A precocious and dedicated young actress, Emily Osment wasted little time in the shadow of her already famous child actor brother Haley. With a vivacious spirit and adorable blonde locks, Emily Osment had no trouble breaking into the entertainment industry. Her first professional acting job was in 1998, in a commercial for the mega flower delivery company, FTD. From there the youngster picked up a slew of other commercial gigs and in 1999, at the tender age of eight, landed a small role in her first feature film. While her brother Haley (himself only 11 years old) was busy being nominated for an Oscar for his role in the blockbuster thriller "The Sixth Sense," young Emily was taking her first steps toward following in his path.

"The Secret Life of Girls" was a comedy starring Eugene Levy and Linda Hamilton as the quirky parents of an understandably embarrassed 15 year old girl. Osment's part in the film was small, but it opened the door for her next role, in the TV movie "Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter's End." In the third installment of this popular series, Osment played the feisty youngest daughter of the Witting clan and her performance earned her a nomination from the 1999 Young Artists Awards.

Osment next ventured into series television, landing guest spots on "3rd Rock from the Sun," "Touched by an Angel," and "Friends." Though her resume was certainly impressive at this point, especially for a child of nine, she was still very much the unknown Osment. Her breakout role came the next year in the immensely popular "Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams" (2002). As the devious and resourceful Gerti Giggles, Osment got to strut her stuff in a variety of thrilling stunts and exciting action scenes. This role considerably raised Osment's profile and soon pictures of the beaming 'tween actress were popping up everywhere. But don't expect her brother Haley to be feeling any jealousy pangs, the two are close and supportive of one another and have often been photographed happily hanging out at Hollywood soirees, keeping each other company in a room full of grown-ups. These talented kids better take it slow, as it looks like the Osments have many years of Hollywood life ahead of them.