This Houston native grew up in Charleston. As a child, she loved the arts—dancing with a local ballet group and acting in community theater.

She graduated from George Washington High School in 1990 and went to Denison University. After college, she moved to New York City and began acting on stage and TV, with small roles on shows like Law and Order and Felicity.

Garner became famous in 2001 for her starring role in the TV show Alias, where she played a spy. She won a Golden Globe for the role and went on to star in movies such as Catch Me If You Can, Daredevil, Juno, Dallas Buyers Club, and The Adam Project. She also performed on Broadway in Cyrano de Bergerac.

Outside of acting, Garner supports Save the Children and co-founded a healthy baby food company called Once Upon a Farm.