Illeana Douglas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Illeana Douglas
Douglas at the Streamy Awards, 2009
Born	Illeana Hesselberg (1961-07-25) July 25, 1961 (age 63) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Education	Neighborhood Playhouse AADA
Occupation	Actress filmmaker
Years active	1987–present
Known for	Action
Notable work	Grace of My Heart Easy to Assemble
Spouse(s)	Jonathan Axelrod ​ ​ (m. 1998; div. 2001)​
Partner(s)	Martin Scorsese (1989–1997)
Relatives	Melvyn Douglas (grandfather)

Illeana Hesselberg (born July 25, 1961), known as Illeana Douglas, is an American actress and filmmaker. She has appeared in many movies and TV shows. She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for her role in Six Feet Under. She also won a Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for her work in the TV series Action. Since 2015, she has hosted special shows on Turner Classic Movies. These shows highlight women directors from film history.

Early Life and Family

Douglas was born in Quincy, Massachusetts. Her mother, Joan Douglas, was a schoolteacher. Her father, Gregory Hesselberg, was a painter. Illeana's paternal grandfather was the famous Hollywood actor Melvyn Douglas. Her grandmother was an artist named Rosalind Hightower.

Douglas grew up in Connecticut and also spent time in Massachusetts and New York. Her parents were influenced by the 1970s hippie culture. They had a relaxed parenting style. Comedy albums were popular in her family, and they enjoyed putting on performances.

Her mother's family was Roman Catholic, with Italian and Romanian roots. Her maternal grandmother loved movies and shared this love with Illeana. This grandmother had wanted to be an actor herself.

As a child, Illeana often visited her grandfather, Melvyn Douglas. He lived in Manhattan and the Hollywood Hills. He introduced her to theater, reading, art, and history. She also visited the set of his movie Being There and met actor Peter Sellers. This was her first time on a film set.

Douglas noticed the difference between her working-class Italian family and her grandfather's glamorous Hollywood world. She feels more connected to her Italian side.

Career Highlights

Starting Out in Acting

Douglas, June 24, 2007

After high school, Douglas moved to New York City. She wanted to work in show business. She studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. She also tried stand-up comedy for a short time.

Douglas later worked for a publicist. This led to her meeting director Martin Scorsese. She helped with sound effects for his film Last Temptation of Christ. They bonded over old movies. Scorsese and Douglas eventually began a long-term relationship.

She got her first movie role in Scorsese's New York Stories. She also appeared in his film Goodfellas. Actress Lorraine Bracco helped her find an agent. Douglas appeared in four of Scorsese's films, including Cape Fear (1991).

Big Screen Roles

In 1995, Douglas had an important supporting role in the movie To Die For. This film helped her career a lot. The director, Gus Van Sant, taught her about filmmaking techniques.

Douglas then starred as singer-songwriter Denise Waverly in the 1996 film Grace of My Heart. She also had a supporting role in Ghost World (2001). In 2016, she appeared in the movie Unleashed with Sean Astin.

Television Appearances

Douglas has appeared in many TV shows. She was a love interest on The Larry Sanders Show in 1998. In 1999, she starred in the series Action.

She guest-starred on popular shows like Seinfeld, Frasier, and The Drew Carey Show. She played a public defender on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Her role in Six Feet Under earned her an Emmy nomination. She also appeared in Entourage and Ugly Betty.

Douglas filmed a TV show in Sweden called Welcome to Sweden. This show was produced by Amy Poehler.

Writing and Producing Work

Douglas has also written and directed short comedy films. These include The Perfect Woman (1993) and Boy Crazy, Girl Crazier (1995). She produced Illeanarama, a collection of her short films.

From 2008 to 2012, Douglas starred in a web series called Easy to Assemble. It was sponsored by IKEA. In the show, she played herself working at IKEA. The series ran for four seasons. In 2015, she helped mentor women filmmakers for a web series called The Skinny.

Work with Turner Classic Movies

Douglas has worked on a Turner Classic Movies (TCM) series called Friday Night Spotlight. She helped choose and present movies for this show. She used her movie knowledge to make the shows fun and informative.

In 2015, Douglas hosted a special TCM series called "Trailblazing Women." This project highlighted women's contributions to cinema. It aimed to show the work of female pioneers like Dorothy Arzner and Alice Guy-Blaché. The series also featured interviews with modern female directors. This project was created because very few movies directed by women were on major film lists.

Other Projects

• In Spärhusen, a spin-off from Easy to Assemble, Douglas plays Beirget Kattsson. She is a member of a Swedish pop group.
• At Walt Disney World Resort, Douglas plays Aerosmith's manager in the video for the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster ride. She also appeared in an Aerosmith music video.
• Douglas and comedian Sarah Sweet created The Living Room Show. These are variety shows hosted in different living rooms in Los Angeles.

In 2015, Douglas published a book called I Blame Dennis Hopper. It is a memoir about her life and her love for movies. She also started a podcast with the same name.

Personal Life

Illeana Douglas was in a relationship with director Martin Scorsese from 1989 to 1997.

In 1998, she married producer and writer Jonathan Axelrod. They divorced in 2001. After her divorce, Douglas moved back to New York. She took more acting classes and started writing and directing.

Douglas is a vegetarian. She was named after Princess Ileana of Romania.

Works and Publications

Filmography

Film

Television

Streaming Television

See also

In Spanish: Illeana Douglas para niños