Selma Blair

Selma Blair Beitner (born June 23, 1972) is an American actress. She played a number of roles in films and on television before obtaining recognition for her leading role in the film '' Brown's Requiem'' (1998). Her breakthrough came when she starred as Zoe Bean on the WB sitcom ''Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane'' (1999–2000), and as Cecile Caldwell in the cult film ''Cruel Intentions'' (1999). She continued to find success with the comedies ''Legally Blonde'' (2001) and ''The Sweetest Thing'' (2002), and achieved international fame with her portrayal of Liz Sherman in the big-budget fantasy films ''Hellboy'' (2004) and '' Hellboy II: The Golden Army'' (2008).

Her other notable film credits include ''Storytelling'' (2001), ''A Guy Thing'' (2003), ''A Dirty Shame'' (2004), ''The Fog'' (2005), ''WΔZ'' (2007), ''Feast of Love'' (2007), ''The Poker House'' (2008), ''Dark Horse'' (2011), ''In Their Skin'' (2012), '' Ordinary World'' (2016), '' Mothers and Daughters'' (2016), '' Mom and Dad'' (2017), ''After'' (2019) and ''A Dark Foe'' (2020).

On television, she starred as Kim in the American remake of ''Kath & Kim'' (2008–2009); as Kate Wales on the sitcom ''Anger Management'' (2012–2014); and as Kris Jenner in the first season of the FX drama series ''American Crime Story'' (2016). In 2010, Blair narrated the audiobook ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', earning a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children.

Early life

Blair was born on June 23, 1972, in Southfield, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. She is the youngest of four daughters of Judge Molly Ann (''née'' Cooke) and Elliot I. Beitner. Her father was an attorney, active in the U.S. Democratic Party, and labor arbitrator until his death in 2012 at the age of 82. Her parents divorced when Blair was 23; she subsequently legally changed her surname. She has three older sisters, Katherine, Elizabeth, and Marie Beitner.

Her father and maternal grandfather were from Jewish families, while her maternal grandmother, who had Scottish ancestry, was Anglican. Blair formally converted to Judaism as a child, and had a Jewish upbringing; her Hebrew name is Bat-Sheva. Blair attended Hillel Day School, a Jewish day school in Farmington Hills and Cranbrook Kingswood in Bloomfield Hills soon after. She spent her freshman year (1990–1991) at Kalamazoo College, where she studied photography and acted in the play ''The Little Theater of the Green Goose''. At the time, she wanted to be a ballerina and a horse trainer.

At the age of 20 she moved to New York City, where she lived at The Salvation Army. She attended New York University (NYU), as well as acting classes at the Stella Adler Conservatory, the Column Theatre, and the Stonestreet Screen Acting Workshop. Later, she returned to Michigan to finish her studies.
After transferring from NYU, she graduated ''magna cum laude'' from the University of Michigan in 1994 with a triple major in photography, psychology, and English.

She then returned to New York City to pursue a career in the arts.

Career

1990–1998: Career beginnings

In 1990, during her time at Cranbrook Kingswood, Blair was involved in a production of T.S. Eliot’s ''Murder in the Cathedral''. She considered it a failure, but her English teacher told her not to give up; that was the first time she thought she could be an actress.
In 1993, she began training at acting schools in New York. An agent discovered her in an acting class, and Blair subsequently signed with her. After 75 auditions, Blair got her first advertising contract for a television spot ad for a theater in Virginia,
for which she received her Screen Actor's Guild membership.

Blair began auditioning in the mid-1990s. Her first audition was for a cereal commercial. She won her first professional role in 1995 in an episode of the children's television sitcom ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'', where she portrayed the love interest of the main character, Big Pete.
In 1996, she landed her first feature film role in ''The Broccoli Theory'', an "unromantic comedy" set in NYC. In 1997, she made her first appearance in a mainstream feature film, the Kevin Kline comedy '' In & Out''. She auditioned six times for the role and remained on-set for several weeks, but most of her scenes were cut from the film's final version. She obtained her first lead role in a feature film in the teen drama ''Strong Island Boys'', based on true events about a Long Island '80s street gang. Actor Alec Baldwin called Blair "a cross between Debra Winger and Marlene Dietrich".

Later, she was selected for the lead in the fantasy film ''Amazon High'', co-starring with Karl Urban. She played a present-day orphaned high school student who accidentally travels back in time to the mythical days of the Amazons. The film, which also was proposed as a third show set in the Hercules and Xena mythological genre, has never been aired. Portions of the pilot were later adapted and edited into the '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' episode "Lifeblood" in 2000.
The same year, Blair was cast as Joey Potter on ''Dawson's Creek'', but was later replaced by Katie Holmes. Soon afterward, she auditioned for the title role in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', but Sarah Michelle Gellar was chosen. Blair starred opposite Suzanne Somers in the family drama ''No Laughing Matter'' as a pregnant teenager. She subsequently appeared in several independent and short productions, including ''Debutante'', opposite Josh Hartnett, which was shot in NYC and won multiple awards after its premiere in September 1998.

In 1998, Blair starred opposite Dominique Swain in the teen drama ''Girl''; and in the suspense thriller '' Brown's Requiem'', based on the crime novel of that name.
That year, she also appeared in My Friend Steve's music video for the song "Charmed" (which was also the opening theme for the first season of ''Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane'' in 1999); and in the music video for the single "Every You Every Me" by the British alternative rock band Placebo, which was featured on the ''Cruel Intentions'' soundtrack.

1999–2004: Breakthrough and mainstream success

Following several auditions, independent film roles, and guest roles in television series, Blair achieved her breakthrough opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe in the 1999 coming-of-age drama ''Cruel Intentions'', loosely based on the 18th-century novel ''Les Liaisons dangereuses''. It received mixed reviews, with ''Variety'' finding "newcomer" Blair " too broad" and "overdoing er roles clumsiness". Nevertheless, the film made an impressive US$75.9 million internationally, and brought Blair an MTV Movie Award nomination for "Best Breakthrough Performance" and a win for "Best Kiss", shared with Gellar. ''Cruel Intentions'' has since developed a cult following.

Blair went on to star as Zoe Bean on ''Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane'', alongside Azura Skye and Michael Rosenbaum. The first season follows the lives of four high school classmates from Manhattan. The second season was just renamed ''Zoe...'', which follows the title character a few years later as a psychology student; the show was not renewed for a third season.
She was nominated for the Teen Choice Awards for "TV – Breakout Performance" category for her role in ''Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane''.

In 2000, Blair won a Movieline's Young Hollywood Award in the "Exciting New Face – Female Category", and portrayed a seductive college student in the teen comedy ''Down to You'', alongside Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Julia Stiles. A lukewarm critical and commercial response greeted the film upon its release.
Her film career continued with the independent drama ''Kill Me Later'' opposite Max Beesley. She starred as a suicidal bank teller taken hostage during a bank robbery, who tries to persuade her captors to kill her. The film received a limited release in September 2001, in New York and Los Angeles.

Blair co-starred opposite Reese Witherspoon in the comedy ''Legally Blonde'', portraying a preppy, snobby law student and the "rival" for the affections of Witherspoon's ex-boyfriend. ''The Hollywood Reporter'' found her to be a "strong presence" in her role, "coming on as a bitch initially, then softening into feminine solidarity with itherspoon'sheroine". The film was released on July 13, 2001, topping the US box office in its opening weekend; it went on to gross US$96.5 million in North America and a worldwide total of US$141.7 million. She next starred as a college student having an affair with her professor in the controversial independent drama ''Storytelling'', alongside Leo Fitzpatrick. It premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, and received a limited release in most international markets. ''SPLICEDwire'' remarked in its review for the film that both Blair and Fitzpatrick gave "painfully authentic performances as an emotionally insecure coed and her cerebral palsy-stricken dorm neighbor and lover".

She starred with Jared Leto and Jake Gyllenhaal in the crime drama ''Highway'', which was released directly to-DVD in March 2002. The independent film, filmed in locations of Seattle, is set in the mid-'90s grunge music scene and follows a road trip to the 1994 Kurt Cobain vigil. Blair next appeared opposite Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate in the comedy ''The Sweetest Thing'', as the roommate of Diaz's character. While the film received mixed reviews, it grossed US$68.6 million worldwide. For her part, she was nominated for the Teen Choice Awards, in the "Best Actress in a Comedy" category.

In 2002, Blair appeared on the cover of ''Rolling Stone'', and in a television commercial for The Sims Online video game. She also had a guest role in the episode "The One with Christmas in Tulsa" on the hit sitcom ''Friends''. In 2003, Blair co-starred with Jason Lee in the romantic comedy ''A Guy Thing'', playing the fiancé of a man who wakes up after his bachelor party in bed with another woman (played by Julia Stiles). The film received negative reviews and made a lackluster US$15.5 million at the North American box office.

She filmed supporting parts for the independent road film ''Dallas 362'' (2003) and the well-received comedy-drama '' In Good Company'' (2004), and appeared alongside former NBA star John Salley and Judy Davis in the television movie '' Coast to Coast''. In 2004, Blair took on the role of Liz Sherman, a depressed pyrokinetic superhero, in Guillermo del Toro's blockbuster fantasy film ''Hellboy'', co-starring Ron Perlman. Based on Mike Mignola's popular comic book series, the film was favorably received by critics; ''The New York Times'' remarked: "Blair's heavy-lidded eyes seem to be at half mast from some lovely lewd fantasy. With her sleepy carnality and dry, hesitant timing, she is a superb foil for Mr. Perlman's plain-spoken bravado." ''Hellboy'' topped the box office in the U.S. and Canada in its opening weekend, and ultimately grossed US$99.3 million around the globe.

Also in 2004, Blair played the role of an exhibitionist dancer in John Waters' satirical sex comedy ''A Dirty Shame'', alongside Tracey Ullman. The film received a limited theatrical run in North America, garnering an overall mixed response; ''A.V. Club'' described the production as a "proud retreat back into the sandbox of sexual juvenilia" and a "potty-mouthed manifesto from an elder statesman of shock", while positively pointing out that both Blair and Ullman "throw themselves headfirst into the insanity, reveling in the forfeiture of dignity, self-respect, and self-consciousness their roles demand". Blair took part on the social project ''The 1 Second Film'' as a producer, and was included on the ''FHM'' list of "The 100 Sexiest Women of 2004".

2005–2011: Independent films and ''The Diary of Anne Frank''

Blair starred as a young Harvard-trained economist involved in an international oil scandal in the political thriller '' The Deal'' (2005), opposite Christian Slater and Angie Harmon. It received limited release in the United States and the United Arab Emirates. She next played supporting role in the independent black comedy ''Pretty Persuasion'' (2005), starring Evan Rachel Wood. Her last film release in 2005 was the John Carpenter-produced remake ''The Fog'', in which she did her own stunts, and spent 12 hours in a water tank over two days to shoot her underwater scenes. The film, co-starring Tom Welling and Maggie Grace, met with overwhelmingly negative reviews, and grossed a modest US$46.2 million worldwide. Blair also starred with Elias Koteas in the fantasy short film '' The Big Empty'', based on the story ''The Specialist'' and produced by George Clooney. It revolved around a young woman with a psychosomatic'', with Nick Stahl. The film premiered through a limited theatrical run in NYC in 2006. She also appeared in a small role in the comedy-drama ''The Alibi'' (2006). In 2007, Blair took on the lead role in Edward Burns' ''Purple Violets'', a romantic comedy co-starring Burns, Patrick Wilson and Debra Messing. In the film, Blair played a frustrated and lonely writer who falls in love with her childhood sweetheart. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was the first feature film to debut exclusively on the iTunes Store.

She co-starred in Robert Benton's romantic dramedy ''Feast of Love'' (2007), opposite Greg Kinnear and Morgan Freeman, portraying a woman who begins a lesbian relationship due to her marital frustrations. The film received mixed critical reviews upon its limited theatrical premiere in North America.
She next appeared in the British crime thriller ''WΔZ'' (2007), opposite Stellan Skarsgård, Melissa George and Tom Hardy. Blair starred as a lab assistant who is sexually assaulted by a criminal gang, and becomes a serial killer after watching her mother's death. The film had a limited theatrical run, but was favorably
by critics.

Blair was included in the list of ''People'' Magazine's "World's Most Beautiful People 2007".
In 2008, she reprised her role of Liz Sherman in '' Hellboy II: The Golden Army'', where her character has a larger role in the storyline than its predecessor. The film garnered largely positive reviews from critics and became a worldwide commercial success, grossing US$160 million. She was nominated for the Scream Awards for Best Actress in a Fantasy Movie or TV Show.

In 2008, Blair starred as a drug-addicted and alcoholic mother in Lori Petty's independent drama ''The Poker House'', opposite Jennifer Lawrence (in her breakthrough role) and Chloë Grace Moretz, who starred as her daughters. The film is set in 1976 and was based on Petty's real story, in which she and her two little sisters were abused by their mother and a violent pimp. The production initially had a 2008 limited release in theaters only, but was later re-released in 2015 in the UK as ''Behind Closed Doors''; it received generally favorable reviews from critics, with ''The Hollywood Reporter'' considering her performance one of the best of her film career. Blair worked with Antonio Banderas and Meg Ryan in the comedy '' My Mom's New Boyfriend'' (2008), where she played a young FBI agent. The movie was screened only in Latin American cinemas and went straight-to-DVD in Anglo America.

Blair accepted the titular role on the NBC sitcom ''Kath & Kim'', opposite Molly Shannon. The sitcom was based on the Australian television series of the same name about a mother and daughter who are obsessed with celebrity culture. Blair had to gain weight and use hair extensions to play her role as Kim, a self-absorbed suburban young princess who is forced to reassess her relationship with her mother. The series was canceled after one season. Blair also appeared with Rainn Wilson singing "Baby, It's Cold Outside" for the 2008 Gap winter ad campaign, and was included in '' Glamour's'' list of the 50 Most Glamorous Women of 2008.

In 2009, Blair returned to the stage, when she took on the lead role of Kayleen in Rajiv Joseph's ''Gruesome Playground Injuries'', opposite stage actor Brad Fleischer. The drama made its world premiere at Houston's Alley Theatre on October 16, 2009, to largely positive reviews. In 2010, Blair lent her voice to narrate '' The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition'', originally written by Holocaust victim Anne Frank. The audiobook received generally positive reviews from critics and readers. Her performance received a 2011 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children nomination.

Blair starred in the music video for Danko Jones

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases