Natasha Lyonne

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Natasha Lyonne
Natasha Lyonne 01.jpg
Lyonne onstage at the 2009 Seattle International Film Festival
Born (1979-04-04) April 4, 1979 (age 34)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1985–present

Natasha Lyonne (born April 4, 1979) is an American stage, film, and television actress, known for her roles in the American Pie series, as well as the films Everyone Says I Love You, Slums of Beverly Hills, But I'm a Cheerleader, and Blade: Trinity. She is currently developing a TV series for Fox Television.[1]

Contents

Early life [edit]

Lyonne was born in Manhattan, New York City,[2] the daughter of Yvette and Aaron Braunstein, who worked as a boxing promoter and radio host.[3][4][5][6][7] Her maternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors.[5][8] Lyonne grew up in an Orthodox Jewish household.[9][10] Her parents moved to Israel, where Natasha spent a few years of her early childhood.[9] Her parents divorced; Natasha and her older brother Adam returned to the US with their mother.[11] She attended Ramaz School, a private Jewish school.[12] Her mother then moved to Miami, where Natasha attended and graduated from Miami Country Day School.[13][14]

Career [edit]

As a young child she was signed by the Ford Modeling Agency, and at the age of six she was cast as Opal on Pee-wee's Playhouse which was quickly followed by film appearances in Heartburn written by Nora Ephron, directed by Mike Nichols; A Man Called Sarge; and Dennis the Menace with Walter Matthau and Christopher Lloyd. When she was 16, Woody Allen cast her as his and Goldie Hawn’s daughter in Everyone Says I Love You alongside Julia Roberts, Edward Norton, Natalie Portman which led to appearances in almost 30 films over the next 10 years, including starring roles in the independent films Slums of Beverly Hills and But I'm a Cheerleader. Lyonne’s other films included Detroit Rock City; Scary Movie 2; The Grey Zone directed by Tim Blake Nelson; James Mangold's Kate and Leopold; Party Monster; Die Mommy Die; and Blade: Trinity as well TV appearances in show including NBC’s Will and Grace. Lyonne is perhaps best known for her roles in the American Pie films as the wise-cracking Jessica.

After a short hiatus due to well-documented health and legal struggles, Lyonne returned to work in 2008, making her New York stage debut in the award-winning New Group production of Mike Leigh’s Two Thousand Years [15] and in films The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle and Goyband. Since then Lyonne has worked steadily in the New York theatre scene, in film and in television. Films include All about Evil with Thomas Dekker; Abel Ferrara’s 4:44 Last Day On Earth with Willem Dafoe; and upcoming projects Imogene with Kristen Wiig, Darren Criss, Matt Dillon and Annette Bening; The Rambler with Dermot Mulroney; Clutter with Carol Kane and Kathy Najimy; He’s Way More Famous Than You written by Halley Feiffer directed by Michael Urie with Ben Stiller and Jesse Eisenberg. Recent TV appearances include the hit series Weeds, New Girl and Law & Order Special Victims Unit. She is currently developing a TV series for Fox Television.[1]

On stage she was in the original cast of Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron’s award-winning Love, Loss, and What I Wore [16] with Samantha Bee, Tyne Daly, Katie Finneran, and Rosie O'Donnell and in the original cast in Los Angeles at Geffen Playhouse with Tracee Ellis Ross, Carol Kane, and Rita Wilson. She received excellent reviews in Kim Rosenstock’s Tigers Be Still[17] directed by Sam Gold with Reed Birney, Halley Feiffer, John Magaro at the Roundabout Theatre Company and returned this past season to the New Group stage with Ethan Hawke, Gordon Clapp and Daphne Rubin-Vega in Tommy Nohilly's Blood From a Stone. Most recently she participated in New Group’s benefit performance of Women Behind Bars with Charles Busch, Josh Hamilton, Cynthia Nixon, Rhea Perlman, and Rosie O'Donnell.[18]

Personal life [edit]

Lyonne was arrested in August 2001 for driving under the influence of alcohol after she ran her rented automobile onto a Miami Beach sidewalk, hitting a road sign and causing minor damages.[19] In August 2002 she pleaded guilty to drunk driving and paid $1,000 in fines and court fees, performed 50 hours of community service, took part in a victim's panel organized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, was placed on probation for one year and had her license suspended for that same period.[20] In 2003 she was evicted by her landlord, actor Michael Rapaport, following numerous complaints by other tenants about her behavior.[21] In 2005 Lyonne was in Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan, suffering from hepatitis C infection and undergoing methadone treatment.[22][23] In 2006, Lyonne was in the Caron Foundation, a drug and alcohol treatment center, and appeared in court after missing several court dates to face earlier charges of mischief, trespass and harassment. A judge sentenced her to conditional discharge.[24]

In December 2004, Lyonne was arrested after verbally threatening her neighbor, breaking a mirror in the neighbor's apartment, and threatening to molest the neighbor's dog.[25] She spent a night in jail before being arraigned on charges of criminal mischief, harassment, and trespassing. The details of this incident did not become publicly known until two years had passed. In April 2005, an arrest warrant was issued for Lyonne for failure to appear in court on the charges. Prosecutors say she attended court, but arrived an hour late and only stayed 30 minutes. Police were unable to locate Lyonne until her hospitalization was reported in August. In August 2005, the New York Post reported that Lyonne was in Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan under a pseudonym, and had been there for over a month after being transferred from Bellevue Hospital. She reportedly suffered from hepatitis C, a heart infection, and a collapsed lung. In January 2006, another arrest warrant was issued for her after she missed another hearing. Lyonne's lawyer said an emergency had arisen, but he did not give details.

In 2012, she underwent heart surgery, from which she quickly recovered. She discussed her past health problems on The Rosie Show in March 2012.

Filmography [edit]

Law and Order SVU (2012-2013) as Gia

Awards [edit]

Nominated, CFCA Award Most Promising Actress for Slums of Beverly Hills (1998).

Won, Angel Award Best Supporting Female Actor for Tricks of Love (2008).

Nominated, Teen Choice Award Film - Breakout Performance for Slums of Beverly Hills (1998). Nominated, Teen Choice Award Film - Funniest Scene for Slums of Beverly Hills (1998). Shared with Marisa Tomei

Won, Young Hollywood Award Best Ensemble Cast for American Pie (1999). Shared With: Seann William Scott, Jason Biggs, Shannon Elizabeth, Chris Klein, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Mena Suvari, Alyson Hannigan, Tara Reid, Thomas Ian Nicholas

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b Schneider, Michael. "Natasha Lyonne to Star in Fox Comedy Project". TV GUIDE. 
  2. ^ Brewlaw, Anne. "Natasha Lyonne joins "American Reunion"". Filmology. 
  3. ^ http://www.digitalspy.com/celebrity/news/a195743/american-pie-star-files-case-against-dad.html
  4. ^ Grove, Lloyd. "Lyonne Hunters Share Scary Tales". Retrieved 4 August 2012. 
  5. ^ a b Hass, Nancy (July 9, 2000). "SHOPPING WITH: Natasha Lyonne; Rough, Tough, But on a Road To Ladylike". The New York Times. Retrieved May 19, 2010. 
  6. ^ "Natasha Lyonne Biography (1979–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
  7. ^ "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. October 27, 2009. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
  8. ^ "New York Metro". November 27, 2000. Retrieved July 16, 2006. 
  9. ^ a b Simonson, Robert (January 6, 2008). "When Living at All Is the Best Revenge". The New York Times. Retrieved January 6, 2008. 
  10. ^ [1]
  11. ^ [2]
  12. ^ [3]
  13. ^ [4]
  14. ^ [5]
  15. ^ "Natasha Lyonne to Star in Mike Leigh's Two Thousand Years, Broadway.com Buzz". Broadway.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
  16. ^ Isherwood, Charles (October 2, 2009). "Spandex Agonistes: Why Don’t You Try It On?". The New York Times. Retrieved April 21, 2011. 
  17. ^ Isherwood, Charles (October 6, 2010). "Escaped Predator? What Else Is New?". Theater.nytimes.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
  18. ^ "Cynthia Nixon, Rosie O'Donnell and Natasha Lyonne are Women Behind Bars". Playbill. 
  19. ^ "Pie Star Lyonne Arrested for Drink Driving". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
  20. ^ Susman, Gary (August 27, 2002). "Natasha Lyonne pleads guilty on DUI charge". Ew.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
  21. ^ "Michael Rapaport Driven to Despair by Natasha Lyonne". Hollywood.com. April 21, 2005. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
  22. ^ Updated 58 minutes ago 10/20/2011 3:07:38 pm +00:00. "‘American Pie’ star’s fight for life - Entertainment - Access Hollywood". Today.msnbc.msn.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
  23. ^ "Hey! Natasha Lyonne Is Still Alive! – Daily Intel". Nymag.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
  24. ^ Simonson, Robert (January 6, 2008). "When Living at All Is the Best Revenge". The New York Times. Retrieved May 19, 2010. 
  25. ^ http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1051274,00.html

External links [edit]

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