Background

Ethnicity: Her father is of Italian ancestry while her mother is of English and German descent.

Cuoco was born on November 30, 1985, in Camarillo, California, to the family of Layne Ann (Wingate), a homemaker, and Gary Carmine Cuoco, a realtor. She has a younger sister, Briana.

Education

Cuoco started working at a young age. She took up modeling as a child, and her first acting gigs were in commercials. Because of her career, Cuoco was homeschooled. She told People magazine that "I've never been to a regular high school."

Career

Kaley Cuoco scored her first major role when she was still a teen. She starred with John Ritter and Katey Sagal in the family sitcom 8 Simple Rules, which debuted in 2002. Cuoco played one of Ritter and Sagal's teenage daughters, while Amy Davidson and Martin Spanjers were her siblings on the show. The series managed to go on after the sudden death of Ritter in 2003, addressing the loss of his character in its second season. Around the time 8 Simple Rules ended in 2005, Cuoco moved to another popular TV show. She joined the cast of the supernatural series Charmed for its eighth season as Billie Jenkins.

In 2007 Cuoco debuted in her role as Penny on The Big Bang Theory. The sitcom focused on geeky roommates Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki), and their fellow genius friends Howard (Simon Helberg) and Raj (Kunal Nayyar). Cuoco played Sheldon and Leonard's friendly, non-intellectual neighbor who becomes Leonard's love interest. The chemistry between Cuoco and Galecki was so strong that the pair were a real-life couple for a time. With its collection of offbeat characters and its sharp writing, the show soon won over legions of viewers.

Initially, Cuoco was the only female among her co-stars. Later Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik joined the cast. In 2014 Cuoco, along with Parsons and Galecki, negotiated an impressive salary increase. The trio signed one of TV's biggest deals to earn each of them $1 million per episode. Cuoco told Redbook magazine that "it's so comforting to know that I'll be able to take care of my family and parents, because without them, none of this would have happened."

Cuoco appeared as Penny for the final time on May 16, 2019, when The Big Bang Theory bowed after 12 seasons and 279 episodes.

Committed to her successful sitcom, Cuoco made limited film appearances during the years The Big Bang Theory was on the air. She played one of the flesh and blood characters of the live action-animated hybrid Hop (2011) and enjoyed prominent roles in the indie films Authors Anonymous (2014) and Burning Bodhi (2015). Cuoco also co-starred in the critically panned but commercially successful comedy The Wedding Ringer (2015), and provided voice work for Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2015) and Why Him? (2016).

Works

More photos

• movie

  • Growing Up Brady

    (Think you know everything about Greg, Peter, Bobby, Marci...)

    2000
  • Picture Perfect

    (Adorable as she is ambitious, Kate (Jennifer Aniston) is ...)

    1997
  • Bratz: Passion 4 Fashion Diamondz

    (The dolls that every little girl wants to own now star in...)

    2006
  • The Last Ride

    (In this powerful tale, country music's original bad boy, ...)

    2012
  • Fat Like Me

    (Inspired by a true story, Fat Like Me is a poignant, thou...)

    2007
  • The Penthouse

    (After winning a reality show contest, Tyler invites his t...)

    2010
  • Killer Movie

    (In the world of reality TV, producer Seaton Brookstone (C...)

    2008
  • Crimes of Fashion

    (Brooke (Kaley Cuoco) dreams about making it big as a desi...)

    2004
  • Toothless

    (Soar into a wonderful world of imagination as Disney pres...)

    1997
  • Quicksand: No Escape

    (In this thriller, the idyllic life of an upstanding archi...)

    1992
  • Burning Bodhi

    (Lifelong friends make their way back home when word sprea...)

  • Alley Cats Strike!

    (Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and ...)

  • Virtuosity

    (He's a composite of some 200 personalities, each and ever...)

    1995
  • Authors Anonymous

    (Kaley Cuoco, Chris Klein, and Dennis Farina lead a hilari...)

    2014
  • Mr. Murder

    (A group of scientists is trying to produce the perfect so...)

    1998
  • Hop

    (From the creators of Despicable Me comes an all-new comed...)

    2011
  • Lucky 13

    (To win the perfect woman, Zach is consulting the experts.)

    2005
  • The Wedding Ringer

    (Doug is a socially awkward groom-to-be with a problem. Re...)

    2015
  • Can't Be Heaven

    (Everyone eventually meets the love of their lives. Someti...)

    2000
  • Alvin and the Chipmunks 4 2015

• TV series

  • Watch 7th Heaven

    (Minister Eric Camden and his wife Annie have always had t...)

    2001
  • Charmed - Season 8

    (Debuting in 1998, the Aaron Spelling-produced television ...)

    2005
  • Loonatics Unleashed

    (Loonatics Unleashed, an all-new action-packed, comedy-adv...)

    2004
  • 8 Simple Rules

    (Legendary sitcom stars John Ritter and Katey Sagal team u...)

    2007
  • The Big Bang Theory

    (Leonard and Sheldon are brilliant physicists, the kind of...)

    2007

Religion

Cuoco grew up in a conservative Christian household, but she doesn’t talk about religion too much.

Politics

She doesn’t donate to political campaigns or endorse candidates.

Views

When asked if she considered herself a feminist, Cuoco responded: "Is it bad if I say no? I was never that feminist girl demanding equality, but maybe that's because I've never really faced inequality... I cook for Ryan five nights a week: it makes me feel like a housewife. I love that. I know it sounds old-fashioned, but I like the idea of women taking care of their men."

In later interviews, Cuoco apologized for and retracted these statements, telling Cosmopolitan magazine, "Of course I'm a fucking feminist. Look at me. I bleed feminism: I get equal pay to my male costars on a big show, I have my own home, I'm as independent as you could possibly be. Maybe I didn't understand the question, but for me that's feminism. I'm killing the game, man."

Quotations: "I love animals, and I feel more of a connection to animals than people."

"Horseback riding is my passion. Other than work. People can't imagine me getting dirty, but that's what I love about it."

"Obviously, I don't have a high IQ, but I've always liked nerds and quirky guys."

"I think we all have different moods - a nerd one day and cool the next. I think everyone has an inner geek, and I know I definitely do."

"I like to be home on a Friday night. I don't go out. I don't go to clubs. It's not my thing. I sit at home with my glass of wine and watch hours of reality TV."

"I have to have a cheat day. I know when I'm being good all week long that come Sunday, I'm going to lie by the pool, have a drink, and eat some pizza."

"I love the fashion world. I love clothes. I love style."

"I've learned after so many years in this business that nothing is set in stone until you're on set. I've been told I was the choice for years and never got hired. So I never go there in my mind."

"My new iPhone, I'm obsessed. My iPod. I love all the Mac crap. AppleTV, I'm crazy about that. I'd rather buy a new gadget than, like, a purse."

Personality

Kaley Cuoco loves dogs, and currently has a German Shepherd named Duke. A majority of the clothes in Kaley Cuoco’s closet have never been worn, she just enjoys having them. In order to relieve her stress, she likes to have a relaxing bath.

Physical Characteristics: Height - 1.68 m

Weight - 57 kg

Hair Color - Blonde

She has a small tattoo on her lower back; it is of the symbol for faith.

Interests

• horse rider

• Writers

  The Lovely Bones (By Alice Sebold published in 2002)

• Sport & Clubs

  Playing Tennis, Bowling, Kickboxing, Playing the Drums and Horseback Riding

• Music & Bands

  Britney Spears, Taylor Swift

Connections

Cuoco married professional tennis player Ryan Sweeting on December 31, 2013, but they announced they were divorcing in September 2015. The actress subsequently began dating pro equestrian Karl Cook, and the two married on June 30, 2018, at a horse stable near San Diego, California.

Father:

Gary Carmine Cuoco

Mother:

Layne Ann Wingate

younger sister:

Briana Cuoco

close friend:

Amy Davidson

ex-boyfriend:

Josh Resnik

Ex-husband:

Ryan Sweeting

Cuoco subsequently became engaged to professional tennis player Ryan Sweeting in September 2013, after three months of dating. They married on December 31, 2013, in Santa Susana, California.

husband:

Karl Cook

colleague:

Johnny Galecki

Cuoco dated him for two years.

colleague:

Jim Parsons

Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons co-starred in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019).

References

• Shape Magazine October
  2015