Sophia Anna Bush (born July 8, 1982)[1] is an American actress. She starred as Brooke Davis in The WB/CW drama series One Tree Hill (2003–2012), and as Erin Lindsay in the NBC police procedural drama series Chicago P.D. (2014–2017). She was a producer for and starred in the lead role of Dr. Samantha "Sam" Griffith in the medical drama Good Sam (2022).
Bush was born in Pasadena, California,[2] the only child of Maureen Searson and Charles William Bush.[1] Her mother runs a photography studio,[3] and her father is an advertising and beauty photographer.[4]
In 2000, she graduated from Westridge School for Girls, where she was a member of the volleyball team. At Westridge, she was required to participate in the theater arts program. Bush stated: "Part of my school's requirement was to do a play. I was really irritated because I wanted to play volleyball and I had to go and do this play. But there was a moment after the performance when I realized I had gone and been somebody else. I thought, 'If I could do this for the rest of my life, I am set.' It was like love at first sight."[5]
Bush at the Hollywood Style Awards, October 10, 2009
In February 2012, it was reported that Bush had joined the cast of the upcoming CBS sitcom Partners.[16] Premiering on September 24, 2012, the series ran for a single season until November, when it was announced that the series had been canceled after six episodes.[17] The remaining seven episodes of the series' initial thirteen-episode order remain unaired in the United States, though they were later aired by various international outlets. In 2013, Bush starred in Passion Pit's "Carried Away" music video, which debuted on February 14.[18] That same year, she was cast in a main role in the television pilot Hatfields & McCoys, but the project failed to be picked up to series.[19]
In August 2013, Bush joined the cast of Chicago P.D. as Det. Erin Lindsay.[20] The series premiered on January 8, 2014.[21] She left the series after four seasons.[22] In December 2018, she cited "abusive behavior" as the reason for leaving the show.[23] Bush also frequently appeared on the first and third Chicago franchise series, Chicago Fire and Chicago Med respectively. In 2018, Bush provided the voice of Voyd, an aspiring superhero, in Pixar's film, Incredibles 2, the sequel to 2004's The Incredibles.[24] In 2019, Bush started her own podcast titled "Work In Progress".[25]
In 2020, Bush appeared as Veronica in four episodes of the first season of Love, Victor on Hulu.[26] Since 2021, Bush has been a co-host on the Drama Queens podcast along with her former One Tree Hill co-stars, Hilarie Burton Morgan and Bethany Joy Lenz.[27] In April 2023, it was announced that Bush would make her West End debut in 2:22 A Ghost Story at the Apollo Theatre.[28][29] Citing a medical issue, Bush announced that she would no longer be a part of the production in July 2023.[30]
Bush became engaged to her One Tree Hill co-star Chad Michael Murray in May 2004,[32] and they married on April 16, 2005, in Santa Monica, California.[33] After five months of marriage, the pair announced their separation in September 2005.[34] In February 2006, Bush filed papers for an annullment, citing fraud.[35] Bush's petition was denied,[36] and she and Murray were instead granted a divorce in December 2006.[37] Of her divorce, Bush later said: "It devastates me now that I have been reduced to a Hollywood statistic—another joke marriage. I never expected to be married more than once...because I knew what I was getting into and will always believe in love."[38] In a January 2014 episode of Watch What Happens: Live, she said: "We were two stupid kids who had no business being in a relationship in the first place. To all the other co-stars who've worked it out, more power to you."[39][40]
From 2006 to 2007, Bush dated her Stay Alive co-star Jon Foster. They remained friends after the split, and Bush said that the breakup taught her a valuable lesson about the difference between love and being in love.[41]
From 2013 to 2014, Bush dated Dan Fredinburg, a program manager for Google. Bush cited the strains of their long-distance relationship as the cause of separation.[39][44][45] She remained friends with Fredinburg afterward, and noted that his accidental death in 2015 significantly impacted her.[46]
In 2020, she began dating businessman Grant Hughes and in August 2021 announced their engagement via Instagram.[48] The couple were married on June 11, 2022, at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[49] On August 4, 2023, Bush filed for divorce after 13 months of marriage.[50][51]
In April 2024, Bush confirmed her relationship with former professional soccer player Ashlyn Harris and came out as queer in an article in Glamour that she wrote.[52]
Bush's second cousin, nine-year-old Christina Green, was among those killed in the Tucson shooting rampage in 2011 that left then U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords critically wounded. Bush later revealed they had never met but were planning on it, as Bush had attended Green's parents' wedding.[53]
Bush is a part of fundraisers such as Fuck Cancer, Run for the Gulf, and Global Green Gulf Relief[54] and has been involved in political issues, including her support for Barack Obama's candidacy for president in the 2008 election. In February 2008, she made several appearances in Texas in support of the Obama campaign in the Democratic presidential primary election. Bush was joined in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Waco by fellow actor Adam Rodríguez. Touring mostly college campuses, they urged young voters to get involved politically.[55]
In April 2009, along with stars Sarah Chalke, Jason Lewis, Alicia Silverstone, Jane Lynch, and Lance Bass, Bush appeared in the Funny or Die video "A Gaythering Storm", which parodied a National Organization for Marriage video objecting to same-sex marriage.[56] Bush is a staunch supporter of gay rights and, in May 2009, she showed up at a rally in protest of Proposition 8. She carried a sign stating, "I DO support the freedom to marry", and a shirt which had the words "Legalize Gay" across it. In an interview in January 2012, Bush said about the 2012 Republican candidates: "I will not vote for a candidate who thinks you can 'pray away the gay,' I will not vote for a candidate who thinks that he has more rights to my uterus than I do, I will not vote for a candidate who thinks that it's okay to dump toxic waste in the ocean. I'm afraid for our country that people like this could even be thought of as the president. I live in a country where I believe all men are created equal, not just wealthy white guys. I believe all men, all women, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic background, you deserve the same rights."[57] In June 2016, the Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting; in the video, Bush and others told the stories of the people killed there.[58][59]
Bush with Susan Herman, President of American Civil Liberties Union on center stage during day three of Collision 2018 at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans
Bush set up a fundraiser intended to help people living in the area of the Gulf of Mexico affected by the environmental disaster of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on April 20, 2010. The actress has visited Louisiana and testified in interviews of the horror she felt when she visited those places.[60] The fundraiser is on the Internet through crowdsourcing website Crowdrise.com. The actress, to support the fundraiser, announced that she would be running a half marathon that following November, despite having asthma and a year-old knee injury.[61] Bush has additionally teamed up with Do Something to raise more environmental awareness among teens. She was chosen as the spokesperson to endorse the launch of eMission, a Facebook game with the social mission to engage America's youth in fighting climate change created through the joint efforts of Do Something and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Energy Star program.[62]
In 2011, Bush won the Do Something Twitter Award for having spread the word via her Twitter account on how her followers could help with the cleanup after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.[63][64] She was voted "Fan Favorite" by Facebook users on DoSomething.org.[65] In 2011, Bush also became involved in the Pencils of Promise organization, which builds schools and increases educational opportunities in the developing world.[66] In December 2011, Bush competed with other stars in the Mozilla Firefox Challenge, a one-month fundraising contest whose winner is granted $25,000 to put toward a favorite cause; she won the contest in January 2012.[13][67] In April 2013, Bush took part in Global Poverty Project's "Live Below the Line" campaign, which consists in living on $1.50 a day to raise awareness of extreme poverty around the world.[68]
In 2013, Bush hosted a Prizeo campaign to raise funds for one of her favorite causes, I Am that Girl.[69] As part of the campaign, Bush offered donors a grand prize of the opportunity to skydive with her.[70] In 2014, Bush's foreword to Alexis Jones' debut novel I Am that Girl was released and distributed by accessories retailer Claire's.[71] In 2016, Bush was named to Oprah's SuperSoul 100 list of visionaries and influential leaders.[72]
Bush is a founding member of the movement Time's Up. Two of her contributions include creating a clothing line benefiting Planned Parenthood and giving a speech at the Women's March on January 20, 2018.[73] Sophia is also constantly using her social media platforms, such as Twitter, encouraging people to participate in the ongoing activism opportunities around the world.
In the 2018 fight over the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, Bush was supportive of Christine Blasey Ford, and praised her "strength" throughout the controversy. Bush tweeted, "To everyone saying 'why did they wait? The timing feels suspect,' etc. Just remember Bill Cosby. No one wanted to believe it about him. It was true. And he's going to prison. I'd wager more women victimized by Kavanaugh will come forward. Women feel safety in numbers #TimesUp".[74]
This moment is nothing short of a national emergency. But these days it also feels incredibly personal. Because I type this as I look across the kitchen at my husband. A man with whom I am deeply in love. And a man who might never have come into my life, nor me into his, had it not been for an abortion. Not my experience—I have never had an abortion—but his. An abortion that he and a former partner had is what got us here.
Bush is known for promulgating her progressive views on her social media pages. She uses Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and her blog to raise awareness of world events and fundraisers in which she takes part, as well as a platform to raise awareness on progressive issues and political events that are occurring. In November 2024, Bush signed an exclusive partnership agreement with Washington Speakers Bureau (WSB), where she advocates for economic growth, women's empowerment, and community engagement. [77]
Bush's appearance has often been the subject of media attention. She was ranked #3 on Femme Fatales: The 50 Sexiest Women of 2004 and named #15 on Much Music's 20 Hottest Women of 2004.[80] In April 2007, she ranked No. 90 in the British popular men's magazine FHM, in their countdown of 100 Sexiest Women of 2007.[80] Subsequently, she ranked No. 89 in the U.S. edition of the same magazine. In May 2007, Bush ranked No. 24 in the Maxim Hot 100 List of 2007.[80] She also appeared on the cover of the November 2006 edition of Maxim with her One Tree Hill co-stars Hilarie Burton and Danneel Harris. She ranked #30 on Maxim's "Hot 100" of 2014 list. She was featured in People's "Beautiful at Every Age" and "Most Beautiful" lists for several years.[81]
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