Bethany Joy Lenz, an American actress, singer, and songwriter, was born in Hollywood, Florida, to Robert George Lenz, a history teacher and therapist, and Catharine Malcolm Holt Shepard, a personnel manager and entrepreneur. As an only child, she grew up with a strong passion for musical theater, which would later become a defining aspect of her career.
Before landing her breakout role on the WB hit series One Tree Hill in 2003, Bethany spent most of her acting career on stage, performing in various productions of Annie, The Wizard of Oz, Gypsy, Cinderella, and CATS, among others. Her experience in musical theater prepared her for her role as Haley James Scott, wife to James Lafferty's Nathan and childhood mate of Chad Michael Murray's Lucas, on One Tree Hill.
Prior to One Tree Hill, Bethany had already made a name for herself in the entertainment industry. She had portrayed Michelle Bauer Santos on CBS's Guiding Light, a role she held for two years before leaving New York and moving to Los Angeles. In LA, she guest-starred on shows like Charmed, Felicity, and The Guardian, and appeared in stage productions of The Outsiders and Happy Days, directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman and Garry Marshall, respectively.
After leaving One Tree Hill, Bethany took a year off to raise her daughter, Maria, before returning to the industry. She started an internet rotating novel, Diamond Gothic, with Abigail Spencer and JC Coccoli on Hello Giggles, and later guest-starred on shows like Men at Work and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She also joined the cast of Sock Monkee Therapy and Dexter, and got her own TV show, Songbyrd, in 2014.
As an accomplished singer, Bethany has been trained by renowned vocal coaches Richard Barrett, director of the Brooklyn College of Opera, and Eric Vetro, voice teacher to Jennifer Garner, John Stamos, and Ewan McGregor. She has recorded several albums, including Then Slowly Grows in 2012 and Your Woman in 2013, and has performed original songs on Rock the Schools Concert in 2012.
