Emily Deschanel was born in California, the older daughter of legendary cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and actress Mary Jo Deschanel. Her younger sister is Zooey Deschanel. Due to her parents' work, she traveled extensively as a child. She was educated in Los Angeles at Harvard-Westlake and Crossroads Schools. Deschanel went on to study at Boston University, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater.
Her movie debut was as "paint-throwing fur activist" in Milliardaire malgré lui (1994), and her first big television role was as a psychic in the Stephen King mini-series "Rose Red" (2002). More TV and film parts followed including Retour à Cold Mountain (2003) and Spider-Man 2 (2004). Her defining role came in 2005, when she began playing Dr. Temperance 'Bones' Brennan in the popular series "Bones". Since the third season of the show, Deschanel has also served as a producer.
A committed animal rights supporter, Deschanel is a vegan. She is married to David Hornsby and they have a son, Henry.
