AnnaLynne McCord (born July 16, 1987) is an American actress, activist and model. She portrays Delilah on Lucifer, a friend of Lucifer who is killed which sparks his interest in the LAPD. She's known for playing vixen-type roles, McCord first gained prominence in 2007 as the scheming Eden Lord on the FX television series Nip/Tuck, and as the pampered Loren Wakefield on the MyNetworkTV telenovela American Heiress.
In 2008, she was cast in The CW series 90210, portraying antiheroine Naomi Clark. Initially, the part of Clark was conceived as a supporting role. However, by the end of the first season, media outlets had begun referring to McCord as the series' lead. For the role of Naomi Clark, she was nominated for a Teen Choice Award and received the Hollywood Life Young Hollywood Superstar of Tomorrow award in 2009. In 2010, she won a Breakthrough of the Year Award in the category of "Breakthrough Standout Performance".
Apart from acting, she has also contributed to charities in her free time. In 2009, she was labeled by the Look to the Stars organization as "one of the strongest young female philanthropists standing up in Hollywood and fighting for the charities she believes in." In 2011, she was nominated for VH1's "Do Something" Award in the category of "TV Star". Her turn as a disturbed and delusional teenager in the 2012 film Excision was widely acclaimed. For her role in Excision, McCord won "Best Actress" at the Malaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema in 2012. Also for her role in Excision, she earned second place for "Best Actress" at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards in 2013.
Early life[]
McCord was born July 16, 1987 in Atlanta, the daughter of David McCord, a Christian pastor. She was raised in Buford, and Monroe in Georgia, where she grew up of modest means, living in a trailer park. Her parents believed in "strict discipline", in which she was not allowed to watch Harry Potter because it had witches in it. She has two sisters, Rachel and Angel. McCord was home-schooled by her mother Shari McCord, and graduated from high school at the age of 15.
Career[]
After graduating, McCord joined the Wilhelmina Modeling Agency in Miami. She has appeared in advertising campaigns for various brands, including Estee Lauder, eBay and Marc Ecko. She also modeled for Seventeen, Maxim, Playboy, and Woman's World. McCord has appeared on the covers of numerous international fashion magazines, including US' Shape, Nylon, Vanidades, Philadelphia Style, Bode, Jezebel, Fashion Journal, and Regard Magazine; Germany's Cosmopolitan; Indonesia's Prestige; and Ukraine's Pink.
McCord attended a drama school in New York City by the age of 17. A year later, she moved to Los Angeles to audition for roles. She appeared in the 2005 Italian film Natale a Miami and the 2007 horror film remake Day of the Dead. In addition to appearances on Close to Home and The O.C., she played rebellious Loren Wakefield on the MyNetworkTV limited-run serial American Heiress. She was also cast as the star in another MyNetworkTV telenovela, Rules of Deception, but the show never aired, due to a change in the network's programming strategy away from telenovelas. In addition, she has guest-starred in two episodes of the first season of Ugly Betty, an episode of the first season of Greek, and an episode of the fourth season of Cold Case. In 2003, she appeared in Mexican singer Thalía's music video "Baby, I'm in Love". McCord attending Super Bowl XLIII party at the Playboy Mansion in 2009
McCord portrayed Eden Lord in the fifth season of the FX series Nip/Tuck. McCord said in an interview with fearnet.com that it was "fun to play a bad girl."
In 2008, McCord was cast in the series 90210 as Naomi Clark. Throughout the show, McCord's character vies for social power and love. McCord was nominated for multiple awards for her work in the role, winning the Hollywood Life Young Hollywood Superstar of Tomorrow in 2009, and a nomination for a Teen Choice Award for "Breakthrough Standout Performance" in 2010.
McCord was being considered for the role of Heidi in The Twilight Saga: New Moon, the sequel to the 2008 film Twilight, according to E! Online. However, she did not land the role. According to McCord, she passed on the role because she was "in need of some R&R"; the role was eventually given to Noot Seear. BuddyTVranked her number 22 on its "TV's 100 Sexiest Women of 2010" list and number 14 in 2011.
She accepted a role in the Off Broadway play Love, Loss, and What I Wore for an April 27 through May 29, 2011, run with Conchata Ferrell, Minka Kelly, Anne Meara, and B. Smith.
McCord's role in the 2012 film Excision was critically acclaimed. In 2014, McCord joined the cast of the TNT series Dallas for its third season, in the recurring role of Heather. She played the lead role in the 2015 Lifetime film Watch Your Back. In 2018, she starred in First We Take Brooklyn along with Danny A. Abeckaser. She later acted in 2019 TV movie Anniversary Nightmare aka Wrongfully Accused with Kate Vernon and Jennifer Freeman. Afterwards, she acted in 2020 television film Feliz NaviDAD, then as a detective in Feral State in 2021.
Activism[]
McCord volunteers to help charity organizations, such as Artists for Peace and Justice, St. Bernard Project, Alzheimer's Association, Invisible Children, Do Something, Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, National Domestic Violence Hotline, Stand Up to Cancer, The Blind Project, The Samburu Project, Visual Snow Initiative and Playing for Change. McCord is also a supporter of Somaly Mam Foundation, and has visited the Foundation’s shelters for human trafficking survivors in Cambodia.
McCord is the President of Together1Heart, which supports women and children victimized by human-trafficking and sexualized violence. In 2009, McCord was awarded a U.S. Congressional Honor for her anti-trafficking work.
Personal life[]
During her free time, McCord has contributed to various charities, stating that she is a "strong believer in working with organizations and giving back". She is a supporter of the St. Bernard Project, a rebuilding organization dedicated to assisting victims of Hurricane Katrina. She is the Goodwill Ambassador for the New Somaly Fund which empowers women victimized by human-trafficking and sexualized violence. McCord was the cover model for the July 2009 issue of Signature magazine, a Los Angeles regional magazine. The cover story highlights her dedication to the fight to end human-trafficking and slavery.
In 2014, McCord revealed that she was sexually assaulted when she was 18 by a male friend, and as a result broke down during her rape scene in 90210, unbeknownst to her fellow cast members, who thought she acted well. In March 2015, while speaking at the United Nations in support of UN Women for Peace Association (UNWFPA), McCord announced her alignment with the anti-sexual-assault and domestic abuse project, the No More Campaign. As a speaker and activist, McCord continues to engage audiences at colleges, events and private parties with her candid outlook on sex, anti-sexualized violence, anti-domestic abuse and the mental slavery which "touches 7 billion people".
McCord has stated that she has been practicing meditation to help cope with her trauma, and has created a global meditation tour known as the "Love Storm Tour" to help raise awareness of human trafficking.
In 2011, McCord began dating actor Dominic Purcell. The couple announced an amicable split in 2014, but rekindled their romance a year later. McCord was with Purcell when he suffered a near-fatal accident on the set of Prison Break in Morocco on June 1, 2016, after an iron bar used as a set piece fell onto his head. The couple split in 2018 and stated they were on good terms. On September 25, 2020, Purcell confirmed they had rekindled their relationship with an Instagram post.
In 2018, McCord was in treatment for PTSD and memories of child sexual abuse, back to the age of 11. In April 2021, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder.
Notes and Trivia[]
- Her father is a pastor.
- She was home-schooled and graduated from high school at the age of 15.
- She has two sisters: Rachel McCord and actress Angel McCord.
- She's inspired by Angelina Jolie.
- She has been modeling since she was fifteen.
- She wanted to be an archaeologist after watching Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones.
- She works closely with a charity called Somaly Mam Foundation, an organization that raises awareness and money for victims of sex trafficking.
- She was ranked #21 in the 2009 Maxim list of Hot 100 Women.
- Voted #69 in the 2009 FHM list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".
- She is 5' 7½" (1,71 m)