Sarah Danielle Madison was born in Springfield, Illinois. She was a 1992 graduate of Latin School of Chicago, the alma mater of Nancy Reagan, Bob Balaban, Brendan Baber, Crispin Freeman, Clark Freeman and Cassidy Freeman. She attended Amherst College and graduated in 1996. A talented scientist, she decided to pursue her dreams of acting and moved to the West Coast. She hit her stride with Jurassic Park III (2001).