Anna Marie Szohr was born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, to Hungarian and one-quarter African American ancestry. During her school years, she was an active student, playing soccer, serving on the student council, and being part of the cheerleading squad. She even started a cleaning company with a friend, cleaning their teachers' houses.
As a child, Szohr began modeling at the age of six, appearing in national campaigns for Quaker Oats and Kohl's department store. She continued to model throughout her teenage years, appearing in print ads for various brands.
After graduating from Menomonee Falls High School a semester early, Szohr moved to Los Angeles with her mother at the age of 17 to pursue an acting career. Initially, she wanted to become an interior designer, but her agent convinced her to try pilot season auditions.
Szohr made her acting debut in 2003 with a guest appearance on the TV show "My Wife and Kids." She then appeared in several other teen television series, including "That's So Raven," "Drake & Josh," and "Joan of Arcadia." She also appeared in the music video for Daughtry's song "Over You."
In 2007, Szohr landed a recurring role on the ABC drama series "What About Brian" and appeared in the music video for Daughtry's song "Over You." She then earned her breakthrough role as Vanessa Abrams on the hit CW teen drama series "Gossip Girl" in 2007. Szohr was originally cast as a recurring character, but she was promoted to series regular after the first season.
After leaving "Gossip Girl" in 2011, Szohr appeared in several films, including "Somebody Help Me," "The Reading Room," and "Fired Up!" She also appeared in the horror film "Piranha 3D" and signed on to the romantic comedy "Love, Wedding, Marriage."
In 2012, Szohr starred in the independent post-apocalyptic sci-fi film "Hirokin: The Last Samurai" and appeared in the horror comedy film "Love Bite." She also appeared in Taylor Swift's music video for the song "22" and was cast as the female lead in the Fox drama pilot "The List."
In 2013, Szohr was cast as Gretchen in the USA Network medical drama pilot "Complications." She then appeared in the DirecTV series "Kingdom" as an artist/photographer who becomes intrigued by the main character, Jay.
In summary, Anna Marie Szohr is an American actress born in Wisconsin to Hungarian and African American ancestry. She began modeling at a young age and transitioned to acting, earning her breakthrough role on the TV series "Gossip Girl" in 2007.
