Anne Heche

Biography: A waifish blonde, Anne Heche (pronounced 'haytch') was still relatively unknown when she made headlines in April 1997 disclosing her relationship with comedienne Ellen DeGeneres. Almost immediately, there was speculation and questions about whether the actress' decision to reveal her lesbianism would adversely affect her career, particularly as Heche had been cast as Harrison Ford's love interest in "Six Days/Seven Nights" (1998). Reportedly, the marketing campaign for the film was altered to play up the adventure aspect of the film instead of the romance. Heche, however, had already proven herself as an actress. The daughter of a Baptist minister who was a closet homosexual and succumbed to AIDS complications in 1983 (although Heche has hinted he committed suicide in interviews), the thin wide-eyed performer began her career as a singer and dancer in dinner theater. After her father's death, Heche did not perform for several years until graduating from high school. Within weeks, she had landed her first major role, that of good and evil twins, Vicky and Marly on the NBC soap opera "Another World". During her four year stint, Heche earned a Daytime Emmy as Outstanding Younger Actress in 1991 and engaged in a high profile romance with her co-star Richard Burgi. Feeling stifled, Heche decided to leave the show after four years and enroll at the Parsons School of Design. Instead, she landed a role alongside Jessica Lange in the CBS production "O Pioneers!" (1992) and decided to concentrate on an acting career. Film roles soon followed, including her debut as Mary Jane Wilks in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (1993). She gradually landed larger roles in "I'll Do Anything" (1994) and the TV-movies "Against the Wall" (HBO, 1994), as Kyle MacLachlan's wife, and "Kingfish: A Story of Huey Long" (TNT, 1995), as the politician's mistress. Heche landed the breakthrough role of a doctor friend of Demi Moore who falls victim to a hit man in "The Juror" (1996). She went to co-star with Catherine Keener in the indie "Walking and Talking' (also 1996) before landing the role of Johnny Depp's neglected wife in "Donnie Brasco" (1997). Later that year, Heche was teamed with Tommy Lee Jones in the disaster flick "Volcano" and won praise for her turn as a presidential advisor in Barry Levinson's political satire "Wag the Dog" (a role written for a man which Heche played with no changes to the dialogue). By the time of the latter's release, Heche and DeGeneres had taken their relationship public. While pundits fretted over what the disclosure might do to Heche's career, the actress pressed on landing co-starring roles with Harrison Ford in the romantic adventure "Six Days, Seven Nights" and Vince Vaughn in "Return to Paradise" (both 1998). She further solidified her rising star status by tackling the role of Marion Crane (again opposite Vaughn as Norman Bates) in a color remake of Hitchcock's classic "Psycho" (also 1998). The summary was used with permission from Hollywood.com!… Expand