A porcelain-skinned redhead with a child prodigy past and a promising acting future, Alicia Witt made her TV debut at the age of four, reciting Shakespeare on a 1979 episode of ABC's "That's Incredible". Probably best known for her role as Zoey Woodbine, the precocious and exceptionally dour teenaged daughter of struggling actress Cybill Sheridan (Cybill Shepard) on the CBS sitcom "Cybill" (1995-98), the performer racked up impressive film and television credits and was also a classically trained pianist. Witt's impatience and ambition as a child was focused on learning (home-schooled, she's reported to have commenced reading at age two, and received her general equivalency high school diploma at 14) and that same determination easily translated to her acting career. She moved on her own to Los Angeles at age 15 and purposely pursuing varied parts in an effort to avoid typecasting. The actress got her start in 1984's "Dune" after impressing director David Lynch in a post-audition interview. He went on to cast her in a 1990 episode of his TV series "Twin Peaks" (ABC) and a 1936-set segment of the HBO anthology film "Hotel Room". (1993). Witt made inroads on the big screen with a part in Mike Figgis' "Liebestraum" (1991) that also showcased her musical talent: she performed the Liszt tune that titled the feature in a dream sequence. Next up was a role in the ensemble drama "Bodies, Rest & Motion" (1993), which was followed by a roundly acclaimed performance in the independent feature "Fun" (1994) as Bonnie, a teenage girl who solidifies her bond with a new friend and plays out their ecstatic union by joining the girl in a senseless murder of an elderly woman. Witt shone in the chilling film, and her multifaceted performance brought such life to Bonnie that the character was oddly sympathetic. The actress' work in "Fun" earned her recognition in the form of an award from the Sundance Film Festival and also landed her a role as a lesbian witch opposite Madonna in 1995's "Four Rooms".
By now a familiar face in American homes due to her regular stint on "Cybill", Witt set out to prove her versatility and took a role in "Mr. Holland's Opus" (1995), playing Gertrude Lang, a shy, awkward clarinet student under the tutelage of composer turned reluctant instructor Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfuss). Dedicated to her craft, Witt learned to play the clarinet in order to realistically represent her character. A starring role as a college student trying to stop a mysterious series of related campus murders in the 1998 horror thriller "Urban Legend" was preceded by a turn as the teenage daughter of a pro-life couple in 1996's "Citizen Ruth".
More TV work followed for the young actress, who was joined in a love triangle with Sela Ward and Timothy Hutton in the 1999 CBS TV-movie "Passion's Way", an early 1900s set adaptation of Edith Wharton's "The Reef". She incorporated her musical and acting talents lensing a role as a discouraged young concert pianist in "Playing Mona Lisa" (lensed 1999). A guest role as an opportunistic film development executive on a 2000 episode of HBO's popular series "The Sopranos" brought Witt back into the limelight, and a nude love scene revealed more of the actress than audiences had seen before. She next teamed up with John Waters for a role as a young porn actress in "Cecil B. Demented" (2000) and appeared in a recurring role on the FOX legal dramedy "Ally McBeal," tormenting Richard Fish (Greg Germann). Taking steps to graduate to roles in A-list films, Witt took a small supporting role opposite Tom Cruise in director Cameron Crowe's reality-bending "Vanilla Sky" (2001) and next co-starred as Hugh Grant's girlfriend and Sandra Bullock's romantic rival in the frothy comedy "Two Weeks Notice" (2002). She continued to turn in finely etched supporting turns on the big screen, playing one of Joan Allen's troublesome daughters in "The Upside of Anger" (2005) and mistress of Queen Latifah's antogonist (Timothy Hutton) who has a sympathetic side in the escapist confection "Last Holiday" (2006).
Profession(s):
Actor, pianist
Sometimes Credited As:
Alicia Roanne Witt
Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Recognition "Fun" 1994
2008 Co-starred with Al Pacino for the thriller, "88 Minutes"
2007 Joined the cast of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (NBC/USA) for the 2007-08 season as Det. Nola Falacci
2006 Cast opposite Queen Latifah in the comedy "Last Holiday"
2005 Portrayed Joan Allen's daughter in "The Upside of Anger" a film by Mike Binder; screened at sundance
2002 Played Hugh Grant's girlfriend June in the romantic comedy "Two Weeks Notice"
2001 Appeared as Libby in Cameron Crowe's "Vanilla Sky"
2000 Starred as a pianist whose rejected by a competiton results in a breakdown in the feature "Playing Mona Lisa"
2000 Guest starred as a film-industry d-girl on HBO's acclaimed drama "The Sopranos"
2000 Played a porn actress in the John Waters comedy "Cecil B. Demented"
2000 Made musical stage debut in L.A. production of "The Gift"; played an exotic dancer
2000 Had a recurring role as Hope Mercey in the FOX dramedy "Ally McBeal"
1999 Starred with Sela Ward and Timothy Dalton as part of the 1900s-set love triangle-themed TV-movie "Passion's Way"
1998 Was featured in the Los Angeles Film Independent Film Festival-screened feature "Bongwater"
1998 Was part of the ensemble of the college campus-set horror thriller "Urban Legend"
1996 Played the daughter of a pro-life activist couple in Alexander Payne's satirical "Citizen Ruth"
1995 Featured as a red-dreadlocked lesbian witch in the Alison Anders-directed segment of the feature "Four Rooms"
1995 - 1998 Cast as Zoey Woodbine, the rebellious, disagreeable younger daughter of the title character, in "Cybill" (CBS)
1995 Starred as a budding clarinet player in "Mr. Holland's Opus"; learned how to play the clarinet for the part
1994 Featured in the CBS TV-movie "The Disappearance of Vonnie"
1994 Starred as a teenage murderer in the acclaimed independent feature "Fun"
1993 First adult role in features, "Bodies, Rest & Motion"
1993 Appeared in a 1936-set segment of the David Lynch anthology film "Hotel Room" (HBO)
1991 Appeared in the Mike Figgis drama "Liebestraum"; played Liszt's title piece
1990 Moved to California
1990 TV acting debut, on an episode of the David Lynch series "Twin Peaks" (ABC)
1984 Made acting debut at age nine when David Lynch cast her in "Dune"
1982 Began studying piano at age seven
1979 First TV appearance, reciting Shakespeare on ABC's "That's Incredible"
Earned a living playing piano at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel