Biography of Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd is an American actress who managed to overcome all the difficulties of childhood and adolescence and build a career in cinema. Her favorite genres are drama and thriller, and the most famous films with her participation are “Norma Jean and Marilyn”, “Kissing the Girls”, “Major Crimes” and “Frida”.
Pictured: Ashley Judd
Actress Ashley Judd
- Actresses
18/11/2014
Anna Savchenko
274
The aristocratic features and slightly arrogant appearance of actress Ashley Judd, which have become her calling card, only attract more and more attention to her every year. Talented and unpredictable, she continues to subjugate millions. What is hidden behind this cold exterior?
46-year-old actress Ashley Judd was born in California in April 1969. She is a direct descendant of the first settlers who crossed the American frontier in the 17th century. Her mother is a country singer who performs in a duet with her eldest daughter, Wynonna. When little Ashley was 4 years old, her parents' marriage broke up and they moved to Kentucky.
Frequently changing her place of residence, Ashley Judd could not make friends, so she spent her entire childhood alone. Her mother, in search of a better life, often moved from one place to another, and her two daughters moved with her. Everything changed when Ashley turned 14. Her mother and her sister became a fairly famous duo, their financial condition improved significantly and the family finally found peace.
The idea of becoming an actress came to Ashley's head completely unexpectedly. In 1990, she took a sabbatical from the university and went to Los Angeles. After getting a part-time job at The Ivy restaurant, Ashley Judd storms through various castings and auditions. She enrolls in acting classes at the Playhouse West school and continues her attempts to attract attention.
Ashley Judd photo #2
For her tenacity and perseverance, luck smiled on her and Judd received a cameo role in the television show Star Trek: The Next Generation. Ashley was attracted by television producers and was invited to take part in the television project “Sisters,” where she starred for 3 years (1991-1994).
Her popularity as a young actress began to increase. Ashley began to appear more often in various film projects. Ashley Judd can be seen in such films as: “Hew in Paradise”, “Smoke”, “Heat”, “A Time to Kill”, “Locusts”, “Kissing the Girls”, “Miscalculation”, “Major Crimes”, etc. d. These works played an important role in the development of Ashley Judd as a first-class actress.
Ashley Judd's first leading role came in early 2007. It was she who became the main character of the drama called “Helen”. But the film was criticized and barely broke even at the box office.
“This role became special for me. I played the way I felt, and it seems to me that it turned out quite harmoniously. As for reviews, the film “Helen” cannot be called a work for the general public. This is a subtle, psychological drama that makes you think, reflect and use logic. I was not at all surprised that this film passed the mainstream wave. But still, she found and charmed her audience.
In 2012, ABC gave Ashley Judd the lead role in the television drama Lost. This television series has attracted the attention of millions of audiences around the world. The experience and passion that Ashley Judd conveyed in Lost is beyond comparison. Films starring Ashley Judd began to enjoy success among several generations at once.
Ashley Judd photo #3
One of the most successful and memorable roles of Ashley Judd was the role of Lorraine Nelson in the film “Dolphin Tale.” In this film, Ashley, for the umpteenth time, shares the set with the legend of American cinema, Morgan Freeman. This film is based on real events and is created for absolutely all ages. The sad story of a dolphin who lost his tail in fishing nets, with a happy happy ending. In this movie, Ashley tries to help her son overcome teenage depression. What did her efforts lead to? All this can be seen in "The Dolphin's Tale".
2014 brought us several iconic films starring Ashley Judd. The films “Divergent” and “Dolphin Tale 2” became the most anticipated premieres of this year. And then Ashley outdid herself. Critics praised her performance, showering her with many positive comments.
— I love nature. It was a pleasure to film the two parts of A Dolphin Tale. This is an indescribable feeling. Of course, the second part is more tragic, because life does not end with one happy ending. This film explores the relationship between humans and the animal world. I realized that the less civilization around, the better. Better not only for nature, but also for us... I even left Los Angeles and moved to Tennessee. I realized that life among skyscrapers and lights was not for me. I am more impressed by the starry sky and thick green grass under my bare feet. Now I walk a lot, enjoy the fresh air and get on with my life. If you think about it, in a metropolis people simply exist. They don't live because they are limited. They even communicate with loved ones via the Internet, which is stupid to say the least. I don't want to live like this. I can’t be limited, because in the future this could become a huge problem.
Ashley Judd photo #4
Unlike her personal life, Ashley Judd can chat for hours about nature, her dog and healthy food. The actress tries to avoid the topic of her recent divorce. In 2001, she became the legal wife of Dario Franchitti, the famous racing driver. He was already 10 years younger than her, but age is no barrier to love. After 12 years, the couple separated. Ashley officially announced her divorce in 2013.
— A couple in which two creative personalities come together cannot live in peace. I was convinced of this the hard way... Our relationship is like a typhoon. It was interesting and good, but all good things come to an end...
Today, Ashley Judd continues to play. She appears again and again on the big screens as if time had stopped around...
Video trailer for the series “Missing” with Ashley Judd
Share Tweet Pin It +1
Add a comment Cancel reply
Childhood and adolescence
Ashley Tyler Cimenella is the youngest daughter of singer and actress Naomi Judd and Italian-American Michael Cimenella. She has an older sister, Wynonna, who was adopted by Ashley's father when she was a baby. She is now a country singer.
Ashley Judd as a child
The family idyll lasted only four years, after which Michael disappeared in an unknown direction, leaving Naomi with two babies in her arms. The woman was forced to move from a prestigious area of Los Angeles to her native Kentucky, where she wandered for several years in search of a livelihood.
During this time, the girls changed twelve schools and fully experienced all the “charms” of such a life. The only thing that distracted Ashley from harsh reality was her love of books. The baby learned to read early and fictional book characters became her best friends. She dreamed of learning French and becoming a translator of fiction.
Ashley Judd as a child with her mother and older sister
At first, this idea seemed ephemeral, but suddenly the family’s financial situation improved noticeably. Naomi and her eldest daughter formed a duet, which unexpectedly became very popular in the field of country music. This gave Ashley the opportunity to enroll after school at the prestigious University of Kentucky, where she became one of the best students in the Faculty of Philology, where she studied French, history and the so-called “women's studies” (a feminist course dedicated to women's experience in all spheres of life) . She studied in France for one semester as an exchange student.
Ashley Judd before she became famous
In her senior year, the girl was inspired by the idea of going on a humanitarian mission to Africa as part of the Peace Corps. However, her mother did not approve of this initiative and suggested that she try her hand at Hollywood.
Actor career
By that time, Ashley already had a theater group behind her and some experience in the modeling business. After weighing the pros and cons, she decided to take a risk and went to Los Angeles. There, Judd signed up for acting classes, got an agent and began regularly going to castings, earning a living in one of the local restaurants in the evenings and returning to the tiny rented apartment, which later burned down in a fire, just to sleep.
Ashley Judd in the movie Ruby in Paradise
For several years she had to be content with episodic roles in low-budget television series, until in 1993 she pulled out her lucky ticket - the main role in the film “Ruby in Paradise,” the genre of which can be characterized by the phrase “dramatic everyday life.” The film was enthusiastically received by critics, received the Grand Prix at the Sundance Independent Film Festival and opened the world of big cinema to the aspiring actress.
Actress Ashley Judd can handle roles of any complexity
The next serious work was a complex character role in the bloody action film Natural Born Killers, which, unfortunately, was not included in the screen version due to the “high emotional danger” for the audience. But even despite this, Ashley has established herself as a deep dramatic actress who can handle roles of any complexity.
Ashley Judd and Robert De Niro in the action movie Heat
In 1995, she got the role of Val Kilmer's on-screen wife in the action movie Heat with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Moreover, director Michael Mann chose the girl without ever meeting her in person - her agent simply sent the portfolio recorded on tape to the studio. The same year, she joined Luke Perry in the action film Normal Life. Ashley Judd in the film “Norma Jean and Marilyn” Two years later, she brilliantly embodied the image of Marilyn Monroe on the screen in the film “Norma Jean and Marilyn” and was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy.
Ashley Judd as Joanna Aris from the thriller "Witness"
Over the next twenty years, Ashley starred in four dozen films, fully revealing her multifaceted acting talent. Her favorite role is strong women who know how to stand up for themselves. Such is Joanna Aris from the thriller “Witness,” playing cat and mouse with a special agent played by Ewan McGregor, and Kate McTiernan, who slipped out of the clutches of a maniac and helps a detective (Morgan Freeman) catch him in the crime film “Kissing the Girls.”
Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman in the film “Kissing the Girls”
It is worth special mentioning her sensual performance in the biopic “Frida” (2002) about the life of the famous Mexican artist, who was portrayed on screen by Salma Hayek. Ashley herself tried on the image of the actress, photographer and rebel Tina Modotti and captivated the audience with a tango with the heroine of Salma. The passionate tango of Frida (Salma Hayek) and Tina Modotti (Ashley Judd) Also in 2002, she once again met on the set with Morgan Freeman as part of the new thriller “Major Crimes,” where she was forced to defend the rights of her husband, suspected of high treason .
Still from the film “Particularly Grave Crimes”
Ashley Judd is a famous American actress, politician, aspiring designer, and model. Wide recognition and popularity brought her leading roles in films such as “Amnesia”, “Double Miscalculation” and “Most Serious Crimes”.
Family
Ashley Judd was born on April 19, 1968 in California. At birth, the parents gave the girl the name Ashley Tyler Ciminella. The father of the future actress is Michael Ciminella, and her mother is a once-popular country singer. When Ashley was 4 years old, her parents divorced, and she and her mother moved to live in the neighboring state of Kentucky. Constant moving forced the girl to constantly change schools. In total, she studied at 12 schools. A few years later, the duo of the mother and her sister began to gain popularity, and the family had the means to live comfortably.
After graduating from school, Ashley entered the University of Kentucky at the Department of French Language and Literature and successfully graduated in 1990. Returning to her home, Ashley tells her mother that she wants to continue her life by joining the Peace Corps in Africa. Her sister Winona offers her a more interesting option - to try herself as a Hollywood actress.
Carier start
Going to Hollywood, Ashley Judd made a promise to herself that if during the first months she failed to achieve success, then she would go to Africa. At the very first casting, the future actress received a role in the film “Cuffs”. But Ashley refuses the role because during filming she needs to appear naked. She chooses another role for herself in the same film, and very soon she is invited to film the series Star Trek: The Next Generation. The actress's film career did not bring her much success until, in 1993, she starred in the film Ruby in Paradise, where she played the main character.
Filmography
The actress gained real national fame from her role in the project “Kissing Girls.” According to Ashley herself, it is much more exciting and priority for her to act in quality films than in large-scale Hollywood blockbusters. After that, she played in Michael Mann's film Heat. During filming, a love relationship began between her and Robert de Niro. The star year for the actress was 1997. It was then that she starred in the films “Seven” and “The Silence of the Lambs.” At the same time, she took several acting lessons from famous actor Morgan Freeman.
A short time later, when director Carl Franklin invited her to star in the film “Major Crimes,” joining Morgan Freeman, she immediately agreed. The actress does best in roles where her heroines have to face danger. This was confirmed by the film “Double Miscalculation”. The actress plays roles not only in action-packed thrillers and detective action films. Her role as Marilyn Monroe in the TV movie Norma Jeane and Marilyn earned her nominations for the Emmy and Golden Globe awards. The actress did not take part in filming for some time, but recently returned to the big screen, starring in the new Divergent franchise. After that, in 2014, she starred in the films “The Same” and “Dolphin Tale 2.”
Personal life
Ashley Judd's personal life cannot be called successful. On December 12, 2001, she married famous racing driver Dario Franchitti. After 12 years of marriage, they decided to separate.
Personal life of Ashley Judd
16-year-old Ashley was raped by her close relative, which became a serious mental trauma for her and a serious obstacle in future relationships with men. It took quite a long time before the actress learned to trust them again.
Ashley Judd and Robert De Niro were connected not only by work
At the beginning of her career, she was in relationships with basketball player Brady Anderson (in 1991), comedian Jon Stewart (in 1992), and briefly dated Robert De Niro and singer Michael English in 1995.
Ashley Judd dated Josh Charles
In 1996, Ashley began an affair with her co-star in the film A Time to Kill, Matthew McConaughey, and after breaking up, she was romantically involved with actor Josh Charles. After that, Judd dated singer Michael Bolton for two years.
Ashley Judd and Dario Franchitti have been together for 12 years
In 2001, the 33-year-old actress became the wife of racing driver Dario Franchitti, whom she divorced after twelve years of marriage.
Ashley Judd, Vince Vaughn and Harvey Weinstein (right)
At the end of 2020, Judd, along with other Hollywood actresses, accused Harvey Weinstein of inappropriate sexual actions and joined the Time's Up social movement, organized by American celebrities to draw attention to the problem of violence against women.
Personal life
In 1999, Judd married famous racing driver Dario Franchitti, but after several years of living together, their relationship reached a dead end, and the couple filed for divorce.
Ashley Judd and Dario Franchitti
It is known that Ashley does not have children on her initiative:
“I decided for myself that I don’t want to have a child. I consider all children who have already been born by someone to be my own. It makes no sense to give birth to “your own” children when there are so many orphans and abandoned children in the world who need love, attention, time and care... I have held this opinion since I was 18,” the girl admitted in an interview.
Ashley Judd Haircuts
Ashley is a philanthropist and often donates money to charities. Among other things, Judd loves to cook and maintain a small garden. On her official Instagram page, the girl shares photos of everyday life. It is also known that Judd loves to experiment with her appearance: the actress often changes her haircuts.
Ashley Judd now
In 2020, Ashley could be seen in the third season of David Lynch's cult series Twin Peaks. She played an employee of the Great Northern Hotel and the mistress of its owner, Benjamin Horne.
Ashley Judd in the series “Twin Peaks”
At this time, she starred in the series about modern slavery “Kidnapped and Sold”, where she played one of three sex slaves who decided to escape. At the beginning of 2020, the drama “A Dog's Way Home” starring Ashley Judd will be released on big screens.
