Bethany Joy Lenz, (previously known by her married name Bethany Joy Galeotti), also referred to as Joie Lenz is a popular American film and television actress, singer, lyricist and filmmaker who rose to prominence for her role as Haley James Scott on the television drama series ‘One Tree Hill’ that aired on both Warner Brothers and The CW Television Network. She is also known for her portrayal of Michelle Bauer Santos on ‘Guiding Light’, a day-time soap opera on CBS.
Lenz debuted on the silver screen in 1996 with the film ‘Thinner’. Although she is an established actress, Lenz also gained prominence as a musician. She is a solo artist and one half of the folk music duo band ‘Everly’ along with singer and friend Amber Sweeney. The duo released their debut EP ‘Mission Bell’ in 2008. Lenz has also recorded several singles, making her debut as an 11-year-old in 1992 with “God has a Plan for My Life” from the ‘Psalty’s Salvation Celebration Soundtrack’ album.
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Early Life and Education
Lenz was born on 2 April 1981 in Hollywood, Florida, USA as the only child of her parents, history teacher and therapist Robert George Lenz and personnel manager and entrepreneur Catharine Malcolm Holt Shepard and was raised in Arlington, Texas where her family moved when she was seven years old. Lenx has German, Australian and Irish ancestry and was raised as a Christian.
Lenz started singing at age three at the Carpenter’s Church, Lakeland, Florida and attended Pope Elementary school, Arlington, Texas after her family moved there. Lenz enrolled into acting classes where she also learnt the dance forms of tap and jazz. Lenz then moved to New Jersey where she attended and graduated from the Eastern Christian High School, North Haledon, Passaic County, NJ.
Career Rise
Lenz made her acting debut in 1996 with an uncredited role in the film ‘I Love You, I Love You Not’ and appeared as Linda Halleck in ‘Thinner’, later that year. She got her first big role in 1998 as Michelle Bauer Santos in CBS’s Daytime soap opera ‘Guiding Light’ when she was 17 years old. Post the expiration of her contract with CBS, Lenz moved to Los Angeles where she started receiving offers to work in several films and television shows. She appeared in films like ‘Mary and Rhoda’, ‘End of August’, and ‘Bring It On Again’ and appeared in single episodes of several TV shows like ‘Charmed’, ‘Felicity’, ‘Maybe It’s Me’ etc.
In 2003, Lenz was cast as the lead actress of the CW/WB series ‘One Tree Hill’ in which she essayed the role of Haley James Scott. The series ran for 9 seasons from 2003-2012. Lenz also started her music career around the same time, releasing her first studio album ‘Preincarnate’ in 2002. She also released albums like ‘Come On Home’, ‘The Starter Kit’, ‘Then Slowly Grows’, and ‘Your Woman’. Lenz released her EP album ‘Mission Bell’ in 2008 along with a few others until 2015 and sang various singles including “All Along”, “Halo”, “Feel This”, ” “Quicksand”, “Please” etc. She appeared as a recurring character, in shows like ‘Dexter’ in season 8, ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ in season 3 and ‘Colony’ in season 2.
Personal Life
Lenz dated the Indie Rock band ‘Enation’s keyboardist Michael Galeotti for a few years and married him on December 31, 2005. She took Galeotti’s last name as her legal name and became known as Bethany Joy Galeotti. The couple became parents to a daughter named Maria Rose Galeotti in February 2011.
Lenz divorced Galeotti in March 2012, after being married for six years and legally adopted her former name once again. The couple had an amicable divorce and decided to share the custody of their daughter, with Lenz being awarded primary custody. Lenz resides in Los Angeles, California with her daughter.
Bethany Joy Lenz – Net Worth
Lenz has an estimated net worth of approximately $3.5 Million.
