Illeana Douglas Biography
Born: July 25, 1965
Saucer-eyed actress Illeana Douglas has been regularly appearing in major films since 1987, when she debuted in the Shelley_Long comedy Hello_Again. The granddaughter of actor Melvyn_Douglas and actress-turned-Congresswoman Helen_Gahagan, Douglas was born July 25, 1965, in Massachusetts.
After her film debut, the actress worked for years in relative obscurity, at one point dubbing a chilling scream for The Last Temptation of Christ. She frequently appeared in other Martin_Scorsese films, most notably Goodfellas (1990) and 1991's Cape_Fear. Her collaboration with the director also took place offscreen, as the two dated for years.
Following roles in a number of films, including Household_Saints (1993) and Quiz_Show (1994), Douglas was cast in Gus_Van_Sant's 1995 To_Die_For. She won some measure of recognition and critical praise for her role as Nicole_Kidman's sarcastic sister-in-law, and the following year landed the lead in Allison_Anders' Grace of My Heart. Although Douglas was again praised for her work -- here portraying a Carole_King-like singer/songwriter -- the film did poorly among critics and at the box office.
The actress went on to do a number of made-for-TV films, including the satirical Weapons of Mass Distraction in 1997. In 1999 she had a full plate, doing both television work (appearing as a prostitute on the Fox series Action) and more film work. She appeared with Kevin_Costner in Message in a Bottle before going on to make the independent film Happy,_Texas, the supernatural thriller Stir of Echoes with Kevin_Bacon, and Can't_Stop_Dancing, a comedy in which she acted alongside Margaret_Cho and Janeane_Garofalo. Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
Browse More Actresses:
