Scott Foley

While best known for portraying the devoted resident advisor Noel Crane on the WB's "Felicity" (1998-2002), Scott Foley conquered diverse roles that were poles apart from his boy-next-door character on the now-defunct WB college drama. From his wicked turn as a murderous film director in Wes Craven's "Scream 3" (2000) to his comedic stint as a neurotic and extremely handsome patient on the hit sitcom "Scrubs" (NBC, 2002-10), Foley proved to be one of the most versatile and promising graduates of the youth-dominated network. On a personal note, Foley drew just as much ink for ignominiously being Jennifer Garner's ex, as he had for any of his critically lauded on screen work.

Born on July 15, 1972, in Kansas City, KS, Foley was the oldest of three sons. Thanks to his father's job as an international banker, Foley grew up all over the world, spending the most time in Sydney, Australia and Tokyo, Japan. The youngster caught the acting bug after his mother took him to see the children's musical "Annie" at age six. Foley made his stage debut only a few years later, singing "I'll Do Anything" in his school's production of "Oliver." When Foley was a teenager, his family settled in St. Louis, MO, where he participated in community and regional theater. Foley's mother died when he was 15, changing his relationship with his father, as they were much closer before her death. After graduating from high school, Foley bought a one-way ticket to Los Angeles to try his hand in Hollywood.

Upon arrival in the City of Angels, Foley struggled for almost six years before earning his big break. He rented a "sleeping room" apartment and worked various jobs that allowed him to take acting classes and attend auditions. Foley waited tables, managed restaurants, sold insurance, worked at The Gap, manned the counter at Mrs. Fields' Cookies, and even stocked nursing supplies during the graveyard shift at U.C.L.A. Medical Center. Foley's first paying gig came in 1995 when he appeared in an episode of "Sweet Valley High" in 1995. Two years later, he landed a theatrical agent, as well as a guest spot on the sitcom "Step by Step" (CBS, 1991-98) and a small role as a parking valet in the television movie "Crowned and Dangerous" (1997).

At age 25, Foley landed a recurring role on The WB's popular teen drama "Dawson's Creek" (1997-2003), playing the all-American high school quarterback Cliff Elliot, Dawson's (James Van Der Beek) romantic rival for the beautiful Michelle Williams. Shortly afterwards, Foley was cast as Ben, the object of Keri Russel's obsession on "Felicity," but the producers could not find anyone to play Noel (the RA), so they asked Foley to take that role while they found a different actor for Ben. Foley was supposed to be a series regular on "Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane" (Fox, 1999), but, after the success of "Felicity," he was available only for guest appearances. For a man who had entered the business only a few years before, the handsome actor was in much demand.

In 2000, Foley made his big-screen debut opposite Courteney Cox-Arquette, Parker Posey and Neve Campbell in "Scream 3" (2000). With all his career success, his personal life was doing even better. That same year, Foley married the stunning actress and future superstar, Jennifer Garner, whom he met two years earlier when she played his ex-girlfriend on "Felicity." The couple appeared together in the independent film "Rennie's Landing" (2001), before Foley went on to play a junior grade lieutenant in "Below" (2002), a submarine thriller co-written by art house writer/director Darren Aronofsky.

Unfortunately, as Foley's profile continued to rise, "Felicity" dipped in the ratings and suffered the constant threat of cancellation. A letter-writing campaign carried out by "Felicity" fans initially saved the show, but the WB eventually canceled the series in the spring of 2002 after a four year run. However, the network did produce a season of "good-bye" episodes to give the show a proper ending. The bonus season also marked Foley's first time behind the camera, directing the series finale episode, titled "The Graduate." Since that time, the actor also directed an episode of "Monk" (USA, 2003 -09) in 2004, titled, "Mr. Monk and the Employee of the Month."

With the end of his own series' run, Foley appeared in two episodes of the NBC comedy "Scrubs" (NBC, 2001-10). Working on the popular comedy series was a perfect trial run for his first post-"Felicity" gig, the lead role in the NBC pilot "A.U.S.A." (2002). Described by the network as "Scrubs with lawyers," the sitcom featured Foley as a neophyte lawyer in the United States Attorney's office. Unfortunately, the show wasn't successful and was cancelled.

At the same time Foley suffered this minor career setback, his marriage to Garner became seriously strained, as she skyrocketed past him on every level, after hitting it big as super-spy Sydney Bristow on popular ABC drama "Alias" (2001- 06). Their marriage finally ended in March of 2004, with tabloids lapping up every detail of Garner's growing relationship with co-star Michael Vartan.

Following the media focus on his failed marriage, Foley kept a low profile for a year. But by 2005, he was back in the game, re-teaming with "Scream" director Wes Craven for the film "Cursed" (2005). By the spring of 2006, award-winning playwright David Mamet ventured into series television, along with "The Shield" (FX, 2002- ) creator Shawn Ryan, to create the show "The Unit" (CBS, 2006 -09), a drama about a top-secret special forces team and their missions abroad. Foley was cast as Bob Brown, the sharp-shooting covert Ranger operative on the popular action series, bringing him back home to his TV series roots.