Heather Graham | |
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 Graham in 2011 | |
| Born | Heather Joan Graham (1970-01-29)January 29, 1970 (age 55) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1984–present |
Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970)[1][2] is an American actress. The accolades she has received include nominations for twoScreen Actors Guild Awards, aCritics' Choice Movie Award, and anIndependent Spirit Award.
After appearing in television commercials, her first starring role in a feature film came with the teen comedyLicense to Drive (1988), followed by the critically acclaimed filmDrugstore Cowboy (1989).[3][4] She then played supporting roles on the television seriesTwin Peaks (1991), and in films such asSix Degrees of Separation (1993) andSwingers (1996). She gained critical praise for her role as "Rollergirl" in the filmBoogie Nights (1997).[5] This led to major roles in the comedy filmsBowfinger andAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (both 1999).
Graham had leading roles inSay It Isn't So (2001) andFrom Hell (2001), and continued to play supporting roles in the filmsMary (2005);The Hangover (2009) and its sequel,The Hangover Part III (2013);At Any Price (2012); andHorns (2013). She has had roles on television series such asScrubs (2004) andCalifornication (2014). In 2018, Graham made her directorial debut with the comedyHalf Magic.
Graham is a public advocate forChildren International[6] and supported theclimate change campaignGlobal Cool in 2007.[7]
Graham was born inMilwaukee, Wisconsin.[8] The elder of two children, her younger sister Aimee Graham is also an actress and writer. Her mother Joan (née Bransfield) is a teacher and author of children's books,[9] and her father James Graham is a retiredFBI agent.[10] Her family relocated repeatedly before moving toAgoura Hills, California when she was nine.[11] She was introduced to acting during a school production ofThe Wizard of Oz.[citation needed]
After high school, Graham enrolled in extension classes at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles, where she studied English for two years.[12] Against her parents' wishes, Graham withdrew from UCLA to pursue acting full time.[13]
Graham's first film appearance was an uncredited cameo inMrs. Soffel (1984).[14] Her first credited film appearance was in the television filmStudent Exchange. In 1986, she appeared on a special "Teen Week" episode of theNBC game showScrabble. Then she appeared in numerous television commercials, and an episode of the sitcomGrowing Pains in 1987. Her first high-profile starring role came in theCorey Haim/Corey Feldman vehicleLicense to Drive (1988), as a popular girl named Mercedes Lane, who serves as the love interest of Haim's character. Her efforts won her aYoung Artist Award nomination in the Best Young Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Fantasy category. Her strict parents forbade her to accept a role in theblack comedyHeathers (1988), which had an expletive-rich script.[11] The same year, she had an uncredited appearance asDanny DeVito andArnold Schwarzenegger's mother in flashbacks in their film,Twins.[15]
In 1989, Graham was featured inGus Van Sant'sDrugstore Cowboy as Nadine, a young, drug-addicted accomplice of the two main characters (played byMatt Dillon andKelly Lynch). Her performance gave her career an initial boost and earned her a nomination for theIndependent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress. She rejected a steady role in a soap opera and a three-picture deal with a major studio because she thought it would be too restrictive.[16] AfterDrugstore Cowboy, she appeared inLawrence Kasdan's dark comedyI Love You to Death (1990), alongsideWilliam Hurt andKeanu Reeves, and the rock-and-roll coming-of-age filmShout (1991), for which she received a nomination for theYoung Artist Award for Best Actress Starring in a Motion Picture.
After Graham co-starred withBenicio del Toro in aCalvin Klein commercial directed byDavid Lynch, the director cast her as Annie Blackburn inTwin Peaks, where she appeared in the final six episodes. Following the show's cancellation, Graham reprised the role of Blackburn in the 1992 prequel filmTwin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.[10]
She featured inDiggstown (1992), alongsideJames Woods; the well-receivedSix Degrees of Separation (1993), alongsideWill Smith; andThe Ballad of Little Jo (1993), alongsideIan McKellen before reteaming with Gus Van Sant for the critically pannedfilm adaptation ofEven Cowgirls Get the Blues, alongsideUma Thurman.[17] The same year she co-starred as Mary Kennedy Taylor inMrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle. In 1995, she starred as Jackie in the poorly receivedDesert Winds and guest-starred in an episode of the television seriesFallen Angels. She had a small but important role inSwingers (1996), where she played Lorraine,Jon Favreau's love interest.[18] She also played a small role as Maggie Bowen inEntertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story (1996).
Graham's popularity significantly increased after playing a youngporn star in the critically acclaimed filmBoogie Nights (1997). The cast received a nomination for theScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. The same year, she also starred in theGregg Araki filmNowhere, and had a cameo in the horror hitScream 2 as a fictionalised version of herself, portrayingCasey Becker in thefilm within a filmStab. She was subsequently cast inTwo Girls and a Guy (1998), a film mainly based upon dialogue between the characters, shot in 11 days,[19] which co-starredRobert Downey Jr. andNatasha Gregson; and the sci-fi filmLost in Space, which was met with mostly negative reviews, and grossed $69,117,629 domestically on a production budget of $80 million. The cast was signed on for sequels that remain unmade.[20][21]
She starred asFelicity Shagwell in the sequelAustin 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.[22] Her turn as Shagwell also earned her a nomination for theSaturn Award for Best Actress. She appeared in the music video forLenny Kravitz's cover of "American Woman". Also in 1999, Graham co-starred as Daisy in the movieBowfinger, oppositeSteve Martin andEddie Murphy.
The 2000 filmCommitted was her first starring vehicle. She played Joline, a devoted-beyond-reason young wife looking for the husband who left her. While the film itself received mixed reviews, the Rotten Tomatoes summary of critics felt that "Graham shows she can play a central character", but noted "she's not enough to makeCommitted successful".[23] The following year, she co-starred as Annie Matthews, an unhappily married woman, inEdward Burns'Sidewalks of New York. In 2002, she starred withJoseph Fiennes inChen Kaige's English-language debut filmKilling Me Softly, which received overwhelmingly negative response from critics and a 0% atRotten Tomatoes, with the consensus being: "Respected director Chen Kaige's first English-language film is a spectacularly misguided erotic thriller, with ludicrous plot twists and cringe-worthy dialogue".[24] In 2009, the site also rated it No. 12 on the countdown of the worst films over the last ten years.
Graham's other appearances in mainstream fare include playing a fictionalized version of theJack the Ripper murder victimMary Kelly in the filmFrom Hell (2001), starringJohnny Depp;Anger Management (2003), starringAdam Sandler andJack Nicholson; theFarrelly Brothers comedySay It Isn't So (2001), oppositeSally Field;The Guru, co-starringJimi Mistry, andHope Springs (2003), co-starringColin Firth.
From 2004 to 2008, Graham starred in several independent filmsGray Matters,Broken,Adrift in Manhattan (all 2007), andMiss Conception (2008), most of which received generally negative reviews and went largely unnoticed at the box office.[25][22] Her 2005 filmMary holds a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, her first "Fresh" film sinceBowfinger.[26] The film premiered at the 2005Venice Film Festival where it won the Special Jury Prize, as well as three smaller awards. The film also played at the 2005Toronto International Film Festival,Deauville Film Festival, andSan Sebastián International Film Festival, and co-starredJuliette Binoche,Forest Whitaker,Marion Cotillard, andMatthew Modine. In 2006, she co-starred inBobby as Angela; the film's cast was nominated for aScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Graham also spoke about developing a comedy film titledThe Accidental Virgin, which would have focused on "female sexual confusion", telling the story of a woman who has not had sex in a year. The film has not been made. She also stated she would be interested in directing in the future if it is "something that, its burning in my mind that I need to do".[10]
On television, Graham played herself in an episode of the TV seriesSex and the City. She was given special guest-star status on nine episodes ofScrubs during its fourth season (2004–2005), and also appeared asGeorge Michael Bluth's ethics teacher in an episode ofArrested Development in 2004. She played Emily Sanders inEmily's Reasons Why Not, but the sitcom was cancelled after airing only one episode.
In 2009, Graham played thestripper with a heart of gold, Jade, inThe Hangover, which was released to critical and box-office success. She won the role afterLindsay Lohan turned it down.[27][28][29] Though she did not return for the sequelThe Hangover Part II, she reprised her role in the final installment of the trilogy,The Hangover Part III.[30] In 2010, she starred inBoogie Woogie, followed by roles in the unsuccessful filmsFather of Invention,5 Days of War,Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (all 2011), andAbout Cherry (2012). Graham was also credited for archive footage of her fromScream 2 re-used inScream 4 (2011).[31][32][33][34]
Graham voiced the character of Antonia Bayle in the onlinerole-playing video gameEverQuest 2.[35][36]
She played Meredith Crown inAt Any Price, which starsDennis Quaid andZac Efron, and was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival, and later screened as an official selection at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals.[37] Other roles include mob lawyer Annette Stratton-Osborne inBehaving Badly and short story writer Mary Bellanova inMy Dead Boyfriend (both 2014). She wrote a comedy screenplay calledHalf Magic, which in 2013 she stated she wanted to direct. She said the story focuses on "these female friends and sexuality and about people having a sense of shame about sexuality and learning how to have a healthier attitude about it [...] It also deals with male/female relationships and sexism".[38] The film was released in 2018.
In 2012, she was a member of the jury of the 15thShanghai International Film Festival.[39]
In 2014, she starred in the second adaptation of theV. C. Andrews novelFlowers in the Attic on the Lifetime network. She played the character of Corrine Dollanganger, an evil mother who locks her four children in an attic to receive an inheritance from her dying father.[40] Graham also appeared in two TV films sequels based on the V.C. Andrews' series:Petals on the Wind andIf There Be Thorns, continuing to play the role of Corrine Dollanganger.[41] She appeared in the final season ofCalifornication as the mother ofDavid Duchovny's long-lost son.[42]
In 2018, she co-starred in theDavid Cross dark comedy seriesBliss, which was released by theBritBox streaming service. It starredStephen Mangan as Andrew, a fraudulenttravel writer, who struggles to maintain long-term relationships with two partners, Kim (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 filmBest. Christmas. Ever! alongsideBrandy Norwood,Jason Biggs andMatt Cedeño.[45][46][47][48]
Graham wrote, directed, and starred inChosen Family, which was set for release in 2024.[49][50]
Besides her acting work, Graham is also an activist who serves as a public advocate for the nongovernmental organization (NGO)Children International.[6] She stated that what she likes about Children International is that "you are helping a child have a better life. It's great for that child to know that someone who lives in another country cares about them". Graham works with theCambodian Children's Fund, also an NGO, which provides supplies and education, and campaigns to stop slavery. "There's a lot ofhuman trafficking in Cambodia," Graham has said. "Women are dying because they don't have $15 to give birth in a hospital. The [Children's Fund] provides free education, clean water and healthcare for communities... We're creating future leaders who will be able to help themselves."[6][51]
In 2007 she supported theclimate change campaignGlobal Cool and appeared inShekhar Kapur's short filmGlobal Cool alongsideSienna Miller.[52]
Graham is considered asex symbol. She was ranked at number 40 inFHM's100 Sexiest Women in the World list in 2000, number 95 in 2001 list, number 97 in the 2002 list, number 74 in the 2005 list and at number 98 in 2006 list. In 2001, she was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People byPeople. In 2003, she 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.[53] Also in 2003, Graham appeared on the cover ofTime for an article titled "The Science of Meditation".[54][55] To promoteEmily's Reasons Why Not, she posed for aLIFE cover story, printed weeks in advance 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 in sexual roles, including those of Felicity Shagwell (Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me), porn stars Rollergirl (Boogie Nights) and Sharonna (The Guru), prostituteMary Kelly (From Hell), porn director Margaret (About Cherry), and stripper Jade (The Hangover andThe Hangover, Part III). She stated she finds these types of roles and the issue of sexuality fascinating, and believes that "our culture sends out mixed messages to women about sex. Are women supposed to be sexually alive people, or are we supposed to be 'good' mothers who would never do those things?" and that she likes "the fact some of my roles maybe help people open their minds about the way they think about sex".[58][59][60]
In 2005, Graham became the spokeswoman for theGarnier brand of hair care products.[61]
In 2017, Graham recounted a time in the early 2000s when Hollywood producerHarvey Weinstein indirectly implied that he would give her a role of her choice if she slept with him. Later, Graham indicated she canceled a planned meeting with Weinstein at a hotel when a friend was unable to accompany her. Graham did not have further contact with Weinstein and she was never cast in any films he produced.[62]
Graham has been estranged from her parents in the past. Regarding the media's perception of her relationship with her parents, she stated: "I don't really like to talk about my parents because I just feel that it gets misinterpreted in the press."[63][64]
Graham has been practicingtranscendental meditation since 1991[60] after being introduced to it by David Lynch. She has also expressed her dislike ofreality television, stating in a 2007 interview: "I think some of it, it seems strange – why do we all want to watch people be so miserable? Other people's pain and misery – it seems kind of sad."[65]
In 1992, Graham datedJames Woods, her co-star in the filmDiggstown.[66] She later dated rock starAdam Ant.[67]From 2008 to 2011, she was in a relationship with Israeli screenwriter Yaniv Raz.[68] She also datedHeath Ledger.[69]
She has been dating John de Neufville since 2022.[70]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Mrs. Soffel | Factory Girl | Uncredited |
| 1987 | Student Exchange | Dorrie Ryder | |
| 1988 | License to Drive | Mercedes Lane | |
| Twins | Young Mary Ann Benedict | Uncredited | |
| 1989 | Drugstore Cowboy | Nadine | |
| 1990 | I Love You to Death | Bridget | |
| 1991 | Guilty as Charged | Kimberly | |
| Shout | Sara Benedict | ||
| 1992 | Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me | Annie Blackburn | |
| Diggstown | Emily Forrester | ||
| 1993 | The Ballad of Little Jo | Mary Addie | |
| Even Cowgirls Get the Blues | Cowgirl Heather | ||
| Six Degrees of Separation | Elizabeth | ||
| 1994 | Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle | Mary Kennedy Taylor | |
| Don't Do It | Suzanna | ||
| 1995 | Desert Winds | Jackie | |
| Terrified | Olive | ||
| 1996 | Swingers | Lorraine | |
| Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story | Maggie Bowen | ||
| 1997 | Nowhere | Lilith | |
| Two Girls and a Guy | Carla Bennett | ||
| Boogie Nights | Brandy / Rollergirl | ||
| Kiss & Tell | Susan Pretsel | ||
| Scream 2 | 'Stab'Casey Becker | Cameo | |
| 1998 | Lost in Space | Dr. Judy Robinson | |
| 1999 | Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | Felicity Shagwell | |
| Bowfinger | Daisy | ||
| 2000 | Committed | Joline | |
| 2001 | Say It Isn't So | Josephine Wingfield | |
| Sidewalks of New York | Annie | ||
| From Hell | Mary Jane Kelly | ||
| 2002 | Killing Me Softly | Alice Tallis | |
| The Guru | Sharonna | ||
| 2003 | Anger Management | Kendra | Uncredited cameo |
| Hope Springs | Mandy | ||
| 2004 | Blessed | Samantha Howard | |
| 2005 | Mary | Elizabeth Younger | |
| Cake | Pippa McGee | Also executive producer | |
| 2006 | The Oh in Ohio | Justine | |
| Bobby | Angela | ||
| Gray Matters | Gray Baldwin | ||
| Broken | Hope | ||
| 2007 | Adrift in Manhattan | Rose Phipps | |
| Have Dreams, Will Travel | Aunt | ||
| 2008 | Alien Love Triangle | Elizabeth | Short film |
| Miss Conception | Georgina Salt | ||
| Baby on Board | Angela Marks | ||
| 2009 | ExTerminators | Alex | |
| The Hangover | Jade | ||
| Boogie Woogie | Beth Freemantle | ||
| 2010 | Father of Invention | Phoebe | |
| 2011 | The Flying Machine | Georgie | |
| Son of Morning | Josephine Tuttle | ||
| 5 Days of War | Miriam Eisner | ||
| Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer | Aunt Opal Moody | ||
| 2012 | About Cherry | Margaret | |
| At Any Price | Meredith Crown | ||
| 2013 | The Hangover Part III | Jade | |
| Compulsion | Amy | ||
| Horns | Veronica | ||
| 2014 | Goodbye to All That | Stephanie | |
| Behaving Badly | Annette Stratton-Osborne | ||
| 2016 | Norm of the North | Vera | Voice |
| My Dead Boyfriend | Mary McCrawley | ||
| 2017 | Wetlands | Savannah | |
| Last Rampage | Dorothy Tison | ||
| 2018 | Half Magic | Honey | Also director and writer |
| 2019 | The Rest of Us | Cami | |
| 2020 | Desperados | Angel de la Paz | |
| Love, Guaranteed | Tamara Taylor | ||
| Wander | Shelly Luscomb | ||
| 2021 | The Last Son | Anna | |
| 2023 | On a Wing and a Prayer | Terri White | |
| Suitable Flesh | Elizabeth Derby | [71] | |
| Oracle | Kate Simmons | ||
| The Other Zoey | Paula | ||
| Best. Christmas. Ever! | Charlotte Sanders | ||
| 2024 | Chosen Family | Ann | Also director and writer |
| Place of Bones | Pandora | ||
| 2025 | Gunslingers | Val | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Growing Pains | Cindy / Samantha | 2 episodes |
| Student Exchange | Dorrie Ryder | Television film | |
| 1991 | Twin Peaks | Annie Blackburn | 6 episodes |
| 1992 | O Pioneers! | Young Alexandra Bergson | Television film |
| 1995 | Fallen Angels | Carol Whalen | Episode: "Tomorrow I Die" |
| 1996 | The Outer Limits | Alicia | Episode: "Resurrection" |
| Bullet Hearts | Carlene Prue | Pilot | |
| 1998 | Fantasy Island | Jackie | Uncredited Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1999 | Saturday Night Live | Herself (host) | Episode: "Heather Graham/Marc Anthony" |
| 2002 | Sex and the City | Herself | Episode: "Critical Condition" |
| 2004 | Arrested Development | Beth Baerly | Episode: "Shock and Aww" |
| 2004–2005 | Scrubs | Dr. Molly Clock | 9 episodes |
| 2006 | Emily's Reasons Why Not | Emily Sanders | 6 episodes; also producer |
| 2011 | Little in Common | Ellie Weller | Pilot |
| Portlandia | Heather | Episode: "Baseball" | |
| 2014 | Flowers in the Attic | Corrine Dollanganger/Foxworth | Television film |
| Petals on the Wind | Corrine Winslow | Television film | |
| Californication | Julia | 9 episodes | |
| 2015 | If There Be Thorns | Corrine Foxworth | Television film |
| Studio City | Stevie | Pilot | |
| 2016–2017 | Flaked | Tilly | 4 episodes |
| 2016–2018 | Angie Tribeca | Diane Duran | 5 episodes |
| 2017 | Law & Order True Crime | Judalon Smyth | 7 episodes |
| 2018 | Bliss | Kim Marsden | 6 episodes |
| 2018–2019 | Get Shorty | Hannah | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | The Hypnotist's Love Story | Sasha | Pilot; also executive producer |
| 2020 | The Stand | Rita Blakemoor | Episode: "Pocket Savior" |
| 2023 | Extrapolations | Hannah | Episode: "2037: A Raven Story" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | EverQuest II | Antonia Bayle - Queen of Qeynos | Voice |
| 2015 | Call of Duty: Black Ops III | Jessica Rose | Voice and motion capture |
| Year | Title | Role | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "American Woman" | Dancer | Lenny Kravitz |
Actress Heather Graham is 49.
Heather Graham...was born in Milwaukee.
He and Graham dated in the mid-90s after meeting at acting classes in Los Angeles.
