Illeana Douglas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Illeana Douglas
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Douglas in 2009
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| Born |
Illeana Hesselberg
July 25, 1961 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Education | Neighborhood Playhouse AADA |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Jonathan Axelrod
(m. 1998; div. 2001) |
| Partner(s) | Martin Scorsese (1989–1997) |
| Relatives | Melvyn Douglas (grandfather) |
Illeana Douglas (born July 25, 1961) is an American actress and filmmaker. She has appeared in many movies, including Goodfellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991), and To Die For (1995). She also starred in Grace of My Heart (1996) and Ghost World (2001).
On television, Illeana won an award for her role as Wendy Ward in the show Action (1999). She was also nominated for an Emmy Award for her role as Angela in Six Feet Under (2001). She played Gina Bernardo on Law & Order: SVU (2002–2003). Illeana also created, wrote, and starred in a web series called Easy to Assemble (2008–2012). She often appears on Turner Classic Movies, where she hosts shows about female filmmakers.
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Illeana's Early Life
Illeana Douglas was born on July 25, 1961, in New Haven, Connecticut. Her mother, Joan Douglas, was a schoolteacher, and her father, Gregory Hesselberg, was a painter. Illeana's grandfather was the famous Hollywood actor Melvyn Douglas. She had two older brothers, Stefan and Erik.
Illeana grew up in different cities, including Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Her parents were influenced by the hippie culture of the 1970s. They had a relaxed parenting style and encouraged her creativity. Comedy albums were popular in her family, and they often put on dramatic performances.
Illeana's mother's family was Italian and Romanian. Her maternal grandmother, who had once been a Rockette, loved movies. She shared this love with Illeana, and they often went to the movies together when Illeana was a child.
Illeana visited her grandfather, Melvyn Douglas, in New York and Los Angeles. He introduced her to theater, reading, art, and history. She was inspired by his acting, especially his performance in the movie Being There. When she was in high school, she visited a movie set for the first time. She graduated from Haddam-Killingworth High School in 1979.
Illeana noticed the difference between her working-class Italian family and her grandfather's glamorous Hollywood world. She met many famous people at her grandfather's home. She feels more connected to her Italian family's way of life.
Her Acting Career
Starting in New York
After high school, Illeana moved to New York City. She wanted to work in show business. She studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and later at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. She also tried stand-up comedy for a short time.
Illeana worked for a publicist, Peggy Siegal. She met director Martin Scorsese while working there. She helped with sound effects for his film The Last Temptation of Christ. They became friends and later started a relationship.
Soon after, Illeana got her first small movie role in Scorsese's film New York Stories. She then appeared in his movie Goodfellas. She also acted in Cape Fear (1991), which was one of four films she made with Scorsese.
Big Movie Roles
In 1995, Illeana had an important supporting role in To Die For. This movie helped her career a lot. The director, Gus Van Sant, taught her about how movies are made.
Illeana and director Allison Anders wanted to work together. Illeana suggested a movie about musicians, which led to her first main role. She played singer-songwriter Denise Waverly in Anders' 1996 film, Grace of My Heart.
She also had a supporting role in the movie Ghost World (2001). In 2016, Illeana appeared in the independent film Unleashed with Sean Astin.
Television Appearances
On television, Illeana had a memorable role in The Larry Sanders Show in 1998. In 1999, she starred with Jay Mohr in the series Action.
She also made guest appearances on popular shows like Seinfeld, Frasier, and The Drew Carey Show. She played a public defender on several episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2002 and 2003. Illeana appeared in two episodes of the HBO series Six Feet Under, earning Emmy nominations for her work. She also played Mrs. Ari's sister Marci in Entourage.
In 2006, she starred in the TV movie Not Like Everyone Else. In 2007, Illeana joined the cast of Ugly Betty as Sheila, an editor for MODE magazine. She also filmed a TV show in Sweden called Welcome to Sweden, which was produced by Amy Poehler.
Writing and Producing
Illeana has written and directed several short films. These include The Perfect Woman (1993), a comedy about what men want from women, and Everybody Just Stay Calm—Stories in Independent Filmmaking (1994). She also produced Illeanarama, a collection of her short films for the Sundance Channel.
From 2008 to 2012, Illeana starred in a web series called Easy to Assemble, which was sponsored by IKEA. In the show, she played herself as an actress who decides to work at IKEA. The show was popular and ran for four seasons. In 2015, Illeana also produced a series called The Skinny.
Turner Classic Movies
Illeana worked on a Turner Classic Movies (TCM) series called Friday Night Spotlight. In this show, special guests chose movies to feature for a month. Illeana's season focused on movies that deserved "Second Looks." She enjoyed using her movie knowledge to make the show funny and informative.
In 2015, Illeana presented a series on TCM called "Trailblazing Women." This project, in partnership with Women in Film, highlighted the contributions of women to cinema. Illeana got involved because she noticed that many lists of great American movies did not include films directed by women. The series featured work by pioneering female directors like Dorothy Arzner and Alice Guy-Blaché. It also included interviews with modern female filmmakers. This series is a multi-year event, focusing on different eras and themes each year.
Other Projects
- In Spärhusen, a spinoff from Easy to Assemble, Illeana plays Beirget Kattsson. She is a member of a fictional Swedish pop group called Spärhusen.
- At the Walt Disney World Resort in Disney's Hollywood Studios, Illeana plays Aerosmith's manager in the video for the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster ride. She also appeared in an Aerosmith music video as Liv Tyler's mother.
- Illeana and comedian Sarah Sweet created The Living Room Show. These are variety shows hosted in different living rooms in Los Angeles.
In 2015, Illeana published a book called I Blame Dennis Hopper. In this book, she shares stories about her life and her love for movies. She also talks about her experiences in Hollywood through her grandfather, Melvyn Douglas. After the book came out, she started a podcast with the same title.
Personal Life
Illeana Douglas was in a relationship with director Martin Scorsese from 1989 to 1997.
On May 16, 1998, she married producer and writer Jonathan Axelrod. They divorced in 2001. After her divorce, Illeana moved back to the New York area. She took classes at her old acting school, the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, and worked in theater. She also started writing and directing.
Illeana is a vegetarian. She was named after Princess Ileana of Romania.
Images for kids
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Douglas in 2009
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Douglas, June 24, 2007
See also
In Spanish: Illeana Douglas para niños
