Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd (born
Ashley Tyler Ciminella on
April 19,
1968) is an
American actress. She is perhaps best known for her leading roles in a series of late 1990s and early 2000s thrillers, including
Kiss the Girls,
Double Jeopardy and
High Crimes.
Early life
Judd was born in
Granada Hills, California to Michael Ciminella, Jr., an
Italian American marketing analyst for the
horseracing industry, and
Naomi Judd, a well-known
country music singer; she has a half-sister,
Wynonna Judd, who is a country music superstar. At the time of her birth, her mother was working as a nurse, and had only become well-known as a singer along with her daughter Wynonna in the late 1970s. Judd's parents divorced in 1972, and in 1974, her mother took her back to her own native
Kentucky, where Judd grew up in poverty, as the family sometimes lived without running water, electricity, or a telephone.[
1]
Judd was raised in her mother's
Baptist religion, and attended twelve schools before college. She was a sister of the sorority
Kappa Kappa Gamma and is a
Phi Beta Kappa alumna of the
University of Kentucky, where she majored in
French and minored in
anthropology, art history, theater, and women's studies. She did not graduate with her class
[Newman, Judith. "We are Family" Ladies' Home Journal. March 1998. Pages 152â€"155, 213â€"214.], leaving university early to drive cross-country in pursuit of an acting career in Hollywood, where she studied with well-respected acting teacher, Robert Carnegie, at the Playhouse West. During this time, she worked as a waitress at "The Ivy" restaurant.
Career
Judd began acting on
television, and appeared as
Ensign Robin Lefler, a
Starfleet officer, in a 1991 episode of
Star Trek: The Next Generation. From 1991 to 1994 she had a reoccurring role as Reed, the daughter of Alex (
Swoosie Kurtz), on the NBC drama
Sisters. She made her feature film debut in 1992's
Kuffs, and had the starring role in 1993's
independent film,
Ruby in Paradise, for which she received good reviews. She also had a role in the 1994
Oliver Stone film
Natural Born Killers, but her scenes were cut from the final print. She gained further critical acclaim for her role in 1995's
Smoke and
Heat.
By the end of the 1990s, Judd had managed to achieve significant fame and success as a leading actress, after leading roles in several thrillers that performed well at the box office, including
Kiss the Girls in 1997 and 1999's
Double Jeopardy. Several of her early 2000s films, including 2001's
Someone Like You and 2002's
High Crimes, received only moderate reviews and mixed box office,[
2] although she did receive positive notices for her performance in the 2004 biography of
Cole Porter,
De-Lovely, opposite
Kevin Kline.
Personal life
|
Judd, as YouthAIDS Global Ambassador, speaks at an event in South Africa (January 2005) |
During the 1990s, Judd dated athlete
Brady Anderson, singers
Lyle Lovett and
Michael Bolton, and actors
Matthew McConaughey and
Robert DeNiro. She became engaged to
Scottish Indy Racing League driver,
Dario Franchitti, in December of 1999, and the two were married at
Skibo Castle, near
Dornoch,
Scotland, on
December 12,
2001.
Whenever her schedule allows, Judd regularly attends
University of Kentucky basketball games, frequently sitting next to Donna Smith (wife of UK Coach
Tubby Smith), or in the student section. Last year, she was a guest columnist for a local Kentucky newspaper, writing about the
NCAA Championships. She is frequently sought out for
celebrity camera shots during televised games. At the request of her cousin, she posed for a poster wearing only a hockey jersey for fundraising purposes for her
alma mater's hockey team. She is also an avid practioner of yoga, cooking and gardening.
Judd is active in humanitarian and political causes. She was appointed Global Ambassador for YouthAIDS, an international organization promoting
AIDS prevention and treatment, and speaks and demonstrates at
pro-choice events.
When in Manhattan, she attends services at a
charismatic Missionary Baptist Church. She and her husband divide their time between a home in Scotland and their farm in Tennessee.
In July 2006, Judd completed a program at Shades of Hope Treatment Center in Buffalo Gap, Texas. She was there because of personal issues, including depression. [
3]
*
"YouthAids Ambassador Ashley Judd launches U.S.-funded Newstart Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centre (VCT) for HIV/AIDS in Cape Town",
Diplomatic Mission of the United States of America,
January 31,
2005.
*
"This is What a Feminist Looks Like"*
Ashley Judd in Relationships*
Marie Claire Interview on Feminism and Choice{{Persondata
NAME=Judd, Ashley | ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Ciminella, Ashley Tyler (birth name) | SHORT DESCRIPTION=American actress; acting in film and television | DATE OF BIRTH=April 19, 1968 | PLACE OF BIRTH=Granada Hills, California | DATE OF DEATH= | PLACE OF DEATH=
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