Katherine Evelyn Anita “Katie” Cassidy (born November 25, 1986) is an American actress who has performed in The CW TV series Melrose Place, Supernatural, Harper’s Island, and Gossip Girl, and on the films When a Stranger Calls, Black Christmas, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Taken, Monte Carlo, and has roles in the upcoming film Fencewalker. She grew up in Calabasas, California with her mother and stepfather, Richard Benedon, an ER physician. She has two older sisters, Jenna and Jamie. As a child, Cassidy took to tumbling, competing and eventually became a cheerleader for the California Flyers, a competitive team. She played Ella Simms, a publicist who works at Amanda Woodward’s company. Her role as Ella has drawn positive critical comment from the Los Angeles Times who wrote: “Cassidy is already being singled out as the show’s deliciously devious one to watch” and has been cited as “the best thing about the Melrose reboot” by New York magazine.
