Jeanne Tripplehorn

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 10, 1963, Jeanne Marie Tripplehorn developed an interest in performing through her father, guitarist 'Tom Tripplehorn' (qv), who at one time recorded with the pop group 'Gary Lewis & The Playboys' (qv) on such hits as "This Diamond Ring". (Note: many references list Jeanne's father's birth date as February 2, 1949, but this seems unlikely as he would have been only 14 years old when she was born). Graduating from Edison High School, Jeanne began her career as a local radio and TV host.Educated at both the University of Tulsa and the drama division of The Juilliard School in New York City, she made her major TV debut in a supporting role in _The Perfect Tribute (1991)_ (qv), a fictional story that centered around President 'Abraham Lincoln' (qv)'s Gettysburg Address. The next year she made a big splash with her second lead, in 'Paul Verhoeven' (qv)'s thriller _Basic Instinct (1992)_ (qv), in support of 'Michael Douglas' (qv). In this movie, which made a sex star out of 'Sharon Stone' (qv), Jeanne's weird psychiatrist role established her as a talent to be reckoned with, although a torrid sex scene with Douglas certainly helped. She earned a huge break when she replaced a pregnant 'Robin Wright' (qv) in the role of 'Tom Cruise' (qv)'s wife in the box-office smash _The Firm (1993)_ (qv). Her smart work in this film afforded her the opportunity to work opposite other "top guns" in the industry, including 'Kevin Costner' (qv) in the futuristic _Waterworld (1995)_ (qv), 'Gwyneth Paltrow' (qv) in _Sliding Doors (1998)_ (qv) and 'Hugh Grant' (qv) in _Mickey Blue Eyes (1999)_ (qv). While none of these roles impressed to a great degree, they nevertheless put her in good standing. Reaching into her versatile bag of tricks, she went on to play everything from a lesbian gangster in 'Mike Figgis' (qv)' experimental film, _Timecode (2000)_ (qv), to a love interest of left-wing activist 'Abbie Hoffman' (qv) in _Steal This Movie (2000)_ (qv).On stage, the lady with the strikingly open face and penetrating glare made her Broadway bow in the role of "Masha" in 'Anton Chekhov' (qv)'s "The Three Sisters", opposite 'Amy Irving' (qv) and 'Lili Taylor' (qv). Prior to this, she appeared off-Broadway in 'John Patrick Shanley' (qv)'s "The Big Funk" in 1990, then co-starred with 'Val Kilmer' (qv) in a 1993 production of 'John Ford' (qv)'s 1630s play, "'Tis Pity She's a Whore". In 2002, Jeanne was one of a revolving door of guest stars to appear in the Actor's Alley play "The Guys", a tribute to the valiant firefighters of the 9/11 attack. On television, Jeanne appeared less frequently but did star, opposite 'Arliss Howard' (qv), in a superlative TV-movie adaptation of 'William Faulkner' (qv)'s _Old Man (1997)_ (qv).Back in the 1990s, she maintained a roller coaster relationship with actor/writer 'Ben Stiller' (qv). Engaged at one point in 1993, she even appeared on his early '90s TV show, The 'Ben Stiller' (qv) Show (1992), on occasion. But the union broke up after six years. In 2000, Jeanne married actor 'Leland Orser' (qv) of TV's _ER (1994)_ (qv) fame. They appeared together in the TV movie _Spuren in den Tod (2002)_ (qv) and the films _Very Bad Things (1998)_ (qv) and _Morning (2010)_ (qv), the latter one written and directed by Orser. The couple has one son, August Tripplehorn Orser, born in 2002.Jeanne's career on TV has deservedly been on an upswing of late as the senior wife of polygamist 'Bill Paxton' (qv)'s three live-ins in the HBO, drama, _Big Love (2006)_ (qv); as Jackie Kennedy Onassis in the TV movie _Grey Gardens (2009)_ (qv); after joining the cast as Alex Blake in the series _Criminal Minds (2005)_ (qv); and as Eleanor Schlafly in the political mini-series _Mrs. America (2020)_ (qv) starring 'Cate Blanchett' (qv).Into the millennium, Jeanne has also graced such films as _Relative Values (2000)_ (qv), the 'Madonna' (qv) misfire _Swept Away (2002)_ (qv), _The Amateurs (2005)_ (qv), _Fragments (2008)_ (qv), _Crazy on the Outside (2010)_ (qv) and _Ana (2020)_ (qv), as well as co-starring roles in _Little Pink House (2017)_ (qv) with 'Catherine Keener' (qv) and _We Only Know So Much (2018)_ (qv) with 'Damian Young' (qv).::Gary Brumburgh / [email protected]