Sarah Butler
Butler with her father at the premiere of I Spit on Your Grave in 2010
Born
Sarah Elizabeth Butler

(1985-02-11) February 11, 1985 (age 39)
Puyallup, Washington, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationActress
Years active2004–present
Spouse
Mel Elias
​
(m. 2021)​
Children1

Sarah Elizabeth Butler (born February 11, 1985) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Jennifer Hills in the I Spit on Your Grave film series.[1]

Early life

A native of Puyallup, Washington, Butler was interested in the arts while growing up; she sang in choirs, entered singing competitions, and performed in high school and community theatre. She graduated from Rogers High School in 2003.[2] Butler relocated to Los Angeles to study theatre at the University of Southern California, and then played Princess Belle in Beauty and the Beast, for a year and a half at Disneyland. She dropped out of college, focused on finding a talent agent, and began auditioning for work in television and film.[3]

Career

Butler guest-starred on the television series CSI: Miami and CSI: NY.[1] She was cast in the film A Couple of White Chicks at the Hair Dresser and the 2008 Syfy TV horror film Flu Bird Horror.[4] She had a role that year on the web series Luke 11:17, directed by Don Stark.[5] She also had a recurring role on the web series I Heart Vampires.[6]

Butler won the lead in the 2010 rape and revenge thriller I Spit on Your Grave, a remake of the 1978 cult film of the same title. Although initially put off by the film's nudity and violence, the film's strong character arc and "feminist edge" helped convince her to take the role.[7] Butler starred as Jennifer Hills, a novelist who is brutally gang raped while staying at a cabin in the woods; her character then seeks revenge on her rapists. Directed by Steven R. Monroe, the film was released on October 8.[1]

Butler began filming the psychological thriller The Stranger Within, alongside Estella Warren and William Baldwin in Mallorca, Spain in November 2011. The film was also scheduled to shoot in Copenhagen, Denmark and New York City.[8] Butler then joined the cast of the independent thriller Treachery, starring Michael Biehn, which began filming in Los Angeles in June 2012.[9] In 2013, Butler starred in the horror film The Demented, with Michael Welch and Kayla Ewell,[10] and the anthology film Tom Holland's Twisted Tales, playing a bomb disposal expert in the segment "Boom".[11] In 2014, she played a murder victim in the episode "Once Upon a Time in the West" of the ABC television drama Castle.[12]

In 2015, Butler reprised her role as Jennifer Hills in I Spit on Your Grave III: Vengeance Is Mine, a sequel to 2010's I Spit on Your Grave.[13] Butler co-starred with Lindsay Hartley and Traci Lords in the 2016 Lifetime TV film Nightmare Nurse.[14] She also played a comedian in Debra Eisenstadt's film Before The Sun Explodes, which premiered at the 2016 South by Southwest film festival.[15] Butler guest starred on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy, playing Danielle in the episode "You Haven't Done Nothin'".[2] In 2017, she starred with Charles Shaughnessy in Moontrap Target Earth, produced by the makers of the 1989 sci-fi film Moontrap.[16] She also starred in the Lifetime TV film Infidelity in Suburbia as Laura, a woman who begins an extramarital relationship. [17] Butler also appears in the film Doubting Thomas.[18] Most recently, Butler joined the cast of writer/director Chris Blake's indie horror film All Light Will End, alongside Andy Buckley, John Schuck and Sam Jones III.[19]

Personal life

On June 10, 2021, she married musician Mel Elias, after seven years of dating.[20]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2007 A Couple of White Chicks at the Hair Dresser Marc's assistant
2010 I Spit on Your Grave Jennifer Hills
2012 The Philly Kid Amy
2013 Treachery Cecilia
2013 The Demented Sharley
2013 The Stranger Within Sarah
2013 Twisted Tales Jolene Anthology film, segment: "Boom"
2014 Free Fall Jane
2015 I Spit on Your Grave III: Vengeance Is Mine Jennifer Hills / Angela Jitrenka
2016 Before The Sun Explodes Holly
2017 Moontrap: Target Earth Scout [citation needed]
2018 All Light Will End Dianna
2018 Doubting Thomas Jen
2018 Point Defiance Detective Barnes
2019 Looking for Mr. Wonderful Lisa post-production
2019 Drowning Claire post-production
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2004 Love's a Trip Contestant
2008 Flu Bird Horror Eva Television film (Sci-Fi)
2008 Luke 11:17 Sandy Web series
2008 CSI: Miami Kim Walderman Episode: "Bombshell"
2009 CSI: NY Alison Redman Episode: "Green Piece"
2009–2010 I Heart Vampires Paige Web series
2014 Average Joe Hostess Episode: "The Birthday Blow-Out"
2014 Castle Whitney Williams Episode: "Once Upon a Time in the West"
2015 CSI: Cyber Chelsea Episode: "L0m1s"
2016 Nightmare Nurse Brooke Television film (Lifetime)
2017 Infidelity in Suburbia Laura Halpern Television film (Lifetime)
2017 Woman on the Run Nomi Gardner Television film (LMN)
2017 NCIS Nicole Episode: "Ready or Not"
2018 Counterfeiting in Suburbia Karen Cartwright Television film

References

  1. ^ a b c Truitt, Brian (October 8, 2010). "Sarah Butler runs emotional and physical gauntlet for 'I Spit on Your Grave'". USA Weekend. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Jasmin, Ernest (November 23, 2016). "Puyallup native Sarah Butler returns to discuss new film "Before the Sun Explodes"". Tacoma Weekly. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  3. ^ Vanairsdale, S. T. (October 4, 2010). "The Verge: Sarah Butler Takes on the Notorious I Spit on Your Grave". Movieline. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  4. ^ "Sarah Butler Pictures at the Premiere Of "I Spit On Your Grave"". Zimbio. October 14, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  5. ^ Hustvedt, Marc (September 22, 2008). "'Luke 11:17′ is a Steamy Trip to Dark Side". Tubefilter News. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  6. ^ Truitt, Brian (October 16, 2010). "Screaming sirens: Meet Danielle Harris and Sarah Butler". USA Today. Retrieved October 16, 2010.
  7. ^ Volmers, Eric (October 1, 2010). "'Wuss' actress Sarah Butler turns bad in remake of Spit on Your Grave". Calgary Herald. Retrieved October 15, 2010.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ SeanD (November 18, 2011). "Exclusive: I Spit on Your Grave's Sarah Butler to Appear in The Stranger Inside". Dread Central. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  9. ^ McNary, Dave (May 3, 2012). "Thesps line up for indie 'Treachery'". Variety. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
  10. ^ Alvarez, Olivia Flores (July 30, 2013). "Today's DVDs & Blu-rays: Filly Brown, Night Across the Street and More". Houston Press. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  11. ^ Hallam, Scott (March 18, 2014). "Tom Holland's Twisted Tales (DVD) Review". Dread Central. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  12. ^ Garofalo, Alex (November 17, 2014). "'Castle' Season 7 Spoilers: Rick And Beckett Solve A Case On Their Honeymoon In Episode 7; What Happened In 'Once Upon A Time In The West'?". International Business Times. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  13. ^ Squires, John (August 31, 2015). "I Spit On Your Grave: Vengeance is Mine Taken by Anchor Bay". Dread Central. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  14. ^ Foley, Jack (February 26, 2016). "Gilroy actor Steven Good appears in TV film role". Gilroy Dispatch. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  15. ^ Agresta, Michael (March 15, 2016). "SXSW Film Review: Before the Sun Explodes". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  16. ^ Moore, Debi (September 7, 2014). "Bruce Campbell Sci-Fi Chiller Moontrap Getting a 25th Anniversary Blu-ray; Sequel Coming Next Year". Dread Central. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  17. ^ Levine, Daniel S. (February 25, 2017). "'Infidelity In Suburbia': Meet the Cast of Lifetime's New Movie". Heavy.com. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  18. ^ "Will McFadden Headlining Anthony O'Brien's 'Doubting Thomas'". The Hollywood Reporter. September 30, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  19. ^ "All Light Will End, USA 2018". Horrorpedia. 2018-03-16. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  20. ^ @misssarahbutler (16 June 2021). "Seven years after meeting my match, our souls were rejoined in marriage on June 10, 2021" – via Instagram.

External links

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