Kimberly Williams-Paisley

About Kimberly Williams-Paisley

An attractive ingenue who invited comparisons with Elizabeth Taylor when she put a "modern woman" spin on Taylor's famous role in the 1991 remake of the 1950 sentimental comedy "Father of the Bride", Williams began acting in commercials as a teenager and got her first TV role as the Other Woman in "Stood Up" (1990), an "ABC Afterschool Special".

Williams was attending Northwestern University when she won the role of the daughter of Steve Martin and Diane Keaton in "Father of the Bride". She gained favorable notices for her wholesome, no-nonsense approach to the role. She returned to college, appearing only in such low-impact fare as the thriller "Secret Games" (1992) and the comedy "Indian Summer" (1993). Williams reprised her role as Annie Banks, this time as an expectant mother, in "Father of the Bride, Part II" (1994), loosely based on "Father's Little Dividend" (1951). In 1996, she appeared in "The War at Home" before making her TV series debut on ABC's romantic drama "Relativity" (1996-97).

Partners

Companion

Pete Sampras. Together from 1997-1999

Husband

Brad Paisley. Married on March 15, 2003 in Malibu, CA

Education

Rye High School, Rye , New York

Northwestern University, Evanston , Illinois

Career Milestones

1985

Moved with her family to Rye, New York

1985

Neighbor, actress Anna Holbrook (of "Another World"), sent Williams' photo to the William Morris Agency; Williams then appeared in commercials for Pizza Hut, Clearasil and o.b. Tampons (date approximate)

1990

TV debut as a teenage "other woman" in ABC Afterschool Special, "Stood Up"; billed as Kimberly Payne Williams

1991

Feature film debut in "Father of the Bride"

1992

Played the nervous bride in AT&T Calling Card commercial

1993

Graduated college, moved to Los Angeles

1996

Appeared with "Father of the Bride" co-star George Newbern in a series of commercials for Hallmark

1997

Made Broadway debut in Alfred Uhry's award-winning "The Last Night of Ballyhoo"

1999

Had featured role in "Just a Little Harmless Sex"

1999

Portrayed the youthful incarnation of Sharon Stone's Rosie in "Simpatico"

2000

Made London stage debut in "Speed-the-Plow"

2000

Starred in the NBC fanatasy miniseries "The 10th Kingdom"

2001

Co-starred in the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" production "Follow the Stars Home" (CBS)

2001

Returned to series TV as co-star of the ABC fall sitcom "According to Jim"

2006

Cast as Billy's mom in the family comedy, "How to Eat Fried Worms"

2006

Co-starred with Matthew McConaughey in the sports drama "We Are Marshall" directed by McG