Jennifer Love Hewitt was an 90s icon — and her career is still going strong decades later.

Hewitt, who was born in February 1979 in Waco, Texas, moved to Los Angeles with her mother, Patricia Mae, when she was only 10 years old to pursue a career in acting. Her first break came in 1989, when she began starring on the Disney Channel variety show Kids Incorporated, earning three Young Artist Award nominations in the process.

Following her time on Disney Channel, Hewitt rose to stardom when she landed the role of Sarah Reeves Merrin on the Fox teen drama Party of Five alongside Scott Wolf, Matthew Fox, Neve Campbell and Lacey Chabert.

The actress went on to star in a variety of films, including 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer, before appearing on various TV shows such as Ghost Whisperer from 2005 to 2010, The Client List from 2012 to 2013 and Criminal Minds from 2014 to 2015. In 2018, Hewitt landed the role of Maddie Buckley on 9-1-1, which she has continued to appear in ever since.

“It’s wild to be 36 years into a career and finally have your longest-running TV show. It’s really cool,” she told the Television Academy in a June 2025 interview. “I always wanted to be a working actor, and I’ve been able to do just that for a very long time. To have a dream to do something and then be able to do it is really just so awesome. I’m very, very grateful for that.”

Keep scrolling to learn more about Hewitt’s life and career throughout the years: