Alison Elizabeth "Ali" Larter (born February 28, 1976) is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the dual roles of Niki Sanders and Jessica Sanders on the NBC science fiction drama Heroes as well as her guest roles on several television shows in the 1990s.Larter's screen debut came in the 1999 film Varsity Blues, followed by the horror films House on Haunted Hill and Final Destination as Clear Rivers. Major supporting roles in the comedy Legally Blonde and the romantic comedy A Lot Like Love led her to lead roles as the titular character in Marigold and in the 2009 thriller Obsessed. Larter achieved wider fame after her portrayal of video game heroine Claire Redfield in the successful films, Resident Evil: Extinction and Resident Evil: Afterlife.
Larter's presence in the media is reinforced by her appearances in lists compiled by Maxim, FHM and Stuff as well as People magazine's "Best Dressed List" in 2007. After a three year long relationship with actor Hayes MacArthur, the two married in August 2009 and have a son, Theodore Hayes MacArthur, born December 2010.
Born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Larter is the daughter of Margaret, a realtor, and Danforth Larter, a trucking executive. She attended Carusi Middle School and later graduated from Cherry Hill High School West during her time as a model. Her parents have since moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Larter began her modelling career at the age of 14 when a modelling scout discovered her on the street and was asked to star in a Phillies commercial, this led to a modeling contract with the prestigious Ford Modeling Agency in New York. Larter subsequently skipped her senior year to model in Australia, Italy and Japan, the latter a country she would temporarily settle in at the age of seventeen.
While modelling in Italy, Larter met fellow model and aspiring actress Amy Smart and the two "became instant friends", according to Larter. A modelling job later took her to Los Angeles, whilst there, she decided to take acting classes with Smart. The two then moved into an apartment together. In November 1996, Larter portrayed fictional model Allegra Coleman in an Esquire magazine hoax. When speaking about the cover and her subsequent fame, Larter said, "When the door opens for you in Hollywood, you need to run with it. You know?" Larter is currently signed to IMG Models.
