| Heather Graham | |
|---|---|
Heather Graham at the Toronto Film Festival, September 2011 |
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| Born | Heather Joan Graham January 29, 1970 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, producer, writer, fashion model |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Relatives | Aimee Graham (sister) |
Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970) is an American actress. Graham has received critical acclaim for her performance in the 1989 film Drugstore Cowboy and for her role as Rollergirl in 1997's Boogie Nights, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.[1]
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Heather Graham was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the older of two children. Her family is of "three quarters Irish" descent, with her father's side from County Cork.[2][3] Her younger sister, Aimee Graham, is also an actress and writer. Their mother, Joan (née Bransfield), is a teacher and author of children's books.[4] Their father, James Graham, is a retired FBI agent.[1][5] The girls were raised with traditional Catholic values.[6][7] Her family relocated repeatedly before settling down in Agoura Hills, California when she was nine years old.[1] She was introduced to acting during a school production of The Wizard of Oz. Graham graduated from Agoura High School in California in 1988.
After high school, Graham enrolled in extension classes of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and studied English for two years.[6] There she met actor James Woods. They became romantically involved during filming of the movie Diggstown, where Woods had landed the starring role and Graham a featured role. After two years Graham withdrew from UCLA to pursue acting full time, despite her parents' objections.
Her first film appearance was an uncredited cameo in Mrs. Soffel (1984).[8] Her second film appearance was in the television film Student Exchange. In 1986, she appeared on a special "Teen Week" episode of the NBC-TV game show Scrabble. Then she appeared in numerous television commercials, and the sitcom Growing Pains in 1987. In the 1988 teen comedy License to Drive, she co-starred with Corey Haim and Corey Feldman. Her strict parents forbade her to appear in the black comedy, Heathers, which had an expletive-rich script.[1]
Graham was cast in a number of parts as a supporting actress including the part of Nadine in the 1989 film Drugstore Cowboy. In 1991, she appeared in the TV series Twin Peaks as Annie Blackburn, Dale Cooper's second-season love interest. Many became familiar with her for these two roles.[6] She appeared in a brief but important role in the 1997 hit Swingers. Her breakthrough role proved to be that of the porn starlet "Roller Girl" in 1997's Boogie Nights, in which she appeared in scenes with frontal nudity and received several award nominations. Since then, Graham has been known as a Hollywood sex symbol. She has been part of two ensemble casts that have earned Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Cast (Boogie Nights and Bobby).[9]
Her first starring role was in 1999 as Felicity Shagwell in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. She appeared in the music video for Lenny Kravitz's cover of "American Woman". Also in 1999, she appeared in the movie Bowfinger.
Graham has taken roles in mainstream films, including Mary Kelly in the 2001 film From Hell, based on the story of Jack the Ripper, and Judy Robinson in 1998's film Lost In Space, and she has also been cast in a number of independent films. Some of those films, like 2006's Bobby, have brought her critical praise. She also starred in the erotic thriller Killing Me Softly.
Graham played herself on one episode of the TV series Sex and the City. In 2003, she appeared in the comedy Anger Management. She was given special guest-star status on nine episodes of NBC-TV's Scrubs during its fourth season (2004–2005), and also appeared as George Michael Bluth's ethics teacher in an episode of Fox's television series, Arrested Development. In 2005, Graham became the spokeswoman and TV model for the Garnier brand of hair care products. Graham's print ad for Skyy vodka, which was photographed in 2003 (titled "#3, Entourage") is still appearing in national magazines today. In 2003, she also posed for a photoshoot by photographer Sam Jones, during which she was levitated several feet into the air by a magician, who later also sawed her in half.[10] Also in 2003, Graham appeared on the cover of Time magazine for an article titled "The Science of Meditation", indicating that Graham has been practicing Transcendental Meditation since 1991.[11] In 2001, Graham was named by People Magazine as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People". Graham voiced the character of Antonia Bayle in the online role-playing game EverQuest 2.[12][13]
Graham starred in the US ABC-TV comedy series Emily's Reasons Why Not, in 2006. However, ABC canceled the show after its first airing on January 9, 2006. Graham had posed for a Life Magazine cover story, printed weeks in advance of the assumed series schedule, referring to her as "TV's sexiest star" which appeared two weeks later in their January 27, 2006 issue.[14][15]
In 2009, she played the stripper Jade in The Hangover. The film was released to critical and box office success. Her most recent film was family comedy Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer.
Graham is a public advocate for Children International.[16] She also supported the climate change campaign Global Cool in 2007.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Mrs. Soffel | Factory Girl | Uncredited |
| 1986 | Scrabble | Contestant | Teen Week |
| 1987 | Growing Pains | Cindy/Samantha | TV series; 2 episodes |
| Student Exchange | Dorrie Ryder | ||
| 1988 | License to Drive | Mercedes Lane | Nominated–Young Artist Award for Best Actress Starring in a Motion Picture Comedy or Fantasy |
| Twins | Young Mary Ann Benedict | Uncredited | |
| 1989 | Drugstore Cowboy | Nadine | Nominated–Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 1990 | I Love You to Death | Bridget | |
| 1991 | Guilty as Charged | Kimberly | |
| Shout | Sara Benedict | Nominated–Young Artist Award for Best Actress Starring in a Motion Picture | |
| Twin Peaks | Annie Blackburn | TV series; 6 episodes | |
| 1992 | Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me | Annie Blackburn | |
| O Pioneers! | Young Alexandra Bergson | ||
| Diggstown | Emily Forrester | ||
| 1993 | The Ballad of Little Jo | Mary Addie | |
| Even Cowgirls Get the Blues | Cowgirl Heather | ||
| Six Degrees of Separation | Elizabeth | ||
| 1994 | Don't Do It | Suzanna | |
| Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle | Mary Kennedy Taylor | ||
| 1995 | Toughguy | Olive | |
| Desert Winds | Jackie | ||
| Let It Be Me | Perfumery Salesgirl | ||
| Fallen Angels | Carol Whalen | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1996 | Kiss & Tell | Susan Pretsel | |
| Swingers | Lorraine | ||
| Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story | Maggie Bowen | ||
| Bullet Hearts | Carlene Prue | ||
| The Outer Limits | Alicia | TV series; 1 episode | |
| 1997 | Nowhere | Lilith | |
| Boogie Nights | Brandy 'Rollergirl' | Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
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| Scream 2 | Herself/'Stab' Casey | Cameo Appearance | |
| 1998 | Lost in Space | Dr. Judy Robinson | |
| Two Girls and a Guy | Carla Bennett | ||
| Fantasy Island | Jackie | TV series; 1 episode | |
| Alexandria Hotel | N/A | short | |
| 1999 | Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | Felicity Shagwell | Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Best Actress in a Comedy ShoWest Award for Female Star of Tomorrow Nominated–Kids' Choice Awards for Favorite Movie Couple Nominated–Saturn Award for Best Actress |
| Bowfinger | Daisy | Nominated–Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress in a Comedy | |
| Alien Love Triangle | Elizabeth | short | |
| 2000 | Committed | Joline | |
| 2001 | Say It Isn't So | Josephine Wingfield | |
| Sidewalks of New York | Annie Matthews | ||
| From Hell | Mary Kelly | ||
| 2002 | Killing Me Softly | Alice Tallis | |
| The Guru | Sharonna | ||
| 2003 | Anger Management | Kendra | Uncredited |
| Hope Springs | Mandy | ||
| 2004 | Blessed | Samantha Howard | |
| Arrested Development | Beth Baerly | TV series; 1 episode | |
| 2005 | Cake | Pippa McGee | |
| Scrubs | Dr. Molly Clock | TV series; 9 episodes | |
| Mary | Elizabeth Younger | ||
| 2006 | The Oh in Ohio | Justine | uncredited |
| Emily's Reasons Why Not | Emily Sanders | TV series; 7 episodes (6 unaired) | |
| Bobby | Angela | Hollywood Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble Cast Nominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
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| Broken | Hope | ||
| Gray Matters | Gray Baldwin | ||
| 2007 | Adrift in Manhattan | Rose Phipps | |
| 2008 | Miss Conception | Georgina Salt | |
| Have Dreams, Will Travel | Cassie's Aunt | ||
| Baby on Board | Angela | ||
| 2009 | Boogie Woogie | Beth Freemantle | |
| The Hangover | Jade | Detroit Film Critics Society for Best Ensemble | |
| 2010 | ExTerminators | Alex | |
| Father of Invention | Phoebe | ||
| 2011 | Scream 4 | 'Stab' Casey | Cameo appearance |
| 5 Days of War | Miriam | ||
| Portlandia (TV series) | Heather/Herself | Cameo appearance | |
| Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer | Aunt Opal | ||
| Son of Morning | Josephine Tuttle | ||
| The Flying Machine | Georgie | ||
| 2012 | Cherry | Filming |
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