Summer Bishil

Summer Yasmine Bishil (born July 17, 1988) is an American actress. She first came to prominence for her role as Jasira in the 2007 film Towelhead. She was chosen to portray Azula in the sequel to M. Night Shyamalan's film The Last Airbender. --- Bishil was born in Pasadena, California and is the youngest of three children. Her mother is a European American, and her father is of Arab and Indian heritage. In 1991, when Bishil was three years old, the family moved to Saudi Arabia, later relocating to Bahrain, where she and her older brother attended Bahrain School. The family returned to California in 2002, where she completed an independent study program for high school. She stated that the return was not easy: "I initially had some tough times trying to assimilate. "It really makes you think about who you are and where you’re at.” Bishil started acting lessons at age 14. Within a year, she was signed to a contract with a manager and agency. Bishil's first role was on the short-lived Nickelodeon television show Just for Kicks, followed by appearances in several other children's shows before her break-through performance as the lead in Alan Ball's film, Towelhead in 2006, an adaptation of the novel of the same name.