Vanessa Branch
Encyclopedia
Vanessa Lynn Branch is a British
-American
actress and model. She is best known in North America
as the Orbit Gum television commercial woman (whose catchphrase is "Fabulous!").
and the United States
. She also speaks fluent French and Mandarin Chinese.
After graduating from Mercersburg Academy
, a boarding school in south-central Pennsylvania, she graduated from Middlebury College
in 1994 and was Miss Vermont
also that year. In 1996, she began tutoring two young girls, Blair and Ana Van Pelt, in French, and later moved in with the Van Pelt family in Newport Beach, California
. She has stayed in southern California since then and currently resides there.
She appeared in the Lost
episode "Fire + Water
" as the character Karen. She also made an appearance on Gilmore Girls
. She can also be seen in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies
, playing Giselle, a Tortugan wench jilted by Johnny Depp
's Captain Jack Sparrow
. She had a guest appearance as Nadia Kerensky in the pilot of the short-lived TV series Andy Barker P.I.
. She also appeared in the Star Trek: Voyager
episode "Shattered
" as an adult Naomi Wildman.
In 2002, Vanessa appeared on the American soap Port Charles
as Mary Margaret 'Paige' Barrington Smith and Rebecca 'Becca' Barrington.
In June 2006, Vanessa worked on an advertisement for Orbit Gum
that introduced two new flavors, lemon-lime and crystal mint. She worked on advertisements with the company until 2010. She was replaced by the current Orbit Gum Girl, actress Farris Patton.
In July 2006, Maxim featured her in their "Girls of Maxim" gallery.
She plays the role of Zhana Agonskaya in the video game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
.
In 2010, she voiced the character of Beatrice Portinari
in the video game Dante's Inferno
and also starred in Sonny With a Chance on the Disney Channel.
Also in 2010, she starred as Claire in the SyFy
original movie 51
, which premiered on late February.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and model. She is best known in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
as the Orbit Gum television commercial woman (whose catchphrase is "Fabulous!").
Life and career
Branch holds dual citizenship in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She also speaks fluent French and Mandarin Chinese.
After graduating from Mercersburg Academy
Mercersburg Academy
Mercersburg Academy is an independent, coeducational boarding school for grades 9-12 located in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, United States. The school's mission is:...
, a boarding school in south-central Pennsylvania, she graduated from Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
in 1994 and was Miss Vermont
Miss Vermont
The Miss Vermont competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Vermont in the Miss America pageant. Vermont is the only state to have never had a contestant advance to the semi-finals of the Miss America Pageant, though their representatives have won numerous...
also that year. In 1996, she began tutoring two young girls, Blair and Ana Van Pelt, in French, and later moved in with the Van Pelt family in Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
. She has stayed in southern California since then and currently resides there.
She appeared in the Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
episode "Fire + Water
Fire and Water (Lost)
"Fire + Water" is the 37th episode of Lost. It is the 12th episode of the second season. The episode was directed by Jack Bender, and written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. It first aired on January 25, 2006 on ABC...
" as the character Karen. She also made an appearance on Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...
. She can also be seen in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies
Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)
Pirates of the Caribbean is a series of fantasy-adventure films directed by Gore Verbinski and Rob Marshall , written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
, playing Giselle, a Tortugan wench jilted by Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
's Captain Jack Sparrow
Captain Jack Sparrow
Jack Sparrow is a fictional character and the central protagonist in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series created by screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, portrayed by Johnny Depp. He is first introduced in the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl...
. She had a guest appearance as Nadia Kerensky in the pilot of the short-lived TV series Andy Barker P.I.
Andy Barker P.I.
Andy Barker, P.I. is an American detective sitcom starring Andy Richter produced and broadcast by NBC, and co-starring Tony Hale, Marshall Manesh, Harve Presnell and Clea Lewis....
. She also appeared in the Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
episode "Shattered
Shattered (Voyager episode)
"Shattered" is an episode of the TV series Star Trek: Voyager, the eleventh episode of the seventh season-Plot:Chakotay encounters Icheb and Naomi Wildman in Cargo Bay 2. Naomi is enjoying the puzzle they are playing with, as Icheb misunderstands it as a teaching tool. Chakotay tells Icheb of his...
" as an adult Naomi Wildman.
In 2002, Vanessa appeared on the American soap Port Charles
Port Charles
Port Charles was a daytime soap opera which aired on ABC from June 2, 1997 to October 3, 2003. It is a spin-off of the serial General Hospital, which has been running since 1963 and takes place in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York...
as Mary Margaret 'Paige' Barrington Smith and Rebecca 'Becca' Barrington.
In June 2006, Vanessa worked on an advertisement for Orbit Gum
Orbit (gum)
Orbit is a brand of sugarless chewing gum from the Wrigley Company. In the United States, where it was re-launched in 2001, it is sold in cardboard boxes with 14 individually wrapped pieces of gum per package. In the UK, where it was launched in 1977, it was sold as a traditional long-stick gum...
that introduced two new flavors, lemon-lime and crystal mint. She worked on advertisements with the company until 2010. She was replaced by the current Orbit Gum Girl, actress Farris Patton.
In July 2006, Maxim featured her in their "Girls of Maxim" gallery.
She plays the role of Zhana Agonskaya in the video game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is a 2008 real-time strategy video game developed by EA Los Angeles and published by Electronic Arts. Announced on February 14, 2008, it was released on October 28, 2008 in the United States for Microsoft Windows-based PCs and three days later in Europe. A version for...
.
In 2010, she voiced the character of Beatrice Portinari
Beatrice Portinari
Beatrice "Bice" di Folco Portinari was a Florentine woman known as the muse of the poet Dante Alighieri. Beatrice was the principal inspiration for Dante's Vita Nuova, and also appears as his guide in the Divine Comedy in the last book, Paradiso, and in the last four canti of Purgatorio...
in the video game Dante's Inferno
Dante's Inferno (video game)
Dante's Inferno is a 2010 action-adventure video game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. The game was also released on the PlayStation Portable and was developed by Artificial Mind and Movement...
and also starred in Sonny With a Chance on the Disney Channel.
Also in 2010, she starred as Claire in the SyFy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
original movie 51
51 (film)
51 is an American horror film, which was directed by Jason Connery and starring Bruce Boxleitner and John Shea.-Plot:Political and public pressure coerces the government into allowing two well-known reporters and their assistants limited access to the ultra-secretive Area 51...
, which premiered on late February.