Heather Graham - Career

Career

Her first film appearance was an uncredited cameo in Mrs. Soffel (1984). Her second film appearance was in the television film Student Exchange. In 1986, she appeared on a special "Teen Week" episode of the NBC-TV game show Scrabble. Then she appeared in numerous television commercials, and the sitcom Growing Pains in 1987. In the 1988 teen comedy License to Drive, she co-starred with Corey Haim and Corey Feldman. Her strict parents forbade her to appear in the black comedy, Heathers, which had an expletive-rich script.

Graham was cast in a number of parts as a supporting actress including the part of Nadine in the 1989 film Drugstore Cowboy. In 1991, she appeared in the TV series Twin Peaks as Annie Blackburn, Dale Cooper's second-season love interest. Many became familiar with her for these two roles. She appeared in a brief but important role in the 1996 hit Swingers. Her breakthrough role proved to be that of the porn starlet "Roller Girl" in 1997's Boogie Nights, in which she appeared in scenes with frontal nudity and received several award nominations. Since then, Graham has been known as a Hollywood sex symbol. She has been part of two ensemble casts that have earned Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Cast (Boogie Nights and Bobby).

Her first starring role was as Felicity Shagwell in the 1999 sequel Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. She appeared in the music video for Lenny Kravitz's cover of "American Woman". Also in 1999, she appeared in the movie Bowfinger opposite Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy.

Graham's other appearances in mainstream roles include her playing Mary Kelly in the 2001 film From Hell, based on the story of Jack the Ripper, and Judy Robinson in 1998's film Lost In Space. She has appeared in many independent films. Some of those films, like 2006's Bobby, received critical acclaim, while others, such as the 2002 straight-to-video erotic thriller Killing Me Softly, have been poorly received.

Graham played herself on one episode of the TV series Sex and the City. She was given special guest-star status on nine episodes of NBC-TV's Scrubs during its fourth season (2004–2005), and also appeared as George Michael Bluth's ethics teacher in an episode of Fox's television series, Arrested Development. In 2005, Graham became the spokeswoman and TV model for the Garnier brand of hair care products. In 2003, she also posed for a photoshoot by photographer Sam Jones, during which she was levitated several feet into the air by a magician, who later also sawed her in half. Also in 2003, Graham appeared on the cover of Time magazine for an article titled "The Science of Meditation", indicating that Graham has been practicing Transcendental Meditation since 1991. In 2001, Graham was named by People Magazine as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People". Graham voiced the character of Antonia Bayle in the online role-playing game EverQuest 2.

Graham starred in the US ABC-TV comedy series Emily's Reasons Why Not, in 2006. However, ABC canceled the show after its first airing on January 9, 2006. Graham had posed for a Life Magazine cover story, printed weeks in advance of the assumed series schedule, referring to her as "TV's sexiest star" which appeared two weeks later in their January 27, 2006 issue.

In 2009, she played the stripper Jade in The Hangover. The film was released to critical and box office success. Her most recent film was family comedy Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer.