Summer Bishil Bio

Summer Bishil was born in Pasadena, California. When she was three years young, her family and she moved to the United States. Summer went to British as well as American schools as her family lived overseas, she returned home to her hometown town of Pasadena just short of her birthday of 14. Passionate about the idea of acting since when she was just five years old, Summer took her first acting class at 14. Nine months later, she signed with an agent/manager to begin her full-time profession. She goes to college in her spare time, working toward her degree. She was one of the young stars featured in Vanity Fair’s August 2008 cover story, "Hollywood’s New Wave: Hollywood's Hottest Kids in Hollywood". Bishil started acting lessons at the age of 14 years old. In just one year Bishil was offered an employment contract by a management or agency. Bishil started her career in the Nickelodeon TV show Just for Kicks. After that she was offered an agreement with a management and agency. Her breakout role was in Alan Ball's 2007 film Towelhead. It is an adaptation of the novel with the same name. Dana Stevens, a Slate critic, claimed that "Her performance in a movie which, for all its good intentions feels thoroughly phony as well as embarrassing and as if it were an extended PSA about inappropriate touching is the most truthful thing." Bob Strauss writes for many Los Angeles newspapers and states that Bishil "...is one of the most natural film actress of all time. Gary Goldstein, in a September 12, Los Angeles Times, review of Towelhead declared that Summer Bishil ("...newcomer) delivers a powerful and engaging performance in Jasira. "In 2009, she shot Wayne Kramer's project, Crossing Over, starring Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd, a portrayal that garnered some positive attention from Associated Press's Jay Reiner. She was selected to play Azula in M. Night Shyamalan's film The Last Airbender (2010). The sequel was not made.