Sophia Anna Bush was born July 8, 1982, in Pasadena, Los Angeles County, California. Her parents, Charles William Bush and Maureen Bush, a celebrity photographer and photography studio manager, respectively, had Sophia attending Westridge, an all-girls high school in Pasadena. After graduating in the spring of 2000, she became the Tournament of Roses Parade Queen. Sophia then enrolled in the University of Southern California, where she became a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma campus sorority.
Sophia Bush landed her first acting job in 2002, playing Sally in National Lampoon's Van Wilder, also starring Tara Reid and Ryan Reynolds. She continued school at USC and followed up her entry into film with the television movie Point of Origin (2002).
After a February 2003 appearance on the television series Sabrina the Teenage Witch and another film role in Learning Curves that same year, Sophia Bush landed the acting role for which she is most recognized for today.
Sophia Bush nearly secured the role of Kate Brewster, lead character in 2003's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, but was replaced by Claire Danes in the end. The director said Sophia was not old enough to play the part.
In the 2003 opening season for the F/X series Nip/Tuck, Sophia played Ridley, girlfriend to Matt. Sophia's character dealt with issues of bisexuality and lesbianism; she reprised the role in two other episodes that same season.
In September 2003, Sophia Bush began her now long-term stint on the coming-of-age teenage drama One Tree Hill, playing the character of Brooke Davis. After securing the job on the show, Sophia left USC but remains an alumna of her sorority.
On the set of One Tree Hill, Sophia met fellow actor Chad Michael Murray. It was not long before a relationship began between the two of them. On April 16, 2005, Sophia and Chad were married.
In the first few months of her marriage, Sophia Bush continued to work in film (outside of her steady work on the television series) and starred in Supercross (2005), the high-action drama about motocross racing in a Las Vegas tournament. She was also nominated for "Choice TV Actress: Drama" at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards.
On September 26, 2005, however, Sophia and Chad announced their separation. Sophia Bush was quoted as saying, "This is a difficult and unfortunate situation. I am glad this is being resolved sooner rather than later."
Sophia Bush threw herself into her work following her divorce. In 2006, she appeared alongside Jesse Metcalfe, Brittany Snow and Ashanti in the romantic comedy John Tucker Must Die, and she also had a role in the horror film Stay Alive. In 2007, she featured in the remake of the action thriller The Hitcher.
Sophia Bush continues to play Brooke Davis, the role she originated on One Tree Hill. In late 2007, production wrapped on The Narrows, a film adaptation of Tim McLoughlin's novel Heart of the Old Country, in which Sophia Bush plays a lead role.