Actress. Born on April 29, 1957, in Santa Ana, California. Alluring, melancholy, blonde leading lady of Hollywood films. The daughter of an air-conditioning contractor, she worked as an optometrist's assistant and supermarket checkout clerk, among other jobs during and following her studies at Fountain Valley High School, Golden West Junior College and Whitley College, where she trained to become a court reporter. After winning the Miss Orange County Beauty Contest (she later lost in the Miss Los Angeles competition), she began appearing in TV commercials, then moved to Los Angeles for acting classes. Following a one-line bit in an episode of the series "Fantasy Island", she landed a regular part as a bimbo named Bombshell in TV's "Delta House" (1979). Making her film debut in the following year, she gradually toiled her way through unrewarding roles until 1987, when she emerged as an appealing, capable actress in The Witches of Eastwick. With Oscar nominations for Dangerous Liaisons (as Best Supporting Actress, 1988), The Fabulous Baker Boys (as Best Actress, 1989), and Love Field (as Best Actress, 1992), she rapidly ranked among Hollywood's appealing turn as Catwoman in the 1992 film Batman Returns displayed her talents for dark humor, while her subtle performance the next year in The Age of Innocence revealed further capacities for understatement. In 1993 she became an adoptive single mother. Formerly (1982-1988) married to actor Peter Horton, she married TV [producer David Kelley in 1993.
