Jordana Brewster
Biography
Life Story
Raven-haired beauty Jordana Brewster was born on April 26, 1980 in Panama City, Panama. Her mother, Maria João Leal de Sousa, is a Brazilian-born model who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1978 . Her father, Alden Brewster, is an American-born investment banker, who has English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry. Her paternal grandfather, Mayflower descendant Kingman Brewster, Jr., was president of Yale University from 1963 to 1977. Jordana was raised in London, England up until the age of six. At this time, her family decided to move back to her mother's native Rio de Janeiro. Here, they would stay for the next 4 years. Jordana learned to speak fluent Portuguese during her 4 year stay in Rio de Janeiro. At the age of ten, Jordana's family decided to move again, only this time they would relocate to Manhattan. It was here where Jordana studied at Sacred Heart, an all-girl Catholic school before moving on to the New York Professional Children's School. It was in her teens that Jordana began to make a name for herself by appearing in two of daytime television's longest-running soap operas, All My Children (1970) and in 1996 As the World Turns (1956), where she played the role of "Nikki Munson" for three years. Jordana also went on to co-star in the NBC mini-series The '60s (1999). The year 1998 marked her big-screen debut as "Delilah Profitt" in the teen-driven film, The Faculty (1998). However, it was her role as "Mia Toretto" in the blockbuster hit The Fast and the Furious (2001) that led her to reach Hollywood stardom. Despite her success, Jordana continued to attend Yale University, in the class of 2003. She played the lead in the prequel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006), and reprised her role, Mia, in the sequels Fast & Furious (2009), Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), and Furious 7 (2015).
Family
Trivia
Has a cat named Delilah, after her movie character in The Faculty (1998).
Family: Her father, Alden Brewster, is an American-born investment banker, and has English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry (he is a descendant of Mayflower passenger William Brewster). Her paternal grandfather was Kingman Brewster, Jr., former President of Yale University and an ambassador to Great Britain. Her mother, Maria João, is a former "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit model from Brazil. Jordana has a younger sister, Isabella Brewster.
Didn't have a driver's license when she received driving lessons for The Fast and the Furious (2001).
Ranked #96 on Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women In The World" list of 2002.
Spent early years of her childhood in London.
Speaks fluent Portuguese.
Ranked #54 on Maxim magazine's "Hot 100" list of 2005.
Ranked #59 on Maxim magazine's "Hot 100" list of 2006.
Ranked #8 on the AfterEllen.com "Hot 100" list of June 2007.
Graduated from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
Has two Labradors: a yellow one named "Ella" and a white one named "Hendry".
Ranked #22 on the AfterEllen.com "Hot 100" list of 2008.
Ranked #9 on Maxim magazine's "Hot 100" list of 2009.
(May 6, 2007) Married her boyfriend of 2 years Andrew Form following a 6-month-long engagement.
Her sister, Isabella Brewster, is a Casting Director and is engaged to NBA veteran Baron Davis as of September 2013.
Has 2 sons with her husband Andrew Form via a gestational surrogate - Julian Form-Brewster (b.September 10, 2013) and Rowan Brewster-Form (b.June 9, 2016).
Ranked #52 on Maxim's "Hot 100" of 2014 list.
Good friends with Elijah Wood.
According to answers.com, Jordana Brewster and Paget Brewster "are descended from William [Brewster]'s sons Love (Paget) and Jonathan (Jordana). Paget is William's 9th-great-granddaughter and Jordana is his 10th-great-granddaughter. They are 10th cousins once removed.". The "Mayflower" Brewsters have a Coat of Arms.
Born on the same date as Channing Tatum.
Personal Quotes
"When I signed for As the World Turns (1956) [in 1996, a three-year stint beginning when she was 15], I had to promise my mom that it wouldn't hurt my grades and my dad that I would go to college. Acting kept me out of trouble. I had to go to CBS at 7 a.m., so I didn't have any time to fool around".
You're at home, your parents are watching what you're doing, your friends are probably a little narrow-minded, or it's cliquey and kids are really mean to each other. So, as soon as you have that independence, you can just explore who you are.
I went to an all-girls school and then I started working when I was fifteen, so I'm not very socially apt when it comes to dating.
I just can't imagine dating a 20-year-old boy.
I feel like directing is an innate talent.
I think escapism is really important.
On her engagement: "It wasn't a total surprise, but it was very spontaneous. It's going to be a pretty small destination wedding -- next November."
Oscar night is a ridiculous night where you go to these parties and you see everyone that you've ever wanted to work with and admire.
People spend so much time in their cars, and it's a legal way to have fun by speeding a little bit or testing yourself a little bit, and you get to invest in your car. For some people, it becomes their baby.
Women always want to be what they're not: If you're the pretty girl, you want to be the quirky girl. If you're the smart girl, you want to be the pretty girl.
I think that unless you grew up in New York or Chicago or Los Angeles, you're sheltered.
I will not go on a blind date.
Well, I was lucky in that my being an actress totally overshadowed my having some kind of a... legacy at Yale, so that was kind of great.
I already have a production company called J Squared and we're working on two projects.
I work out with a trainer five days a week.
I'd love to be a Bond girl. I mean, if you're going to be stereotyped, there are worse things to be stereotyped as.
When I do my own makeup, I keep things pretty simple.
Also, when you think about a show that you used to watch as a kid or as a teenager, you look at it through sort of rose colored glasses when you remember it.
I miss the anonymity that comes with New York because everyone around you is so immersed in their own journey.
You need the audience to become invested in the characters and in order to become invested, they need to identify with the characters... and that's why the characters need to be real.
My dream car would be a Maserati. That would be amazing.
The ocean is 20 minutes away. Nature surrounds me 24/7. I wake up to the sounds of birds chirping. I also love that I can go out to dinner in jeans and flip-flops.
