015, Thiessen reunited with Saved By the Bell co-stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Elizabeth Berkley, Dennis Haskins and Mario Lopez on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, in which they appeared in a Saved by the Bell sketch with host Jimmy Fallon. In the same year, Thiessen started hosting her own show on Cooking Channel called Dinner at Tiffani's, which ran until 2017. On June 7, 2017, Thiessen was cast as Lori Mendoza, mother of the Mendoza family on the multi camera Netflix sitcom Alexa & Katie, which premiered its first two seasons on March 23 and December 26, 2018. In 2021, at the 48th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, she was nominated in the category of Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Daytime Fiction Program. In March 2020, it was announced that Thiessen would join the cast of the Saved by the Bell sequel series, reprising her role as Kelly Kapowski. She guest-starred in three episodes. The show premiered on NBCUniversal's streaming network Peacock beginning November 2020. In November, it was announced that Thiessen would host the MTV comedy clip show Deliciousness, a spinoff of that network's previous program, Ridiculousness.
Charity work
Charity work
In April 2013, she participated in the One Bag party as part of Earth Month, in which the Glad company promoted "clean, green living".
Public image
Public image
Thiessen was a teen idol during the 1990s, starting from her role as cheerleader Kelly Kapowski on Saved by the Bell and then playing bad girl Valerie Malone on Beverly Hills, 90210. In a much-discussed moment, Justin Bieber appeared wearing a T-shirt with a photo of Thiessen in her Saved by the Bell days at the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards, admitting his admiration for her. Basketball player Chris Paul also revealed publicly that he was a fan of Thiessen back then, when she sent him an autographed Saved by the Bell-era photograph of herself for his 29th birthday in 2014.
Personal life
Personal life
Thiessen dated her Saved by the Bell co-stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Mario Lopez. In early 1992, Thiessen started dating her future 90210 co-star Brian Austin Green, introduced by mutual friend David Faustino. In 1999, she dated David Strickland, who died by suicide that year. From 2001 to early 2003, she was engaged to actor Richard Ruccolo, whom she had met during the Two Guys and a Girl run. She married actor Brady Smith on July 9, 2005, and they have two children: a daughter born in 2010, and a son born in 2015. Thiessen served as maid of honor at 90210 co-star and best friend Jennie Garth's 2001 wedding to actor Peter Facinelli, with whom she co-starred on Fastlane. Garth and Thiessen's friendship has since come to an end. Her friendship with fellow 90210 star Tori Spelling also ended after Spelling's marriage to her first husband ended.

Tiffani Thiessen at book signing, New York City,
greg2600 · Wikimedia Commons
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Cleveland.com. Today's famous birthdays list for January 23, 2021 includes celebrities Mariska Hargitay, Tiffani Thiessen. January 23, 2021.
- 2.Tiffani Thiessen fed me fried chicken, cheesy enchiladas, beef jerky and a Michelin tasting menu in Long Beach. We had leftovers. Los Angeles Times. 2023-10-25.
- 3.Antonios, Caitlin. Actress Tiffani Thiessen talks growing up in Long Beach, and all things food. Long Beach Post. September 18, 2023.
- 4.Randee Dawn. Tiffani Thiessen shares throwback pic of look-alike mom. Today. April 25, 2019.
- 5.Tiffani Thiessen Credits Family for Her Motherhood Success. People.
- 6.Tiffani Thiessen fansite. Tiffani Thiessen's interview.
- 7.InStyle Interview. tiffanithiessen.org. 261. November 1998.
- 8.Team, Greek Gateway. Celebrities you didn't know were of Greek descent. Greek Gateway - The Top Greek Entertainment Website.
- 9.TV STUFF: Tiffani Drops Amber. Hollywood.com. March 29, 2000.
- 10.Charm's Way. Entertainment Weekly. June 12, 2001.
- 11.imdb.com. News. February 25, 2005.
- 12.Tribeca Film Festival (2005). IMDb.
- 13.Tiffani Thiessen 'Just Pray' Soundtrack Official Site.
- 14.Petitnest.com. About us.
- 15.Watch a Glorious Saved by the Bell Reunion Courtesy of Jimmy Fallon. Time.
- 16.Jimmy Fallon assembled the cast of 'Saved by The Bell' for an epic reunion. Business Insider.
- 17.Jimmy Fallon reunites most of the 'Saved by the Bell' cast. Los Angeles Times. February 5, 2015.
- 18.Nellie Andreeva. Tiffani Thiessen To Co-Star In Netflix Multi-Camera Comedy 'Alexa & Katie'. Deadline Hollywood. June 7, 2017.
- 19.The 'Saved By The Bell' Reboot Will Feature Zack & Kelly Together Again. Bustle. March 1, 2020.
- 20.Saved by the Bell revival drops first official trailer: 'The old gang back together'. Entertainment Weekly. October 27, 2020.
- 21.Borge, Jonathan. MTV's Ridiculousness Spinoff Is Guaranteed To Make You Hungry—And Make You Laugh. E! Online. November 23, 2020.
- 22.Elavsky, Cindy. Celebrity Extra. The Times Herald. May 19, 2013.
- 23.Justin Bieber wears Tiffani Thiessen. Daily News.
- 24.Finn, Natalie. Chris Paul Gets "Best" Birthday Gift—A Saved by the Bell-Era Autographed Photo of Tiffani Thiessen!. E! Online. June 3, 2014.
- 25.Barbuti, Angela. What You Never Knew About Tiffani Thiessen. TheList.com. 2021-12-29.
- 26.Weisholtz, Drew. Mario Lopez shares fond memories of dating Tiffani Thiessen in real life. Today. October 22, 2019.
- 27.Lopez, Mario. Mario Lopez And Tiffani Thiessen Share 'Saved By The Bell' Memories. Today. November 20, 2020.
- 28.Brian Austin Green & Tiffani-Amber Thiessen. People. February 13, 1995.
- 29.Robin Williams Secures an 'Aladdin' Sequel. Entertainment Weekly. October 9, 1995.
- 30.David Strickland found dead. Entertainment Weekly. April 2, 1999.
- 31.Tiffani Thiessen Weds Actor Brady Smith. People. July 12, 2005.
- 32.Oh, Eunice. Tiffani Thiessen Welcomes Daughter Harper Renn. People. June 15, 2010.
- 33.Stroup, Kate. Tiffani Thiessen Welcomes Son Holt Fisher. People. July 2, 2015.
- 34.Jennie Garth, Tiffani Thiessen Still Not Speaking. Us Weekly. May 15, 2012.
- 35.Cruz, Niki. Tiffani Amber Thiessen Discusses Co-Star Feuds. The Inquisitr. July 31, 2012.
- 36.Young Artist Awards. 11th Annual Awards. April 9, 2014.
- 37.Young Artist Awards. 13th Annual Awards. April 3, 2011.
- 38.Young Artist Awards. 14th Annual Awards. February 17, 2011.
- 39.2003 Teen Choice Awards Nominees. Billboard. June 18, 2003.
- 40.Hipes, Patrick. Daytime Emmy Awards Sets Host; Nominees Include Alex Trebek, Larry King – Update. Deadline Hollywood. June 8, 2021.
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