Russell was born in Fountain Valley, California, on March 23, 1976. Most of her early childhood was spent living in Texas, before her parents decided to move to Mesa, Arizona. Russell took a serious interest in entertainment at an early age. At Poston Jr. High School, she discovered a passion for dancing, and soon applied for ballet and jazz dance lessons. Her love and talent for dancing allowed her to tour the country as a member of the Mesa Stars Dance and Drill team, where she eventually received a prestigious scholarship. Just before she started high school, Russell's family moved to Denver, Colorado. Russell claims that she did not make many friends, which allowed her to concentrate on her performing career. She soon appeared on Star Search, where she was discovered by Disney's talent scouts. In 1991, she made her debut as a Mouseketeer on Disney's The All New Mickey Mouse Club. The following year, Russell jumped to her first big screen debut in Honey I Blew Up the Kid as the unlucky babysitter. Russell also starred as Andrea McKinsey in Emerald Cove. Her first regular role was in a 1994 CBS sitcom Daddy's Girl, but unfortunately, the show did not last very long. That same year, Russell played Jessica in Boy Meets World. In 1996, Russell got her first title role in the NBC movie The Babysitter's Seduction and got her first television lead in Malibu Shores; a rare Aaron Spelling production that was unsuccessful. In 1997, Russell starred in her second big screen film, Eight Days a Week, and in another television role, When Innocence Is Lost. Russell also made a short appearance in Fox's series Roar. When it was time to cast the star of Felicity, the series creators (J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves) knew that Big was perfect for the lead of the same name, from the moment she arrived on the set. It was an obvious choice, as Russell's natural beauty and charm fit perfectly with Felicity's character, almost as if Big was cast to play herself! In addition to future episodes of Felicity, Russell will star in her first lead feature role, as an Irish dancer who wins the heart of a soccer player in the upcoming romantic comedy Mad About Mambo. Currently, Russell resides in L.A.'s Tony Pacific Palisades suburb. Most of her free time is spent working on her other passion: photography. As for her love life, she formerly dated Blossom's star Joey Lawrence Recently, she has been romantically linked to actor and musician Tony Lucca, whom she met when co-starring with him in Malibu Shores and The All New Mickey Mouse Club.