Ashley Judd (born April 19, 1968 in Granada Hills, California) is an American actress. Her mother and sister are country singers, Naomi Judd and Wynonna Judd, respectively. Her birth name is Ashley Tyler Ciminella.

Her film debut was a small part in Kuffs (1992) and the first major role was in Ruby in Paradise (1993), a hit independent drama. She had a role in Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers, but all the scenes she played in were cut from the final version of the film. She found further critical acclaim in Smoke (1995) and publicity in Heat (1995).

By the end of the 1990s she managed to achieve significant fame and success as an actress. As a result she could play leading roles in films that were bound to be successful at the box office, but still required acting skills, like Double Jeopardy (1999) and Someone Like You (2001).

Whenever her schedule allows, she is regularly at UK basketball games, and is frequently sought out for celebrity camera shots during televised games (much like Jack Nicholson with the Los Angeles Lakers or Spike Lee with the New York Knicks).

She is married to Scottish Indy Racing League driver Dario Franchitti.

Filmography

• Kuffs (1992)
• Ruby in Paradise (1993)
• Natural Born Killers (1994) (scenes deleted)
• The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995)
• Smoke (1995)
• Heat (1995)
• A Time to Kill (1996)
• Normal Life (1996)
• The Locusts (1997)
• Kiss the Girls (1997)
• Simon Birch (1998)
• Junket Whore (1998) (documentary)
• Eye of the Beholder (1999)
• Double Jeopardy (1999)
• Where the Heart Is (2000)
• Someone Like You... (2001)
• High Crimes (2002)
• Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002)
• Frida (2002)
• Twisted (2004)
• The Heart of America Tour (2004) (short subject)
• De-Lovely (2004)

External links