Debra Monk

Born: February 27 1949
Where: Middletown, Ohio, USA

The Emmy Award-winning former waitress and rockabilly singer has concentrated on the theatre with the odd foray into film.

Voted the "best personality" by her graduating class at Wheaton High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, she made her big screen debut in 1992's Prelude To A Kiss.

Subsequent supporting appearances included Peter Weir's Fearless, Robert Redford's Quiz Show and Madge in the Clint Eastwood romance The Bridges of Madison County.

Other high profile roles include The First Wives Club, the thriller Extreme Measures and The Devil's Advocate.

However, she is also a regular performer on the Broadway stage, winning a Tony for her work in Redwood Curtain.

In 1998, she played Katie Sipowicz in NYPD Blue, a role which would land her an Emmy.

Recent work includes the Todd Solondz drama Palindromes with Ellen Barkin and Jennifer Jason Leigh.