Daryl Hannah Biography
Born: December 03, 1960
The older sister of actress Page_Hannah and niece of cinematographer Haskell_Wexler, athletic, blonde leading lady Daryl Hannah trained for the ballet before switching to acting at the Goodman Theatre. Taking the stage would prove quite a daunting task for the girl who suffered from agoraphobia and was once such a wallflower that she was diagnosed as borderline autistic, and though it would take Hannah a few years to become truly comfortable in front of an audience, she eventually overcame her fear to stunning results. In addition to ballet Hannah also exuded a certain grace on the high school soccer field. Her interest in film was sparked by a severe case of insomnia early in life, and young Hannah would spend hours on end soaking in film into the wee hours of the night. Before completing her theatrical training under the guidance of Stella_Adler, the young hopeful appeared in the Brian_De_Palma film The_Fury (1978) at the age of 18 . After delivering a remarkable performance as a tough android in Blade_Runner (1982), Hannah achieved full stardom with her winsome portrayal of a mermaid in Splash (1983). Not all of her subsequent films -- nor her performances -- have been as successful, though she was highly praised for her interpretation of a nerdish hairdresser in Steel_Magnolias, and was treated kindly by the press and public for her characterization in the title role of the made-for-TV Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman (1992).
Her often turbulent private life achieved an even keel with her long-term relationship with lawyer/ publisher John_F._Kennedy_Jr. Sadly, their relationship was doomed from the start due to Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis' disapproval of her son marrying an actor, the two eventually parted ways. In 1996 Kennedy wed Carolyn Besette, and the rest of their story is history. Despite public perception that Hannah withdrew from acting in the later 1990s, it was simply an unfortunate series of career missteps that kept the enigmatic actress out of the multiplexes and in such mediocre fare as The Last Days of Frankie the Fly and Gun (both 1997). Of course not all was lost during the 1990s, and audiences could indeed catch memorable performances by Hannah in Grumpy_Old_Men (1993) (as well as that film's 1995 sequel), the Emmy-nominated mini-series The_Last_Don and the Robert_Altman thriller The_Gingerbread_Man.
As the millennium turned Hannah was still stuck in a sort of celluliod limbo, though such edgy efforts as Cord and Dancing at the Blue Iguana (both 2000) showed the actress had a fearless side that had been left virtually unexplored since her days in The_Fury and Blade_Runner. Of course Hannah still had a soft spot, and following a supporting performance in Mark and Michael_Polish's quirky 2001 drama Jackpot she went family friendly with the mini-series Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story and the comparitively earnest and innocent teen drama A Walk to Remember (2002). Having formed a friendly working relationship with the Polish brothers with Jackpot, Hannah returned to the screen for the filmmakers in their acclaimed 2003 drama Northfork. The critical success of Northfork marked the beginning of a critical year for the veteran actress. A turn as a contract killer with a conscience followed with The_Job, and after a trip to the middle of nowhere in The_Big_Empty Hannah aspired to adopt a Mexican orphan in John_Sayles Casa de los Babys. Teamed with a powerhouse cast that included Lili_Taylor, Maggie_Gyllenhaal and Marcia_Gay_Harden, the critically acclaimed drama cemented the comeback that would continue with Kill_Bill_Vol._1 just a few short months later. Cast as deadly assassin Elle Driver (Codename: California Mountain Snake), Hannah's eye-patch wearing killer was inspired by the exploitation roughie Thriller (also known as They_Call_Her_One_Eye). Though Hannah was still breathing at the end of Kill_Bill_Vol._1, audiences held their breath to discover the ultimate fate of her viscous character until the release of Kill_Bill_Vol._2 four months later. Hal Erickson, Rovi
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