Biography
Although Sherilyn Fenn grew up in a musical family and traveled a lot, it wasn't until her family settled in Los Angeles that she began acting. Fenn's first high-profile mainstream credit was as the car accident victim with a windshield through her head in David Lynch's "Wild at Heart" (1990) and then made her mark as teen temptress Audrey Horne on David Lynch's "Twin Peaks" (1990-91), for which she received a 1990 Emmy nomination. She was Forest Whitaker's intended victim in "Diary of a Hitman" (1991), the directorial debut of her beloved acting teacher Roy London. "Ruby" (1992) cast her as a small-town stripper involved with Danny Aiello's Jack Ruby and the J.F.K. assassination conspiracy, and she appeared in Gary Sinise's remake of "Of Mice and Men (1992). Fenn followed with the romantic comedy "Three of Hearts" (1993), playing the woman who goes straight in a bisexual love triangle. She went on to play in David Lynch's daughter Jennifer's controversial directing debut, "Boxing Helena" (also 1993), a role originally intended for Kim Basinger. She also acted that year in Carl Reiner's misfired parody of erotic thrillers, "Fatal Instinct," perhaps losing out to Sean Young in the battle of the femme fatales. Television provided Fenn her best opportunities throughout the rest of the decade. She starred opposite Jamey Sheridan in the Waltonesque "Spring Awakening" (CBS, 1994), and through the use of special effects, got to act opposite Humphrey Bogart in a 1995 episode of HBO's "Tales from the Crypt." That year also saw her portray a living legend in "Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story," an unauthorized NBC miniseries made despite Taylor's objections. Fenn fought for integrity in her characterization of the star, in lieu of focusing on the trashier aspects of the performer's life, and has heard through a source close to both actresses that Taylor approved of her interpretation. The CBS miniseries "A Season in Purgatory" (1996) offered her as a melancholy rich girl, but it was her return to series TV as the star of Showtime's black comedy "Rude Awakening" (1998-2001) that allowed her to shine. She went on to have recurring roles in "S.W.A.T" (CBS, 2017- ) and "Shining Vale" (Starz, 2021-). She also had a role on the silver screen as Mrs. Deluca in "Wish Upon" (2017). After Fenn's second son was diagnosed with autism, she wrote and published the children's book, "No Man's Land," an uplifting story of a little boy who is often told "no."
