Shailene Woodley was born.
Shailene Woodley . Born in San Bernardino County , California and raised in the Simi Valley , she took acting classes with Anthony Meindl and made her screen debut in the television film Replacing Dad ( 1999 ) , followed by numerous guest roles on television , including as Kaitlin Cooper on The O.C. ( 2003-04 ) , and several television films . Her leading roles as California Ford in A Place Called Home ( 2004 ) and Felicity Merriman in Felicity : An American Girl Adventure ( 2005 ) both earned her Young Artist Award nominations and she gained recognition for her starring role as Amy Juergens on the ABC Family television series The Secret Life of the American Teenager ( 2008-2013 ) . Woodley rose to stardom for performances in various popular and critically acclaimed films such as The Descendants ( 2011 ) , for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture and won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female and was awarded the Cannes Trophée Chopard , The Spectacular Now ( 2013 ) , for which she won the Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for Dramatic Acting , and The Fault in Our Stars ( 2014 ) , for which she earned both popular and critical praise . Her role as Beatrice `` Tris '' Prior in The Divergent Series ( 2014 -- 2016 ) garnered her international recognition .