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Taylor Momsen
Momsen at a Metropolitan Opera opening in 2008.
Born	Taylor Michel Momsen July 26, 1993 (1993-07-26) (age 16) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, Singer-Songwriter, Model
Years active	1998–present

Taylor Michel Momsen (born July 26, 1993) is an American actress, musician, and model. She portrays the character Jenny Humphrey on The CW television series Gossip Girl. She is also known for her role as Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and for fronting the rock band, The Pretty Reckless.

Early life

Momsen was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Collette and Michael Momsen. There she attended Our Lady of Lourdes School then and lived in Potomac, Maryland where she attended Herbert Hoover Middle School. Her younger sister Sloane Momsen is also an actress. Momsen attended Professional Performing Arts High School (P.P.A.S) in New York City. She also attended COCA in St. Louis where she took dance and martial arts classes as a child.

Career

She began acting professionally at 3 years of age with a national commercial for Shake 'N' Bake. She was then cast in The Prophet's Game. In 2000, Momsen played the role of Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Two years later she was cast in the motion picture: Hansel & Gretel, in which she played Gretel. Momsen's career came to a halt for over three years until she received the lead role in the never-aired The WB series Misconceptions. In 2002, Momsen recorded "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "One Small Voice" featuring Myra and Camille Winbush for School's Out! Christmas. Momsen appeared in the 2006 film Saving Shiloh and also the 2007 Walt Disney Pictures film Underdog, as Molly. She auditioned for the title role in Hannah Montana, and was in the top three, but the role was instead awarded to Miley Cyrus. As of 2007 she plays the character of Jenny Humphrey in The CW television series Gossip Girl, which is based on the book series by Cecily von Ziegesar. Momsen is due to be absent for most of season 4 due to a big storyline for the character in the season 3 finale. Creative differences have been cited for this.

In June 2008, at the age of fourteen, Momsen signed to IMG Models. In March 2009, Momsen stated in an interview with OK! Magazine that her band, The Pretty Reckless, had recently signed a deal with Interscope Records. She also mentioned that she writes all the songs, sings, and plays guitar on the album. Momsen has also made it onto the 2009 People Magazine 100 most beautiful list at number 76.

She is currently the face of British fashion chain New Look, for their Spring/Summer 2010 Collection.

Filmography

External links

• Taylor Momsen at the Internet Movie Database
• Taylor Momsen at TV.com
• Taylor Momsen at IMG Models
• Live Review, Video & Photos of Pretty Reckless' First Live Performance
• [1]
• TVGuide.com Taylor Momsen page
• Taylor Momsen Galleries, Video & News