Elisha Cuthbert, star of the recently released The Girl Next Door was attacked by a cougar and had to be rushed to hospital. This all occured during the filming of the hit American TV series 24 in which she plays Keifer Sutherland's daughter.

The cougar sunk it's teeth into the 21-year-old actress as she tried to pet it inside it's cage. According to Cuthbert "My stunt double was petting the animal, so I put my hand out to stroke it and it bit me, it almost ripped my thumb off. I was rushed to hospital with two puncture wounds, one of which went right through my hand, I had a brace on my hand for five weeks and now I'm left with a cool scar."

Born November 30, 1982 in Calgary, (Alberta) Canada, Elisha has known since she was a teen reporting on Popular Mechanics for Kids what it was she wanted to do. Acting has been something she has doggedly pursued and constantly moved forward with. When she landed the reporters gig with PMFK she had already starred in a feature film called Dancing on the Moon. Her work with PMFK would bring her to the attention of Hillary Clinton and as a result she was invited to Washington to meet with the first lady.

However, all of this doesn't mean she hadn't already spent years working in the public eye. She landed her first modeling gig at the age of seven and was constantly working and auditioning by the time Popular Mechanics for Kids came along. A second series, Are You Afraid of the Dark? followed which she managed to turn into a third series with the successful FOX show 24 where she plays Kiefer Sutherland's daughter. Now having conquered television it seems that Cuthbert has bigger fish to fry, Hollywood.

With 24 opening new doors for Cuthbert she landed a very vampy teen role in the comedy Old School, along with a brief appearance in the romantic comedy Love, Actually. Her latest effort, The Girl Next Door has Elisha taking the lead role for the first time. In it she plays Danielle, an ex-porn star who becomes the object of affection to a lonely suburban boy living next door who is completely oblivious as to her previous profession.