Sheryl Lee
Encyclopedia
Sheryl Lee is an American actress. She came to international attention for her performances as Laura Palmer
and Maddy Ferguson on the 1990 cult TV series Twin Peaks
and in the 1992 film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. She is also known for portraying photographer Astrid Kirchherr
in Backbeat (1994) and for her roles in Vampires
(1998) and Winter's Bone
(2010), as well as for her television series roles in LA Doctors, Kingpin, One Tree Hill
and Dirty Sexy Money
. She has also played on Broadway
in a production of Oscar Wilde
's Salome
.
, Bavaria
, West Germany
, the daughter of an artist mother and architect father. She grew up in Boulder, Colorado
, United States, where she was a graduate of Fairview High School (class of 1985). After graduating, Lee moved to Pasadena, California
where she studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
, and later attended the North Carolina School of Arts, the National Theatre Conservatory
in Denver, and the University of Colorado
. After several years of studying, Lee moved to Seattle, Washington
where she acted in several stage plays.
fans for her appearance as the dead Laura Palmer
in the cult television
series
Twin Peaks
. Lynch asked Lee to audition for him after seeing a publicity photo of her in Seattle from one of the plays she was starring in at the time. When the series was picked up, Lee was also given the part of Laura's cousin Maddy Ferguson later in the series (a role which was reportedly written because Lynch, impressed with her abilities, wanted to give her a fuller role on the show). She also starred in the prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, which elaborated on events leading up to Laura Palmer's death.
Other roles have included playing the part of Astrid Kirchherr
in the 1994 movie Backbeat, a bio-pic of the early career of The Beatles
opposite Stephen Dorff
, the part of Liza in Gary Walkow
's 1995 adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novella Notes from Underground
opposite Henry Czerny
, the role of Katrina in John Carpenter
's 1998 film Vampires
opposite James Woods
and Daniel Baldwin
, and the role of Marlene Cadena in the 2003 television series Kingpin opposite Yancey Arias
and Bobby Cannavale
. Sheryl Lee also starred alongside Craig Sheffer
in Bliss (1997).
Lee starred opposite Anthony Michael Hall
as the sweet but vengeful housewife Eve Robbins in the 2001 USA Cable movie Hitched.
In 2004, Lee was the original choice for the role of Mary-Alice Young on Desperate Housewives
. It would have been the second time she would have played a dead character on a series; however, the producers ultimately chose to replace her with Brenda Strong
.
In 2005, she played the recurring part of Ellie Harp, the biological mother of Peyton Sawyer
(played by Hilarie Burton
), who battles breast cancer, on the third season of the WB Network series One Tree Hill
.
In 2007 and 2008, Lee appeared on the ABC
dramedy, Dirty Sexy Money
as Andrea Smithson, the mother of Brian Darling's (Glenn Fitzgerald
) illegitimate child.
In 2001, she presented the I Love 1990 segment of the BBC's popular I Love 1990s
series.
On stage, Lee starred on Broadway
in 1992 alongside Al Pacino
in Oscar Wilde
's Salome
as the title role, in the Circle in the Square Theatre, under the direction of Robert Allan Ackerman. The play co-starred Suzanne Bertish
, Esai Morales
and Arnold Vosloo
.
Lee, along with several other Twin Peaks cast members, guest starred in a special Twin Peaks themed episode of Psych
, Dual Spires
. Other cast members reunited with Lee included Sherilyn Fenn
(Audrey Horne), Dana Ashbrook
(Bobby Briggs), Ray Wise
(Leland Palmer), Lenny Von Dohlen
(Harold Smith), Robyn Lively
(Lana Budding Milford), and Catherine E. Coulson
(The Log Lady). This episode marked the first time several Twin Peaks cast members have been reunited on television in almost two decades.
In 2010 she appeared in a supporting role as April in Debra Granik
's Winter's Bone
(which won best picture at the Sundance Film Festival
in 2010). The film is about a seventeen-year-old girl (Jennifer Lawrence
) in the rural Ozarks, caring for her mentally-ill mother and her younger brother and sister, when she discovers that her father put their house and land up as a bond for a court appearance, at which he failed to appear. Lee won two Awards for Best Ensemble at Detroit Film Critics Society
and Gotham Awards
, shared with the cast.
. She was married to Jesse Diamond, a photographer and son of singer and songwriter Neil Diamond
. They have a son, Elijah.
Lee practices Kundalini yoga
.
(People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and has assertively campaigned against fur and mistreatment of animals.
On November 15, 2000, she attended the premiere of the public awareness campaign Why Are We Here?, to raise awareness for biodiversity protection.
On December 3, 2003, Lee attended the UNICEF Goodwill Gala: 50 Years of Celebrity Advocacy, to raise money for the Audrey Hepburn All Children in School Fund. On November 7, 2004, she hosted the fundraiser Get Your Grape On! for UNICEF, a wine testing evening benefiting UNICEF.
In October 2008, she participated in the 3rd Munchkin's Project Pink annual breast cancer awareness campaign to raise money for breast cancer research.
On May 14, 2011, Lee attended the iMatter March in Denver, Colorado
to raise awareness about climate change.
In 2011, Lee supported environmental activist Tom Weis' project Ride for Renewables to promote renewable energy
.
In September 2011, Lee attended along with environmental activist Alec Loorz, the Sustainable Living Association's 3rd Annual Blue & Green Ball fundraiser and the 12th Sustainable Living Fair in Fort Collins, Colorado
.
Laura Palmer
Laura Palmer is a fictional character from the television series Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. Her death was the catalyst for the events of the series...
and Maddy Ferguson on the 1990 cult TV series Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The series follows the investigation headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper , of the murder of a popular teenager and homecoming queen, Laura Palmer...
and in the 1992 film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. She is also known for portraying photographer Astrid Kirchherr
Astrid Kirchherr
Astrid Kirchherr is a German photographer and artist and is well known for her association with The Beatles and her photographs of The Beatles during their Hamburg days....
in Backbeat (1994) and for her roles in Vampires
Vampires (film)
Vampires is a western-horror film directed by John Carpenter in 1998. Adapted from the novel Vampire$ by John Steakley, the film stars James Woods as Jack Crow, leader of a Catholic Church-sanctioned team of vampire hunters...
(1998) and Winter's Bone
Winter's Bone
Winter's Bone is a 2010 American independent drama film, an adaptation of Daniel Woodrell's 2006 novel of the same name. The film was written and directed by Debra Granik and stars Jennifer Lawrence...
(2010), as well as for her television series roles in LA Doctors, Kingpin, One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
and Dirty Sexy Money
Dirty Sexy Money
Dirty Sexy Money is an American prime time drama series created by Craig Wright, which ran on the ABC from September 26, 2007 to August 8, 2009. The series was produced by ABC Studios, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Berlanti Television and Gross Entertainment...
. She has also played on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in a production of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
's Salome
Salome (play)
Salome is a tragedy by Oscar Wilde.The original 1891 version of the play was in French. Three years later an English translation was published...
.
Early life
Lee was born in AugsburgAugsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, the daughter of an artist mother and architect father. She grew up in Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
, United States, where she was a graduate of Fairview High School (class of 1985). After graduating, Lee moved to Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
where she studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with facilities located in Manhattan, New York City – at 120 Madison Avenue, in a landmark building designed by noted architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club – and in Hollywood, California...
, and later attended the North Carolina School of Arts, the National Theatre Conservatory
National Theatre Conservatory
The National Theatre Conservatory is a three-year graduate acting school that operates in the 10-theatre Denver Performing Arts Complex. Its 24 students perform alongside the Tony Award-winning Denver Center Theatre Company in a 10-play season...
in Denver, and the University of Colorado
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado system is a system of public universities in Colorado consisting of three universities in four campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in...
. After several years of studying, Lee moved to Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
where she acted in several stage plays.
Acting career
Lee is remembered by legions of David LynchDavid Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
fans for her appearance as the dead Laura Palmer
Laura Palmer
Laura Palmer is a fictional character from the television series Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. Her death was the catalyst for the events of the series...
in the cult television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The series follows the investigation headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper , of the murder of a popular teenager and homecoming queen, Laura Palmer...
. Lynch asked Lee to audition for him after seeing a publicity photo of her in Seattle from one of the plays she was starring in at the time. When the series was picked up, Lee was also given the part of Laura's cousin Maddy Ferguson later in the series (a role which was reportedly written because Lynch, impressed with her abilities, wanted to give her a fuller role on the show). She also starred in the prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, which elaborated on events leading up to Laura Palmer's death.
Other roles have included playing the part of Astrid Kirchherr
Astrid Kirchherr
Astrid Kirchherr is a German photographer and artist and is well known for her association with The Beatles and her photographs of The Beatles during their Hamburg days....
in the 1994 movie Backbeat, a bio-pic of the early career of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
opposite Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff is an American actor, best known for portraying Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat, Johnny Marco in Somewhere, and for his roles in Blade and Cecil B. DeMented.-Early life:...
, the part of Liza in Gary Walkow
Gary Walkow
-Filmography:As film director* Crashing * Beat * Notes from Underground * The Trouble with Dick He has no relation to Gary Fialkow.-External links:* - Official website...
's 1995 adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novella Notes from Underground
Notes from Underground
Notes from Underground is an 1864 short novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Notes is considered by many to be the first existentialist novel...
opposite Henry Czerny
Henry Czerny
- Career :Czerny received formal training at the National Theatre School in Montreal. After graduating in 1982, he went on to perform onstage across Canada, from Ottawa's National Arts Centre to Edmonton's Citadel Theatre and the Stratford Festival. By the late 1980s, he had established himself as...
, the role of Katrina in John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
's 1998 film Vampires
Vampires (film)
Vampires is a western-horror film directed by John Carpenter in 1998. Adapted from the novel Vampire$ by John Steakley, the film stars James Woods as Jack Crow, leader of a Catholic Church-sanctioned team of vampire hunters...
opposite James Woods
James Woods
James Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...
and Daniel Baldwin
Daniel Baldwin
Daniel Leroy Baldwin is an American actor, producer and director. He is the second oldest of the four Baldwin brothers, all of whom are actors. Daniel Baldwin is known for his role as Detective Beau Felton in the popular NBC TV series Homicide: Life on the Street...
, and the role of Marlene Cadena in the 2003 television series Kingpin opposite Yancey Arias
Yancey Arias
Yancey Arias is an American actor, perhaps most noted for his work on television crime dramas, particularly his roles as Miguel Cadena in the NBC series Kingpin and as Gabriel Williams in the FX series Thief.-Life and career:...
and Bobby Cannavale
Bobby Cannavale
Robert M. "Bobby" Cannavale is an American actor known for his leading role as Bobby Caffey in the first two seasons of the television series Third Watch. He also had a recurring role as Officer Vince D'Angelo on the comedy series Will & Grace.-Early life:Cannavale grew up in Union City, New...
. Sheryl Lee also starred alongside Craig Sheffer
Craig Sheffer
Craig Eric Sheffer is an American film and television actor. He is known for his leading role as Norman Maclean in the film A River Runs Through It and of Keith Scott on the television series One Tree Hill.-Early life:...
in Bliss (1997).
Lee starred opposite Anthony Michael Hall
Anthony Michael Hall
Michael Anthony Hall , known professionally as Anthony Michael Hall, is an American actor, film producer and director who starred in several teen-oriented films of the 1980s. Hall began his career in commercials and on stage as a child, and made his screen debut in 1980...
as the sweet but vengeful housewife Eve Robbins in the 2001 USA Cable movie Hitched.
In 2004, Lee was the original choice for the role of Mary-Alice Young on Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
. It would have been the second time she would have played a dead character on a series; however, the producers ultimately chose to replace her with Brenda Strong
Brenda Strong
Brenda Lee Strong is an American actress and yoga instructor, known for her roles as as Capt. Deladier in the 1997 hit movie Starship Troopers and Mary Alice Young on the television show Desperate Housewives....
.
In 2005, she played the recurring part of Ellie Harp, the biological mother of Peyton Sawyer
Peyton Sawyer
Peyton Elizabeth Scott is a fictional character from The CW television series One Tree Hill, portrayed by Hilarie Burton. A talented visual and musical artist, Peyton has a heavily-guarded heart due to the number of lost loved ones in her life...
(played by Hilarie Burton
Hilarie Burton
Hilarie Ross Burton is an American actress. A former host of MTV's Total Request Live, she portrayed Peyton Sawyer on The CW drama One Tree Hill for six seasons...
), who battles breast cancer, on the third season of the WB Network series One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
.
In 2007 and 2008, Lee appeared on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
dramedy, Dirty Sexy Money
Dirty Sexy Money
Dirty Sexy Money is an American prime time drama series created by Craig Wright, which ran on the ABC from September 26, 2007 to August 8, 2009. The series was produced by ABC Studios, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Berlanti Television and Gross Entertainment...
as Andrea Smithson, the mother of Brian Darling's (Glenn Fitzgerald
Glenn Fitzgerald
Glenn Fitzgerald is an American actor who has had over 30 roles in movies or television series. He played the character of Sean in The Sixth Sense...
) illegitimate child.
In 2001, she presented the I Love 1990 segment of the BBC's popular I Love 1990s
I Love the '90s
I Love the '90s is a television mini-series produced by VH1 in which various music and TV personalities talk about the 1990s culture and all it had to offer. The show premiered July 12, 2004 with the episode "I Love 1990" and aired two episodes daily until July 16, 2004, when it ended with "I Love...
series.
On stage, Lee starred on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1992 alongside Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
in Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
's Salome
Salome (play)
Salome is a tragedy by Oscar Wilde.The original 1891 version of the play was in French. Three years later an English translation was published...
as the title role, in the Circle in the Square Theatre, under the direction of Robert Allan Ackerman. The play co-starred Suzanne Bertish
Suzanne Bertish
Suzanne C. Bertish is an English actress.A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Bertish has appeared in many productions with them, including their marathon eight-and-a-half hour version of Charles Dickens's The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, in which she played three roles...
, Esai Morales
Esai Morales
Esai Manuel Morales is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Bob Morales in the 1987 biopic La Bamba. He also appeared in the PBS drama American Family and in the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd.. However, he is best known for his roles as Lt...
and Arnold Vosloo
Arnold Vosloo
Arnold Vosloo is a South African American actor, best-known for playing Imhotep in The Mummy and its 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns, as well as the role of the superhero Darkman in the sequel Darkman II: The Return of Durant and its 1996 sequel, Darkman III: Die Darkman Die...
.
Lee, along with several other Twin Peaks cast members, guest starred in a special Twin Peaks themed episode of Psych
Psych
Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
, Dual Spires
Dual Spires
"Dual Spires" is the 12th episode of the fifth season of the American comedy-drama television series Psych, and the 75th episode overall. The episode was directed by Matt Shakman and written by Bill Callahan and series star James Roday...
. Other cast members reunited with Lee included Sherilyn Fenn
Sherilyn Fenn
Sherilyn Fenn is an American actress and filmmaker. She came to international attention for her performance as Audrey Horne on the 1990 cult TV series Twin Peaks...
(Audrey Horne), Dana Ashbrook
Dana Ashbrook
Dana V. Ashbrook is an American actor, perhaps best known for playing Bobby Briggs on the cult TV series Twin Peaks and its 1992 prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.-Personal life:...
(Bobby Briggs), Ray Wise
Ray Wise
Raymond Nicolas "Ray" Wise is an American actor, known for his roles as Leland Palmer in Twin Peaks, as Leon C. Nash, right-hand henchman to villain Clarence Boddicker in the science fiction classic RoboCop, and recently as the Devil in the CW television series Reaper.-Life and career:Wise was...
(Leland Palmer), Lenny Von Dohlen
Lenny Von Dohlen
Lenny Von Dohlen is an American film and stage actor, best known for his performance as the agoraphobic Harold Smith in Twin Peaks and the architect Miles Harding in the film Electric Dreams. Von Dohlen currently resides in New York and Los Angeles.-Early years:Lenny Von Dohlen was born in...
(Harold Smith), Robyn Lively
Robyn Lively
Robyn Elaine Lively is an American actress. Lively is best known for her role in the film Teen Witch, as well as for her roles in the TV shows Doogie Howser, M.D., Twin Peaks, and Saving Grace.-Early life:...
(Lana Budding Milford), and Catherine E. Coulson
Catherine E. Coulson
Catherine E. Coulson is an American stage and screen actress who also works behind the scenes on various independent films. She is best known for her role as the Log Lady in the David Lynch TV series Twin Peaks....
(The Log Lady). This episode marked the first time several Twin Peaks cast members have been reunited on television in almost two decades.
In 2010 she appeared in a supporting role as April in Debra Granik
Debra Granik
Debra Granik is an American independent film director. She has won a series of awards at the Sundance Film Festival, including Best Short in 1998 for Snake Feed , the Dramatic Directing Award in 2004 for her first feature-length film, Down to the Bone Debra Granik (born February 6, 1963) is an...
's Winter's Bone
Winter's Bone
Winter's Bone is a 2010 American independent drama film, an adaptation of Daniel Woodrell's 2006 novel of the same name. The film was written and directed by Debra Granik and stars Jennifer Lawrence...
(which won best picture at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
in 2010). The film is about a seventeen-year-old girl (Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Shrader Lawrence is an American film and television actress. She has had lead roles in TBS's The Bill Engvall Show and in the independent films The Burning Plain and Winter's Bone, for which she received critical acclaim and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress...
) in the rural Ozarks, caring for her mentally-ill mother and her younger brother and sister, when she discovers that her father put their house and land up as a bond for a court appearance, at which he failed to appear. Lee won two Awards for Best Ensemble at Detroit Film Critics Society
Detroit Film Critics Society
The Detroit Film Critics Society is a film critic organization in Detroit, Michigan, United States.-2007 Awards:The nominees for the Detroit Film Critics Society Awards 2007 were announced on 15 December and the winners were announced on 21 December 2007.-Best Actor:**George Clooney - Michael...
and Gotham Awards
Gotham Awards
The Gotham Awards is an annual ceremony of awards presented to the makers of independent films which takes place in New York City...
, shared with the cast.
Personal life
She dated David DuchovnyDavid Duchovny
David William Duchovny is an American actor, writer and director. He has won Golden Globe awards for his work as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication.-Early life:...
. She was married to Jesse Diamond, a photographer and son of singer and songwriter Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
. They have a son, Elijah.
Lee practices Kundalini yoga
Kundalini yoga
Kundalini yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual discipline for developing strength, awareness, character, and consciousness. Practitioners call Kundalini yoga the yoga of awareness because it focuses primarily on practices that expand sensory awareness and intuition in order to raise individual...
.
Charitable work
Sheryl Lee is an avid member of PETAPeople for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it claims to be the largest animal rights...
(People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and has assertively campaigned against fur and mistreatment of animals.
On November 15, 2000, she attended the premiere of the public awareness campaign Why Are We Here?, to raise awareness for biodiversity protection.
On December 3, 2003, Lee attended the UNICEF Goodwill Gala: 50 Years of Celebrity Advocacy, to raise money for the Audrey Hepburn All Children in School Fund. On November 7, 2004, she hosted the fundraiser Get Your Grape On! for UNICEF, a wine testing evening benefiting UNICEF.
In October 2008, she participated in the 3rd Munchkin's Project Pink annual breast cancer awareness campaign to raise money for breast cancer research.
On May 14, 2011, Lee attended the iMatter March in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
to raise awareness about climate change.
In 2011, Lee supported environmental activist Tom Weis' project Ride for Renewables to promote renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
.
In September 2011, Lee attended along with environmental activist Alec Loorz, the Sustainable Living Association's 3rd Annual Blue & Green Ball fundraiser and the 12th Sustainable Living Fair in Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...
.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Wild at Heart Wild at Heart (film) Wild at Heart is a 1990 American film written and directed by David Lynch, and based on Barry Gifford's 1989 novel Wild at Heart: The Story of Sailor and Lula. Both the book and the film revolve around Sailor Ripley and Lula Pace Fortune , a young couple from Cape Fear, North Carolina who go on... |
The Good Witch Glinda Glinda is a fictional character in the Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is the most powerful sorceress of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Country south of the Emerald City, and protector of Princess Ozma.- Literature :Baum's 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz... |
|
| 1992 | Jersey Girl | Tara | |
| 1992 | Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me | Laura Palmer Laura Palmer Laura Palmer is a fictional character from the television series Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. Her death was the catalyst for the events of the series... |
Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actress Nominated — Independent Spirit Award Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit... for Best Female Lead |
| 1994 | Don't Do It | Michelle | |
| 1994 | Backbeat Backbeat (film) Backbeat is a 1994 British-German drama film directed by Iain Softley. It chronicles the early days of The Beatles in Hamburg, Germany. The film focuses primarily on the relationship between Stuart Sutcliffe and John Lennon , and also with Sutcliffe's German girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr... |
Astrid Kirchherr Astrid Kirchherr Astrid Kirchherr is a German photographer and artist and is well known for her association with The Beatles and her photographs of The Beatles during their Hamburg days.... |
|
| 1995 | Fall Time Fall Time (film) Fall Time is a 1995 film directed by Paul Warner and co-written by Paul Skemp and Steve Alden. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1995.-Plot:... |
Patty / Carol | |
| 1995 | Homage | Lucy Samuel | |
| 1995 | Notes from Underground | Liza | |
| 1996 | Mother Night Mother Night (film) Mother Night is a 1996 film based on Kurt Vonnegut's 1961 book of the same name.Nick Nolte stars as Howard W. Campbell, Jr., an American who moves with his family to Germany after World War I and goes on to become a successful German language playwright... |
Helga Noth / Resi Noth | |
| 1997 | Bliss | Maria | |
| 1997 | This World, Then the Fireworks | Lois Archer | |
| 1997 | The Blood Oranges The Blood Oranges Blood Oranges is a 1997 erotic drama film directed by Philip Haas. This was Haas’s third feature film, which is based on the 1972 erotic cult novel by John Hawkes .-Cast:*Sheryl Lee Fiona*Charles Dance Cyril*Colin Lane Hugh... |
Fiona | |
| 1998 | Vampires Vampires (film) Vampires is a western-horror film directed by John Carpenter in 1998. Adapted from the novel Vampire$ by John Steakley, the film stars James Woods as Jack Crow, leader of a Catholic Church-sanctioned team of vampire hunters... |
Katrina | Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 1999 | Kiss the Sky Kiss the Sky (film) Kiss the Sky is a 1999 film drama directed by Roger Young. The plot follows two men in their forties, friends since college, who travel together on a business trip to the Philippines. There they examine their lives and consider trading their adult responsibilities for a return to the hedonism of... |
Andy | |
| 1999 | Angel's Dance Angel's Dance Angel's Dance is a 1999 film written and directed by David L. Corley and produced by David Bixler. The film stars James Belushi, Sheryl Lee and Kyle Chandler.-Plot:... |
Angelica "Angel" Chaste | |
| 2002 | Children on Their Birthdays Children on Their Birthdays Children on Their Birthdays is a 2002 American independent film directed by Mark Medoff. The screenplay written by Douglas Sloan is based on "Children on Their Birthdays", the short story of the same title by Truman Capote.-Plot:... |
Elinore Murphy | |
| 2005 | Paradise, Texas Paradise, Texas (film) Paradise, Texas is a 2005 family drama film directed by Lorraine Senna and starring Timothy Bottoms, Ben Estus, and Meredith Baxter. Premiering at the 2006 WorldFest Film Festival, Paradise, Texas received a Gold Remi Award... |
Betsy Kinney | |
| 2010 | Winter's Bone Winter's Bone Winter's Bone is a 2010 American independent drama film, an adaptation of Daniel Woodrell's 2006 novel of the same name. The film was written and directed by Debra Granik and stars Jennifer Lawrence... |
April | Detroit Film Critics Society Detroit Film Critics Society The Detroit Film Critics Society is a film critic organization in Detroit, Michigan, United States.-2007 Awards:The nominees for the Detroit Film Critics Society Awards 2007 were announced on 15 December and the winners were announced on 21 December 2007.-Best Actor:**George Clooney - Michael... for Best Ensemble Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Nominated—Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards for Best Ensemble |
| 2011 | Texas Killing Fields | Lucie |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Twin Peaks Twin Peaks Twin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The series follows the investigation headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper , of the murder of a popular teenager and homecoming queen, Laura Palmer... |
Laura Palmer Laura Palmer Laura Palmer is a fictional character from the television series Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. Her death was the catalyst for the events of the series... / Maddy Ferguson |
series regular, 1990–1991 Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Awards Soap Opera Digest Awards The Soap Opera Digest Awards were an awards show held by the daytime television magazine Soap Opera Digest. The awards were founded in 1984 to replace the less-lavish Soapy Award; those awards shows had run since 1977. The Soap Opera Digest Awards are meant to promote excellence in the soap opera... for Best Prime Time Death Scene |
| 1991 | Love, Lies and Murder Love, Lies and Murder Love, Lies, and Murder is a 1991 miniseries starring Clancy Brown, Sheryl Lee, Moira Kelly, Tom Bower, John Ashton, and Cynthia Nixon. It is based on the 1985 murder of Linda Bailey Brown. The names were not changed for the film. The miniseries is four hours long and aired on NBC in two parts, the... |
Patti Bailey | 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... TV movie |
| 1992 | Red Shoe Diaries Red Shoe Diaries Red Shoe Diaries is an erotic drama series that aired on the American cable television network Showtime from 1992 to 1997 and distributed by Playboy Entertainment overseas... |
Kate Lyons | episode 1.08 "Jake's Story" |
| 1994 | Guinevere Guinevere (1994 film) Guinevere is a 1994 Lifetime Television movie based on the Arthurian legend. The story is told from Queen Guinevere's point of view, presenting her as the driving force behind the success of Camelot. It was adapted from author Persia Woolley's novels Child of the Northern Spring, Queen of the... |
Guinevere Guinevere Guinevere was the legendary queen consort of King Arthur. In tales and folklore, she was said to have had a love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot... |
Lifetime TV movie |
| 1994 | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman is an American post-Civil War western/drama series created by Beth Sullivan. Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn, played by Jane Seymour, left Boston in search of adventure. She goes to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she establishes herself as doctor/adviser.The show ran on CBS... |
Catherine | episode 2.15 "Another Woman" |
| 1994 | Aaahh!!! Real Monsters AAAHH!!! Real Monsters Aaahh!!! Real Monsters is an American animated television series about adolescent monsters in training, developed by Klasky Csupo for Nickelodeon... |
episode 1.03 "Krumm Goes Hollywood" — voice role | |
| 1995 | Follow the River | Mary Draper Ingles Mary Draper Ingles Mary Draper Ingles was an American pioneer and early settler of western Virginia. She was abducted by Indians and later escaped, making a harrowing trek over hundreds of miles of rough terrain to return home.-Biography:... |
ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... TV movie |
| 1997 | David | Bathsheba Bathsheba According to the Hebrew Bible, Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah. She is most known for the Bible story in which King David seduced her.... |
TNT miniseries |
| 1998 | L.A. Doctors L.A. Doctors L.A. Doctors was an American medical drama television series set in a Los Angeles practice. It ran on CBS during the 1998-99 season.-Premise:... |
Dr. Sarah Church | series regular, 1998–1999 |
| 2001 | Hitched | Eve Robbins | USA USA Network USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various... TV movie |
| 2001 | I Love 1990s I Love the '90s (UK TV series) -1990:*Twin Peaks*Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinéad O'Connor*Pretty Woman*Vanilla Ice*Snowboarding*Baywatch*Home Alone*MC Hammer*The Simpsons*Vogueing*Bungee jumping*Edward Scissorhands*Supermodels... |
Host Presenter A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show... |
episode "I Love 1990" — BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff... documentary series |
| 2003 | Kingpin Kingpin (TV series) Kingpin is an American crime drama television series which debuted on the NBC network in the U.S. and CTV in Canada on February 2, 2003 and lasted 6 episodes. NBC's answer to The Sopranos and also influenced by The Godfather, Macbeth and Traffik, the story was about a Mexican drug trafficker named... |
Marlene McDillon Cadena | series regular |
| 2003 | Without a Trace Without a Trace Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:... |
Tina Hodges | episode 2.10 "Coming Home" |
| 2004 | Desperate Housewives Desperate Housewives Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W... |
Mary Alice Young Mary Alice Young Mary Alice Young is a fictional character on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. The character is played by actress Brenda Strong and narrates the series from beyond the grave; the character's suicide in the pilot episode served as the catalyst of the series... |
original pilot |
| 2005 | One Tree Hill One Tree Hill (TV series) One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster... |
Elizabeth "Ellie" Harp | recurring role, 2005–2006 (9 episodes) |
| 2006 | The Secrets of Comfort House | Wendy | Lifetime TV movie |
| 2006 | CSI: NY CSI: NY CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes... |
Ellen Garner | 3.09 "And Here's To You, Mrs Azrael" |
| 2006 | House M.D. House (TV series) House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in... |
Stephanie Green | episode 3.02 "Cane and Able" |
| 2007 | Manchild | Mary | Showtime TV pilot — not ordered to series |
| 2007 | State of Mind State of Mind (TV series) State of Mind is a one-hour drama series created by novelist Amy Bloom. The series starred Lili Taylor as psychiatrist Anne Bellowes, who unexpectedly finds her husband cheating on her with their marriage counselor. The series deals with Bellowes and her relationship with her patients as well as... |
Leslie Petrovsky | episode 1.01 "Pilot" |
| 2007 | Dirty Sexy Money Dirty Sexy Money Dirty Sexy Money is an American prime time drama series created by Craig Wright, which ran on the ABC from September 26, 2007 to August 8, 2009. The series was produced by ABC Studios, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Berlanti Television and Gross Entertainment... |
Andrea Smithson | recurring role, 2007–2009 (12 episodes) |
| 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... |
Janet Brooks | episode 2.17 "Bullet Bump" |
| 2010 | Psych Psych Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts... |
Dr. Donna Gooden | episode 5.12 "Dual Spires Dual Spires "Dual Spires" is the 12th episode of the fifth season of the American comedy-drama television series Psych, and the 75th episode overall. The episode was directed by Matt Shakman and written by Bill Callahan and series star James Roday... " |
| 2012 | Perception Perception (2012 TV series) Perception is an upcoming American crime drama television series created by Kenneth Biller and Mike Sussman. The series stars Eric McCormack as Dr. Daniel Pierce, a neuroscientist who assists the FBI on some of their most complex cases.... |
guest appearance (announced) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Murder Mystery 3: Who Killed Brett Penance? | Lucie Fairwell | |
| 1994 | Murder Mystery 4: Who Killed Taylor French? | Lucie Fairwell | |
| 2010 | BioShock 2 BioShock 2 BioShock 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Marin for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The sequel to the 2007 video game BioShock, it was released worldwide on February 9, 2010.... |
Additional voices |
Stage credits
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Crimes of the Heart | National Theatre Conservatory National Theatre Conservatory The National Theatre Conservatory is a three-year graduate acting school that operates in the 10-theatre Denver Performing Arts Complex. Its 24 students perform alongside the Tony Award-winning Denver Center Theatre Company in a 10-play season... , Denver, CO |
||
| n/a | Electric River | Pioneer Square Theater, Seattle, WA | ||
| n/a | Emerald City | Empty Space Theatre, Seattle, WA | ||
| 1991 | Love Letters Love Letters (play) Love Letters is a Pulitzer Prize for Drama nominated play by A. R. Gurney. The play centers on just two characters, Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III... |
Melissa Gardner | Canon Theater, Los Angeles, CA | |
| 1992 | Salome Salome (play) Salome is a tragedy by Oscar Wilde.The original 1891 version of the play was in French. Three years later an English translation was published... |
Salome | Circle in the Square Theatre Circle in the Square Theatre The Circle in the Square Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre in midtown Manhattan on 50th Street in the Paramount Plaza building.The original Circle in the Square was founded by Paul Libin, Theodore Mann and Jose Quintero in 1951 and was located at 5 Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village... , New York, NY |
Broadway Broadway theatre Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City... debut |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Soap Opera Digest Awards | Best Prime Time Death Scene | Twin Peaks Twin Peaks Twin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The series follows the investigation headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper , of the murder of a popular teenager and homecoming queen, Laura Palmer... |
|
| 1993 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress Saturn Award for Best Actress (Film) The following are a list of Saturn Award winners for Best Actress :-References:*http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html#filmactress... |
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me | |
| Independent Spirit Awards Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit... |
Best Female Lead | |||
| 1995 | Sundance Film Festival Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new... |
Spirit of Sundance Award — for her body of work | ||
| 1999 | Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actress Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress (Film) The following are a list of Saturn Award winners for Best Supporting Actress :... |
Vampires Vampires (film) Vampires is a western-horror film directed by John Carpenter in 1998. Adapted from the novel Vampire$ by John Steakley, the film stars James Woods as Jack Crow, leader of a Catholic Church-sanctioned team of vampire hunters... |
|
| 2010 | Gotham Awards Gotham Independent Film Awards 2010 The 20th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards were presented on November 29, 2010.-Best Feature:Winter's Bone*Black Swan*Blue Valentine*The Kids Are All Right*Let Me In-Best Ensemble Performance:Winter's Bone... |
Best Ensemble | Winter's Bone Winter's Bone Winter's Bone is a 2010 American independent drama film, an adaptation of Daniel Woodrell's 2006 novel of the same name. The film was written and directed by Debra Granik and stars Jennifer Lawrence... |
|
| Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards 2010 The 19th Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards, honouring the best in film for 2010, were given in December 2010.-Top 10 films:# The Social Network# The King's Speech# Winter's Bone# Black Swan# Inception# True Grit... |
Best Ensemble | |||
| Detroit Film Critics Society Detroit Film Critics Society The Detroit Film Critics Society is a film critic organization in Detroit, Michigan, United States.-2007 Awards:The nominees for the Detroit Film Critics Society Awards 2007 were announced on 15 December and the winners were announced on 21 December 2007.-Best Actor:**George Clooney - Michael... |
Best Ensemble | |||