Heather Graham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Heather Graham
Graham in 2011
Born	Heather Joan Graham (1970-01-29) January 29, 1970 (age 55) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Occupation	Actress director
Years active	1984–present

Heather Graham, born on January 29, 1970, is an American actress and director. She has been nominated for several awards, like the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Heather started her career in TV commercials. Her first big movie role was in the teen comedy License to Drive (1988). She also starred in the well-liked film Drugstore Cowboy (1989). She then appeared in the TV show Twin Peaks (1991) and movies like Six Degrees of Separation (1993).

She became very famous for her role as "Rollergirl" in Boogie Nights (1997). This helped her get a big part in the comedy Bowfinger (1999). Heather also played main characters in Say It Isn't So (2001) and From Hell (2001). She continued to act in supporting roles in films like Mary (2005), At Any Price (2012), and Horns (2013). On TV, she appeared in shows such as Scrubs (2004) and Californication (2014). In 2018, Heather also directed her first movie, the comedy Half Magic.

Besides acting, Heather is a public supporter of Children International. She also supported the climate change campaign Global Cool in 2007.

Early Life and Education

Heather Graham was born on January 29, 1970, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is the older of two children. Her family has Irish roots. Her younger sister, Aimee Graham, is also an actress and writer. Her mother, Joan, is a teacher and author of children's books. Her father, James Graham, used to be an FBI agent.

Her family moved many times before settling in Agoura Hills, California, when she was nine. Heather first started acting in a school play of The Wizard of Oz.

After high school, Heather took classes at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She studied English for two years. However, she decided to leave UCLA to focus on acting full-time, even though her parents did not want her to.

Acting Career

Early Roles (1984–1988)

Heather's first movie appearance was a small, uncredited role in Mrs. Soffel (1984). Her first credited role was in the TV movie Student Exchange. In 1986, she was on a special "Teen Week" episode of the game show Scrabble.

She then appeared in many TV commercials. She also had a role in an episode of the sitcom Growing Pains in 1987. Her first big starring role was in the movie License to Drive (1988). She played Mercedes Lane, a popular girl who was the love interest of the main character. For this role, she was nominated for a Young Artist Award. Her parents did not let her take a role in the movie Heathers (1988) because of its strong language. In the same year, she had a small, uncredited role in the movie Twins.

Rising to Fame (1997–2003)

Heather Graham became much more popular after starring in the movie Boogie Nights (1997). The cast was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. In the same year, she also appeared in the film Nowhere. She had a small appearance in the horror movie Scream 2.

She then starred in Two Girls and a Guy (1998), a film with a lot of dialogue. She also appeared in the sci-fi movie Lost in Space. This movie did not get good reviews and did not make much money compared to its cost.

Heather played Felicity Shagwell in the movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who *** Me (1999). This movie was a huge success at the box office. Felicity Shagwell is one of her most well-known roles and a favorite among fans. Her performance earned her a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Actress. She also appeared in the music video for Lenny Kravitz's song "American Woman". In 1999, Heather also co-starred as Daisy in the movie Bowfinger, alongside Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy.

Her first main starring role was in the 2000 film Committed. She played Joline, a very devoted wife looking for her husband. While the movie got mixed reviews, critics felt that "Graham shows she can play a central character." The next year, she co-starred as Annie Matthews in Edward Burns' Sidewalks of New York. In 2002, she starred with Joseph Fiennes in Killing Me Softly. This movie received very bad reviews.

Heather's other roles include playing Mary Kelly in From Hell (2001), starring Johnny Depp. She also appeared in Anger Management (2003) with Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson. She was in the comedy Say It Isn't So (2001) with Sally Field. Other films include The Guru and Hope Springs (2003).

Independent Films and Television (2004–2008)

Heather Graham in June 2007

From 2004 to 2008, Heather Graham starred in several independent films. These include Gray Matters, Broken, Adrift in Manhattan (all 2007), and Miss Conception (2008). Most of these films did not get much attention. Her 2005 film Mary received good reviews. This film premiered at the 2005 Venice Film Festival and won a special award. It also played at other film festivals. The movie co-starred Juliette Binoche, Forest Whitaker, and Marion Cotillard. In 2006, she co-starred in Bobby as Angela. The cast of this film was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Heather has also said she would like to direct movies in the future if she feels strongly about a project.

On television, Heather was a special guest star on nine episodes of Scrubs from 2004 to 2005. She also appeared in an episode of Arrested Development in 2004. She played Emily Sanders in Emily's Reasons Why Not, but this TV show was canceled after only one episode aired.

Activism and Public Life

Besides her acting, Heather Graham is also an activist. She is a public supporter for the organization Children International. She likes that this group helps children have better lives. She believes it's good for a child to know someone in another country cares about them.

Heather also works with the Cambodian Children's Fund. This group provides supplies and education. It also works to stop human trafficking. Heather has said that women in Cambodia sometimes die because they cannot afford to give birth in a hospital. The Children's Fund provides free education, clean water, and healthcare. She believes they are helping to create future leaders.

In 2007, she supported the climate change campaign Global Cool. She appeared in a short film called Global Cool alongside Sienna Miller.

Heather was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People magazine. In 2003, she was on the cover of Time for an article about meditation. She also appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine in 2006. In 2005, Heather became the spokesperson for the Garnier brand of hair care products.

Personal Life

Heather Graham has had a complicated relationship with her parents. She prefers not to talk about it much in the media.

She has been practicing transcendental meditation since 1991. She was introduced to it by director David Lynch. She has also said she dislikes reality television. She feels it's sad that people want to watch others be miserable.

Heather has dated several people, including actor James Woods and musician Adam Ant. From 2008 to 2011, she was in a relationship with screenwriter Yaniv Raz. She also dated actor Heath Ledger. Since 2022, she has been dating John de Neufville.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video Games

Music Video

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Heather Graham para niños