Heather Graham
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
Following her breakthrough performance as a wide-eyed drug addict in "Drugstore Cowboy" (1989), actress Heather Graham had a hit-or-miss career that was punctuated with several winning performances amidst an equal amount of duds. She spent nearly the next 10 years looking to fulfill the early promise of "Drugstore." But instead, she lagged in films like the divisive "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" (1992) - a continuation of her season two performance on "Twin Peaks" (ABC 1990-91) - and "Diggstown" (1992). She finally made good, however, with her star-making turn as a roller skating porn star in "Boogie Nights" (1997). Though co-stars Julianne Moore and Burt Reynolds received the lion's share of critical praise, Graham nonetheless managed to rise above the fray and established her credentials as well as created an iconic screen character. After "Boogie Nights," Graham was able to land roles in blockbuster films like "Lost in Space" (1998) and "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" (1999). But once again, her star faded a bit, leading to a brief conversion to television that ended in disaster when her own show lasted just one episode. Despite the failure, Graham continued on as a steady presence, maturing into a well-rounded character actress equally at ease in comic and dramatic roles in films ranging from comedy smash "The Hangover" (2009) to indie horror cult favorite "Horns" (2013), as well as TV work including a campy trilogy of made-for-TV movies based on V.C. Andrews' Flowers in the Attic series of pulpy novels and a supporting role on the legal drama spinoff "Law and Order True Crime" (NBC 2017- ).
Born on Jan. 29, 1970 in Milwaukee, WI, Graham was raised in a strict Catholic home by her father, Jim, a retired FBI agent, and her mother, Joan, a teacher and author of children's poetry. When she was four, her parents moved the family - which included younger sister, Aimee - to Virginia, which was soon followed by another move to Agoura Hills, CA. Always one to indulge in play acting as a child, Graham chased after her dream while still a student at Agoura High School, landing an agent, commercials and an episode of "Growing Pains" (ABC, 1985-1992) by the time she was 16. She next co-starred opposite O.J. Simpson in "Student Exchange" (ABC, 1987), a two-part movie about two American high school teenagers who masquerade as chic European exchange students. Graham soon made her feature film debut with a strong performance as a drunken dream girl in the popular teen comedy "License to Drive" (1988), a vehicle for teen sensations Corey Feldman and Corey Haim.
While she was still in high school, Graham was up for a lead role in the acclaimed teen black comedy, "Heathers" (1988), but her strict parents felt that the material was inappropriate and refused to allow their daughter to do the film. It was the beginning of a strained relationship between her and her folks that eventually led to estrangement. Once on her own after graduation, she was free to make her own choices. Graham made a wise one when she went after a noted supporting role in Gus Van Sant's gripping "Drugstore Cowboy" (1989). Her performance as a young, doomed drug addict won praise and notice, as well as a Best Actress nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards. The following year saw Graham take on the recurring role of Annie, an ex-nun who becomes the love interest of Kyle MacLachlan's Agent Cooper for the second season of David Lynch's bizarre but intriguing series, "Twin Peaks" (ABC, 1990-91). In 1991, she took on a more conventional role as a college student with parental difficulties in the 1950s-set musical "Shout." Graham returned to television that year with a starring role alongside Jessica Lange and David Strathairn, as the young version of Lange's character in "O Pioneers!" (CBS, 1992).
After reprising her role of Annie in the feature prequel "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" (1992), Graham appeared in "Diggstown" (1992) a crime comedy that starred James Woods as a con artist who teams up with a down-and-out boxer (Louis Gossett, Jr.) to score some quick cash. Graham next had a co-starring role in the black comedy, "Guilty as Charged" (1992), which she followed with small parts in "Six Degrees of Separation" (1993) and "The Ballad of Little Jo" (1993). Following a lead role as a young woman who is brought together with an older man (Michael Nickles) by forces of nature in the little-seen indie "Desert Winds" (1994), Graham reunited with Gus Van Sant in the lead role of his fantasical comedy, "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" (1994). Meanwhile, she had a small part in the acclaimed "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle" (1994), followed by the starring role in the direct-to-video thriller, "Terrified" (1995).
Continuing her rise, Graham had a brief, but memorable turn as a swing dancing beauty that pulls a struggling, heartbroken screenwriter (Jon Favreau) out of his funk in "Swingers" (1996). But it was her next role that propelled the young actress to the next level, playing a young porn star, Rollergirl, who is never without her skates, in Paul Thomas Anderson's celebrated "Boogie Nights" (1997). Graham's energetic portrayal of Rollergirl, which stood out amongst strong performances from Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore and Burt Reynolds, conveyed a touching sense of innocence and humor. She followed the attention-grabbing performance with a cameo in "Scream 2" (1997), playing Drew Barrymore's character from the original in "Stab," the slasher film-within-a-slasher film. In "Two Girls and a Guy" (1997), the eye-flashing ferocity that she unleashed in her scenes with Robert Downey, Jr. proved that she was more than just a pretty face.
After the overt sexuality of her last two starring efforts, Graham did a 180 degree turn as Dr. Judy Robinson in "Lost in Space" (1998), spurning the advances of Matt LeBlanc and outfitted from wrist to ankle in modest gastro-jumpsuits. The following year, she gained widespread attention as 1960s CIA agent Felicity Shagwell in the blockbuster sequel, "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" (1999). Decked out in risqué mod-meets-flower child gear and purring memorable lines such as "Shagwell by name, shag very well by reputation," Graham's sultry presence served as a perfect counterpart to Mike Myers' cheeky Austin Powers. She followed up with a role in the comedy "Bowfinger" (1999), starring alongside Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy as a young Hollywood hopeful, fresh from Ohio, who dates her way to the top, only to break the heart of her last conquest (Martin) when she leaves him to cash in on the precarious lesbian chic with a powerful Tinseltown woman. Her character's similarity to Graham's previous co-star and Martin's former love interest, Anne Heche, sparked much speculation.
In 2000, Graham starred opposite Luke Wilson as an abandoned wife on an obsessive mission to keep her vows, seeking out her husband on a whirlwind road trip in "Committed." Graham proved to be solid in the indie romantic comedy "Sidewalks of New York" (2001), opposite Ed Burns, whom she was romantically entangled with at the time. Also that year, Graham jumped on the teen gross-out train with the flop "Say It Isn't So" (2001), a rare misstep from the Farrelly Brothers. She was next cast as Whitechapel prostitute Mary Kelly in the Hughes Brothers' film adaptation of the Jack the Ripper comic book, "From Hell" (2001), opposite Johnny Deep. While certainly up to the challenge, Graham was ultimately saddled with an appearance that belied her character of an impoverished prostitute roaming the streets of 1880s London.
Graham next starred in the erotic thriller "Killing Me Softly" (2002) as a woman involved in a kinky affair with a mysterious man (Joseph Fiennes). In the Bollywood-esque romantic comedy "The Guru" (2003), she played an adult film star whose affections are sought by an Indian dance teacher (Jimi Mistry) seeking his fame and fortune in America. She essayed a normal girl caught in a romantic triangle between Colin Firth and Minnie Driver in "Hope Springs" (2003), which she followed by an uncredited appearance as a bar patron with a surprising private side who manages to get caught up in the battle of wills between Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler in "Anger Management" (2003).
While her film career began to flag, Graham shifted gears to the small screen, signing on for an eight episode stint on the hit sitcom "Scrubs" (NBC, 2001-08; ABC, 2009-10). Appearing as the charmingly off-kilter, fast-talking psychologist Molly Clock, she reminded viewers of her willingness to do whatever it takes to sell a joke and how good her comic timing was when she chose to utilize it. After appearing in an episode of the perpetually uncertain but brilliant "Arrested Development" (Fox, 2003-06; Netflix, 2013- ), Graham landed her own sitcom, "Emily's Reasons Why Not" (ABC, 2005-06), playing a book publisher with a string of disastrous relationships who develops a technique to determine suitable men, but is incapable of following her own advice. The network relentlessly promoted the series, running television commercials and hoisting billboard ads as if it were the only show on their slate that fall. The show was canceled after the network aired only one episode. Adding embarrassment to failure, Graham was featured in a cover of Life magazine, calling her "TV's sexiest star" and touting her new show just days after the cancellation announcement - too late to change once the magazine had already gone to print.
Turning back to film, Graham performed in small indie films that rarely saw the light of day. After a supporting turn in Abel Ferrara's metaphysical drama "Mary" (2005), she was a receptionist working the switchboard at the time of Senator Robert F. Kennedy's assassination at the Ambassador Hotel in "Bobby" (2006), directed by Emilio Estevez. Following an appearance as a sex shop clerk in "The Oh in Ohio" (2006), Graham starred as a waitress trying to fix her past mistakes, only to confront the biggest one she ever made in the form of her dangerous ex-boyfriend, in the dreary "Broken" (2006). In the romantic comedy with a twist, "Gray Matters" (2006), she was a woman who falls in love with the bride-to-be (Bridget Moynahan) of her brother (Tom Cavanagh), which she followed with a more dramatic turn as an eye doctor who examines her life after suffering traumatic loss in "Adrift in Manhattan" (2007). Graham returned to her greatest strength, starring in two pregnancy-themed comedies, "Miss Conception" (2008) and "Baby on Board" (2009), after which she co-starred in Todd Phillips' bachelor-party-gone-wrong comedy hit, "The Hangover" (2009). Supporting roles in London-set art-world comedy "Boogie Woogie" (2009) and Kevin Spacey vehicle "Father of Invention" (2010) followed, along with the lead in experimental 3D CGI and live-action musical "The Flying Machine" (2011). Key roles in Renny Harlin's Iraq War battle drama "Five Days of War" and children's hit "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer" (2011) showcased Graham's range, while erotic drama "About Cherry" (2012) showed that her legendary sex appeal had not faltered.
After appearing in "The Hangover Part III" (2013), Graham starred in the psychological thriller "Compulsion" (2013) and co-starred in Alexandre Aja's cult horror comedy-drama "Horns" (2013) opposite Daniel Radcliffe. The following year, Graham co-starred as Corinne in "Flowers in the Attic" (Lifetime 2014), based on the campy best seller from author V.C. Andrews; the sequels "Petals on the Wind" (Lifetime 2014) and "If There Be Thorns" (Lifetime 2015) were almost foregone conclusions. After starring in the dark comedy "My Dead Boyfriend" (2016), Graham wrote and directed her first feature, "Half Magic" (2017). After a story arc on police procedural parody "Angie Tribeca" (TBS 2015- ), Graham returned to network television with a supporting role on the first season on "Law and Order True Crime" (NBC 2017- ), dramatizing the murder trial of Los Angeles brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1987
Guest starred on two episodes of "Growing Pains" (ABC)
1988
Starred opposite the "Two Coreys" in teen comedy "License to Drive"
1989
Gave an acclaimed co-starring performance in Gus Van Sant's "Drugstore Cowboy"
1990
Had regular role of Annie, a former nun involved with Kyle MacLachlan's Agent Cooper, on the ABC series "Twin Peaks"
1991
Had a featured role in the 1950s set musical "Shout"
1992
Appeared in the CBS TV-movie "O Pioneers!" as a young version of Jessica Lange's character Alexandra Bergson
1992
Played a parole officer in "Guilty as Charged"
1992
Co-starred in "Diggstown," a film starring James Woods and Louis Gossett Jr billed as "Rocky" meets "The Sting"
1992
Reprised role of Annie in the feature "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me"
1993
Was featured as half of a Midwestern couple taken in by con man Will Smith in "Six Degrees of Separation"
1994
Starred in the independent drama "Desert Winds"
1994
Appeared in "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle"
1994
Reteamed with Van Sant for the poorly received "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues"
1995
Starred in the direct-to-video release "Toughguy/Terrified"
1996
Offered memorable supporting turn as Jon Favreau's dream girl in "Swingers"
1997
Had leading role opposite Robert Downey Jr and Natasha Gregson Wagner in "Two Girls and a Guy"
1997
Played Drew Barrymore's character in "Stab," the film-within-a-film featured in "Scream 2"
1997
Cast as Rollergirl, a teenaged member of the extended family of adult film actors, in Paul Thomas Anderson's celebrated "Boogie Nights"
1998
Cast as Judy Robinson in the feature version of "Lost in Space"
1999
Co-starred as 1960s CIA agent Felicity Shagwell in the sequel "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me"
1999
Was featured as an ambitious starlet in "Bowfinger," a Hollywood satire starring Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy
2000
Starred as an abandoned wife on a mission to find and reclaim her husband in the road movie "Committed"
2001
Co-starred with Johnny Depp in "From Hell," playing an Irish prostitute targeted by Jack the Ripper
2001
Had romantic lead opposite one-time boyfriend Edward Burns in "Sidewalks of New York"
2001
Cast as a slightly dizzy blonde who falls in love with a man she later comes to think is her long-lost brother in the oddball comedy "Say It Isn't So"
2002
Appeared opposite Joseph Fiennes in the erotically charged romance "Killing Me Softly"
2003
Co-starred in the romantic comedy "The Guru"
2004
Starred as an attending psychiatrist in a nine-episode guest-starring role on NBC's "Scrubs"
2006
Made her television series debut in the short-lived "Emily's Reasons Why Not" (ABC), show aired only one episode
2007
Played a heroin addict opposite Jeremy Sisto in the indie film "Broken"
2007
Plays a woman who falls for her brother's fiancé in "Gray Matters"
2009
Co-starred in the Todd Phillips-directed comedy "The Hangover"
2011
Played Aunt Opal in "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer," a film adaptation of the popular <i>Judy Moody</i> book series
2012
Co-starred with James Franco in the porn-industry drama "About Cherry"
2013
Reprised role from "The Hangover" in "The Hangover Part III"
2014
Had a recurring role as Julia on "Californication"
2014
Appeared as Annie in "Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces," a feature-length assembly of unused footage from "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me"
2016
Co-starred with Rob Schneider in animated comedy "Norm of the North"
2016
Played Tilly on Flaked
2016
Starred in dark comedy "My Dead Boyfriend"
2016
Had the recurring role of Diane Duran on "Angie Tribeca"
2017
Starred in crime thriller "Wetlands"
Family
Companions
