Lara Flynn Boyle

Lara Flynn Boyle (born 24 March 1970 in Davenport, Iowa) is an American actress who was raised in Chicago, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Career

Boyle's first film role was a bit part in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), which earned her a SAG card, though her scene was eliminated from the final cut of the film. She then appeared in Amerika (1987), Poltergeist III (1988) and Dead Poets Society (1989), before landing her first major part, and the role which made her well known, playing Donna Hayward in the critically acclaimed series Twin Peaks. When the series ended in 1991, creator David Lynch produced a movie, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, but - largely due to her rise in fame, and increased film offers - Boyle chose not to return. Moira Kelly took over the role of Donna for the film.

Boyle spent much of the 1990s making a name for herself in films with varying degrees of success. Some of her most notable roles during that time were:

• the obsessive and accident-prone Stacy in Wayne's World (1992)
• the fragile, homeless teen Heather in Where The Day Takes You (1992)
• psycho secretary-from-hell Kris Bolin in what was geared to be her breakout success, but ultimately became a box-office bust, The Temp (1993)
• the sultry and manipulative Suzanne of Red Rock West (1993), which solidified her status as a premier femme fatale
• Alex, the sexually assured drama queen in the cult classic Generation X comedy Threesome (1994)
• flighty, manically repressed housewife Marianne Byron in Afterglow (1997)

Finally, in 1997, Boyle auditioned for the title role in David E. Kelley's Ally McBeal. Although she lost out to Calista Flockhart, Boyle impressed him enough to create the role of Assistant District Attorney Helen Gamble in his other 1997 series, The Practice, specifically for her. She starred on the show until 2003, when - in a dramatic attempt to revamp the show and cut costs - she was unceremoniously dismissed along with most of the other main cast. The role of Helen earned her an Emmy nomination, as well as household fame and several Screen Actors Guild ensemble cast nominations. She also made a crossover appearance in the role of Helen in an episode of Ally McBeal.

In 2002, Boyle played a lead role in the blockbuster film Men in Black II as the villainous alien Serleena. She also guest starred on one of the last episodes of Ally McBeal once again, only this time as Tally Cupp, a completely different role from that which she had played before.

Recently, she had a recurring role on several episodes of Huff, playing Melody Coatar, an unstable bipolar manic-depressive.

In 2005, Boyle joined the cast of Las Vegas for a seven episode stint as Monica, a new hotel owner.

She played Barbara Amiel in the TV-movie, Shades of Black. Which is about Amiel's husband, Conrad Black.

Personal life

• Boyle has dated actors Jack Nicholson, Richard Dean Anderson, Kyle MacLachlan, David Spade, and Eric Dane. She has a tattoo on her back from boyfriend Jay Penske. In high school, she dated Eduardo Sciammarella, who later became a prominent interface designer.
• She has been married twice. Her first husband was John Patrick Dee III, whom she married on 11 August 1996 and divorced two years later. Her second and current husband is Donald Ray Thomas II, a real-estate investor, whom she married on 18 December 2006 in San Antonio, Texas.

Trivia

• Although Boyle is of mostly Irish descent, she also has an Italian-American great-grandfather. [1]
• She is named for a character in the book and movie Dr. Zhivago^[1]
• She is dyslexic^[2]
• Boyle's home in Beverly Hills was built in the 1920s as servants' quarters for Pickfair, the home of actress Mary Pickford.^[3]

Selected filmography

• Amerika (1987) (miniseries)
• The Preppie Murder (1989) (TV)
• Dead Poets Society (1989)
• How I Got Into College (1989)
• Twin Peaks (1990) (TV series) (1990 - 1991)
• The Rookie (1990)
• Red Rock West (1992)
• Wayne's World (1992)
• Threesome (1994)
• Baby's Day Out (1994)
• The Road to Wellville (1994)
• Afterglow (1997)
• The Practice (1997) (TV series) (1997–2003)
• Happiness (1998)
• Since You've Been Gone (1998)
• Men in Black II (2002)
• Las Vegas (2003) (TV series) (2005)
• Huff (TV series) (2004-2006)
• The House Next Door (Lifetime Original Movie) (2006)

References

1. ^ Jamie Diamond, "Tough Cookie, Snug Retreat: At Home with Lara Flynn Boyle", The New York Times, 27 July 2002, page F6
2. ^ Jamie Diamond, "Tough Cookie, Snug Retreat: At Home with Lara Flynn Boyle", The New York Times, 27 July 2002, page F6
3. ^ Jamie Diamond, "Tough Cookie, Snug Retreat: At Home with Lara Flynn Boyle", The New York Times, 27 July 2002, page F1

Wikipedia information about Lara Flynn Boyle This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Lara Flynn Boyle". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.