Daryl Hannah

Daryl Hannah

Hannah in 2009, at TED.com
Born Daryl Christine Hannah
December 3, 1960 (1960-12-03) (age 50)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1978–present

Daryl Christine Hannah (born December 3, 1960) is an American film actress. After making her screen debut in 1978, Hannah starred in a number of Hollywood films throughout the 1980s, notably Blade Runner, Splash, Wall Street and Roxanne and in 2003 appeared in Kill Bill.

Contents

Early life

Hannah was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Susan Wexler, a producer, and Don Hannah, a tugboat and barge company owner.[1] Her parents divorced shortly after her birth and her mother subsequently married Jerrold Wexler, a businessman and brother of Haskell Wexler, a cinematographer. She grew up with siblings Don and Page Hannah, as well as half-sister Tanya Wexler, in Long Grove, Illinois.

Hannah is missing part of her left index finger, having lost it in an accident at age three.[2]

Hannah became interested in movies at a young age, partly due to insomnia. She was very shy and diagnosed as borderline autistic.[3] Hannah attended the progressive Francis W. Parker School (where she played on the soccer team) before enrolling at the University of Southern California.

Career

Hannah made her film debut in 1978 with a brief appearance in Brian De Palma's horror film The Fury. She turned down many roles early on in her career, including the role of Emmeline Lestrange for The Blue Lagoon (that ultimately went to Brooke Shields). Her first notable role came as the acrobatic and violent replicant Pris in Ridley Scott's 1982 science fiction classic Blade Runner, in which she performed some of her own gymnastic stunts. That same year she appeared in the summer hit release Summer Lovers. She then was cast as a blonde mermaid in Ron Howard's 1984 fantasy Splash, which starred Tom Hanks and was a major financial success,[4] establishing Hannah as a high-profile film actress.

Hannah's successes in the remainder of the 1980s ranged from Steel Magnolias and the Academy Award-winning Wall Street (for which she received her Razzie Award) to the 1986 film version of the best-seller The Clan of the Cave Bear. Also in 1986 Hannah co-starred with Robert Redford and Debra Winger in Legal Eagles. She starred in the title role of Fred Schepisi's 1987 film Roxanne, a modern retelling of Edmond Rostand's play Cyrano de Bergerac, a performance which was described as "sweet" and "gentle" by film critic Roger Ebert.[5]

She also appeared in The Pope of Greenwich Village with co-stars Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts and played the daughter of Jack Lemmon's character in both of the Grumpy Old Men comedies. In 1995, Hannah was chosen by Empire magazine as #96 of the "100 Manliest Stars in Film History." That year she appeared as homicidal sociopath Leann Netherwood in The Tie That Binds.

Of her most recent roles, the most memorable may be that of the one-eyed assassin Elle Driver in Kill Bill, directed by Quentin Tarantino. Her performance in this film, as well as her appearances in Speedway Junky, Northfork, Michael Radford's Dancing at the Blue Iguana, John Sayles' Casa de los Babys and Silver City, have been described by some as a comeback.[6]

Hannah wrote, directed and produced a short film, "The Last Supper", which won an award at the Berlin Film Festival. She directed, produced and was cinematographer for the documentary Strip Notes. It aired on Channel 4 in the UK and on HBO and was about the research Hannah did for her role as a stripper in Dancing at the Blue Iguana. Hannah currently has several projects in post-production, including Shannon's Rainbow and A Closed Book.[7]

She appeared in Robbie Williams' video for the song "Feel", portraying Williams' love interest.

Hannah's career has veered away from acting and towards board games over the last several years. In February 2010 she released her second board game called Liebrary, a board game she conceived 10 years earlier. It is a party game for three to six players, ages 12 and up in which players listen to the title and a synopsis of a real book, then write down what they think the first line to that book could be. Points are earned when other players believe that a made up first line is the true one.

Awards

Personal life

Hannah and actress Hilary Shepard Turner created two board games, "Love It Or Hate It" and "LIEbrary", with Hannah previewing the latter on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show in 2005.

Hannah, an active environmentalist, has her own weekly video blog called DHLoveLife[8] on sustainable solutions. She is often the sound recordist, camera person and on-screen host for the blog.[9] Her home runs on solar power and is built with green materials. She drives a car that runs on biodiesel.[10] In late 2006, she volunteered to act as a judge for Treehugger.com's[11] "Convenient Truths" contest.[12] On December 4, 2008, Hannah joined Sea Shepherd's crew aboard the MV Steve Irwin, as part of Operation Musashi.[13]

Hannah has never married, although she had long-term relationships with singer Jackson Browne and John F. Kennedy, Jr. She is the sister-in-law of music producer Lou Adler, who is married to Hannah's sister, Page.

On June 13, 2006, Hannah was arrested, along with Taran Noah Smith, for her involvement with over 350 farmers, their families and supporters, confronting authorities trying to bulldoze the nation's largest urban farm in South Central Los Angeles. She chained herself to a walnut tree at the South Central Farm for three weeks to protest the farmers' eviction by the property's new owner. The farm had been established in the wake of the 1992 LA riots to allow people in the city to grow food for themselves. However, the land's new owner, who had paid $5 million for it, sought to evict the farmers to build a warehouse. He had asked for $16 million to sell it but turned down the offer when the activists raised that amount. Hannah was interviewed via cell phone shortly before she was arrested, along with 44 other protesters, and said that she and the others are doing the "morally right thing".[14] She spent some time in jail.[15]

Hannah has also worked to help end sexual slavery and has been traveling around the world to make a documentary.

Daryl Hannah was among 31 people arrested on June 23, 2009 in a protest against mountaintop removal in southern West Virginia, part of a wider campaign to stop the practice in the region. The protesters, who also included NASA climate scientist James E. Hansen, were charged with obstructing officers and impeding traffic after they sat in the middle of State Route 3 outside Massey Energy's Goals Coal preparation plant on Tuesday, the The Charleston Gazette reported.[16] In a Democracy Now! phone interview on June 24, 2009, Ms. Hannah spoke briefly on why she went to West Virginia and risked arrest[17].

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1978 The Fury Pam
1981 Hard Country Loretta
1982 Blade Runner Pris Stratton
Summer Lovers Cathy Featherstone
1983 The Final Terror Windy
1984 Reckless Tracey Prescott
Splash Madison Saturn Award for Best Actress
The Pope of Greenwich Village Diane
1986 The Clan of the Cave Bear Ayla
Legal Eagles Chelsea Deardon
1987 Roxanne Roxanne Kowalski
Wall Street Darien Taylor Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress
1988 High Spirits Mary Plunkett Brogan
1989 Crimes and Misdemeanors Lisa Crosley uncredited
Steel Magnolias Annelle Dupuy Desoto
1990 Crazy People Kathy
1991 At Play in the Fields of the Lord Andy Huben
1992 Memoirs of an Invisible Man Alice Monroe
1993 Grumpy Old Men Melanie
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman Nancy Archer TV film
1994 The Little Rascals Miss June Crabtree
1995 The Tie That Binds Leann Netherwood
Grumpier Old Men Melanie Gustafson
1996 Two Much Liz Kerner
The Last Days of Frankie the Fly Margaret
1997 The Last Don Athena Aquitane TV Mini-Series
1998 The Gingerbread Man Lois Harlan
The Real Blonde Kelly
Addams Family Reunion Morticia Addams direct-to-video
Rear Window Claudia Henderson TV film
Hi-Life Maggie
1999 My Favorite Martian Lizzie
Speedway Junky Veronica
Diplomatic Siege Erica Long
2000 Cord Anne White direct-to-video
Wildflowers Sabine
First Target Alex McGregor TV film
Ring of Fire Unknown Cancelled Movie
2001 Jackpot Bobbi
Dancing at the Blue Iguana Angel
Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story Thespee TV film
Cowboy Up Celia Jones aka Ring of Fire
2002 A Walk to Remember Cynthia Carter
Searching for Debra Winger Herself
Hard Cash Virginia
2003 Northfork Flower Hercules
The Job CJ March
Casa de los babys Skipper
The Big Empty Stella
Kill Bill, Volume 1 Elle Driver (California Mountain Snake)
2004 Kill Bill, Volume 2 Elle Driver (California Mountain Snake) Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
Silver City Maddy Pilager
Whore Adriana
Careful What You Wish For Store Patron short film
2006 Love Is the Drug Sandra Brand
Final Days of Planet Earth Liz Quinlan TV film
Keeping Up with the Steins Sacred Feather/Sandy
Olè Maggie Granger
2007 The Poet Marlene Konig
All the Good Ones are Married Alex TV film
2008 Vice Salt
Storm Seekers Leah Kaplan TV film
Kung Fu Killer Jane TV film
The Garden Herself
Shark Swarm Brooke Wilder TV film
The Cycle Carrie aka The Devil's Ground
Dark Honeymoon Jan
2009 Shannon's Rainbow Dr. Rita Baker
2010 A Closed Book Jane Ryder
Eldorado The Stranger
A Fonder Heart Margaret Boone

References

  1. ↑ Daryl Hannah Biography (1960-)
  2. ↑ "Celebs Missing Fingers: A Who2 Loop", Who2.com, 31 January 2001. Retrieved on 2010-08-13.
  3. ↑ Daryl Hannah biography. Allmovie. Retrieved April 28, 2006.
  4. ↑ Business data for Splash. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved April 28, 2006.
  5. ↑ Roger Ebert. Review of Roxanne (1987). June 16, 1987. Retrieved April 28, 2006.
  6. ↑ Daryl Hannah: Comeback Kill Bill Vol. 1.
  7. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1247691/
  8. ↑ welcome to dhlovelife.com | home of the dhlovelife show, lovelife goods, and the new knowdummy eco-resource!
  9. ↑ DHLovelife.com (MOV file). Retrieved April 28, 2006.
  10. ↑ Kathryn Gillick. Interview: Daryl Hannah. SASS magazine. Retrieved April 28, 2006.
  11. ↑ TreeHugger
  12. ↑ Convenient Truth Contest
  13. ↑ McGuirk, Rob. "Activists vows to protect whales from Japanese", Associated Press, 2008-12-03. Retrieved on 2008-12-05.
  14. ↑ Daryl Hannah arrested after protest | Video - Celebrities - MSNBC.com
  15. ↑ "What Can Paris Expect Behind Bars?". Fox News. May 7, 2007. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270193,00.html. 
  16. ↑ Kari Friedlander (24 June 2009). "Daryl Hannah Arrested at West Virginia Mine Protest". TV Guide Online. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Daryl-Hannah-Arrested-1007219.aspx. Retrieved 2009-06-24. 
  17. ↑ "Actress Daryl Hannah, Climate Scientist James Hansen Among 30+ Arrested Protesting Mountaintop Removal in West Virginia". Democracy Now!. 2009-06-24. http://www.democracynow.org/2009/6/24/actress_daryl_hannah_climate_scientist_james. Retrieved 2009-06-24. 

External links

Video