Alicia Witt

Biography: American actress Alicia Witt, primarily recognized on television for her role as Zoey Woodbine on Cybill, started her ascent to stardom earlier than most celebrities. Born to a mother who once held the world record for having the longest hair, Alicia herself accomplished extraordinary feats as a child. At six months, she learned how to read and at two, she could already write letters and also became the youngest reader of Good Housekeeping magazine. The four-year-old Witt was featured on ABC's That's Incredible and NBC's morning show Today, reciting an excerpt from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. At seven, she already knew how to play cl@ssical piano and would top competitions in the succeeding years.

The home-schooled Alicia first appeared on the big screen in the 1984 cult sci-fi film Dune, by acclaimed director David Lynch, who is credited for discovering the young talent. After finishing high school, Alicia was accompanied by her mom to Los Angeles, California as she began to pursue acting full-time. Lynch continued to put her in his projects: a guest-starring role as Gersten Hayward, specifically written for her, in a 1990 episode of Twin Peaks and an appearance in the "Blackout" episode of the short-lived HBO series Hotel Room. Earlier in her career, she had small parts in the movies Liebestraum (1991) and Bodies, Rest & Motion (1993).

In 1994, she starred alongside Renée Humphrey in Fun, a disturbing drama about two girls who decide to kill an elderly woman on a whim. For her portrayal of Bonnie, she was recognized with a Special Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Throughout her film career, Witt has had the pleasure and privilege of working with Hollywood's finest actors and directors including Richard Dreyfuss (Mr. Holland's Opus, 1995), John Waters (Cecil B. Demented, 2000), Tom Cruise (Vanilla Sky, 2001), Hugh Grant (Two Weeks Notice, 2002), and Al Pacino (88 Minutes, 2007). On television, she was popularly known as one of the daughters of Cybill Shepherd in the four seasons of the CBS comedy Cybill. Alicia also had stints in the prime-time series Ally McBeal (2000) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2007).… Expand