Jeanne Tripplehorn life and biography

Jeanne Tripplehorn is an American film and television actress.

She was brought to the public's attention through her supporting role in the 1992 film Basic Instinct, and since 2006 has starred opposite Bill Paxton in the HBO drama Big Love.

Tripplehorn was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the daughter of Suzanne (née Ferguson) and Tom Tripplehorn (known as "Tommy Tripplehorn"), who was once a guitarist with Gary Lewis & the Playboys.

Educated at both the University of Tulsa and the drama division of The Juilliard School in New York City, she made her major TV debut in a supporting role in The Perfect Tribute (1991) (TV), a fictional story that centered around President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. A year later, she made a big splash with her second lead, in Paul Verhoeven's thriller Basic Instinct (1992) in support of Michael Douglas. In this movie, which made a sex star out of Sharon Stone, Jeanne's weird psychiatrist role established her as a talent to be reckoned with, although a torrid sex scene with Douglas certainly helped. She earned a huge break when she replaced a pregnant Robin Wright in the role of Tom Cruise's wife in the box-office smash The Firm (1993). Her smart work in this film afforded her the opportunity to work opposite other "top guns" in the industry, including Kevin Costner in the futuristic Waterworld (1995), Gwyneth Paltrow in Sliding Doors (1998) and Hugh Grant in Mickey Blue Eyes (1999). While none of these roles impressed to a great degree, they nevertheless put her in good standing. Reaching into her versatile bag of tricks, she went on to play everything from a lesbian gangster in Mike Figgis' experimental film Timecode (2000) to a love interest of left-wing activist Abbie Hoffman in Steal This Movie (2000).

Tripplehorn is best-known for her roles starring opposite Michael Douglas in Basic Instinct, Kevin Costner in Waterworld, and Tom Cruise in The Firm. Tripplehorn also held a leading role as Barbara Henrickson in the HBO drama Big Love.

She has also been on Broadway in Anton Chekov's Three Sisters opposite Amy Irving and Lili Taylor. Prior to this, she appeared off-Broadway in John Patrick Shanley's The Big Funk in 1990, then co-starred with Val Kilmer in a 1993 production of John Ford's 1630s play 'Tis Pity She's a Whore.

Jeanne Tripplehorn has learned the hard way to avoid films with water. Years after starring in the box office duds Waterworld and Swept Away, this veteran actress is back on dry land again as Barb Henrickson on the critically-acclaimed HBO series Big Love. "It's the greatest role I've ever played," she says. "It's beyond three-dimensional. If more gifts like these are coming my way, then I'm looking forward to getting older."

Filmography:

1992: Basic Instinct
1992: The Ben Stiller Show
2008: Fragments
2009: Grey Gardens
Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
2010: Crazy on the Outside

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