Summer Bishil
Biographical information
Born July 17, 1988
First credit Towelhead (2006)
Further information
Link(s) IMDb Wikipedia

Summer Bishil is an American television and movie actress who played Azula in the movie The Last Airbender. She first came to prominence in 2006 after playing the lead role of Jasira in Alan Ball's film, Towelhead, an adaptation of the novel of the same name. She completed filming Wayne Kramer's project, Crossing Over, starring Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd.

In 2007, Bishil was chosen by Variety Magazine as one of the 10 Actors to watch. At the 2008 Young Hollywood Awards, She was chosen as "One to Watch". She also appeared in Vanity Fair magazine in their young Hollywood portfolio.

Early years Edit

Summer was born in Pasadena, California, to an American mother and a father who is a Saudi citizen of Indian descent. She is the youngest of three children, with one sister and one brother. Bishil lived in Pasadena until she was three, when her family moved to Saudi Arabia, then to Bahrain.

Bishil, her brother and mother returned to Southern California when she was fourteen, where she completed an independent study program for high school. Returning to the United States was not easy at first. "I initially had some tough times trying to assimilate. It really makes you think about who you are and where you're at."

Career Edit

In love with the idea of becoming an actress since the age of five, Bishil was 14 when she took her first acting class. Nine months later, a manager and agency signed her to a contract. Her first role was on a short-lived Nickelodeon show, Just for Kicks, followed by several appearances in children's shows before her break-through performance in Towelhead. Bob Strauss, who writes for several Los Angeles newspapers, states that Bishil, "...is one of the finest natural film actresses to emerge in years." Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times in a September 12 review of the movie Towelhead, stated that, "...newcomer Summer Bishil turns in a gutsy, quietly riveting performance as Jasira."

Filmography Edit

Year	Movie	Role	Notes and awards
2005	Just for Kicks	Stacey	1 episode
2005	Days of our Lives	Stacey	1 episode
2005	Hannah Montana	Rachel	1 episode
2006	Drake & Josh	Tabitha	1 episode
2007	Return to Halloweentown	Aneesa	Aneesa
2008	Towelhead	Jasira Maroun	Lead role
2009	Crossing Over	Taslima Jahangir	Ensemble cast
2009	Three Rivers	Karen Rollins	Guest star
2009	Public Relations	Sara	Lead role
2009	Mooz-lum	Iman	Supporting role
2010	The Last Airbender	Azula	Supporting role