Charlotte July Brinke (born June 17, 1983) is an American actress and former model. Brinke is best known for her role as Chloe on the ABC comedy Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, and her appearances in popular films such as The Rules of Attraction, Million Dollar Baby, Sin City, Limitless, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 and Part 2.
Early Life
Brinke was born and raised in Cape May, New Jersey, the middle child of a county detective and a local business owner. In 1974, her mother received second place in the annual Miss Cape May County youth beauty pageant. Brinke's sisters have partipated in the annual event: her older sister Lois placed third in 1994, and her younger sister Christina won first place in 2009. Brinke herself never took part in the pageant, explaining that she "never really saw herself as a beauty pageant kind of girl."
Career
Her sophomore year of high school, Brinke was scouted by a modeling agent while shopping for homecoming dresses at the King of Prussia mall in Pennsylvania. She claims that her success as a teen model was completely unexpected and had nothing to do with her looks, crediting her appeal entirely to her "towering height" (she is 5'11). Early in her career she modeled for several popular catalog brands, including dELIA*s, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, and Aeropostale, eventually moving on to print ads, television commercials, magazine editorials, and ultimately runway work in Milan, New York, Paris, and Tokyo.
In 2000, Brinke made her television debut as a guest star on Freaks and Geeks. In 2001, she made her film debut in the satirical high school comedy Not Another Teen Movie. She followed this debut by taking on supporting roles in a handful of well-received indie dramas, including the film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' The Rules of Attraction and Clint Eastwood's award winning drama Million Dollar Baby. It is during this time that Brinke began to work under the name Charlie Brinke, after a Hollywood agent suggested switching to her childhood nickname would better suit her career as an up-and-coming young actress.
In 2005, she broke into the mainstream after landing a key part in Robert Rodriguez's highly anticipated film adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel Sin City. Brinke was chosen for the dual roles of prostitutes Wendy and Goldie, identical twin sisters in charge of protecting the young women of Old Town. She appeared primarily in a segment entitled The Hard Goodbye, alongside a star-studded cast including Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Alec Moran, Benicio del Toro, Carla Gugino, Bruce Willis, and many others.
Brinke followed up on the success of Sin City with several poorly received projects, including Elizabethtown, 21, The Spirit, and the short-lived television series Kitchen Confidential.
In 2008, after struggling through a highly-publicized divorce with actor Alec Moran, Brinke decided to take a break from acting. Brinke has since stated that the brief hiatus was "a much-needed, self-imposed mental holiday... [it was] a crucial step, something I needed to do so I could focus on taking care of myself." In 2011, Brinke made her return to film appearing alongside Ellen Barkin, Demi Moore, and Wells Gravenor in the film festival darling Another Happy Day. She also played Bradley Cooper's girlfriend in the psychological thriller Limitless.
In February 2011, ABC announced that Brinke would star in the sitcom Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23, playing the title role of Chloe, a New York City party girl who rips off all her new roommates after convincing them to move in. Despite garnering a dedicated fan following, the series was cancelled after only two seasons.
On December 5, 2014, Brinke was cast in the thirteen-episode Marvel Television series Jessica Jones, which is set to premiere on Netflix in 2015. She will star as Jessica Jones, a former superhero turned private detective in New York City. On her casting, executive producer and showrunner Melissa Rosenberg stated that Brinke "brings both the hard edge and vulnerability the role demands."
Personal Life
While working on Sin City in 2005, Brinke was introduced to costar Alec Moran at a dinner held for members of the cast and crew. The two became quickly involved and their whirlwind romance was a favorite among tabloid readers and paparazzi alike. Coverage of their relationship was at a high throughout the Sin City press tour, in part due to the couple's red carpet announcement that they had wed shortly after wrapping the film. Brinke and Moran were known for discussing their openly with press and fans alike. In 2006, Brinke stated in an interview that her interest in acting had taken a backseat to other "more exciting" prospects, primarily her marriage and the prospect of starting a family with Moran in the near future.
In 2008, Brinke was hospitalized after a collapse on the set of The Spirit. In a statement released by her publicist, Brinke's health issues were attributed to stress and exhaustion, assuring that the actress was in good health despite the incident. Several months later, Brinke and Moran divorced, citing "irreconciliable differences." In 2010, Brinke checked herself into a rehab facility in Northern California, seeking treatment for exhaustion and rumored substance abuse.
In 2000, Brinke made her television debut as a guest star on Freaks and Geeks. In 2001, she made her film debut in the satirical high school comedy Not Another Teen Movie. She followed this debut by taking on supporting roles in a handful of well-received indie dramas, including the film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' The Rules of Attraction and Clint Eastwood's award winning drama Million Dollar Baby. It is during this time that Brinke began to work under the name Charlie Brinke, after a Hollywood agent suggested switching to her childhood nickname would better suit her career as an up-and-coming young actress.
In 2005, she broke into the mainstream after landing a key part in Robert Rodriguez's highly anticipated film adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel Sin City. Brinke was chosen for the dual roles of prostitutes Wendy and Goldie, identical twin sisters in charge of protecting the young women of Old Town. She appeared primarily in a segment entitled The Hard Goodbye, alongside a star-studded cast including Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Alec Moran, Benicio del Toro, Carla Gugino, Bruce Willis, and many others.
Brinke followed up on the success of Sin City with several poorly received projects, including Elizabethtown, 21, The Spirit, and the short-lived television series Kitchen Confidential.
In 2008, after struggling through a highly-publicized divorce with actor Alec Moran, Brinke decided to take a break from acting. Brinke has since stated that the brief hiatus was "a much-needed, self-imposed mental holiday... [it was] a crucial step, something I needed to do so I could focus on taking care of myself." In 2011, Brinke made her return to film appearing alongside Ellen Barkin, Demi Moore, and Wells Gravenor in the film festival darling Another Happy Day. She also played Bradley Cooper's girlfriend in the psychological thriller Limitless.
In February 2011, ABC announced that Brinke would star in the sitcom Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23, playing the title role of Chloe, a New York City party girl who rips off all her new roommates after convincing them to move in. Despite garnering a dedicated fan following, the series was cancelled after only two seasons.
On December 5, 2014, Brinke was cast in the thirteen-episode Marvel Television series Jessica Jones, which is set to premiere on Netflix in 2015. She will star as Jessica Jones, a former superhero turned private detective in New York City. On her casting, executive producer and showrunner Melissa Rosenberg stated that Brinke "brings both the hard edge and vulnerability the role demands."
In 2008, Brinke was hospitalized after a collapse on the set of The Spirit. In a statement released by her publicist, Brinke's health issues were attributed to stress and exhaustion, assuring that the actress was in good health despite the incident. Several months later, Brinke and Moran divorced, citing "irreconciliable differences." In 2010, Brinke checked herself into a rehab facility in Northern California, seeking treatment for exhaustion and rumored substance abuse.
