Born in Florida, Joy (which her friends and family call her) moved to Texas at age 4. She landed her first role at 7 as a Munchkin in an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz and by age 10 she had been cast in the role of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird at the Irving Community Theater in Texas. While on a class trip to Los Angeles, Joy landed her first professional job in a commercial for Swans Crossing, a teen series.Joy loved to perform, and in 1992 her family moved again, this time to New Jersey, which enabled her to pursue acting in New York City. She began auditioning and booked several commercials, including Eggos Waffles and Dr. Pepper. In her sophomore year of high school, Joy's talent caught the eye of a casting director. Joy was hired to play Linda Halleck in the Stephen King thriller Thinner
Her Grandfather, George Lenz, was a regular on the Broadway stage in the 50s and 60s (Wish You Were Here, Carousel, By The Beautiful Sea, South Pacific, etc...) and the performance bug passed down to her. As a teenager she honed her vocal skills by training with the Director of The Brooklyn College of Opera and not only plays both the guitar and piano but writes her own music as well. Deemed a triple-threat, Joy now boasts stage credits that include collaborating with Garry Marshall, Carole King, Mary Tyler Moore, Arthur Allan Seidelman, Frances McDormand, David Straithairn, Paul Sorvino, Fisher Stevens, Valerie Harper, Marisa Tomei, Joyce Carol Oats, Paul Anthony Stewart, Joe Mantegna and more on stage productions, readings and television.
In March of 1998, she landed a nine-episode stint on the daytime drama Guiding Light as Reva Shayne's teenaged clone. Joy'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, the proverbial girl next door. In 1999, while still appearing on the show, she won the role of 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, Joy headed to the West Coast and immediately booked a guest spot on The WB comedy Off Centre. She followed that up with guest roles on Felicity, Maybe It's Me, Charmed, The Guardian and the pilot Legacy for Jerry Bruckheimer Productions and 1973 alongside James Franco and Ben Foster. You may have also caught her in Bring It On Again as Marnie - the film is a sequel to the blockbuster smash, Bring It On.
She wrapped up her role as Haley James Scott in the hit television series One Tree Hill after nine seasons. During her time on the show, Joy directed three episodes and was met with accolades from crew and critics. Furthermore, Joy has been steadily working on The Notebook Musical with her writing partner, Ron Aniello. The pair got a vote of confidence from Nicholas Sparks himself, who said on "The Early Show" that a musical version of his book would hit Broadway at some point in the future.Joy has been focusing on her solo music career, and recently released her third studio album Then Slowly Grows.
You can follow Joy on Twitter @BethanyJoyLenz and on her blog at www.BethanyJoy.com.
