Sophia Bush

Early life and education

Bush was born in Pasadena, California, the only child of Maureen Searson and Charles William Bush. Her mother manages a photography studio and her father is an advertising and beauty photographer.

In 2000, she graduated from Westridge School for Girls in Pasadena, where she was a member of the volleyball team. At Westridge, she was required to participate in the theater arts program. Bush said, "Part of my school's requirement was to do a play. I was really irritated because I wanted to play volleyball and I had to go and do this play. But there was a moment after the performance when I realized I had gone and been somebody else. I thought, 'If I could do this for the rest of my life, I am set.' It was like love at first sight." At age 17, Bush was named the Tournament of Roses Parade Queen in 1999. At the time she planned to major in both theater and psychology at Tulane University in New Orleans.

Career

Bush made her first film appearance in the 2002 film National Lampoon's Van Wilder opposite Ryan Reynolds. Then she made appearances in several television shows, including Nip/Tuck, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Point of Origin, an HBO film. In 2002, Bush was cast as Kate Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, though she was replaced by Claire Danes after a week of filming. Jonathan Mostow, the director of the film said that he had replaced her as he felt she was too young for the role, but praised her talent as an actress.

In 2003, Bush was cast as Brooke Davis in the WB television series One Tree Hill. After Bush gained mainstream fame, she became a spokesperson for high-profile brands and posed on the cover of several mainstream magazines, including Entertainment Weekly, Lucky, Maxim, Glamour, InStyle, and Zooey Magazine. She has had several endorsement deals, one of which was with Ocean Pacific sportswear. Bush and her One Tree Hill co-stars were endorsers for MasterCard, Kmart, Chevy Cobalt and Cingular Wireless. She directed three episodes of the series, including the penultimate episode of the ninth and final season.

In July 2006, Bush co-starred in the 20th Century Fox comedy film John Tucker Must Die, directed by Betty Thomas, opposite Brittany Snow and Jesse Metcalfe. The film was a commercial success, grossing over $60 million worldwide. Also in 2006, she starred in Buena Vista Pictures' supernatural thriller Stay Alive alongside Jon Foster, Frankie Muniz, and Adam Goldberg. The film, the first to be released by Hollywood Pictures in five years, opened at number three in the U.S. box office. She played Grace Andrews in the 2007 remake of the classic horror film The Hitcher, starring opposite Sean Bean. In 2008, Bush co-starred alongside Kevin Zegers and Vincent D'Onofrio in François Velle's independent film The Narrows, playing Kathy Popovich. Based on Tim McLoughlin's novel Heart of the Old Country, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2008. Three years later, she co-starred in the British romantic comedy film Chalet Girl, which was released in February 2011.

In February 2012, Bush was reported as having joined the cast of the upcoming CBS sitcom Partners. Premiering on September 24, 2012, the series ran for a single season until November, when it was announced that the series had been canceled after six episodes. The remaining seven episodes of the series' initial thirteen-episode order remain unaired in the United States, though they were later aired by various international outlets. In 2013, Bush starred in Passion Pit's "Carried Away" music video, which debuted on February 14. That same year, she was cast in a main role in the television pilot Hatfields & McCoys, but the project failed to be picked up to series.

In August 2013, Bush joined the cast of Chicago P.D. as Det. Erin Lindsay. The series premiered on January 8, 2014. She left the series after four seasons. In December 2018, she cited "abusive behavior" as the reason for leaving the show. Bush also frequently appeared on the first and third Chicago franchise series, Chicago Fire and Chicago Med respectively. In 2018, Bush provided the voice of Voyd, an aspiring superhero, in Pixar's film, Incredibles 2, the sequel to 2004's The Incredibles. In 2019, Bush started her own podcast titled "Work In Progress".

In 2020, Bush appeared as Veronica in four episodes of the first season of Love, Victor on Hulu. Since 2021, Bush has been a co-host on the Drama Queens podcast along with her former One Tree Hill co-stars, Hilarie Burton Morgan and Bethany Joy Lenz. In April 2023, it was announced that Bush would make her West End debut in 2:22 A Ghost Story at the Apollo Theatre. Citing a medical issue, Bush announced that she would no longer be a part of the production in July 2023. In 2023, Bush appeared on Celebrity Family Feud, competing against Gayle King and her team.

Personal life

Bush was engaged to her One Tree Hill co-star Chad Michael Murray in May 2004, and they married on April 16, 2005 in Santa Monica, California. After five months of marriage, the pair announced their separation in September 2005. In February 2006, Bush filed papers for an annullment, citing fraud. Bush's petition was denied, and she and Murray were instead granted a divorce in December 2006. Bush later said that it "devastate[d]" her to "have been reduced to a Hollywood statistic—another joke marriage". In a January 2014 episode of Watch What Happens: Live, she described the pair as "two stupid kids who had no business being in a relationship in the first place".

From 2006 to 2007, Bush dated her Stay Alive co-star Jon Foster. They remained friends after splitting. From 2008 to 2009, Bush dated her One Tree Hill co-star James Lafferty. She also dated actor Austin Nichols, confirming in May 2010 that they had been dating on and off for four years. Nichols took the role of Julian Baker on One Tree Hill to be with Bush, who ended their relationship in 2012. From 2013 to 2014, Bush dated Dan Fredinburg, a program manager for Google. Bush cited the strains of their long-distance relationship as the cause of separation. She stayed friends with Fredinburg afterward, and noted that his death on Mount Everest in 2015 significantly impacted her.

From 2014 to 2016, Bush dated her Chicago P.D. co-star, actor Jesse Lee Soffer. In 2020, she began dating businessman Grant Hughes and in August 2021 announced their engagement via Instagram. They were married on June 11, 2022, at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On August 4, 2023, Bush filed for divorce after 13 months of marriage. In April 2024, Bush confirmed her relationship with former professional soccer player Ashlyn Harris and came out as queer in an article in Glamour that she wrote.

Activism

Bush is a part of fundraisers such as __ Cancer, Run for the Gulf, and Global Green Gulf Relief and has been involved in political issues including her support for Barack Obama's candidacy for president in the 2008 election. In February 2008, she made several appearances in Texas in support of the Obama campaign in the Democratic presidential primary election. Bush was joined in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Waco by fellow actor Adam Rodríguez. Touring mostly college campuses, they urged young voters to get involved politically.

In April 2009, along with stars Sarah Chalke, Jason Lewis, Alicia Silverstone, Jane Lynch, and Lance Bass, Bush appeared in the Funny or Die video "A Gaythering Storm", which parodied a National Organization for Marriage video objecting to same-sex marriage. Bush is a staunch supporter of gay rights and, in May 2009, she showed up at a rally in protest of Proposition 8. She carried a sign stating, "I DO support the freedom to marry", and a shirt which had the words "Legalize Gay" across it. In an interview in January 2012, Bush said about the 2012 Republican candidates: "I will not vote for a candidate who thinks you can 'pray away the gay,' I will not vote for a candidate who thinks that he has more rights to my uterus than I do, I will not vote for a candidate who thinks that it's okay to dump toxic waste in the ocean. I'm afraid for our country that people like this could even be thought of as the president. I live in a country where I believe all men are created equal, not just wealthy white guys. I believe all men, all women, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic background, you deserve the same rights." In June 2016, the Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting; in the video, Bush and others told the stories of the people killed there.

Bush set up a fundraiser intended to help people living in the area of the Gulf of Mexico affected by the environmental disaster of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on April 20, 2010. The actress has visited Louisiana and testified in interviews of the horror she felt when she visited those places. The fundraiser is on the Internet through crowdsourcing website Crowdrise.com. The actress, to support the fundraiser, announced that she would be running a half marathon that following November, despite having asthma and a year-old knee injury. Bush has additionally teamed up with Do Something to raise more environmental awareness among teens. She was chosen as the spokesperson to endorse the launch of eMission, a Facebook game with the social mission to engage America's youth in fighting climate change created through the joint efforts of Do Something and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Energy Star program.

In 2011, Bush won the Do Something Twitter Award for having spread the word via her Twitter account on how her followers could help with the cleanup after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. She was voted "Fan Favorite" by Facebook users on DoSomething.org. In 2011, Bush also became involved in the Pencils of Promise organization, which builds schools and increases educational opportunities in the developing world. In December 2011, Bush competed with other stars in the Mozilla Firefox Challenge, a one-month fundraising contest whose winner is granted $25,000 to put toward a favorite cause; she won the contest in January 2012. In April 2013, Bush took part in Global Poverty Project's "Live Below the Line" campaign, which consists in living on $1.50 a day to raise awareness of extreme poverty around the world. In 2013, Bush hosted a Prizeo campaign to raise funds for one of her favorite causes, I Am that Girl. As part of the campaign, Bush offered donors a grand prize of the opportunity to skydive with her. In 2014, Bush's foreword to Alexis Jones' debut novel I Am that Girl was released and distributed by accessories retailer Claire's. In 2016, Bush was named to Oprah's SuperSoul 100 list of visionaries and influential leaders.

Bush is a founding member of the movement Time's Up. Two of her contributions include creating a clothing line benefiting Planned Parenthood and giving a speech at the Women's March on January 20, 2018. Sophia is also constantly using her social media platforms, such as Twitter, encouraging people to participate in the ongoing activism opportunities around the world.

In the 2018 fight over the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, Bush was supportive of Christine Blasey Ford, and praised her "strength" throughout the controversy. Bush tweeted, "To everyone saying 'why did they wait? The timing feels suspect,' etc. Just remember Bill Cosby. No one wanted to believe it about him. It was true. And he's going to prison. I'd wager more women victimized by Kavanaugh will come forward. Women feel safety in numbers #TimesUp". In 2020, Bush joined the ownership group for Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League.

In July 2022, Bush and Grant Hughes wrote an essay for Glamour affirming their support of abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court issuing the decision of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that subsequently overturned Roe v. Wade. In the piece, Bush wrote,This moment is nothing short of a national emergency. But these days it also feels incredibly personal. Because I type this as I look across the kitchen at my husband. A man with whom I am deeply in love. And a man who might never have come into my life, nor me into his, had it not been for an abortion. Not my experience—I have never had an abortion—but his. An abortion that he and a former partner had is what got us here.

Bush is known for promulgating her progressive views on her social media pages. She uses Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and her blog to raise awareness of world events and fundraisers in which she takes part, as well as a platform to raise awareness on progressive issues and political events that are occurring. In November 2024, Bush signed an exclusive partnership agreement with Washington Speakers Bureau (WSB), where she advocates for economic growth, women's empowerment, and community engagement.

I Am a Voter

In 2018, Bush helped found a nonpartisan movement with Mandana Dayani that aims to create a cultural shift around voting and civic engagement by unifying around a central truth: democracy works best when we all participate. I Am a Voter has partnered with Disney, NBA, NFL, McDonald's, Stuart Weitzman, and Bumble. Their campaign to boost voter registration included participants Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert Downey Jr., Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Bush, Hilarie Burton, and Bethany Joy Lenz. According to I Am a Voter, the effort generated over one billion digital impressions and 250 media articles upon launch.

Public image

Bush's appearance has often been the subject of media attention. She was ranked #3 on Femme Fatales: The 50 Sexiest Women of 2004 and named #15 on Much Music's 20 Hottest Women of 2004.Some media attention Bush has received for her appearance:

• In April 2007, she ranked No. 90 in the British popular men's magazine FHM, in their countdown of 100 Sexiest Women of 2007. Subsequently, she ranked No. 89 in the U.S. edition of the same magazine. In May 2007, Bush ranked No. 24 in the Maxim Hot 100 List of 2007. She also appeared on the cover of the November 2006 edition of Maxim with her One Tree Hill co-stars Hilarie Burton and Danneel Harris. She ranked #30 on Maxim's "Hot 100" of 2014 list. She was featured in Peoples "Beautiful at Every Age" and "Most Beautiful" lists for several years.

Bush has been featured in several fashion blogs and magazines including CosmoGirl, Health, Lucky, Zooey, Saturday Night, Teen People, and Bello.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Director

Producer

Podcasts

Music videos

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. "Sophia Bush". [[TV Guide]].
2. "Sophia Bush – Home girl". [[FHM]].
3. Dunn, Jancee. (September 26, 2008). "Sophia Bush Loves Her Healthy Curves". Health.com.
4. (January 22, 2008). "Sophia Bush, secret 90210 fan". [[In Touch Weekly]].
5. (2008). "Sophia Bush 1982–". Omnigraphics, Inc..
6. Winton, Richard. (October 27, 1999). "Drama Devotee Is Chosen as Rose Queen". [[Los Angeles Times]].
7. Winton, Richard. (October 27, 1999). "Drama Devotee is Chosen as Rose Queen". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
8. Womack, Tiffany. (July 1, 2003). "Claire Danes In Action". [[CBS News]].
9. Fischer, Paul. (June 26, 2003). "Interview: Jonathan Mostow for "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines"". DarkHorizons.com.
10. "AnnaLynne, Sophia, Brody, Joel and More Celebrate Summer with Op". [[People (magazine).
11. "Kmart Gets Hip: Retailer Swings Deal With the WB.". The Free Library.
12. "MasterCard Advertisement Scans". Sophia-Central.com.
13. "One Tree Hill Update – May 2005". One Tree Hill Web.
14. Ford, Rebecca. (March 28, 2012). "Sophia Bush on Directing 'One Tree Hill's' Penultimate Episode". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
15. "Stay alive".
16. Ortved, John. (September 12, 2008). "Party Like A Canuck".
17. Matt Webb Mitovich. (February 15, 2012). "Pilot Scoop: Sophia Bush ''Partners'' Up in CBS Comedy from ''Will & Grace'' Creators". [[TVLine]].
18. Harnick, Chris. (November 16, 2012). "'Partners' Canceled: CBS Pulls The Plug On Freshman Comedy". [[The Huffington Post]].
19. (February 14, 2013). "Passion Pit's Stylist Talks Dressing Sophia Bush For "Carried Away" Music Video". [[MTV News]].
20. Andreeva, Nellie. (February 28, 2013). "Sophia Bush To Star In NBC Pilot 'Hatfields & McCoys', 'The Selection' Finds Celeste".
21. Goldberg, Lesley. (August 23, 2013). "Sophia Bush, Patrick Flueger Join NBC's 'Chicago PD'". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
22. Bibel, Sara. (October 18, 2013). "'Ironside' & 'Welcome to the Family' Canceled by NBC; 'Community' to Premiere January 2, 'Chicago P.D.' January 8". [[TV by the Numbers]].
23. (May 25, 2017). "Sophia Bush Leaving 'Chicago P.D.' After Four Seasons".
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31. "Sophia Bush Ends '2:22 a Ghost Story' West End Run Early Due to Medical Issue".
32. (July 7, 2023). "Don't Miss Gayle King Playing Sophia Bush Hughes on Celebrity Family Feud". Oprah Daily.
33. (July 14, 2004). "Chad Michael Murray to Marry Sophia Bush". [[People (magazine).
34. (April 18, 2005). "Chad Michael Murray Marries Sophia Bush". [[People (magazine).
35. (September 26, 2005). "Chad Michael Murray, Sophia Bush Split". [[People (magazine).
36. (February 28, 2006). "Sophia Bush Cites 'Fraud' in Annulment". [[People (magazine).
37. (April 12, 2007). "Celebrity Annulments". [[Forbes]].
38. (December 29, 2006). "Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush's Divorce is Final". [[People (magazine).
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40. (January 8, 2014). "Sophia Bush Says She's "Dated a Couple of the Wrong Guys" After Chad Michael Murray Diss". [[Us Weekly]].
41. "Sophia Bush Says One Tree Hill Producers Exploited Her Breakup with Chad Michael Murray: 'It Was Opportunistic and Ugly'".
42. (May 19, 2020). "Sophia Bush's Dating History".
43. (February 15, 2012). "Exclusive: Sophia Bush splits with One Tree Hill Costar Austin Nichols". [[Us Weekly]].
44. (May 25, 2010). "Sophia Bush: Austin Nichols Took ''One Tree Hill'' Job For Me!". [[E!]].
45. (April 30, 2013). "Sophia Bush Dating Google Program Manager Dan Fredinburg, Says She's Not Getting Married Yet". [[E!]].
46. (August 8, 2014). "Sophia Bush and boyfriend Dan Fredinburg have split". [[People (magazine).
47. Weisman, Aly. (April 27, 2015). "Actress Sophia Bush posts tribute to her Google exec ex-boyfriend killed on Everest during earthquake". [[Business Insider]].
48. (September 30, 2015). "Back On? Sophia Bush Caught Holding Hands With Ex Jesse Lee Soffer".
49. (May 19, 2020). "Who Is Grant Hughes? 5 Things to Know About Sophia Bush's New Man".
50. (June 13, 2022). "They Do! Sophia Bush Marries Fiance Grant Hughes in Romantic Wedding".
51. (August 4, 2023). "Sophia Bush Files for Divorce From Grant Hughes After 13 Months of Marriage {{!}} Entertainment Tonight".
52. (August 5, 2023). "sophia bush: Sophia Bush changes name and clears Instagram of Grant Hughes after divorce filing".
53. Bush, Sophia. (April 25, 2024). "Sophia Bush: 'I Finally Feel Like I Can Breathe'".
54. Suarez Sang, Lucia I. (30 April 2024). "Sophia Bush comes out as queer, confirms relationship with Ashlyn Harris".
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59. "49 Celebrities Honor 49 Victims of Orlando Tragedy | Human Rights Campaign". Hrc.org.
60. Rothaus, Steve. (June 12, 2016). "Pulse Orlando shooting scene a popular LGBT club where employees, patrons 'like family'". The Miami Herald.
61. (June 30, 2010). "One Tree Hill Actress Sophia Bush Discusses Oil Spill With News Team". Ecorazzi.
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63. (November 22, 2010). "Sophia Bush challenges You To Go Green". [[Seventeen (American magazine).
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66. Schillaci, Sophie. (December 27, 2011). "Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber Top 'Celebs Gone Good' List".
67. Levine, Rachel. (December 13, 2011). "Sophia Bush Talks Justin Bieber and Charity To Ok!: 'He's Doing A Great Thing'". [[OK!]].
68. (January 12, 2012). "More Than Half-A-Million Dollars Raised For Charity in the Mozilla Firefox Challenge". The Mozilla Blog.
69. Mwanza, Nyaka. (April 12, 2013). "Josh Groban, Sophia Bush, Hunter Biden and Debi Mazar & Gabriele Corcos Commit to Live Below the Line". World Food Program USA.
70. Restauri, Denise. (November 25, 2013). "5 Qualities Of Self-Wealth. Which One Are You Missing?". [[Forbes]].
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75. "Vote November 6th (@SophiaBush) {{!}} Twitter".
76. "Sophia Bush, Billie Jean King and Lindsey Vonn Joining Angel City FC Investors".
77. (July 13, 2022). "Why the Right to an Abortion Matters for Every Person".
78. (November 21, 2024). "Washington Speakers Bureau Proudly Welcomes Acclaimed Actress, Entrepreneur, and Activist Sophia Bush to Its Exclusive Speaker Roster".
79. (October 29, 2020). "With I Am a Voter, Mandana Dayani Is on a Mission to Make Voting Cool". Forbes.
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