Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Earlier this summer, she won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series (tying with Amy Poehler). Last season, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award (Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical).

An entertainer in every sense of the word, Deschanel brings the classical leading lady back to the modern audience with her old-fashioned charm. Her starring roles in the feature films "(500) Days of Summer," opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and "Yes Man," opposite Jim Carrey, cemented her mainstream presence. More recently, Deschanel co-starred in "My Idiot Brother," opposite Paul Rudd and Elizabeth Banks. She also co-wrote and performed "So Long" in "Winnie the Pooh," which earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Song Written For Visual Media.

After making her feature film debut in 1999 in Lawrence Kasdan's "Mumford," Deschanel's breakout performance was in Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous." She earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Lead Actress for "All the Real Girls" and lent her voice talents to the animated feature "Surf's Up." Deschanel was the lead in the Emmy Award-nominated miniseries "Tin Man."

Her additional credits include "The Good Girl," "Eulogy," the holiday classic "Elf," "Failure to Launch," "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," "Bridge to Terabithia," "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," "Live Free or Die," "Flakes," "Gigantic," "The Go-Getter," "The Good Life," "Winter Passing," "The Happening," "Abandon," "Big Trouble" and "Your Highness."

Music has always been a passion for Deschanel. She has earned rave reviews and popular acclaim for She & Him, her musical collaboration with M. Ward. The duo released their third album, the holiday-themed "A Very She & Him Christmas," for which part of the proceeds were donated to the non-profit organization 826 National. She & Him released two prior albums: "Volume 1" and "Volume 2," which together boast 21 original songs written by Deschanel and four covers of some of her personal favorites. "Volume 2" debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard Top 200 and was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2010. Additionally, the pair has sold out tours in the U.S., U.K. and Europe.

Deschanel is the face of Rimmel Cosmetics and has starred in two campaigns for Cotton, for which she also lent original music. She is co-creator and a frequent contributor to the website HelloGiggles.com.

Named after the male character in J. D. Salinger's "Franny and Zooey," Deschanel spent much of her childhood on location with her actress mother, Mary Jo, and her Academy Award-nominated cinematographer father, Caleb. She credits her father with instilling in her a keen visual sense and great style. Deschanel's older sister, Emily, stars on the FOX drama BONES.