Emily Deschanel was born in Los Angeles, California on October 11, 1976. Her father is famed cinematographer Caleb Deschanel whose credits include The Passion of the Christ and Titanic. Her mother is actress Mary Jo Deschanel. She has one sister, Zooey Deschanel, who is also an actress. Emily graduated from Boston University's Professional Actors… More Training Program with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater.

An actress whose piercing, pale blue eyes could give even Meg Foster a run for her money, Emily Deschanel has come quite a long way since being listed as one of Interview magazine's "Six Actors to Watch" back in 2001. The firstborn daughter of Oscar-winning cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and actress Mary Jo Weir (their second was starlet Zooey), Emily received her B.F.A. in theater from Boston University before launching her career on the stage and screen. Early roles in It's a Shame About Ray and Rose Red found the rising starlet gradually gaining her footing before the cameras, and as her confidence as an actress increased, so did her screen time.

By the time Deschanel appeared in such features as Cold Mountain and The Alamo, viewers were already beginning to pick up on her talent, while she could also still be seen acting on-stage, frequently appearing in plays for the Interact Theatre Company. In 2003, Deschanel appeared in minor capacity as a receptionist in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2, with her role in Ghost House Pictures' 2004 frightener Boogeyman serving to prove that she was much more than just another pretty face.

In 2005, Deschanel successfully made the transition to the small screen with her role as forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, partner of FBI agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz), on the Fox crime drama series Bones. As Dr. Brennan, the increasingly prominent star proved an invaluable help in solving some of the most perplexing crimes by helping to identify bodies and to determine the cause of death via their skeletal remains.