Actress and musician Bethany Joy Lenz returns for a fifth season as Haley, the quintessential girl-next-door and best friend to Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray), on The WB's hit drama One Tree Hill.

Lenz began her theatre career at age 7 in Dallas, Texas, as a Munchkin in a local production of The Wizard of Oz. She went on to play Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, Baby June in Gypsy, and in a long string of other Dallas theatre productions. By the time she was 13, Lenz moved with her family to New Jersey and had begun her transition from stage to screen through a series of national commercials (Eggo Waffles, Dr. Pepper, Buick, etc...) and television pilots.

In her sophomore year of high school, Lenz's talent caught the eye of a casting director for Stephen King's feature Thinner, and Bethany was hired to play Linda Halleck. In March of 1998, she landed a nine-episode stint on the daytime drama Guiding Light, as Reva Shayne's teenaged clone. Lenz's performance as the spunky and vulnerable clone earned her raves from viewers and critics alike. Soon after she was offered a contract role playing Michelle Bauer. In 1999, while still appearing on the show, she was cast as Rose Cronin in Mary and Rhoda, playing the daughter of Mary Tyler Moore's character in the TV movie based on the popular 1970s TV show. After two successful years on the soap opera, Lenz headed to the West Coast and into prime time. She booked roles on Felicity, Charmed, The Guardian, the Weitz brothers comedy Off Center, Maybe It's Me and the pilot Destiny for Jerry Bruckheimer Productions. Later that year, she starred in the comedy Bring It On, Again, a sequel to the Universal feature Bring It On.

Lenz was vocally trained by the Director of The Brooklyn College of Opera. She still considers herself a musical theatre baby and her Los Angeles stage credits include working with director Garry Marshall and Carole King on a new musical and with director Arthur Allan Seidelman on a production of The Outsiders.

Bethany is currently filming season three of One Tree Hill. The most recent development in her career is a recording contract with Sony/Epic Records. Her original music has been inspired mostly by artists such as Sheryl Crow, James Taylor, Fiona Apple and Billy Joel. Her album is expected to release in 2006.

Her hobbies include cooking, horseback riding, knitting, fashion and, of course, music.

Source: TheWB.com

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