Alison Elliott
About
Biography
Biography
A native of San Francisco, Alison Elliot moved with her family to Japan when she was four years old, and did not return until she was eight. She went on to become an Eileen Ford model--for Jordache jeans, among others--at age 14. By her mid-20s, this attractive brunette with striking blue eyes was a rising leading lady after her performances in "The Underneath" (1995) and "The Spitfire Grill" (1996).
Elliot first won notice in 1989 when she made her TV series debut in the short- lived ABC sitcom "Living Dolls." Along with Halle Berry, she was one of four young models living with and being groomed by Michael Learned. In some ways, the series mirrored Elliott's own life, as she had lived with agent Eileen Ford while breaking into modeling while still a teenager. In 1990, Elliot had a small role in "Perfect Date," an "ABC Afterschool Special." Her other TV roles have included Peggy Ann Buckey, the daughter of the family accused of child molestation, in "Indictment: The McMartin Trial" (HBO, 1995) and as one of five Americans who launch themselves into English society in the BBC production "The Buccaneers" (shown in the USA on PBS' "Masterpiece Theater" in 1995).
Elliott's early forays into feature films were minor, including "Monkey Trouble" and playing the wife of Morgan Earp (Linden Ashby) in Lawrence Kasdan's "Wyatt Earp" (both 1994). Director Steven Soderbergh cast her in "The Underneath" (1995), as a sultry femme fatale involved with both William Fichtner and Peter Gallagher. Good notices helped lead to Lee David Zlotoff's independent "The Spitfire Grill" (1996). Cast as Percy Talbott, an Appalachian woman recently released from a prison, the actress more than held her own with such veterans as Will Paton and Ellen Burstyn. She made a return to period pieces as an American heiress alongside Linus Roache and Helena Bonham Carter in Iain Softley's "Wings of the Dove" (1997), based on the Henry James novel. Elliott had the dual role of an Irish woman and her doppelganger in "Michael Almereyda's 'The Mummy'" (also 1997).
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1984
Began career as model
1984
Spent summers in Tokyo and Paris on modeling shoots
1989
TV series debut, "Living Dolls" (ABC), played model
1990
Had small role in "Perfect Date", an "ABC Afterschool Special"
1990
Cast in first feature role in "Colors of Love/Pretty Hattie's Baby"; film completed, but never released
1993
Feature acting debut, "Monkey Trouble"
1994
Portrayed Lou, wife of Linden Ashby's Morgan Earp in Lawrence Kasdan's "Wyatt Earp"
1995
Played female lead in Steven Soderbergh's "The Underneath"
1996
Starred in "The Spitfire Grill"
1997
Played American heiress in "Wings of the Dove"
2000
Portrayed Annie Sullivan in the ABC remake of "The Miracle Worker"
2004
Cast in "Birth" starring Niccole Kidman, Cameron Bright and Danny Huston; helmed by Jonathan Glazer
Family
