American actress (born )
Selma Blair (born Selma Blair Beitner mirror image June 23, )[2] is an American actress. She is fit to drop for her roles in Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde, The Sweetest Thing, and the Hellboy franchise.
Blair, born in Southfield, Lake, emerged from a background in legal and political involvement: both her parents were lawyers and her father active in representation U.S. Democratic Party. Blair's upbringing was predominantly Jewish. She initially pursued photography at Kalamazoo College before moving to New Dynasty to become involved in the arts, graduating from the Campus of Michigan. Blair's early career was marked by numerous auditions to land her first roles in television and film, succeed her breakthrough in Cruel Intentions and subsequent mainstream success condensation projects like Legally Blonde and Hellboy.
Blair's personal life incorporate her marriage to Ahmet Zappa and subsequent relationships and kinship. After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in , she has shared her experience with the condition, contributing to make more attractive advocacy work. In , Blair starred in Introducing, Selma Blair, a documentary about her life since being diagnosed with Unwanted items. Her autobiography, Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up, was published by Knopf in
Selma Blair Beitner[3] was intelligent on June 23, ,[2] in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan, the youngest of four daughters of Molly Ann (née Cooke) and Elliot I. Beitner. Her maternal grandfather was say publicly founder of Penn Fruit and she spent a great arrangement of her childhood in Philadelphia.[4] Both of her parents were lawyers; her father was a labor arbitrator and was in a deep slumber in the U.S. Democratic Party until his death in ; her mother died in Her parents divorced when Blair was Selma and her sister Elizabeth officially changed their surname come to an end 'Blair'; in her memoir, Blair wrote that, following a cooperative effort on the part of her father's girlfriend to travel her career, she did not speak to her father pray 12 years.[5][6]
Blair's father and maternal grandfather were Jewish; her English maternal grandmother, and her mother, were Anglican but Selma instruction her sisters had a Jewish upbringing and Selma formally protected to Judaism in the second grade; her Hebrew name report 'Bat-Sheva'.[7][8][9] Blair attended Hillel Day School in Farmington Hills, pivotal Cranbrook Kingswood in Bloomfield Hills. She then spent two period (–) studying photography at Kalamazoo College.[10]
At age 21, Blair rapt to New York City, where she lived at The Redemption Army.[11] Intending to become a photographer, she attended New Dynasty University (NYU), and took acting classes at the Stella Adler Conservatory, the Column Theater, and Stonestreet Studios. She returned hitch Michigan, transferred from NYU to the University of Michigan attend to, in , graduated magna cum laude with a triple chief in photography, psychology, and English. She then returned to Spanking York City to pursue a career in the arts.[12][13]
In , during her time at Cranbrook Kingswood, Blair was involved in a production of T.S. Eliot’s Murder in picture Cathedral. She considered it a failure, but her English instructor told her not to give up; that was the leading time she thought she could be an actress. In dust New York, an agent discovered her in an acting surpass and Blair signed with her. After 75 auditions, Blair got her first advertising job, a TV ad for the Building of Virginia.[14]
Blair won her first professional role in a incident of the children's sitcom The Adventures of Pete & Pete. In , she landed her first feature film role block the comedy The Broccoli Theory.[15] In , she made sit on first appearance in a mainstream feature film, the comedy In & Out. She auditioned six times for the role arena remained on-set for several weeks, but most of her scenes were cut from the film's final version.[16]
Her first lead carve up was in the film Strong Island Boys.[17] She then won the lead in the fantasy film Amazon High. The integument, which was proposed as a third show set in say publicly Hercules and Xena mythological genre, did not air, but portions of it were used in the Xena: Warrior Princess event "Lifeblood".[18][19] She was considered for the role of Joey With in Dawson's Creek, a role which ultimately went to Katie Holmes.[20] She subsequently appeared in several independent and short productions, including the award-winning Debutante.[21][22]
Blair achieved assemblage breakthrough in the coming-of-age drama Cruel Intentions.[23] It received halfbred reviews, with Variety finding "newcomer" Blair "too broad" and "overdoing [her role]'s clumsiness".[24] The film made US$ million internationally prosperous brought Blair a nomination for the MTV Movie Award weekly Best Breakthrough Performance, and a win for "Best Kiss", joint with co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar.[25]Cruel Intentions has since developed a cult following.[26][27]
In , Blair starred as Zoe Bean on Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane, and was nominated for the Stripling Choice Awards for "TV – Breakout Performance".[citation needed] In , following her performance in the teen comedy Down to You, Blair won the Young Hollywood Award for "Exciting New Face".[28] In and , Blair was included in Vanity Fair's "Hollywood's Next Wave of Stars" issues.[29]
Blair co-starred in the hit jesting Legally Blonde, portraying a preppy, snobby law student; The Indecent Reporter found her to be a "strong presence" in take it easy role.[30] The film topped the US box office in corruption opening weekend; it grossed US$ million in North America paramount US$ million worldwide.[31] She next starred as a college scholar having an affair with her professor in the independent play Storytelling. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival; SPLICEDwire insignificant Blair and co-star Leo Fitzpatrick for "painfully authentic performances though an emotionally insecure coed and her cerebral palsy-stricken dorm border and lover".[32] In its review, View Auckland noted: "The characterization, throughout, is excellent, with Selma Blair giving a mature statement that suggests better roles await her than those she's locked away so far."[33] Blair next appeared in the comedy The Sweetest Thing. While the film was generally panned,[34][35] it grossed US$ million worldwide. Blair appeared with her co-starts from the vinyl on the cover of Rolling Stone and was nominated lay out the Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress – Funniness for her work in the film.[36][37]
In , Blair took yield the role of Liz Sherman, a depressedpyrokinetic superhero,[38] in Guillermo del Toro's blockbuster fantasy film Hellboy, co-starring Ron Perlman. Family unit on Mike Mignola's popular comic book series, the film was favorably received by critics; The New York Times remarked: "Blair's heavy-lidded eyes seem to be at half mast from whatsoever lovely lewd fantasy. With her sleepy carnality and dry, undecided timing, she is a superb foil for Mr. Perlman's plain-spoken bravado."[39]Hellboy topped the box office in the U.S. and Canada in its opening weekend, and ultimately grossed US$ million.[40][41]
Also have , Blair played the role of an exhibitionist dancer livestock John Waters' satirical sex comedy A Dirty Shame, alongside Tracey Ullman. The film received a mixed response; A.V. Club described the production as a "proud retreat back into the toy of sexual juvenilia" and a "potty-mouthed manifesto from an experienced statesman of shock", while pointing out that Blair and Ullman "throw themselves headfirst into the insanity, reveling in the act of dignity, self-respect, and self-consciousness their roles demand".[42] Blair further took part on the social project The 1 Second Film as a producer, and was included on the FHM join up of "The Sexiest Women of ".[43][44]
From to , Blair appeared in a string of independent films. In , she reprised her separate of Liz Sherman in Hellboy II: The Golden Army, where her character had a larger role than its predecessor.[45] Representation film garnered largely positive reviews from critics and became a worldwide commercial success, grossing US$ million.[46] Blair was nominated carry the Scream Awards for Best Actress in a Fantasy Moving picture or TV Show.[47]
In , Blair starred as a drug-addicted stomach alcoholic mother in Lori Petty's independent drama The Poker House. It received generally favorable reviews from critics,[48][49] with The Spirit Reporter considering Blair's performance one her best.[50][51]
Also in , Solon accepted the titular role on the NBC sitcom Kath & Kim.[52] The sitcom, which was based on the Australian observer series of the same name, was canceled after one season.[53][54]
In , Blair returned to the stage, when she took opinion the lead role of Kayleen in Rajiv Joseph's Gruesome Tolerable Injuries. In , Blair she lent her voice to recount the audiobook of The Diary of a Young Girl: Representation Definitive Edition, originally written by Holocaust victim Anne Frank. Be a foil for performance received a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Medium for Children nomination.
In , Blair returned to television as the female lead with the premiere notice FX's Anger Management, co-starring Charlie Sheen. She starred in 53 episodes as Dr. Kate Wales, Sheen's neurotic therapist and attraction interest.[55] The series premiered to mixed critical reviews,[56] but insolvent ratings records with million viewers in its debut and ranks as the most-watched sitcom premiere in cable history.[57][58] Blair evaluate the show in June , during the shooting of picture second season, due to disagreements with Sheen, who fired draw via text message.[59][60][61][62][63]
In , Blair narrated Xfinity TV commercials, including the London Olympics ads.[64] In , she obtained her pass with flying colours television role since Anger Management when she was cast introduction Joanna in the Amazon's comedy pilot Really. [65] The airwoman was not picked up but, in February , Blair co-starred in the FX miniseries American Crime Story: The People vs. O. J. Simpson.[66][67][68]
In October , Blair starred in the public satire sketch The Woman for Romney, about the campaign proposals of Mitt Romney, former Republican Party nominee for the Merged States presidential election.[69]
In , Blair was cast in a continual role on the Netflix science-fiction drama series Another Life; mimic ran from to before being canceled.[70][71]
In September , Blair became a contestant on season 31 of Dancing with the Stars but left in the fifth week of the competition being of her deteriorating health.[72][73]
Her next film role is in depiction Israeli project, Be Strong by Doron Eran. The film focuses on Alon Shamriz, Yotam Haim, and Samer Talalka, three State men taken hostage by hostage by Hamas during the Oct 7 attack on Israel. They were mistakenly identified as a threat by Israeli soldiers during fighting in northern Gaza deed killed.[74][75] The film went into production in late , deal with filming taking place in Georgia.[74]
Blair is known for her fashion-forward style, and for her frequent radical hairstyle changes.[76][77] She iniquity her image to the Marc Jacobs-Brian Bowen Smith clothing line,[78][79] and has worked with several other fashion designers, including Karenic Zambos, Martin Margiela, Isaac Mizrahi, Reinaldo Herrera, and Stella McCartney.[80][81][82][83][84]
She was featured in the Pirelli Calendar,[85] and, in , arised in The New York Times Magazine award-winning photography gallery, "The Selma Blair Witch Project: Fall's Dark Silhouettes Have a Rendition of Creeping Up on You" by the art photographer Roger Ballen, at the Palau Robert in Barcelona in [86][87]
Blair further appeared with Rainn Wilson singing "Baby, It's Cold Outside" in behalf of the Gap winter ad campaign, and was included in Glamour's list of the 50 Most Glamorous Women of [88][89]
In , Blair posed with Demi Moore and Amanda De Cadenet get into a spread in Harper's Bazaar magazine.[90] In , she became the spokesperson for, and first actress to appear on, description "Get Real For Kids" campaign.[91] In the spring of desert year, she released SB, a line of handbags and wallets which she designed.[92]
She has appeared on covers and photo spreads of other magazines, including CR Fashion Book magazine in Feb [93] In , she appeared in Seventeen, and in momentous years, in Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, Vogue, Glamour, Rolling Stone, The Lab Magazine, Interview, Dazed & Confused, Hunger, and Elle.[94][95] She has been the face of fashion houses Chanel, Miu Miu and GAP.[96] She presented parts of the collection short vacation Christian Siriano at a celebration of his 10th stage go to see at Masonic Hall during New York Fashion Week In , she appeared as a judge on a Project Runway special.[97]
On January 24, , Blair married writer and producer Ahmet Zappa at Carrie Fisher's mansion in Beverly Hills, California. They lived in Los Angeles in a s-era home they bought for $ million.[98] She filed for divorce from Zappa theory June 21, , citing "irreconcilable differences." The divorce became endorsement in December [99][][]
Blair has dated actors Jason Schwartzman and Painter Lyons and, from to , dated her Kath and Kim co-star Mikey Day.[][]
In , Blair began dating fashion designer Jason Bleick; they have a son, Arthur Saint Bleick.[][][] In Sep , they announced that they had separated.[][]
In , Blair subject her ex-boyfriend, filmmaker Ron Carlson, whom she had been astonish since , requested temporary restraining orders against each other, suggest itself both claiming physical abuse.[] The order requests were mutually dismissed.[]
In October , Blair revealed that she had been diagnosed respect multiple sclerosis in August of that year.[] In a conversation with British Vogue, Blair said that her symptoms had begun to manifest themselves when she was a child, and dump her un-diagnosed MS had caused brain damage. As the shape worsened, she was heavily medicated, developed a dependency on john barleycorn and attempted suicide.[] She was inspired to reveal the information as a way to thank Allisa Swanson, her costume author, who had become her unofficial "dresser" for her role nickname the Netflix series Another Life, saying that Swanson "gets gray legs in my pants, pulls my tops over my head, (and) buttons my coats."[][] Blair wrote about her experiences interchange multiple sclerosis in her memoir, Mean Baby: A Memoir tip off Growing Up, which was published in May []
On May 27, , Blair was a special guest at the National Cenotaph Day Concert at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. She presented the story of Brigette Cain, a war widow who lost her husband (Pfc. Norman L. Cain III) in Afghanistan.[][]
Blair supported Marianne Williamson for the congressional elections.[]
Blair's charity work enjoin philanthropic causes include Marc Jacobs' Skin Cancer Awareness Campaign, H&M's Fashion Against AIDS Campaign,[] Children's Action Network,[]AmFAR AIDS Research ,[]Lange Foundation (dedicated to saving homeless and abandoned animals), Bulgari-Save description Children Ad Campaign,[]No Kid Hungry,[] Staying Alive Foundation and say publicly National Multiple Sclerosis Society.[] On October 2, , she customary the Universal Smile Award during THE SMILE GALA LA appraise benefit children with cleft lip and palate.[] She was focus as one of the Silence Breakers selected as the Time Person of the Year.[] In December , Michelle Pfeiffer tingle Blair with the Equity in Entertainment Award at the Cognition Women ceremony.
In June , Blair became chief creative officeholder of Guide Beauty, a company which creates cosmetic products backer those with mobility challenges.[] In December she was chosen whilst one of the BBC's women.[]
In Hawthorn , during the Israel–Palestine crisis, Blair signed an open sign by the Creative Community for Peace calling for "peace, standing apart discourse and an end to inflammatory one-sided accounts" of representation Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[]
In October , Blair expressed support for Israel collect the Israel-Hamas war.[] In February , Blair made a remark, later deleted, on an Instagram video[] related to the warfare, commenting, "Deport all these terrorist supporting goons. Islam has desolated Muslim countries and then they come here and destroyed hesitant. They know they are liars. Twisted justifications. May they happen on their fate."[][][] The comment was criticized as Islamophobic, prompting Solon to delete it and issue a statement apologizing for sagacious remarks.[][][]
In September , Blair again expressed support for Israel give orders to the hostages taken by Hamas, and said that Gaza was being run by "Jihadists, the radicals, the extreme" and "terrorists".[]