Biography for
Sherilyn Fenn More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

1 February 1965, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Birth Name

Sheryl Ann Fenn

Nickname

Sherri

Height

5' 4" (1.63 m)

Mini Biography

Her childhood was filled with change. Sheryl Ann (later "Sherilyn") was the youngest of 3 kids. She and her two older brothers were raised by their musician mom, Arlene Quatro, who moved the family around Michigan. She and her mom went to L.A. when Sherilyn was 17. Within a couple of years, Sherilyn was working in TV and film, with multiple projects every year since 1984. Sherilyn, the petite (5' 4") beauty, had a small but memorable part in the gender-bender flick Just One of the Guys (1985). Her biggest claim to fame would come in 1990, when she got the prize role of Audrey in "Twin Peaks" (1990) after reading for all the female leads. Sherilyn made a memorable impression as the cherry stem-twisting siren. This was her breakout role; even now she says of her "Twin Peaks" (1990) experience: "It still makes me feel kind of proud and special to be part of something like that". Her most over-the-top movie role was as the armless, legless star of Boxing Helena (1993) (a role which Kim Basinger backed out of). Back on TV, Sherilyn plays the juicy part of Billie Frank, a former soap actress confronting alcohol and other demons in "Rude Awakening" (1998) on Showtime. A frequent visitor on the set is her son, Myles. On the set, Sherilyn is noted for having a quirky sense of humor and a joie de vivre. Off-screen, Sherilyn is proud of the friendship she has maintained with her ex-hubby Toulouse Holliday, a musician and film technician. Sherilyn lives with her son, Myles, and two cats: Ophelia and Redmond. Sherilyn practices meditative kundalini yoga, and every room in her house has féng shui elements-- crystals in one corner, water in another. Sherilyn enjoys biking, swimming and cooking, and of course being a mom: "After I had my son, I found life much funnier and brighter".

IMDb Mini Biography By: kdhaisch@aol.com

Mini Biography

The sultry, versatile Sherilyn Fenn was born Sheryl Ann Fenn into a family of musicians of Italian and Hungarian descent on her mother's side and of Irish and French descent on her father's. Her mother Arlene Quatro played keyboard in rock bands, her aunt is rock-star Suzi Quatro and her grandfather Art Quatro was a jazz musician. Her father Leo Fenn was the manager of such bands as The Pleasure Seekers (the all-girl band formed by the Quatro sisters), Alice Cooper, and The Billion Dollar Babies. Sherilyn traveled a lot with her divorced mother and two older brothers before the family settled in Los Angeles when she was 17. Fenn, who says herself she's demure didn't want to start with a new school again and soon enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.

Fenn began her career with a number of B-movies including The Wild Life (1984) (alongside Chris Penn), skater film Thrashin' (1986) (opposite Josh Brolin) and teen-fantasy movie The Wraith (1986) (opposite Charlie Sheen). She had a memorable part in the cult teen-comedy Just One of the Guys (1985) in which she tries to seduce a teenage girl disguised as a boy, played by Joyce Hyser. Fenn landed her first starring role, as an engaged heiress to an old Southern family experiencing her sexual awakening in Zalman King's erotic drama film Two Moon Junction (1988), after which she said she wanted to hide for a year.

Fenn won her most outstanding role and made an indelible impression on the public when she was cast by David Lynch and Mark Frost as the tantalizing Audrey Horne, the high-school femme fatale from the critically acclaimed TV series "Twin Peaks" (1990). The series ran from 1990 to 1991, and the character of Audrey was one of the most popular with fans, in particular for her unrequited love for FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (played by Kyle MacLachlan) and her style from the '50s (with her saddle shoes, plaid skirts and tight sweaters). In the show's second season, when the idea of pairing Audrey and Cooper was abandoned, Audrey was paired with other characters like Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook) and John Justice Wheeler (Billy Zane). Sherilyn hit cult status when Lynch filmed her dancing on Angelo Badalamenti's music and with another memorable scene in which her character knotted a cherry stem with her tongue.

Shortly after shooting Twin Peaks' pilot episode, David Lynch gave her a small but impressive part in Wild at Heart (1990), as a girl injured in a car wreck, obsessed by the contents of her purse, opposite Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern.

According to Fenn, the turning point in her career was when she met veteran acting coach Roy London in 1990. She credits him with instilling confidence and newfound enthusiasm.

After two nominations (Emmy and Golden Globe) and covers for Rolling Stone and Playboy magazines, Fenn was propelled to stardom and became a major sex symbol. She was chosen as one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World", was named one of the "10 Most Beautiful Women in the World" by Us magazine, and one of the "100 Sexiest Women in the World" by FHM magazine. Fenn's classic looks - with her lily-white skin, vertiginous boomerang eyebrows, beauty mark next to her left eye and topaz eyes - were highlighted by renowned photographers like George Hurrell Sr., Steven Meisel, and Bettina Rheims, and led her to be compared to the ones like Marilyn Monroe and Ava Gardner.

Fenn has had an eclectic career with a significant body of work following "Twin Peaks" (1990). She chose to focus on widening her range of roles and was determined to avoid typecasting. She turned down the Audrey Horne spin-off series that was offered to her, and unlike most of the cast, chose not to return for the 1992 prequel movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), as she was then shooting Of Mice and Men (1992).

She proved her mettle as an actress with varied roles in neo-noir black comedy Desire and Hell at Sunset Motel (1991) (as a sultry femme fatale, opposite Whip Hubley and David Hewlett), huis-clos Diary of a Hitman (1991) (the directorial debut of her acting coach Roy London, in which she plays a fragile mother who confronts hitman Forest Whitaker), John Mackenzie's fictionalized biopic Ruby (1992), (as stripper Sheryl Ann DuJean, a Marilyn Monroe look-alike fictional character, who is a composite of several real-life women from Jack Ruby and president John Kennedy's entourage; opposite 'Danny Aiello' and Arliss Howard), romantic comedy Three of Hearts (1993) (as Kelly Lynch and William Baldwin's love interest), Carl Reiner's 1940s detective parody Fatal Instinct (1993) (as Armand Assante's lovesick secretary and Sean Young and Kate Nelligan's rival) and Showtime's biblical Slave of Dreams (1995) (TV), directed by Robert M. Young (as Potiphar's seductive wife Zulaikha, opposite Adrian Pasdar and Edward James Olmos, and produced by Dino De Laurentiis).

A highlight of Fenn's film career is Gary Sinise's film adaptation of Of Mice and Men (1992), in which she brought nuance to the role of a seductive and lonely country wife, desperately in need to talk to somebody, opposite Sinise and John Malkovich.

In 1993, Fenn teamed up with David Lynch's daughter Jennifer Chambers Lynch and starred in her directorial debut Boxing Helena (1993) as a haughty seductress forced to live in a box after her limbs were amputated by love-obsessed surgeon Julian Sands in an effort to possess her. Both Lynch and Fenn were proud of their work in it but the film - which was overshadowed by the lawsuits against Kim Basinger after she dropped out - ultimately was a critical and commercial failure.

Another outstanding performance was in NBC's miniseries Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story (1995) (TV). During the shooting, Fenn fought to keep integrity in the script. Her priority was to respectfully and accurately portray Taylor, and she supported the original screenwriter's effort to concentrate on Taylor the person, not the legend. The same year she starred in an episode of "Tales from the Crypt" (1989) directed by Robert Zemeckis, alongside Isabella Rossellini and John Lithgow, as the lover of Humphrey Bogart, who appeared in the episode via CGI special effects.

She went on to star in independent films that have been well received on the festival circuit like Jon Harmon Feldman's Lovelife (1997) (as a low self-esteemed waitress, along with Bruce Davison, Jon Tenney, Carla Gugino and Saffron Burrows), romantic comedy Just Write (1997) (as the dream actress of Hollywood tour bus driver Jeremy Piven, who mistakes him for a famous screenwriter) and Adrian Pasdar's neo-noir directorial debut Cement (1999), a contemporary re-telling of "Othello", in which she played a tempting but imprudent femme fatale, alongside Chris Penn, Jeffrey Wright and Henry Czerny.

Tired of Hollywood, Fenn contemplated starting a European career when she starred opposite Ray Winstone in the British psychological drama and huis-clos Darkness Falls (1999) (as a wealthy, neglected wife, sequestered with her husband by a man determined to understand the events that led to his wife ending up in a coma).

She eventually decided to return to the United-States and gained newfound enthusiasm with the lead role in Showtime's dark comedy "Rude Awakening" (1998) as Billie Frank, an alcoholic ex-soap actress who struggles with her self-destructive habits. Based upon creator/executive producer Claudia Lonow's experience, the series ran from 1998 to 2001 and co-starred Lynn Redgrave, Jonathan Penner and Mario Van Peebles.

Following "Rude Awakening" (1998), Fenn's film and television credits have included Showtime's family comedy Off Season (2001) (TV), directed by Bruce Davison (along with Hume Cronyn, Rory Culkin, Adam Arkin and Davison; as a singer who takes care of her orphaned nephew), Matthew Ryan Hoge's The United States of Leland (2003) (as a woman who represents happiness and joie de vivre to Ryan Gosling), Showtime's Cavedweller (2004) (2004, along with Kyra Sedgwick and directed by Lisa Cholodenko), Geretta Geretta's Whitepaddy (2006) (opposite Lisa Bonet and Hill Harper, as a woman who struggles with her dysfunctional family after she reluctantly returned home and tries to fit in with her new neighborhood that has become predominantly black), Emily Skopov's Novel Romance (2006) (as a pregnancy shop owner, opposite Traci Lords and Paul Johansson), psychological thriller Presumed Dead (2006) (TV) (as a female detective working on a missing person case, who has to outwit crime novelist Duncan Regehr in order to get to the truth), and The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (2007) (TV) (as a flirtatious version of Lulu Hogg).

Fenn has appeared along with Rob Estes and Milo Ventimiglia in a 2003 episode of Amy Sherman's "Gilmore Girls" (2000), which was the pilot for a California-set spin-off, eventually dropped by the network. Sherman-Palladino brought her back in the series with a different part as Scott Patterson's ex-girlfriend and protective mother to his daughter (2006-2007). Fenn had previously had recurring parts on "Dawson's Creek" (1998), (2002, as Joshua Jackson's seductive boss) and "Boston Public" (2000) (2003-2004, as a porn star turned tutor). Other notable guest appearances have included "21 Jump Street" (1987) (opposite her then-fiancé Johnny Depp), "Friends" (1994) (1997, as Matthew Perry's wooden-legged girlfriend), "The Outer Limits" (1995) (2001, as a duplicated scientist), "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999) (2002, as a manipulative actress), and "The 4400" (2004) (2005, as Jean DeLynn Baker, a 4400 who has the ability to grow deadly toxin-emitting spores on her hands).

Fenn's interest in directing and children led her to step behind the camera to direct in 2006 a documentary film about child enrichment program CosmiKids. She subsequently joined its executive team as executive director of the film and television division.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Qylecoop

Spouse

Toulouse Holliday

(4 December 1994 - 1997) (divorced) 1 child

Trade Mark

Classic beauty of the old Hollywood film stars that led her to be compared to such actresses as Marilyn Monroe, Ava Gardner, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Vivien Leigh.

Arched eyebrows, beauty mark next to her left eye and porcelain skin

Trivia

Was engaged to Johnny Depp, whom she met on the set of the 1985 short student film "Dummies". Their relationship lasted three years and a half.

Rumored to have dated Kiefer Sutherland

Niece of 1970s pop singer Suzi Quatro and musicians Patti Quatro, Michael Quatro and Nancy Quatro.

Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world. [1991]

Studied at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute.

Sherilyn's name is scrawled across Johnny Depp's helmet in the movie Platoon (1986).

Her son Myles Maximillian, with ex-husband Toulouse Holliday, was born. [December 15, 1993]

Worked for 2 months as a Playboy bunny in LA when she was 19.

Was originally cast as Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn for the WB show "Birds of Prey" (2002) in its pilot episode, but was replaced for the rest of the season by Mia Sara. Fenn dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.

Measurements: 36C-25-35 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine).

Daughter of Arlene Quatro.

Chosen by FHM magazine as one of the "100 Sexiest Women in the World" (ranked #10). [1995]

Chose her then-boyfriend photographer Barry Hollywood to photograph her in the December 1990 issue of Playboy magazine.

Director David Lynch described Sherilyn as "Five feet of heaven in a ponytail" and said she makes him think of a porcelain doll.

Made the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, along with Mädchen Amick and Lara Flynn Boyle while promoting "Twin Peaks" (1990). They were the first non-musicians to make the cover of the magazine. [October 1990]

Starred in Adrian Pasdar's debut feature as director Cement (1999) alongside Chris Penn. Fenn and Pasdar had previously co-starred in Slave of Dreams (1995) (TV) and Penn and Fenn had previously co-starred in The Wild Life (1984).

Practices Kundalini yoga.

Wished to portray silent-screen star Clara Bow.

Is part Italian and Hungarian on her mother's side (her mother's name Quatro is short for Quatrocchio), and part Irish and French on her father's side.

Her grandfather, Art Quatro, was a jazz band musician. His band was the 'Art Quatro Trio'.

Guest-starred opposite her then-fiancé Johnny Depp in an episode of "21 Jump Street" (1987).

Her favorite Elizabeth Taylor movies are A Place in the Sun (1951), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), and The Sandpiper (1965).

Daughter of keyboard player Arlene Quatro who played in the Suzi Quatro band, that Sherilyn's father managed.

Made the cover of Playboy magazine in December 1990.

Although actress Elizabeth Taylor fought the unauthorized biography Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story (1995) (TV), she found that Fenn aptly portrayed her.

Her car accident scene in Wild at Heart (1990) came from director David Lynch's impression of Fenn as a porcelain doll, and from the idea of seeing a porcelain doll breaking. He kept telling her about that, and that's how the scene was born. Lynch said of the scene, "I just pictured her being able to do this. She's like a broken china doll". Lynch got the same inspiration for the car accident scene in Mulholland Dr. (2001). His direction to actress Laura Harring was to act like a broken porcelain doll.

There were plans to spin her "Twin Peaks" (1990) character Audrey Horne off into her own series, that didn't come off. Apparently, Fenn's character inspired David Lynch for Laura Harring's character in Mulholland Dr. (2001), as Fenn said in an interview in 1997, "David was talking about 'Mulholland Drive', he talked about like 'Audrey goes to Hollywood'. She's driving along Mulholland in this convertible car... But it didn't end up happening."

While filming NBC's Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story (1995) (TV), Fenn fought daily to keep integrity in the script. Fenn's priority was to respectfully and accurately portray Elizabeth Taylor.

Wears Chanel no.5

Likes cold and rainy weather.

Shares with friend/former boyfriend Prince a great interest in silent- screen star Clara Bow, whom Fenn wished to portray.

Her acting coach was Roy London who directed the movie Diary of a Hitman (1991), starring Fenn and Forest Whitaker.

During the shooting of Darkness Falls (1999) in the UK, contemplated moving to London, being tired of Hollywood. Co-star Ray Winstone encouraged her to come to England. So did British director Mike Figgis, who said it would be very positive for her to do that, as England is quite different from Hollywood. He told her she has a great body of work and she could work all the time in Europe. [1997]

Inspired Norwegian hard rock band 'Audrey Horne', named after Fenn's character in "Twin Peaks" (1990).

One of her favorite roles in a movie is Jessica Lange in Frances (1982).

Starred in an episode of "Tales from the Crypt" (1989) along with Isabella Rossellini, John Lithgow and "Humphrey Bogart". Director Robert Zemeckis used footage of Bogart he included in the episode. Sherilyn plays Bogart's lover. Fenn and Rossellini had already co- starred in David Lynch's Wild at Heart (1990) and both guest-starred in the third season of "Friends" (1994).

Of Mice and Men (1992) co-star John Malkovich is to her one of the best actors.

Chosen by Batman fans as a perfect Selina Kyle/Catwoman in a Batman dream cast.

Chosen by US magazine as one of the 10 Most Beautiful Women in the world. [1990]

Chosen by Femme Fatales magazine as one of the 50 sexiest sci-fi actresses. [1996]

Played two different characters (with different hair colors) on "Gilmore Girls" (2000): Sasha, the girlfriend of Jess's estranged father in California, and Anna Nardini, the mother of Luke's teen-aged daughter, April.

In 1992 photographer George Hurrell Sr. took a series of photographs of Sherilyn Fenn, Sharon Stone, Julian Sands, Raquel Welch, Eric Roberts and Sean Penn. In these portraits he recreated his style of the 1930s, with the actors posing in costumes, hairstyle and makeup of the period.

When asked why she did cast Fenn for two different roles on "Gilmore Girls" (2000), creator Amy Sherman said: "I love Sherilyn so much and I don't care. One thing about the show is I just want the best people. I've just been looking constantly for a time to work with Sherilyn, and I'm getting very old and I could just get hit by a truck at any minute. I just simply can't put it off that long, so I'd just rather get her in and have her part of my world."

Is friends with Jennifer Chambers Lynch.

Grew up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

Her father Leo Fenn was the personal manager of Alice Cooper for 13 years. He also managed "The Billion Dollar Babies" and Suzi Quatro's "The Pleasure Seekers".

Involved along with George Katt in the 2003 film project "Gin and the Rumble Within". The film was to be directed by George Katt, who guest-starred opposite Sherilyn Fenn in "Rude Awakening" (1998), and would have starred Fenn and Katt.

Posed for photographer Steven Meisel for the autumn-winter 1991-1992 Dolce & Gabbana campaign.

Was originally cast as the female lead in ABC's show "Prey" (1998), but was replaced by Debra Messing. Fenn starred in the unaired pilot episode.

Singer and composer Screamin' Jay Hawkins wrote and recorded in 1993 a song entitled "Sherilyn Fenn", featured on his album "Stone Crazy". The song is an ode to Fenn, who worked with Hawkins in Two Moon Junction (1988).

Was originally cast as the female lead in ABC's show "Three Moons Over Milford" (2005), but was replaced by Elizabeth McGovern. Fenn starred in the unaired pilot episode that also featured Jill Shackner as Lydia Davis and a guest appearance by Majandra Delfino.

Was considered for the title role in Roger Vadim's remake of his own film Barbarella (1968). However, the project went unrealized. [1993]

Sherilyn is mentioned in the 1995 song "Razor Burn" by the punk band Lagwagon on their 3rd full length album entitled "Hoss".

Chosen by Australian men magazine Zoo weekly as one of the "Top 50 Hottest Babes Ever". [March 2006]

Chosen by The Daily Mirror as one of the World's 100 Most Beautiful Women. [October 1996]

Auditioned for the Robin Wright Penn role in The Princess Bride (1987).

Expecting her second child. Father is boyfriend Dylan Stewart. [May 2007]

Described by writer/director Emily Skopov as an "indie goddess".

Inspired writer Sherilyn Connelly who took from Fenn the first name she goes under.

Joined the executive team of child enrichment program CosmiKids as executive director of the film and television division. [2007]

Was originally considered for the role of the femme fatale Lola, eventually played by Sean Young, in Fatal Instinct (1993). Fenn opted for the role of 'Armand Assante''s lovesick secretary Laura and suggested director Carl Reiner cast Young as Lola.

Chosen by men magazine Maxim as one of 'Maxim's Most Wanted Women'. [October 1997]

Her second son Christian James, with boyfriend Dylan Stewart, was born. [August 2007]

Attended the 3rd Annual "Night With The Friends of El Faro" Benefit. [May 13, 2005]

Made the cover of In Fashion magazine alongside Billy Idol. [Winter 1990-1991]

Her name is translated in Chinese as "Xuelin Fen", which means "Snow Jade".

Cousin of Kristen Glass and drummer Michael Glass (of Overscene).

Friend of CosmiKids founder Judy Julin.

Chosen by Wizard magazine as one of the "25 Sexiest Women of TV" (ranked #22). [March 2008]

Chosen by FHM magazine as one of the "100 Sexiest Women in the World" (ranked #62). [1996]

Chosen by FHM-Australia as one of the "100 Sexiest Women". [1998]

Ranked #32 in AOL's "50 Sexiest Women on TV of All Time" list. [November 2007]

Starred in a season three episode of "Gilmore Girls" (2000), which was the backdoor pilot for a California-set spin-off titled "Windward Circle", that was to have starred Milo Ventimiglia, Rob Estes and Fenn. The network dropped the project citing cost issues due to filming on location in Venice, California. "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman wanted to work with Sherilyn Fenn again and wrote the character of Anna Nardini with Fenn in mind, in order to bring her back in the series. The character of Anna was originally to have a strong enough presence to be a potential threat to the character of Lorelai. However, after Sherman-Palladino left the show, the producers changed the direction originally intended for the character, as they decided to make her a villain in a custody battle.

Involved, along with Kate Winslet, Rufus Sewell, Miranda Richardson and Paul McGann in the 1998 film project "Johnny Hit and Run Pauline". The film was to be executive produced by Emma Thompson, and written and directed by Fay Efrosini Lellios. The shooting was set to start in June 1998 in New Hampshire. The film was canceled due to financial withdrawal. [1998]

Her "Twin Peaks" (1990) character Audrey Horne was chosen by UGO.com as one of the "50 Best TV Character of All Time" (ranked #24). [2008]

Two of her co-stars, Adrian Pasdar (in Slave of Dreams (1995) (TV)) and Bruce Davison (in Lovelife (1997)), later cast her in their feature film directorial debuts, Cement (1999) and Off Season (2001) (TV).

After starring alongside Jeremy Piven (in Just Write (1997)), Mark Harmon (in Dillinger (1991) (TV)), and Virginia Madsen (in Zombie High (1987)), she guest-starred on their TV series "Cupid" (1998), "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service" (2003), and "Smith" (2006).

Took the part of Lulu Hogg in The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (2007) (TV) in order to work with director Robert Berlinger again. He had previously directed her on "Rude Awakening" (1998).

In an episode of VH1's "The List" (1999) hosted by Johnny Rzeznik, she chose Tommy (1975), Purple Rain (1984) and Spice World (1997) as her top three best rock n' roll films. [December 1999]

At the beginning of the shooting of the second season of "Twin Peaks" (1990), came down with a bad case of pneumonia, making headlines that the shooting of the series might be affected or that she might have to leave the show. As writer/producer Harley Peyton said in an interview: "It looked like it could give us some really serious problems. It turned out all right. She was tremendous and recovered rather quickly and came back sooner than she had to. We had different directors shooting each day and two directors shooting in a single day and, in fact, got all of her scenes done".

Originally guest starred in the episode of "Frasier" (1993) "The First Temptation of Daphne" but wasn't available when they had to re-shoot some scenes, due to scheduling conflicts. She was eventually replaced by Michelle Stafford. [2001]

According to Fenn, her acting coach Roy London played a pivotal role in her development as an actress.

Appeared as one of the celebrity models in a charity fashion show staged by Thierry Mugler to benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles. [April 1992]

Attended the 8th Annual Independent Spirit Awards. [March 27, 1993]

Director David Lynch said of her: "She's a mysterious girl and I think that actresses like her who have a mystery - where there's something hiding beneath the surface - are the really interesting ones".

Personal Quotes

On the subtext that attracted her to the role of Helena in Boxing Helena (1993) - Women do feel like they're in a box. Society, Hollywood, some men... they want to wrap women up in a neat little package. [Orange Coast, January 1999]

I've never wanted to do the same thing twice. If a script doesn't surprise me in some way, I simply can't commit to the project. [Orange Coast, January 1999]

I'm honest. I say what I feel. I try to be tactful, but I can't not say what I feel. I have a really big problem with that. [Orange Coast, January 1999]

[on portraying actress Elizabeth Taylor in Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story (1995) (TV)] I fought to keep the integrity of the story because the producer was bringing in a writer that was making it very soapy. They wanted many scenes of her when she was very overweight. I said, 'I'm not doing that. I'll do one. That's not this woman's life.' For me it was just: I didn't want to make an impression. I just tried to play the truth of the woman. Not the legend, not the stories that we hear about her. Because even when she was a child, you were seeing a version of her that was manipulated by the studios, so you didn't really see her. I thought the closest she ever came to revealing herself was Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), and she lost herself in that role. It was cathartic for her to do that in a lot of ways, to let herself be that wild - (interviewed by M.J. Simpson, October 1, 1997)

When I was a kid I saw Kansas City Bomber (1972), and I remembered thinking how beautiful and how strong Raquel Welch's character was. So I went home and dressed up my Barbie like her character. I borrowed one of my brother's little toy plastic football helmets and I made Barbie a Kansas City Bomber outfit. [Orange Coast, January 1999]

My acting has always been about doing things that I can grow from, that say something, or should be heard. [Orange Coast, January 1999]

[on director David Lynch] - I'm sure you've heard that description, 'Jimmy Stewart from Mars.' Yes. Because a part of him is really so sweet and pure and innocent. He'd tell me my take was 'Jim-dandy', or 'Doggone it, Sherilyn, that was cool'. His direction is abstract. He doesn't ever say 'Go do this' or 'Go do that'. He'll just tell you some weird story, or when I did Wild at Heart (1990) David's direction was 'Only think of this: bobby pins, lipstick, wallet, comb, that's it.' He's very creative and unafraid of taking chances. We'd sit down and, 'Oh, I don't like this scene'. In "Twin Peaks" (1990) he rewrote this entire scene and had me dance in the middle of the room for like three minutes. 'Just groove, honey. Just keeeep moving'. I was like, 'Oh, okay. I feel like an idiot. What am I doing? Okay'. Then you see it and with the music, he's set this whole world up, this whole mood. I really respect him, he's wonderful. - (interviewed by M.J. Simpson, October 1, 1997)

"Clara Bow's an interesting actress because back then she was real honest. She was this Brooklyn girl who didn't have a whole lot of class, she'd come right out and say what she wanted. And she ended up leaving Hollywood when she was 26 because all of that had transpired. She was fun, she was just who she was and she got badly criticized for that. When she arrived out here she was like the Madonna of the Twenties: people started dressing like her and doing their hair like her and the whole bit. But then the studios did what they do even now, they started making formula movies - the It (1927) girl pictures - and never allowed her to do anything else." - on silent-screen actress Clara Bow

I was told once that I didn't play the Hollywood game, and that's why I wasn't a big star. What they meant when they said that was that I don't go to parties, and when I go to an audition and I don't like the script, they know it. I don't flirt and I don't play the people that I'm meeting with. In the next breath, this person said to me, 'When you're passionate about a role, there's nobody that can touch you, but you have to learn to do this also...' But I don't know how to sit there and pretend I love something when I don't! - (Orange Coast, January 1999)

I got into acting by a complete fluke. I was 17 and it was like, 'I don't wanna go to high school, what will I do? I don't know. Let's see... I'll act!' So I was doing films before I had even taken an acting class.

[on playing Audrey Horne in "Twin Peaks" (1990)] Audrey's been great for me. She has brought out a side of me that's more mischievous and fun that I had suppressed, trying to be an adult. She has made it okay to use the power one has as a woman to be manipulative, to be precocious. She goes after what she wants vehemently and she takes it. I think that's really admirable. I love that about her. - (Playboy, December 1990)

[on posing for Playboy magazine] - Everyone was a little concerned when I announced I was going to do it. But the people who've seen the pictures have said 'That's it?!', as if they were expecting something horrible. It's an actor pictorial; people who want to see girls spreading their legs and doing kind of crude things are gonna go to the centerfold, they're not gonna look at an actor's pictorial. Well, they can look but they're not gonna get what they want. The pictures are really beautiful, but they just make people look at you in a certain way. - (The Face, December 1990)

[on playing Audrey Horne in "Twin Peaks" (1990)] I think David Lynch really adored the Fifties - the simplicity, the conservative attitude - and I think the show, though it has a timeless feeling, is kind of Fifties also. The saddle shoes are part of that - Audrey knows she can be daddy's little girl in her saddle shoes, and she puts on her red pumps, smokes cigarettes and sashays down the hall. Maybe it's not her personality so much as the need not to be daddy's little girl. - (The Face, December 1990)

[on playing Candy Cane in Ruby (1992)] I always thought it would be fun to play [Marilyn] Monroe. But who could play her, you know? You can't do it right out, you can't do her story without letting yourself for all kind of criticism. Candy Cane is like a lot of women were in the 60s when Monroe was a star and a role model. She comes from a small town, she's in a bad relationship, but she's fighting to get out of it, to change, and she enters this fantasy land. She has the bleached blond hair like many women had at that time and she thinks it would be fun to be like Monroe. So she follows the fantasy in her own small way and she finds out, guess what, that glamorous life stinks! She sets herself up to be abused and destroyed like Monroe was. - (Sky Magazine, July 1992)

[on differences between working with David Lynch and Jennifer Chambers Lynch] Man, woman. Night, day. It's a really huge difference. It's completely different to work with a woman that is my age, maybe younger. David's encouraged her, through his example of exploring dark places within oneself, but she's less abstract. I was blown away by the script of _Boxing Helena (1993)_. I had heard all the stories and I didn't want to read it. Then my agent said, 'It's a dream. Just read it. It's pretty interesting.' I was shocked that a 19-year-old girl had that perspective on relationships, that understanding. Then I met with her and we just clicked. Because we didn't really meet - just one or twice, very briefly - on the set of "Twin Peaks" (1990). - (interviewed by M.J. Simpson, October 1, 1997)

[on playing Billie Frank in "Rude Awakening" (1998)] I liked the hard-core truth of 'Rude Awakening'. But when I first read it, I was scared of it. Part of me was, like, it's so unattractive! Does she have to vomit on herself? Does she then have to fall in it? God, what's going on here?! But I liked that it didn't glamorize alcohol. And what's admirable about Billie is that she's a straight shooter. She doesn't have a lot of pretense. It's like, 'Take me as I am. You like me, fine! You don't, I don't give a damn! There's something quite empowering about somebody who doesn't care what other people think. Billie is learning about herself. She's recognized that she has a problem with drugs and alcohol, and she's trying to straighten it out. - (Orange Coast, January 1999)

[on playing Curley's wife in Of Mice and Men (1992)] I'd never read the book in school or anything. So when I read the screenplay I just cried my eyes out. I couldn't believe - it was just a beautiful story. When I met with Gary Sinise, he just said, 'You know, she's always played - and she was written - as this horrible vamp.' And he didn't want her to be that way. He said, 'I see her as a sad angel, and lonely.' She just wants attention, she wants to be loved, she wants people to talk to her: 'What's the matter with you? Why can't you talk to me?' So I was glad that he wanted to do that. He actually added a scene that was never written where she's crying because Curley broke all her records. The only thing she has in life is her little records. So that was a wonderful experience for me, making something like that. - (interviewed by M.J. Simpson, October 1, 1997)

[on her Playboy bunny experience] I worked there for two months when I was 19. I needed rent money and they were paying more to stand at the gift shop than I'd have got working at a clothing store. And I thought the costumes were cute.

I wanted to be a marine biologist, then I wanted to be a stewardess. Then I met this lady that was really neat, and she cut my hair once; so then I wanted to cut hair! But by far my biggest dream when I was young was to have the perfect home and the picket fence, and babies crawling around, and I'd be cooking food in the kitchen. [Orange Coast, January 1999]

My grandpa [jazz musician Art Quatro] would always ask, 'What instrument do you hear when you listen to music?' I'm like, 'All of it!' He's like, 'Well, then you're a singer!' And I love to dance. But I don't like being up in front of tons of people. I didn't have that in me to do it, the desire to be performing in front of a lot of people. If there's a lot of people on a set, I get nervous. So music just wasn't something I ever seriously considered. - (interviewed by M.J. Simpson, October 1, 1997)

[on her movie debut] I remember blowing my first scene. I said 'Cut!' I didn't know the director was supposed to say that.

I think there's an anxiety in life when we automatically tend to look to the next thing or we're complaining about the past; like somebody recently said to me, 'Well, is your show [Rude Awakening] going to get picked up? Aren't you concerned about that?' I said, 'I don't care. I don't want to worry about that because worrying is not going to make it happen or not happen.' I want to trust that if it does, then that's what's supposed to happen and if it doesn't get picked up, then that's okay, too. It's just a more peaceful way to live. Right now, in my life, I'm really striving for peace and more of a calm outlook. [Orange Coast, January 1999]

[on guest-starring in "Friends" (1994)] Matthew Perry was darling and very funny. All my scenes were with Matthew, basically, so it was fun. I like the show. I was happy to be a part of it. - (interviewed by M.J. Simpson, October 1, 1997)

[on Boxing Helena (1993)] I liked 'Boxing Helena'. I think it was an almost impossible story to tell. Although it has some flaws, I think it's neat. I think it's a really neat story; it's a beautiful story. - (interviewed by M.J. Simpson, October 1, 1997)

[on starring in Darkness Falls (1999)] I loved the script when I read it; it's a wonderful character piece. I saw Ray [Winstone]'s work, like Nil by Mouth (1997), and I saw Tim [Dutton]'s work, and I just was really excited to be a part of it. - (interviewed by M.J. Simpson, October 1, 1997)

[on "Twin Peaks" (1990)] I think it's just basically that on the surface things seem all one way, this nice little small town. But underneath there's a lot of dirt and a lot of sadness and deprivation. Two girls in plaid skirts and sweaters, smoking cigarettes and talking about murder in the girl's bathroom! That's my kind of movie; I loved it! - (interviewed by M.J. Simpson, October 1, 1997)

The world has certain rules - Hollywood has certain rules - but it doesn't mean you have to play by them, and I don't, or I'd be a miserable person. [Sky Magazine, July 1992]

I don't know why people see the things that they do. I wouldn't pay to see them, they don't touch me or move me in any way. [Detour, May 1995]

I try to keep myself centered. I don't go to parties and all that. I don't think being seen or being in the right place is going to make me a better actress. I care about my work and try to do what's right in my heart. [Exposure magazine, September 1990]

People who think they know me would be surprised that my whole life doesn't revolve around sex. [The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 21, 1995]

I see people giving me looks because I'm so opinionated. That hurts my feelings, but at the end of the day I have to live with me and respect myself. And I've done enough things in my life where I was confused and didn't respect myself that I will not do it any more. [The Boston Herald, April 25, 1993]

[on Kyle MacLachlan's decision to end the Audrey/Cooper romance in "Twin Peaks" (1990)] Kyle didn't want it to continue. He thought Audrey was too young for Dale; and then they brought in an even younger girl! I think Kyle blew it, because Dale and Audrey were so great together. When I complained, David Lynch asked me if I was falling in love with Kyle. I said, 'No! Of course not! But Audrey's in love with Dale Cooper!' - (Democrat and Chronicle, October 29, 1992)

[on being categorized] People think, 'She's not funny. She's a sex kitten.' And they don't sit with you in a room. I spent a lot of time being sort of angry and bitter about that, and now I feel it's people's loss. It's sad. You'd think in a business with so much creativity, people would go beyond what they've heard or what they think they know about somebody, and meet with them. But if they don't, it's not meant to be, in a way. The doors that are open are the doors we walk through. - (The Boston Herald, August 1, 1998)

[on her role in Wild at Heart (1990)] David told me, 'I envisioned this broken China doll, all bloody, and ranting and raving, and it was you.' - (Haircut & Style, March 1991)

Where Are They Now

(June 1991) Filming Ruby (1992) in Dallas, Texas, Puerto Rico and Los Angeles, California.

(May 1994) In Ouarzazate, Morocco, filming Slave of Dreams (1995) (TV).

(January 1995) In California, filming Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story (1995) (TV).

(September 1997) In the Isle of Man, filming Darkness Falls (1999).

(July 2006) In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, working as a filmmaker on a documentary about child enrichment program CosmiKids.

(May 2007) In Los Angeles, California, expecting her second child with boyfriend Dylan Stewart.

(July 2008) In Los Angeles, California, filming The Scenesters (2009).

(October 2005) In Vancouver, Canada, filming Presumed Dead (2006) (TV).

(September 2005) In Moscow, Russia, filming Treasure Raiders (2007).

(June 2004) In Los Angeles, California, filming Novel Romance (2006).

(May 2001) In British Columbia, Canada, filming Off Season (2001) (TV).

(January 1991) In Pennsylvania, filming Diary of a Hitman (1991).

(September 1996) In Los Angeles, California, filming Just Write (1997).

(July 1996) In California, filming Lovelife (1997).

(November 1992) In California, filming Fatal Instinct (1993).

(June 1992) Filming Boxing Helena (1993).

(February 1992) In New York, filming Three of Hearts (1993).

(September 1991) In California, filming Of Mice and Men (1992).

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