Alicia Witt

Infobox actor

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birthdate = birth date and age|1975|8|21
birthplace = Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
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birthname = Alicia Roanne Witt
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Alicia Roanne Witt (born August 21, 1975) is an American film, stage and television actress. She played Nola Falacci on the series "".

Biography

Early life

Witt was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, the daughter of Diane, a junior high school reading teacher, and Robert Witt, a science teacher and photographer. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/19/Alicia-Witt.html Alicia Witt Biography (1975-) ] ] She has a brother, Ian. Witt was discovered by David Lynch when she appeared on the television show "That's Incredible!" in 1980; she had recited Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". He cast her in the movie "Dune" (1984), where she played Paul Atreides' young sister Alia. She turned eight during filming. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087182/business Dune (1984) - Box office / business ] ] Afterwards, she left Hollywood to concentrate on her studies and music. She was home schooled by her parents. She won several national and international classical piano competitions, including the "Bartok-Kabalevsky International Piano Competition".

At age 14, Witt earned her high school diploma. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Hollywood with her mother (who was noted from 1988-93 in the Guinness Book of Records for the world's longest hair; it is not known for sure if she still has her long hair) to pursue a career as a full-time actress. Soon, Lynch, to whom she refers as a mentor, created the role of Gersten Hayward especially for her in his successful series "Twin Peaks". He cast her again in "Blackout", a segment in his short-lived HBO series "Hotel Room".

Career

During this time, Witt supported herself by playing piano at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. She went on to play small parts in Mike Figgis' "Liebestraum" (in which her brother Ian also appears), the Gen-X drama "Bodies, Rest & Motion" and the TV movie "The Disappearance of Vonnie". In 1994, the red-haired Witt landed her first lead role in a film, playing a disturbed teenager in "Fun". She received the "Special Jury Recognition" Award at the Sundance Festival and was nominated for Best Actress at the "Independent Spirit Awards". This performance inspired Madonna to recommend Witt to be cast as her daughter in the first segment, "The Missing Ingredient" of "Four Rooms".

Witt was introduced to a larger audience playing the role of Zoey Woodbine, daughter of actress Cybill Shepherd's character in the sitcom "Cybill" from 1995 to 1998. Between seasons she starred in films: "Mr. Holland's Opus", Alexander Payne's abortion comedy "Citizen Ruth", "Passion's Way" and "Bongwater". After "Cybill" was cancelled, Witt received a leading role in the horror film "Urban Legend" and the animated feature "Gen¹³" which was never released because the studio stopped funding before the completion of the movie.

In 2000, Witt had starring roles on the television shows "Ally McBeal" and "The Sopranos"; the lead role in the comedy "Playing Mona Lisa", a supporting part in John Waters' "Cecil B. Demented", and her stage debut in Robbie Fox's musical "The Gift" at the now-closed Tiffany Theater in Los Angeles, in which she played a high-priced stripper with a disease.

In the years following, Witt's acting career slowed. She had a small part in Cameron Crowe's "Vanilla Sky", which was intended as a reference to her roles in "Dune" and "Liebestraum". She also played a college graduate who discussed losing her virginity in the experimental "Ten Tiny Love Stories" and the trailer-trash "Barbie" in "American Girl", which was released to video in 2005.

She appeared in the 2002 romantic comedy "Two Weeks Notice" opposite Hugh Grant. In 2003-2004, she turned her back on Hollywood and lived primarily in the UK, filming "The Upside of Anger" opposite Kevin Costner; and she starred as Evelyn in a stage-production of Neil LaBute's "The Shape of Things". Between these two projects, she went to South Africa to shoot the German TV movie "Kingdom in Twilight" which also goes by the names "The Sword of Xanten" and "The Ring of the Nibelungs". She played Kriemhild in this film interpretation of the epic poem "Das Nibelungenlied", which was released in the US as "". On June 14, 2004, Witt modeled what is believed to be the most expensive hat ever made, for Christie's auction house in London. The "Champrau d'Amour", designed by Louis Mariette, is valued at $2.7 million (US) and is encrusted in diamonds. [ [http://brain.mu.nu/archives/043086.php Brain Fertilizer: Why Is This Girl Smiling? ] ] In September 2006 she returned to the London stage, portraying the piano-playing Abigail, a role specifically written to exploit her musical talent, at the Royal Court Theatre. [Citation
last =Billington
first =Michael
author-link =Michael Billington (critic)
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title =Piano/Forte
newspaper =The Guardian
pages =
year =
date =2006-09-21
url = http://arts.guardian.co.uk/critic/review/0,,1877425,00.html]

Witt joined the cast of "" for the 2007-08 season as Det. Nola Falacci, a character who is a temporary replacement for Megan Wheeler, played by Julianne Nicholson who was away on maternity leave. [ She has since left the show. [http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6460395 Actress Plays Noth’s New Partner as Series Moves to USA Network] ]

Filmography

Film

* "Dune" (1984) as Alia
* "Fun" (1994) as Bonnie
* "Four Rooms" (1995) as Kiva
* "Mr. Holland's Opus" (1995) as Gertrude Lang
* "Citizen Ruth" (1996) as Cheryl
* " Bongwater" (1997) as Serena
* "Urban Legend" (1998) as Natalie Simon
* "Playing Mona Lisa" (2000) as Claire Goldstein
* "Cecil B. Demented" (2000) as Cherish
* "Vanilla Sky" (2001) as Libby
* "Two Weeks Notice" (2002) as June Carver
* "" (2004) as Kriemhild
* "Ring of the Nibelungs" (2004) as Kriemhild
* "The Upside of Anger" (2005) as Hadley Wolfmeyer
* "Last Holiday" (2006) as Ms. Burns
* "Blue Smoke" (TV) (2007) as Catarina Hale
* "88 Minutes" (2008) as Kim Cummings

Television

* "Twilight Zone" as Liz
* "The Sopranos" "D-Girl" as Amy Safir
* "Ally McBeal" as Hope
* "Cybill" as Zoe
* "" as Det. Nola Falacci
* "Twin Peaks" as Gersten Hayward

Theater

*"The Gift" (2001) Tiffany Theatre, Los Angeles
*"The Shape of Things" (2004) New Ambassadors Theatre, London.
*"Piano/Forte" (2006) Royal Court Theatre, London.
*"Dissonance" (2007), Williamstown Theatre Festival

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0001860

* [http://www.myspace.com/aliciawittmusic Alicia Witt's Official Myspace]

Persondata
NAME= Witt, Alicia
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Witt, Alicia Roanne
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Actor
DATE OF BIRTH= 1975-8-21
PLACE OF BIRTH= Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=