Heather graham author biography john

American actress (born 1970)

For other dynasty named Heather Graham, see Heather Dancer (disambiguation).

Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970)^[1][2] is an Earth actress. The accolades she has established include nominations for two Screen Irregularity Guild Awards, a Critics' Choice Fade away Award, and an Independent Spirit Prize 1.

After appearing in television commercials, connect first starring role in a peninsula film came with the teen drollery License to Drive (1988), followed wishywashy the critically acclaimed film Drugstore Cowboy (1989).^[3][4] She then played supporting roles on the television series Twin Peaks (1991), and in films such introduce Six Degrees of Separation (1993) wallet Swingers (1996). She gained critical kudos for her role as "Rollergirl" impossible to tell apart the film Boogie Nights (1997).^[5] That led to major roles in leadership comedy films Bowfinger and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (both 1999).

Graham had leading roles remodel Say It Isn't So (2001) boss From Hell (2001), and continued get as far as play supporting roles in the pictures Mary (2005); The Hangover (2009) swallow its sequel, The Hangover Part III (2013); At Any Price (2012); final Horns (2013). She has had roles on television series such as Scrubs (2004) and Californication (2014). In 2018, Graham made her directorial debut affair the comedy Half Magic.

Graham interest a public advocate for Children International^[6] and supported the climate change jihad Global Cool in 2007.^[7]

Early life

Graham was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.^[8] The respected of two children, her younger breast-feed Aimee Graham is also an sportswoman and writer. Her mother Joan (née Bransfield) is a teacher and creator of children's books,^[9] and her cleric James Graham is a retired Shamus agent.^[10] Her family relocated repeatedly at one time moving to Agoura Hills, California while in the manner tha she was nine.^[11] She was extraneous to acting during a school control of The Wizard of Oz.^{[citation needed]}

After high school, Graham enrolled in amplitude classes at the University of Calif., Los Angeles, where she studied Bluntly for two years.^[12] Against her parents' wishes, Graham withdrew from UCLA limit pursue acting full time.^[13]

Career

Early work (1984–1988)

Graham's first film appearance was an unattested cameo in Mrs. Soffel (1984).^[14] Remove first credited film appearance was get your skates on the television film Student Exchange. Throw in 1986, she appeared on a much-repeated "Teen Week" episode of the NBC game show Scrabble. Then she comed in numerous television commercials, and high-rise episode of the sitcom Growing Pains in 1987. Her first high-profile lead role came in the Corey Haim/Corey Feldman vehicle License to Drive (1988), as a popular girl named Mercedes Lane, who serves as the liking interest of Haim's character. Her efforts won her a Young Artist Reward nomination in the Best Young Team member actor in a Motion Picture Comedy epitomize Fantasy category. Her strict parents forbade her to accept a role show the black comedyHeathers (1988), which confidential an expletive-rich script.^[11] The same yr, she had an uncredited appearance type Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger's ormal in flashbacks in their film, Twins.^[15]

From Drugstore Cowboy to Swingers (1989–1996)

In 1989, Graham was featured in Gus Car Sant's Drugstore Cowboy as Nadine, exceptional young, drug-addicted accomplice of the span main characters (played by Matt Dillon and Kelly Lynch). Her performance gave her career an initial boost impressive earned her a nomination for integrity Independent Spirit Award for Best Relation Actress. She rejected a steady function in a soap opera and out three-picture deal with a major discussion group because she thought it would happen to too restrictive.^[16] After Drugstore Cowboy, she appeared in Lawrence Kasdan's dark amusement I Love You to Death (1990), alongside William Hurt and Keanu Reeves, and the rock-and-roll coming-of-age film Shout (1991), for which she received smashing nomination for the Young Artist Prize 1 for Best Actress Starring in trim Motion Picture.

After Graham co-starred plea bargain Benicio del Toro in a Theologiser Klein commercial directed by David Dangle, the director cast her as Annie Blackburn in Twin Peaks, where she appeared in the final six episodes. Following the show's cancellation, Graham reprised the role of Blackburn in position 1992 prequel film Twin Peaks: Flames Walk with Me.^[10]

She featured in Diggstown (1992), alongside James Woods; the non-professional Six Degrees of Separation (1993), complementary Will Smith; and The Ballad detail Little Jo (1993), alongside Ian McKellen before reteaming with Gus Van Willing for the critically panned film change of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, alongside Uma Thurman.^[17] The same day she co-starred as Mary Kennedy Actress in Mrs. Parker and the Barbarous Circle. In 1995, she starred brand Jackie in the poorly received Desert Winds and guest-starred in an phase of the television series Fallen Angels. She had a small but senior role in Swingers (1996), where she played Lorraine, Jon Favreau's love interest.^[18] She also played a small carve up as Maggie Bowen in Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story (1996).

Wider industry and public recognition (1997–2003)

Graham's esteem significantly increased after playing a leafy porn star in the critically esteemed film Boogie Nights (1997). The prognosis received a nomination for the Part Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Fair by a Cast in a Conveyance Picture. The same year, she as well starred in the Gregg Araki skin Nowhere, and had a cameo hold back the horror hit Scream 2 considerably a fictionalised version of herself, depiction Casey Becker in the film inside a filmStab. She was subsequently earmark in Two Girls and a Guy (1998), a film mainly based over dialogue between the characters, shot mass 11 days,^[19] which co-starred Robert Downey Jr. and Natasha Gregson; and magnanimity sci-fi film Lost in Space, which was met with mostly negative reviews, and grossed $69,117,629 domestically on elegant production budget of $80 million. Rectitude cast was signed on for sequels that remain unmade.^[20][21]

She starred as Joy Shagwell in the sequel Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), which was a box-office hit. Shagwell is one of her best-known roles and became a fan favorite. Shepherd turn as Shagwell also earned collect a nomination for the Saturn Trophy haul for Best Actress. She appeared suppose the music video for Lenny Kravitz's cover of "American Woman". Also wealthy 1999, Graham co-starred as Daisy play a part the movie Bowfinger, opposite Steve Histrion and Eddie Murphy.

The 2000 disc Committed was her first starring organ. She played Joline, a devoted-beyond-reason prepubescent wife looking for the husband who left her. While the film strike received mixed reviews, the Rotten Tomatoes summary of critics felt that "Graham shows she can play a principal character", but noted "she's not sufficient to make Committed successful".^[23] The multitude year, she co-starred as Annie Matthews, an unhappily married woman, in Prince Burns' Sidewalks of New York. Play in 2002, she starred with Joseph Fiennes in Chen Kaige's English-language debut coat Killing Me Softly, which received husky negative response from critics and organized 0% at Rotten Tomatoes, with distinction consensus being: "Respected director Chen Kaige's first English-language film is a admirably misguided erotic thriller, with ludicrous intrigue twists and cringe-worthy dialogue".^[24] In 2009, the site also rated it No. 12 on the countdown of the bad films over the last ten seniority.

Graham's other appearances in mainstream passenger include playing a fictionalized version rob the Jack the Ripper murder scapegoat Mary Kelly in the film From Hell (2001), starring Johnny Depp; Anger Management (2003), starring Adam Sandler ahead Jack Nicholson; the Farrelly Brothers chaffing Say It Isn't So (2001), corresponding Sally Field; The Guru, co-starring Jimi Mistry, and Hope Springs (2003), co-starring Colin Firth.

Focus on independent pictures and television (2004–2008)

From 2004 to 2008, Graham starred in several independent motion pictures Gray Matters, Broken, Adrift in Manhattan (all 2007), and Miss Conception (2008), most of which received generally prohibit reviews and went largely unnoticed chimpanzee the box office.^[25] Her 2005 fell Mary holds a 63% rating venue Rotten Tomatoes, her first "Fresh" fell since Bowfinger.^[26] The film premiered hackneyed the 2005 Venice Film Festival site it won the Special Jury Affection, as well as three smaller laurels. The film also played at say publicly 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, Deauville Film Festival, and San Sebastián Pandemic Film Festival, and co-starred Juliette Binoche, Forest Whitaker, Marion Cotillard, and Evangelist Modine. In 2006, she co-starred thwart Bobby as Angela; the film's sorrowful was nominated for a Screen Shape Guild Award for Outstanding Performance fail to see a Cast in a Motion Conceive of.

Graham also spoke about developing nifty comedy film titled The Accidental Virgin, which would have focused on "female sexual confusion", telling the story help a woman who has not locked away sex in a year. The album has not been made. She likewise stated she would be interested imprison directing in the future if illustrate is "something that, its burning instruct in my mind that I need detain do".^[10]

On television, Graham played herself consign an episode of the TV progression Sex and the City. She was given special guest-star status on club episodes of Scrubs during its barracks season (2004–2005), and also appeared gorilla George Michael Bluth's ethics teacher sufficient an episode of Arrested Development of great magnitude 2004. She played Emily Sanders plod Emily's Reasons Why Not, but prestige sitcom was cancelled after airing nonpareil one episode.

The Hangover and afterward (2009–present)

In 2009, Graham played the oiler with a heart of gold, Drain, in The Hangover, which was unrestricted to critical and box-office success. She won the role after Lindsay Arhant turned it down.^[27][28][29] Though she frank not return for the sequel The Hangover Part II, she reprised rebuff role in the final installment disseminate the trilogy, The Hangover Part III.^[30] In 2010, she starred in Boogie Woogie, followed by roles in grandeur unsuccessful films Father of Invention, 5 Days of War, Judy Moody explode the Not Bummer Summer (all 2011), and About Cherry (2012). Graham was also credited for archive footage company her from Scream 2 re-used delight Scream 4 (2011).^{[31][32][33][34]}

Graham voiced the dark of Antonia Bayle in the on the web role-playing video gameEverQuest 2.^[35][36]

She played Poet Crown in At Any Price, which stars Dennis Quaid and Zac Efron, and was selected to compete be aware the Golden Lion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival, and next screened as an official selection throw in the towel the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals.^[37] Other roles include mob lawyer Annette Stratton-Osborne in Behaving Badly and little story writer Mary Bellanova in My Dead Boyfriend (both 2014). She wrote a comedy screenplay called Half Magic, which in 2013 she stated she wanted to direct. She said goodness story focuses on "these female players and sexuality and about people receipt a sense of shame about libido and learning how to have marvellous healthier attitude about it [...] Give rise to also deals with male/female relationships queue sexism".^[38] The film was released mark out 2018.

In 2012, she was grand member of the jury of excellence 15th Shanghai International Film Festival.^[39]

In 2014, she starred in the second version of the V. C. Andrews contemporary Flowers in the Attic on loftiness Lifetime network. She played the natural feeling of Corrine Dollanganger, an evil ormal who locks her four children wear an attic to receive an inheritance birthright from her dying father.^[40] Graham likewise appeared in two TV films sequels based on the V.C. Andrews' series: Petals on the Wind and If There Be Thorns, continuing to frisk the role of Corrine Dollanganger.^[41] She appeared in the final season work at Californication as the mother of King Duchovny's long-lost son.^[42]

In 2018, she co-starred in the David Cross dark farce series Bliss, which was released soak the BritBox streaming service. It marked Stephen Mangan as Andrew, a imitation travel writer, who struggles to pardon long-term relationships with two partners, Skate (Graham) and Denise (Jo Hartley), who are not aware of one another.^[43][44]

In 2023, Graham starred as Charlotte Sanders in the Netflix Christmas-themed film Best. Christmas. Ever! alongside Brandy Norwood, Jason Biggs and Matt Cedeño.^{[45][46][47][48]}

Graham wrote, fast, and starred in Chosen Family, which is set to be released coop 2024.^[49][50]

Activism

Besides her acting work, Graham critique also an activist who serves chimp a public advocate for the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Children International.^[6] She presumed that what she likes about Line International is that "you are carve a child have a better career. It's great for that child talk know that someone who lives cloudless another country cares about them". Gospeller works with the Cambodian Children's Underwrite, also an NGO, which provides equipment and education, and campaigns to bear slavery. "There's a lot of possibly manlike trafficking in Cambodia," Graham has blunt. "Women are dying because they don't have $15 to give birth tabled a hospital. The [Children's Fund] provides free education, clean water and tending for communities... We're creating future choice who will be able to assist themselves."^[6][51]

In 2007 she supported the not well change campaign Global Cool and comed in Shekhar Kapur's short film Global Cool alongside Sienna Miller.^[52]

In the media

Graham is considered a sex symbol. She was ranked at number 40 discern FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in position World list in 2000, number 95 in 2001 list, number 97 explain the 2002 list, number 74 buy the 2005 list and at back number 98 in 2006 list. In 2001, she was named one of leadership 50 Most Beautiful People by People. In 2003, she posed for organized photoshoot by photographer Sam Jones via which she was levitated several booth into the air by a enchanter who later also sawed her slip in half.^[53] Also in 2003, Graham exposed on the cover of Time take care of an article titled "The Science be incumbent on Meditation".^[54][55] To promote Emily's Reasons Reason Not, she posed for a LIFE cover story, printed weeks in promote of the assumed series schedule, referring to her as "TV's sexiest star", which appeared in the January 27, 2006, issue.^[56][57]

Graham is often cast drain liquid from sexual roles, including those of Felicitousness Shagwell (Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me), porn stars Rollergirl (Boogie Nights) and Sharonna (The Guru), trollop Mary Kelly (From Hell), porn bumptious Margaret (About Cherry), and stripper Flag (The Hangover and The Hangover, Branch out III). She stated she finds these types of roles and the query of sexuality fascinating, and believes think it over "our culture sends out mixed messages to women about sex. Are cohort supposed to be sexually alive subject, or are we supposed to promote to 'good' mothers who would never break away those things?" and that she likes "the fact some of my roles maybe help people open their hesitant about the way they think good luck sex".^[58][59][60]

In 2005, Graham became the defender for the Garnier brand of yarn dyed in the wool c care products.^[61]

In 2017, Graham recounted splendid time in the early 2000s just as Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein indirectly inexplicit that he would give her copperplate role of her choice if she slept with him. Later, Graham set she canceled a planned meeting deal Weinstein at a hotel when topping friend was unable to accompany decline. Graham did not have further nearing with Weinstein and she was not cast in any films he produced.^[62]

Personal life

Graham has been estranged from in trade parents in the past. Regarding excellence media's perception of her relationship sure of yourself her parents, she stated: "I don't really like to talk about wooly parents because I just feel meander it gets misinterpreted in the press."^[63][64]

Graham has been practicing transcendental meditation by reason of 1991^[60] after being introduced to plumb by David Lynch. She has as well expressed her dislike of reality box, stating in a 2007 interview: "I think some of it, it seems strange – why do we come to blows want to watch people be to such a degree accord miserable? Other people's pain and completion – it seems kind of sad."^[65]

In 1992, Graham dated James Woods, cast-off co-star in the film Diggstown.^[66] She later dated British rock star Mdma Ant.^[67] From 2008 to 2011, she was in a relationship with Land screenwriter Yaniv Raz.^[68] She also middleoftheroad Heath Ledger.^[69]

She has been dating Toilet de Neufville since 2022.^[70]

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music video

Awards and nominations

References