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Gracie Hart Biography & Facts

Miss Congeniality is a 2000 American action comedy film directed by Donald Petrie, written by Marc Lawrence, Katie Ford, and Caryn Lucas, and produced by and starring Sandra Bullock as Gracie Hart, a tomboy agent who is asked by the FBI to go undercover as a contestant when a terrorist threatens to bomb the Miss United States pageant. Michael Caine, Benjamin Bratt, Candice Bergen, William Shatner, and Ernie Hudson star in supporting roles. Miss Congeniality was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 22, 2000. The film was a box office hit, grossing $212 million worldwide against its $45 million budget, and earned Bullock a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. It was followed by the sequel Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous in 2005. Plot In 1982, ten-year-old Gracie Hart breaks-up a school fight between two boys, one of whom is a bully and the other, her crush. The boy she likes is humiliated, being saved by a girl, and he rudely rejects her; Gracie punches him and leaves. 18 years later, 28-year-old Gracie (Sandra Bullock) is a tough special agent for the FBI. During a sting against Russian mobsters, she ignores protocol to save a mob boss who appears to be choking, causing one of her fellow FBI agents to be shot; Gracie is then demoted to a desk job. Soon, the agency receives news of a bomb threat from notorious domestic terrorist "The Citizen", alluding to an act of terrorism at the upcoming Miss United States beauty pageant in San Antonio, Texas. Gracie's partner, Eric Matthews (Benjamin Bratt), is put in charge of the mission; he relies on Gracie's suggestions, only to take credit for them himself. One of Gracie's ideas is to plant an agent undercover at the event and reach the top five contestants so they have access to everything in the pageant. When all possible candidates are deemed unfit, Eric suggests that Gracie take on the role, replacing Miss New Jersey, who was to be disqualified anyway. Beauty pageant coach Victor Melling (Michael Caine) teaches Gracie how to dress, walk, and behave like a "lady". Although she is initially appalled, Gracie comes to appreciate Victor's thoroughness. She enters the pageant as "Gracie Lou Freebush", representing New Jersey, and becomes friends with Cheryl Frasier (Heather Burns), Miss Rhode Island. As the competition begins, Gracie impresses the judges during the talent competition with her glass harp skills and self-defense techniques. Several suspects are identified as being "The Citizen", including the current competition director and former pageant winner Kathy Morningside (Candice Bergen), her assistant Frank Tobin (Steve Monroe), veteran MC Stan Fields (William Shatner), and even Cheryl, who has a history of involvement with a radical animal rights activist group. Gracie convinces Cheryl and the other contestants to go out one night and drink. Gracie uses the chance to try prying into Cheryl's past, and learns from the others that Kathy's past as a pageant contestant is truly suspicious, including the fact that the year she won, the original winner (ironically) came down with food poisoning. Gracie deduces Kathy is a "Citizen" copycat. When Gracie reports this to Eric and the team, she learns that "The Citizen" has been arrested on an unrelated charge. As there is no perceived threat, their superior, Harry McDonald (Ernie Hudson), pulls the mission. Gracie insists that she suspects something is off, but Eric and the team leave, unconvinced. While on their way home, Victor informs Eric that Frank is actually Kathy's son, a fact they'd tried to hide from the FBI because of his criminal record. Eric returns to Texas to help continue the investigation, against FBI orders. In the final round of the pageant, Gracie is stunned when she is named first runner-up. Cheryl is named Miss United States, but as she goes to accept the tiara, Gracie realizes that Frank impersonated "The Citizen" to make the pageant bomb threat, and that the bomb is in the crown. Gracie fights Cheryl for the crown as Eric wrestles with Frank, who is about to detonate the bomb. Finally, Gracie manages to throw the tiara up at the stage scenery, where it explodes and sets the stage on fire. As Kathy and Frank are arrested, Gracie determines that the two wanted to kill the pageant winner on stage as revenge for Kathy's own termination from the pageant organization. Afterwards, Eric asks Gracie out on a date, and they kiss. Soon after, Eric and Victor trick Gracie into attending the pageant's farewell breakfast, where Cheryl names Gracie "Miss Congeniality". Gracie tearfully accepts the honor, finally understanding the true spirit of pageantry. Cast Sandra Bullock as FBI Special Agent Gracie Hart Mary Ashleigh Green as Gracie (age 10) Michael Caine as Victor Melling Benjamin Bratt as FBI Agent Eric Matthews Candice Bergen as Kathy Morningside William Shatner as Stanley Fields Ernie Hudson as FBI Assistant Director Harry McDonald John DiResta as Agent Clonsky Heather Burns as Cheryl Frasier (Miss Rhode Island) Melissa De Sousa as Karen Krantz (Miss New York) Deirdre Quinn as Mary Jo Wright (Miss Texas) Steve Monroe as Frank Tobin Wendy Raquel Robinson as Leslie Davis (Miss California) Asia De Marcos as Alana Krewson (Miss Hawaii) Production Development Ellen DeGeneres claims that the writer was inspired when watching her training to walk in high heels and a dress in preparation for her role co-hosting the Emmys. Although DeGeneres's first time hosting the ceremony on her own was not until November 2001, nearly a year after the film had been released, she did co-host the 46th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1994 alongside Patricia Richardson. Casting 8 actors read for the part of Eric Matthews, including Hugh Jackman. Matt Dillon came close to getting cast as Eric Matthews, but the part went to Benjamin Bratt. Filming The story is set in New York City and San Antonio. Scenes showing the exterior of the St. Regis New York, as well as a few street scenes, were shot on location in New York, and Weehawken, New Jersey. The Alamo and River Walk scenes were shot on location in San Antonio. The majority of the film was shot in Austin, Texas: scenes depicting the interior of the St. Regis were shot in Austin's Driskill Hotel; the pageant scenes were shot at the Bass Concert Hall at the University of Texas at Austin; and scenes depicting the pageant contestants in their hotel rooms were shot in the Omni Austin at South Park. Distribution Miss Congeniality was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures in most countries, and by Roadshow Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand. Reception Box office The film was the fifth highest-grossing film in North America on its opening weekend, making US$13.9 million. It had a 5% increase in earnings the following week—enough to make the film reach #3. Overall, it was a box office hit, grossing more than $106 million in the United States, and more than $212 million w.... Discover the Gracie Hart popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Gracie Hart books.