How 40-Year-Old Virgin Made Kat Dennings Famous

Kat Dennings is known for her timeless Hollywood beauty. And while this young American actress gained her footing with several quirky indie roles, she also boasts a broad range that can be seen in her extensive filmography.Ira David Wood IV and his girlfriend Kat Dennings attend “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” World Premiere at Arclight Cinemas on August 11, 2005, in Hollywood, California (Credit: Dimitri Halkidis / WENN)Her supporting role in The 40-Year-Old Virgin truly kicked her career into the next stratosphere.Why Kat Dennings Changed Her NameThe 36-year-old actress, born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, uses a stage name. Of Russian Jewish heritage, her birth name is Katherine Victoria Litwack, and she is the youngest of five children.“I didn’t want to use my family name because I thought, A, it was a little hideous, and B, I wanted to know when someone really knew me or they didn’t. I was a precocious youngster,” she told Philadelphia Magazine about changing her name.“It’s a sturdy Polish-...