50 interesting facts about Kaley Cuoco: she's an avid horse rider and tennis player

The "Big Bang Theory" actress is well loved by the TV shows fans and by the media. Check out some fun facts about TV's "it" girl.

1. Her full name is Kaley Christine Cuoco-Sweeting.

2. She was born on November 30, 1985, Camarillo, California

3. Her last name, Cuoco, translates to "cook" in Italian.

4. Her father, Gary Carmine Cuoco, is a California realtor, and mother Layne Ann Wingate, is a homemaker. Gary is of Italian descent while Layne is of English and German descent.

5. She has been on TV since the tender age of 6, doing commercials including some for Barbie dolls. Kaley Cuoco's first movie was when she was only 7, called Quicksand: No Escape.

6. She played 'little Ellen' in Ellen Degeneres' show 'Ellen', but only for one episode.

7. Her first prominent role in television was in '8 Simple Rules' as Bridget Hennessy; her father was played by the late John Ritter.

8. She has stated that 'Three's Company' (that also starred John Ritter) was her favorite classic television show so it must have been an honor for her to work with Ritter.

9. On '8 Simple Rules', Kaley starred as the older sister of Kerry, played by Amy Davidson. In real life, Cuoco is actually six years younger than Davidson.

10. Ashton Kutcher targeted the actress for his hit MTV show in an episode that aired on May 9, 2004. Kutcher's accomplice was her "8 Simple Rules" co-star Amy Davidson. The premise: Cuoco's car was blocked off by a motor home at a restaurant. When the motor home was towed away after "extensive damage" occurred, the motor home owner asked Kaley why she did it.

11. In addition to the final season of 8 Simple Rules, Cuoco had starring roles on the NBC miniseries 10.5, the ABC Family original movie Crimes of Fashion, the independent film Debating Robert Lee, and in the film The Hollow.

12. She also voiced the character of Brandy Harrington, a 14-year-old anthropomorphic mixed-breed dog, on the Disney Channel cartoon Brandy and Mr. Whiskers.

13. Cuoco voiced the character of Kirstee Smith in Bratz from 2004 to 2005.

14. Kaley was home-schooled and earned her high school diploma at the age of 16.

15. Kaley is known for her awesome physique. One way she stays in shape is by playing tennis which she has been doing since she was three years old. She was a nationally ranked amateur tennis player before acting full-time.

16. Kaley Cuoco won the Teen Choice Award for Breakout Actress of 2003.

17. She began voicing the character of Brandy Harrington on the Disney Channel's cartoon,Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, later in 2004.

18. In the eighth season of the hit cult TV show Charmed Cuoco appeared as Billie Jenkins. Executive producer Brad Kern stated Kaley's character was initially brought in as a possible spin-off.

19. In September 2007, Cuoco began a starring role in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. She plays Penny, a beautiful and down-to-earth Cheesecake Factory employee who moves in next door to two geeks, Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki). In the show, she moved to California from the Nebraska to pursue a career in acting.

20. Kaley is an enthusiastic horseback rider. Cuoco owns a horse named Bojangels.

21. Cuoco also starred in the Lifetime film To Be Fat Like Me which premiered on January 8, 2007.

22. She also played a minor role in the Prison Break episodes "The Message" and "Chicago".

23. Kaley also played the leading female role in the horror movie Killer Movie in 2008.

24. One of her favorite hobbies is table tennis. On Ellen (television series), she presented Ellen with a table tennis paddle signed by The Big Bang Theory cast.

25. In September 2010, Cuoco broke her leg after falling off a horse. She had to miss two episodes of 'The Big Bang Theory' to recuperate. For the rest of the season, they made sure Penny was sitting or hidden behind non-obvious props to hide the injury for the camera.

26. Besides horseback riding, she also likes kickboxing, bowling, and plays the drums.

27. Cuoco is a vegetarian.

28. Kaley got both of her dogs from the pound.

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29. Kaley once recorded a duet of 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' with ex-boyfriend Christopher French to benefit the Humane Society of the United States.

30. If it wasn't for her, 'The Big Bang Theory' wouldn't have aired after the first season! Cuoco replaced Canadian actress Amanda Walsh as the female lead on 'The Big Bang Theory'. Walsh played Penny-then named Katie-in the show's original pilot. CBS initially rejected the project but finally picked up the show when Cuoco joined the cast for the second pilot.

31. Kaley Cuoco is 5'7" tall and weighs 120lbs.

32. Cuoco once dated actor Kevin Zegers.

33. Her favourite lip gloss is Rosebud Salve.

34. Kaley has a small tattoo on her lower back; it is of the symbol for faith.

35. She's a shopaholic! Kaley feels that she has an eye for bargains and she considers herself a good shopper.

36. A majority of the clothes in Kaley Cuoco's closet have never been worn, she just enjoys having them.

37. One of Kaley Cuoco's pet peeves is when people chew their gum very loudly.

38. In a 2011 November Playboy interview, Kaley Cuoco revealed she is not shy when it comes to guys: "From what I've been told and what I've observed, men seem to be intimidated by me. So I have to take the reins. I'm...the boldest person ever - so I'll go up to anybody and say, 'You're absolutely friggin' adorable. Let's go out.' They usually look at me with giant scared Ren and Stimpy eyes. But what's the worst that can happen if I ask them? I have to be honest; I don't think they're going to say no."

39. In the same Playboy profile, Cuoco admitted to having a "huge crush" on "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane. She elaborated on her ideal man: "I don't want him to be funnier than me, but the men I've dated have all been pretty silly."

40. Kaley had a relationship with Johnny Galecki who plays Leonard, her love interest on The Big Bang Theory.She says they dated for two years but never told anyone. Despite the fact that they've broken up the two have managed to remain friendly and professional. "Moments were really hard, but we have such a love for each other-and we knew we weren't destined to be together-that we accepted it and said, 'Look, if we ever break up, we will be professional.' I'm so lucky it was a mutual ending and that we don't hate each other." she told Watch! Magazine.

41. In late October 2012, Cuoco enlisted the help of her sister Briana to organize a flash mob on the set of the show, in which she and the cast and crew surprised the studio audience by suddenly lip-synching and dancing to Carly Rae Jepsen's then-ubiquitous song "Call Me Maybe". A video of the event was posted on YouTube and became a viral success.

42. As of August 2013, Cuoco and her co-stars from The Big Bang Theory Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons, each earn $325,000 an episode.

43. Her favorite artists are mostly female pop artists, including Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, and Josh Groban.

44. Kaley bangs away on her drums to relieve stress. "Just 10 minutes of it and i become a different person."

45. She became engaged to Josh Resnik in October 2011. In February 2012, Kaley revealed at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 21st Annual Hall of Fame ceremony that her engagement is off and she is back to being single.

46. She got married to professional tennis player Ryan Sweeting at Dec 31, 2013.

47. They got engaged after three months of dating. They were married on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2013 in Simi Valley, California.

48. Before this, she was known and credited as Kaley Cuoco; and from then on, she begins to be credited as Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting.

49. She lives in San Fernando Valley, California.

50. Cuoco has become a regular on priceline.com commercials as the daughter of William Shatner's character.