Illeana Douglas

Illeana Hesselberg (/ˌɪliˈɑːnə/ IL-ee-AH-nə; born July 25, 1961), known professionally as Illeana Douglas, is an American actress and filmmaker. Following her screen debut with a small part in Hello Again (1987), she went on to appear in a variety of mainstream and independent features throughout the 1990s, such as Goodfellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991), Alive (1993), To Die For (1995), Grace of My Heart (1996), Chasing Amy, Picture Perfect (both 1997), Happy, Texas; Message in a Bottle; and Stir of Echoes (all 1999). Her other credits include The Next Best Thing (2000), Ghost World (2001), Dummy (2002), Factory Girl (2006), She's Funny That Way (2014), and Return to Sender (2015).

Outside film, Douglas won the Satellite Award for Best Actress for her starring role as Wendy Ward on the short-lived sitcom Action (1999). She appeared as Angela on the first season of Six Feet Under (2001), receiving a nomination for the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress, and played the recurring role of Gina Bernardo on Law & Order: SVU (2002–2003). Her other work includes Easy to Assemble (2008–2012), a web series she created, wrote, and starred in. Douglas appears regularly on Turner Classic Movies, hosting specials focused on female filmmakers throughout history.