Date of Birth : Jul 25th 1961
The granddaughter of actor Melvyn Douglas and Congresswoman Helen Gahagan, Illeana Douglas was born in Massachusetts. From a young age, Douglas knew she wanted to act and began her initial studies at the prestigious Neighbourhood Playhouse in New York. As a teen, she performed in numerous plays and did stand-up comedy.
The saucer-eyed actress made her film debut in the Shelley Long comedy Hello Again (1987). While working as a publicist’s assistant in NYC, she secured the role of a blood-curdling screamer in Martin Scorcese’s The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). This led to further work with the bushy-browed director, most notably Goodfellas (1990) and 1991’s Cape Fear (1991).
Although Douglas was again praised for her workhere portraying a Carole King-like singer/songwriterthe film did poorly among critics and at the box office. The actress went on to do a number of made-for-TV films, including the satirical Weapons of Mass Distraction in 1997. In 1999 she had a full plate, doing both television work (appearing as a prostitute on the Fox series Action) and more film work.
CAREER
She’s Funny That Way ( 2015 )
Return To Sender ( 2015 )
Stories of Lost Souls ( 2007 )
Factory Girl ( 2007 )
The New Guy ( 2002 )
Pluto Nash ( 2002 )
Dummy ( 2002 )
Stir Of Echoes ( 2000 )
Happy, Texas ( 1999 )
Message in a Bottle ( 1999 )
To Die For ( 1995 )
Quiz Show ( 1995 )
Alive ( 1993 )
New York Stories ( 1989 )
The Last Temptation of Christ ( 1988 )