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Born on April 28, 1981, in Pomona, California, Alba comes from a diverse background. Her father is Mexican-American and her mother has Danish and French roots. As the daughter of a member of the U.S. Air Force, she moved around a lot while growing up, living in California, Mississippi, and Texas before settling back in California.

Alba began studying acting in her early teens and had an agent by the age of 12. Netting her first film role, she appeared in the 1994 comedy Camp Nowhere. She also found work as a model and did some commercials. Around this time, Alba landed a recurring role on The Secret World of Alex Mack, a popular tween comedy about a girl who develops special powers. She took to the water with a short-lived remake of the classic aquatic adventure series, Flipper, which was filmed in Australia.

After a string of guest appearances, Alba was given the leading role in the science fiction series Dark Angel. The show was created by director James Cameron and premiered in the fall of 2000. She played Max Guevera, a genetically modified young woman who worked as a bike messenger. She had escaped from a genetics research project that used children as test subjects.

Set in 2019 in a post-apocalyptic Seattle, the series featured storylines about her search for others from the project as well as the efforts of the government to recapture her. Her character worked with a journalist named Logan Cale played by Michael Weatherly. Off-screen, Alba and Weatherly developed a personal relationship and were engaged for a time.

While the series earned some critical acclaim, Dark Angel only lasted for two seasons. Alba soon appeared on the big screen with Honey (2003), playing a hip-hop dancer and choreographer. Not a critical success, it was popular with teen audiences. She played a different type of dancer in the animated Sin City (2005)