Early life

She was born Heather Elizabeth Burress in Edwardsville, Illinois

Edwardsville, Illinois

Edwardsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,293. It is the county seat of Madison County and is the third oldest city in the State of Illinois. The city was named in honor of Ninian Edwards, then Governor of the Illinois...

, to teacher

Teacher

A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...

 parents. She attended Millikin University

Millikin University

Millikin University is an American co-educational, comprehensive, private, four-year university with traditional undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, fine arts, and professional studies, as well as non-traditional, adult degree-completion programs and graduate programs in...

 in Decatur, Illinois

Decatur, Illinois

Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...

, before relocating to Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

, in 1995.

Career

Burress has acted in many television programs and motion pictures

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

 since 1996. She also co-starred in the short-lived NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

 sitcom Boston Common

Boston Common (TV series)

Boston Common is a television sitcom that ran on NBC from 1996–1997. It starred Anthony Clark and took place in the city of Boston. It was one of the 10 highest rated shows in its first season as it ranked 8th in the yearly ratings and was viewed by an average of 14.96 million households per episode...

.

Burress is known by video game players as the English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 voice actress of Yuna

Yuna (Final Fantasy)

is a player character in the Final Fantasy series. She is the female protagonist of Final Fantasy X and the main protagonist of the sequel Final Fantasy X-2. She was designed by Tetsuya Nomura and voiced by Hedy Burress and Mayuko Aoki in the English and Japanese versions, respectively...

 in the PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

 games Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X

is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square as the tenth title in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in 2001 for Sony's PlayStation 2, and will be re-released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2012...

 and Final Fantasy X-2

Final Fantasy X-2

is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation 2. It was released in 2003 and is the sequel to the best-selling 2001 game Final Fantasy X...

 (more recently, Kingdom Hearts II

Kingdom Hearts II

is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Buena Vista Games and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...

 and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy

is a 2011 fighting game published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was developed by the company's 1st Production Department...

 as well). Burress auditioned for the role of Dorothy Wheeler in the motion picture Valentine, but the role went to Jessica Capshaw

Jessica Capshaw

Jessica Brooke Capshaw is an American actress. She is known for her role as Jamie Stringer in The Practice and for her role as Dr...

. In the film's original cast, Tara Reid

Tara Reid

Tara Donna Reid is an American actress. Reid has acted on television shows such as Saved By The Bell: The New Class, Days of our Lives, California Dreams, and Scrubs....

 auditioned for that role. However, director Jamie Blanks

Jamie Blanks

Jamie Blanks is a film director and composer, he is probably most famous for directing the 1998 cult slasher film Urban Legend.- Biography :...

 still wanted Burress to star in the film. During a meeting, they looked each other in the eye and both said, "Ruthie", resulting in Burress having the role of Ruthie Walker.

Burress is also an accomplished theater actress appearing in many plays and musicals.

Hedy Burress was a recurring cast member in the final season of the acclaimed medical drama E.R..

As of 2009 Burress is a recurring cast member of the acclaimed police drama Southland

Southland (TV series)

Southland is an American drama series created by writer Ann Biderman and produced by Warner Bros. Television. It premiered on NBC on April 9, 2009...

.

Personal life

Contrary to some reports, Burress was not named after actress Hedy Lamarr

Hedy Lamarr

Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-American actress celebrated for her great beauty who was a major contract star of MGM's "Golden Age".Lamarr also co-invented – with composer George Antheil – an early technique for spread spectrum communications and frequency hopping, necessary to wireless...

. Her father gave her the name as "Hedy" and the name, according to Heather, "stuck."

Burress married Gary Fullerton, USMC

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 in 2000; in July 2004, shortly after he and Burress had separated, Fullerton died in a jet crash.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
|-
| 1996
| Foxfire
| Maddy Wirtz
|-
| 1996
| If These Walls Could Talk

If These Walls Could Talk

If These Walls Could Talk is a 1996 made for television movie, broadcast on HBO. It follows the plights of three different women and their experiences with abortion. Each of the three stories takes place in the same house, 22 years each: 1952, 1974, and 1996. All three segments were co-written by...

| Linda Barrows
|-
| 1997
| Any Mother's Son

Any Mother's Son

Any Mother's Son is a 1997 television drama film directed by David Burton Morris.-Synopsis:The film based on the true story of US Navy Petty Officer Allen Schindler, who is murdered by two of his fellow seamen while on shore leave from his post in Japan. Two months later, Schindler's mother...

| Kathy
|-
| 1998
| Getting Personal
| Melissa Parks
|-
| 1998
| Los anos barbaros
| Kathy
|-
| 1999
| Swing Vote
|
|-
| 2000
| Cabin by the Lake

Cabin by the Lake

Cabin by the Lake is a black comedy/horror TV movie released in 2000. It tells the story of Stanley, played by Judd Nelson, a script writer who begins killing girls for research for a movie he is writing, where the villain does the same thing.-Plot:...

| Mallory
|-
| 2000
| Tick Tock

Tick tock

Tick tock is the general English language onomatopoeia for the sound made by an analog clock. Sometimes, tic tac can also be used to illustrate the same sound....

| Anne Avery
|-
| 2001
| Valentine

Valentine (film)

Valentine is a 2001 horror film directed by Jamie Blanks, and starring Denise Richards, David Boreanaz, Marley Shelton, Jessica Capshaw, Hedy Burress, and Katherine Heigl. It is a slasher film with a Valentine's Day theme...

| Ruthie Walker
|-
| 2001
| Looking for Bobby D
| Belinda
|-
| 2002
| Bug

Bug (2002 film)

Bug is a 2002 American comedy film, directed by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. It was released on February 28, 2002.-Plot:An eclectic group of individuals in Silverlake, LA, are propelled by a series of cause-and-effect chain reactions to a common destiny....

| Roy
|-
| 2003
| Program
| Chris (Voice)
|-
| 2003
| The Animatrix

The Animatrix

is a 2003 direct-to-video anthology film based on The Matrix trilogy. The film is a compilation of nine animated short films.-Production:Development of the Animatrix project began when the film series' writers and directors, the Wachowski brothers, were in Japan promoting the first Matrix film...

| Cis/Yoko (Voice)
|-
| 2004
| Silver Lake
| Julie Patterson
|-
| 2004
| Open House

Open House (film)

Open House is a 2004 real estate musical film starring Hedy Burress, Ann Magnuson, Anthony Rapp, Sally Kellerman, Jenna Leigh Green and Kellie Martin, and directed by Dan Mirvish, a co-founder of the Slamdance Film Festival. It played on the film festival circuit in 2004-2005 and was released on...

| Gloria Hibbs
|-
| 2004
| The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury

The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury

The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury is a 2004 made-for-DVD animated movie. It was directed by the Korean-American animator Peter Chung, and features Vin Diesel reprising his role of Richard B. Riddick.-Plot:...

| Lab Tech (Voice)
|-
| 2005
| The Reality Trap
| Cindy
|-
| 2006
| Round it Goes
| Women #2
|-
| 2008
| Jane Doe: Eye of the Beholder
| Joanne Nagle
|-
| 2009
| Everything Happens in Black in White
| Women
|-
| 2009
| He's Just Not That Into You

He's Just Not That into You (film)

He's Just Not That Into You is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Ken Kwapis, based on the self-help book of the same name by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, which in turn was inspired by a line of dialogue in Sex and the City...

| Laura Murphy
|-
| 2010
| Elevator Girl
| Tessa
|-
| 2010
| What Happens in Encino
| Wendy
|}

TV

Year	Title	Role
1996	Seduced by Madness: The Diane Borchardt Story	Brooke Borchardt (2 episodes)
1996–1997	Boston Common Boston Common (TV series) Boston Common is a television sitcom that ran on NBC from 1996–1997. It starred Anthony Clark and took place in the city of Boston. It was one of the 10 highest rated shows in its first season as it ranked 8th in the yearly ratings and was viewed by an average of 14.96 million households per episode...	Wyleen Pritchett (32 episodes)
1998	The Closer (1998 TV series) The Closer (1998 TV series) The Closer was an American television situation comedy that aired on CBS for 10 episodes in 1998. The show starred Tom Selleck as a successful advertising agency executive.-Plot summary:...	Alex McLaren (10 episodes)
1998	Working Working (TV series) Working was an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from 1997 to 1999. The series was created and executive produced by Michael Davidoff and Bill Rosenthal.-Synopsis:...	Dawn (1 episode)
1998	Profiler Profiler (TV series) Profiler was an American crime drama that aired on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The series follows the exploits of a criminal profiler working with the fictional FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force based in Atlanta, Georgia....	Virginia 'Ginny' Tibbet (1 episode)
2000	Chicken Soup for the Soul	Katie (1 episode)
2001	Gideon's Crossing Gideon's Crossing Gideon's Crossing is a US medical drama starring Andre Braugher. The series was loosely based on the experience of real-life physician Jerome Groopman and his book The Measure of Our Days. It premiered on October 10, 2000, and ran for one season, with its last episode airing on April 9, 2001, with...	Money Raspberry Dupree (6 episodes)
2002	First Monday First Monday First Monday was a short-lived U.S. television midseason replacement drama centered on the U.S. Supreme Court. Like another 2002 series, "The Court," it was inspired by the prominent role the Supreme Court played in settling the 2000 presidential election...	Ellie Pearson (13 episodes)
2004	Cold Case	Janet Lambert (1 episode)
2004	House M.D.	Jill (1 episode)
2007	Unfabulous Unfabulous Unfabulous is an American children's television series that aired on Nickelodeon The series is about an "unfabulous" junior high school student, played by Emma Roberts...	Cruise Director Tammy (1 episode)
2008	Eli Stone Eli Stone Eli Stone is an American TV series, and also the name of the title character.San Francisco lawyer Eli Stone begins to see things, which leads him to discover a brain aneurysm...	Felicia Swain (1 episode)
2008	Saving Grace Saving Grace (TV series) Saving Grace is an American television crime drama series which premiered on TNT on July 23, 2007 and ran until June 21, 2010. The show stars Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter in her first television series, as well as Leon Rippy, Kenny Johnson, Laura San Giacomo, Bailey Chase, Bokeem Woodbine,...	(1 episode)
2009	ER ER (TV series) ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...	Joanie Moore (4 episodes)
2010	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...	Julianne Torse (1 episode)
2010	The Closer The Closer The Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods...	Melanie Ryder (1 episode)
2010	Lie to Me Lie to Me Lie to Me is a 2009-2011 American television series.Lie to Me may also refer to:* Lie to Me , a South Korean drama series* "Lie to Me" , an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer...	Steph Salinger (1 episode)
2009–2011	Southland Southland (TV series) Southland is an American drama series created by writer Ann Biderman and produced by Warner Bros. Television. It premiered on NBC on April 9, 2009...	Laurie Cooper (5 episodes)
2011	Detroit 1-8-7 Detroit 1-8-7 Detroit 1-8-7 is an American crime drama series about Detroit's leading homicide unit, created by Jason Richman for ABC. It features an ensemble cast of actors including Michael Imperioli and James McDaniel...	Shayna Wilkins (1 episode)

Video game voice roles

Year	Title	Role
2001	Final Fantasy X Final Fantasy X is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square as the tenth title in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in 2001 for Sony's PlayStation 2, and will be re-released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2012...	Yuna
2003	Final Fantasy X-2 Final Fantasy X-2 is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation 2. It was released in 2003 and is the sequel to the best-selling 2001 game Final Fantasy X...	Yuna
2005	Kingdom Hearts II Kingdom Hearts II is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Buena Vista Games and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...	Yuna
2006	Project Sylpheed Project Sylpheed , also known as Project Sylpheed: Arc of Deception in North America, is a space simulation game for the Xbox 360 console. It was developed by SETA and published by Square Enix and Microsoft...	Sonia Redbird
2008	Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the Sony PlayStation Portable and iOS. The game is an updated version of Final Fantasy Tactics for the PlayStation video game console....	Agrias Oaks
2008	Valkyria Chronicles Valkyria Chronicles is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3. The game was released in 2008.The game is set in Europa, loosely based on Europe in 1935...	Brigitte "Rosie" Stark
2009	Terminator Salvation Terminator Salvation Terminator Salvation is a 2009 American science fiction action film directed by McG and starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. The fourth installment in the Terminator series, the film is set in 2018 and focuses on the war between Skynet and humanity, with the human Resistance fighting...	Resistance Soldier
2010	Valkyria Chronicles 2 Valkyria Chronicles 2 is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation Portable. Released in 2010, it is the sequel to Valkyria Chronicles....	Chloe Bixen/Brigitte "Rosie" Stark
2011	Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy is a 2011 fighting game published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was developed by the company's 1st Production Department...	Yuna

External links