Mary-Louise Parker

Born: 2 August 1964
Where: Fort Jackson, South Carolina

A versatile theatre veteran who has made a name for herself on the big screen, Parker started her film career in 1989 playing the part of an abused girlfriend in Signs Of Life.

She then had a well received part as a lonely secretary infatuated with her employer (Kevin Kline) in Lawrence Kasdan's Grand Canyon.

However, it was her breakthrough part as an abused wife in the successful Fried Green Tomatoes that really brought her attention from big-time producers.

In 1994 Mary Louise played John Cusack's girlfriend in Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway, and the following year she delivered a poignant portrayal of a woman dying from AIDS in Boys on the Side.

Other highlights of Mary Louise's career include the part of of Henrietta Stackpole in Jane Campion's The Portrait of a Lady and her recurring role on the TV series The West Wing.

Most recently Mary Louise portrayed Molly Graham in the thriller feature Red Dragon, the prequel to Silence Of The Lambs.