Bio
Ashlee Simpson (also credited as Ashlee Simpson-Wentz) is an American pop rock singer, songwriter and actress, and younger sister of pop singer Jessica Simpson.
Simpson rose to prominence in mid-2004 through the success of her number-one debut album Autobiography and the accompanying reality series The Ashlee Simpson Show.
Born in Waco, Texas, Simpson became the youngest person ever admitted to the prestigious American School of Ballet in New York City when she won that honour at the age of 11.
After moving to Los Angeles with her family a few years later, Simpson began her career in television appearing on Malcolm in the Middle and Saved by the Bell. She further honed her acting chops when she landed a recurring role for two years on 7th Heaven.
In 2004, The Ashlee Simpson Show debuted on MTV and went on to become the number 1 show in its primetime slot - shadowing her life as she recorded her debut album.
In 2006, she made her film debut as a supporting actress alongside Kip Pardue and Carrie Fisher in the ensemble film Undiscovered, about a group of Los Angeles actors and musicians struggling to make it big.
Later that year, she took on the lead role of Roxie Hart in London's West End production of Chicago, to critical acclaim, and following in the footsteps of such greats as Ann Reinking, who originally made the part famous on Broadway.
Simpson received widespread criticism when she used a pre-recorded vocal track on Saturday Night Live in October 2004.
In 2009 starred as Violet Foster, a seemingly naïve young woman who hides a dark side, on the television drama series Melrose Place.