Bush, an only child, was born and raised in Pasadena, California to Charles William Bush, an advertising and celebrity photographer, and Maureen, a photography studio manager. Bush has Italian ancestry, and attended Westridge School for Girls (Pasadena), as well as the University of Southern California. She was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, where she served as Social Chair.

In 2000, she was the Tournament of Roses Parade Queen. Bush attended USC for three years before landing the role of Brooke Davis on One Tree Hill (2003).

Bush made her first big screen appearance in the comedy Van Wilder. Following, she made appearances in several television shows, including Nip/Tuck, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and Punk’d. She was cast as Kate Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, but was replaced by Claire Danes because the director thought she was too young. In 2003, she won the role of Brooke Davis in the television series One Tree Hill. The series rose Bush to fame.

In between seasons of One Tree Hill, Bush has been cast in several films, such as Supercross, Stay Alive, John Tucker Must Die, and The Hitcher (the 2007 remake).

Bush received a “Rising Star” award at the Vail Film Festival for her work in The Hitcher. She has also won three Teen Choice Awards for her work in John Tucker Must Die and The Hitcher.

Bush starred in Francois Velle’s The Narrows with Kevin Zegers, Eddie Cahill and Vincent D’Onofrio. She played the beautiful, intelligent and self-assured Kathy Popovich. Filming began in New York on April 24, 2008 and is due for a 2009 release date. Bush is also starring in the film Table for Three, which is not being released theatrically and is instead going Direct to DVD on June 23, 2009. The story centers on a suddenly single young man, Scott Teller (Brandon Routh), who invites a “perfect couple,” Mary and Ryan (Bush and Jesse Bradford), to share his large apartment. When Teller meets the girl of his dreams, Leslie (Jennifer Morrison), he believes that Ryan and Mary are intentionally sabotaging his chances with her because they desperately need him in their life to hold their dysfunctional relationship together.

On April 16, 2005, Bush married actor Chad Michael Murray, her One Tree Hill co-star. They dated for almost two years before they were married in Santa Monica. They announced their separation on September 26, 2005 after five months of marriage when Bush filed court papers to have their marriage annulled citing fraud. In December 2006, Bush and Murray’s divorce was made final. Bush was in a relationship with Stay Alive co-star Jon Foster after her divorce until August 2007. Later, rumors surfaced that Bush and Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo were dating. They were reportedly seen together in Texas.

In December 2007, it was reported by Rush & Molloy in the New York Daily News that Bush had “now hooked up with co-star James Lafferty”; the report mentioned that a rep for the actress denied there was any romance.In May 2008, photos surfaced of Lafferty and Bush at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which fueled rumors of a possible romance.^[14] On October 27, 2008, Murray confirmed the romance between Bush and Lafferty. “[Sophia and I] are both professional and mature enough to get through it,” he said. “And now it’s just easy. We’re just friends. And she’s got James, and James and I are friends.”

On April 23, 2009, it was reported that Lafferty, who was in Paris promoting the fifth season DVD of One Tree Hill, was seen strolling the streets and said that he is single.

Bush has been supportive of Barack Obama as President. In February 2008, she made several appearances in Texas in support of the Obama campaign in the Texas Presidential primary election. She was joined in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Waco by fellow actor Adam Rodriguez. Touring mostly college campuses, they urged young voters to get involved politically.

In late April 2007, Bush ranked #90 in the UK’s popular men’s magazine FHM, in their countdown of 100 Sexiest Women of 2007. Subsequently, she ranked #89 in the US edition of the same magazine. In May 2007, Bush ranked high at #24 in the Maxim Hot 100 List of 2007. She has also appeared on the cover of the November 2006 edition of Maxim with One Tree Hill co-stars, Hilarie Burton and Danneel Harris. In previous years, Bush has ranked #3 on Femme Fatales: The 50 Sexiest Women of 2004 and named #15 on Much Music’s 20 Hottest Women of 2004.