Background
Stroup was born in Anderson, South Carolina to Judith and Don Stroup, a senior vice president at Wachovia.
Stroup was born in Anderson, South Carolina to Judith and Don Stroup, a senior vice president at Wachovia.
She graduated from Providence High School in 2004.
She is regarded as a scream queen for starring in the horror films Prom Night, Vampire Bats, Left in Darkness, and The Hills Have Eyes 2. She spent her childhood in Charlotte, North Carolina. Stroup received a full scholarship to attend the University of Georgia, but declined in order to pursue an acting career.
Stroup"s first acting role was a guest appearance on Unfabulous.
Stroup has since appeared in a number of television shows, such as Grey"s Anatomy, October Road, and True Blood. In 2007, Stroup appeared in 4 episodes of Reaper, in which she played the protagonist"s ex-girlfriend.
She appeared in a number of small independent movie productions, such as Left in Darkness, Pray for Morning, Vampire Bats, and Southern Comfort. In March 2007, Stroup starred as the female lead in The Hills Have Eyes 2.
Stroup played the role of a national guard named Amber who fights for survival with her peers against a group of mutant people.
The film was a fast-forward sequel to The Hills Have Eyes a remake of the 1977 movie of the same name. Despite negative reviews from critics the film went on to gross over $67 million worldwide. That same year Jessica had a supporting role in This Christmas.
Stroup played the role of high school student Erin Silver, the younger sister of David Silver and Kelly Taylor from Beverly Hills, 90210.
The pilot premiered on September 2, 2008 to a high 4.65 million viewers despite mixed reviews from critics. Also in April 2008, Stroup played the role of Claire in Screen Gems remake Prom Night.
In December 2007, Music Television.com announced that Stroup was cast in another horror film titled Homecoming, which follows a young woman being kidnapped by her boyfriend"s ex-girlfriend. Despite the film completing production in February 2008, it was not released until July 2009 for a limited release in selected cinemas.
In 2008, Stroup played Rachel in the ensemble film The Informers.
In 2011, Stroup guest-appeared on Family Guy, in which she voiced a number of characters over the course of two episodes. On August 20, 2013 it was announced that Stroup would join The Following in season 2 as a series regular. Her character, Max, is "the niece of Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon).
She’s an New York City Police Department cop, currently working in the Intel Division.
Max reconnects with Ryan and she becomes a valuable ally."
Stroup currently lives in Los Angeles, California. Jessica dated former 90210 co-star Dustin Milligan from July 2008 to August 2010.