Ashley Judd

Born April 19, 1968
Ashley Judd is an American actress, well known for playing a number of strong women characters in films such as Ruby in Paradise, Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy and High Crimes.

Ashley Judd has the type of subdued sensuality that drives some men wild and leaves others indifferent. She left a lasting impression on us in A Time to Kill, in which she was dressed in a skimpy white dress in the Southern heat. In some of her more serious roles, however, her sexiness is hidden under a serious veneer. In any case, when Ashley decides to turn up the heat, she can have men eating out of the palm of her hand.

Judd began acting on television and appeared as Ensign Robin Lefler, a Starfleet officer, in two 1991 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Darmok" and "The Game". From 1991 to 1994, she had a recurring role as Reed, the daughter of Alex (Swoosie Kurtz), on the NBC drama Sisters. She made her feature film debut with a very small role in 1992's Kuffs. However, in 1993 Judd fought for and was cast in her first starring role playing the title character in Victor Nuñez's Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Winning, Ruby in Paradise. She received rave reviews playing Ruby Lee Gissing, a young woman trying to make a new life for herself, and it was this performance that would launch her career as an actress. Oliver Stone, who had seen her in Nuñez's film, cast Judd in Natural Born Killers, but her scenes were later cut from the version of the film released theatrically. But the following year she gained further critical acclaim for her role as Harvey Keitel's estranged daughter in Wayne Wang's Smoke and also as Val Kilmer's lover in Michael Mann's Heat. That same year she also played the role of Callie in Philip Ridley's dark, adult fairy tale, The Passion of Darkly Noon.

By the end of the 1990s, Judd had managed to achieve significant fame and success as a leading actress, after leading roles in several thrillers that performed well at the box office, including Kiss the Girls in 1997 and 1999's Double Jeopardy. Several of her early 2000s films, including 2001's Someone Like You and 2002's High Crimes, received only mixed reviews and moderate box office success; although, she did receive positive recognition, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress, for her performance in the 2004 biography of Cole Porter, De-Lovely, opposite Kevin Kline.

Judd is currently the magazine advertising "face" of American Beauty, an Estée Lauder cosmetic brand sold exclusively at Kohl's department stores, and H. Stern jewelers. In June 2007, Goody's Family Clothing announced they were going to be releasing three fashion clothing lines with Judd in the Fall to be called - "AJ", "Love Ashley" and "Ashley Judd." Regarding the clothing line, Judd said, "I'm thrilled to be involved in a clothing line that provides simple, lovely solutions for women's wardrobes. I've always loved items that you can throw on easily and know that you'll feel and look good. This line does just that, while keeping with the best of current styles and trends."

When in Manhattan, Judd attends services at a charismatic missionary Baptist church.[citation needed] She also regularly attends University of Kentucky basketball games, frequently sitting next to Donna Smith (wife of former Kentucky Coach Tubby Smith), or in the student section. Last year, Judd was a guest columnist for a local Kentucky newspaper, writing about the NCAA championships. She is frequently sought out for celebrity camera shots during televised games. Judd posed for a poster wearing only a hockey jersey for fundraising purposes for their alma mater's hockey team. She is also an avid practitioner of yoga, cooking and gardening.

In February 2006, Judd entered a program at Shades of Hope Treatment Center in Buffalo Gap, Texas and stayed for 47 days. She was there because of personal issues, including depression and isolation.

Judd is active in humanitarian and political causes. She was appointed Global Ambassador for YouthAIDS, an education and prevention program of the international NGO Population Services International (PSI), promoting AIDS prevention and treatment, and speaks and demonstrates at pro-choice events. On October 29, 2006, Judd appeared at a "Women for Ford" event for Democratic Tennessee Senate candidate Harold Ford, Jr.

Political activities

In 2009, Judd appeared in a one-minute video advertisement for the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, in which Judd condemned Alaska governor Sarah Palin for supporting aerial wolf hunting. In response, Palin stated the reason these wolves are killed is to protect the caribou population in Alaska, and she called the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund an "extreme fringe group".

Ashley Judd quotes
I can't think of anything I want and need that I don't already have, but at the same time, I'm not sated."

“Those born-and-bred, feisty Kentucky girls—they are the ones you have to look out for. We have sugar and fire in our blood”

"You don`t stay married for 35 years by accident. I think that that`s willful and intentional and something that both people really want. "

"It`s so wrong to yearn so much, that you miss the joy of what you`re living. That`s definitely something I`ve learned and am willing to share. "

"Tough girls come from New York. Sweet girls, they`re from Georgia. But us Kentucky girls, we have fire and ice in our blood. We can ride horses, be a debutante, throw left hooks, and drink with the boys, all the while making sweet tea, darlin`. And if we have an opinion, you know you`re gonna hear it. "

"When I accept a role, I feel that as an artist I have to submit completely to the tutelage of my director. And while I expect to be heard and encouraged and honored, at the end of the day, man, it`s the way the director wants it. "

"Well, in the mornings when I wake up, I don`t rash into things. I write, and that comes and goes. I`m in a heavy writing phase at the moment. "

"One thing I did with my dad, which was very dramatic, was play outdoor hide-and-seek. We would play with grown-ups, and they took it so seriously. "

"I think that we give the impression, to carry on your metaphor, that we go a little faster than we actually do. I`m fairly lazy so I`m always interested in slowing down. "

"I have a lot of variety within me, and the dream role, I think, is actually a compilation of parts that express different aspects of my persona and personal interests."

"A lot of people over the years have been doing yoga and I think even more these days are expressing an interest in it. So there are a lot of manifestations of spirituality here in town. "

-Ashley Judd

Filmography

Actress:

1. Tooth Fairy (2010)
2. Crossing Over (2009) .... Denise Frankel
3. Helen (2009) .... Helen
4. Bug (2006) .... Agnes White
5. Come Early Morning (2006) .... Lucy Fowler
6. De-Lovely (2004) .... Linda Porter
7. Twisted (2004/I) .... Jessica Shepard
8. Frida (2002) .... Tina Modotti
9. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002) .... Younger Vivi Abbott Walker
10. High Crimes (2002) .... Claire Kubik
11. Someone Like You... (2001) .... Jane Goodale
12. The Ryan Interview (2000) (TV) .... Fredericka Rose
13. Where the Heart Is (2000) .... Lexie Coop
14. Double Jeopardy (1999) .... Libby
15. Eye of the Beholder (1999) .... Joanna Eris
16. Our Friend, Martin (1999) (V) (voice) .... Mrs. Dale
17. Simon Birch (1998) .... Rebecca Wenteworth
18. Kiss the Girls (1997) .... Dr. Kate McTiernan
19. The Locusts (1997) .... Kitty
20. Normal Life (1996) .... Pam Anderson
21. Dick Richards (1996) .... Julie
22. A Time to Kill (1996) .... Carla Brigance
23. Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996) (TV) .... Norma Jean Dougherty
24. Heat (1995) .... Charlene Shiherlis
25. Smoke (1995) .... Felicity
26. The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995) .... Callie
27. Natural Born Killers (1994) (scenes deleted) .... Grace Mulberry
28. "Sisters" .... Reed Halsey (32 episodes, 1991-1994)
- Up in the Air (1994) TV episode .... Reed Halsey
- Protective Measures (1994) TV episode .... Reed Halsey
- Demons (1993) TV episode .... Reed Halsey
- The Land of the Lost Children (1993) TV episode .... Reed Halsey
- The Icing on the Cake (1993) TV episode .... Reed Halsey
(27 more)
29. Ruby in Paradise (1993) .... Ruby Lee Gissing
30. Till Death Us Do Part (1992) (TV) .... Gwen Fox
... aka Married for Murder
31. Kuffs (1992) .... Wife of Paint Store Owner
32. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" .... Ensign Lefler (2 episodes, 1991)
... aka "Star Trek: TNG" (USA: promotional abbreviation)
- The Game (1991) TV episode .... Ensign Lefler
- Darmok (1991) TV episode .... Ensign Lefler

Birthday:4/19/1968
Nickname:Ash, Sweet Pea
Birthname:Ashley Tyler Ciminella
Hookups:Rodolfo de la Cruz, Brady Anderson, Lyle Lovett, Michael Bolton, Matthew McConaughey, Robert De Niro
Hometown:Granada Hills, California
Assets:Southern sweetness, natural beauty
Vices:race car drivers, bad scripts
Sign:Aries
Height:5'7
Job:Actress, Humanitarian
Hobbies:cheering for Kentucky basketball, yoga, cooking, gardening
Ethnicity:White
Country of Origin:United States