Jessica Marie Alba was born in Pomona, California, on April 28, 1981. Jessica’s family moved to Biloxi, Mississippi while Jessica was very young. Her father, who was in the Air Force, moved the family to Del Rio, Texas, later. Eventually, the family settled in southern California when Jessica was nine. Jessica had always wanted to be an actress from the age of five. She took her first acting class at the age of 12. Shortly later, Jessica was signed by an agency.

In 1993, Jessica made her movie debut in Camp Nowhere. She was originally hired for a short time but got lucky when one of the main actresses dropped out. Jessica, who had the same color hair as the actress, eagerly took over the spot. After her first movie, Jessica appeared in two commercials for Nintendo and J.C. Penny and a few independent films. In 1994, she landed a reoccurring role in "The Secret World of Alex Mac." She played a snob who made life hard for the main character with magical powers.
Also in 1994, she landed the role of Maya for a pilot of "Flipper." Jessica spent 1995 filming the first season of "Flipper" in Australia. Jessica is a PADI-certified diver and the "Flipper" show allowed her to have fun and play with the dolphins. The success of the first season of "Flipper" lead to the filming of the second season, which Jessica also starred in. Jessica involvement in "Flipper" lasted from 1995-1997. Since "Flipper" Jessica has appeared in a number of television shows and movies.