Swoosie Kurtz
Born: September 6 1944
Where: Omaha, Nebraska, USA
The actress, whose name is derived from the Swoose - half-swan, half goose - plane her father piloted in WWII, has appeared in a number of high-profile movies.
Highlights include the World According to Garp, Against All Odds, Dangerous Liaisons and Cruel Intentions.
The only child of author Margo and Air Force Colonel Frank Kurtz, he father's job meant the family moved 17 times during her schooling.
She studied drama at the University of Southern California and went on to attendd the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
On stage, she collected Broadway's "triple crown" (the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards) for her portrayal of Gwen in Lanford Wilson's The Fifth of July.
She made her big screen debut in the Paul Newman sports drama Slap Shot and went on to appear in the romance Oliver's Story with Ryan O'Neal.
Subsequent roles include Against All Odds, Bright Lights, Big City, Stephen Frears' Dangerous Liaisons and Sharon in Stanley & Iris.
In 1994, she appeared in the Ben Stiller comedy Reality Bites with Ethan Hawke and Winona Ryder which she followed with Liar Liar alongside Jim Carrey.
Kurtz went on to star with Kirsten Dunst in Get Over It and also appeared in Roger Avary's The Rules of Attraction.
Recent work includes Danny DeVito's Our House with Stiller and Drew Barrymore.
