Bethany Joy Lenz was born in Hollywood, Florida on April 2, 1981. Her father is a history teacher while her mother is an entrepreneur. She made her first solo performance when she was 3 years old, when she sang in front of three thousand churchgoers at The Carpenter’s Church in Lakeland, Florida. Her family then moved to Arlington, Texas when she was four. Bethany Joy Galeotti attended the Pope Elementary School and it was there where she discovered her passion for acting.

Her first theater role was in the local production of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz where she took the role of a Munchkin at age seven. This was followed by a portrayal of the character Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird at the Irving Community Theater. Bethany Joy Lenz eventually landed on a commercial for Swan Crossing, and subsequently performed on stage productions such as Annie, Cinderella and Gypsy A Musical Fable.

Bethany Joy Lenz relocated with her family once again this time to New Jersey. By this time she already was a commercial veteran, appearing in Eggos Waffles and Dr Pepper. She adopted a stage name, Joie Lenz. When she reached fifteen, Bethany Joy Lenz made her film debut in Stephen King’s Thinner, where she received good reviews for her role. This was followed by a nine-episode appearance in the CBS soap, Guiding Light. There she impressed not just the audiences but the show’s executives, such that she was later recast to take on the role of Michelle Bauer Santos in the said soap.
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