Although born in Iowa, Lara Flynn Boyle was raised in the Chicago area by her mother after her parents’ divorce. While still young, the pert, freckled brunette was diagnosed with a learning disability and she enrolled at the Piven Theater improvisational workshop as a means to develop ways of expressing herself. Although she had landed a supporting role as Robert Urich’s daughter in the ABC miniseries “Amerika” (1987), Boyle heeded her mothers’ wishes and finished high school (the elite Chicago Academy for the Arts which she attended on scholarship) before beginning her career in earnest. Her film debut came as the cousin of little Carol Ann (the late Heather O’Rourke) in the unnecessary “Poltergeist III” (1988) and Boyle began to gain prominence with her portrayal of homicide victim Jennifer Levin in the ABC TV-movie “The Preppie Murder” (1989). After a turn as Charlie Sheen’s girlfriend in “The Rookie” (1990), David Lynch then cast her as the wholesome girl-next-door (who harbored a naughty side) in the surreal cult drama “Twin Peaks” (ABC, 1990-91).
Boyle tried to shake her “nice” image playing a showgirl involved with gangster Lucky Luciano (Christian Slater) in “Mobsters” (1991), a teenaged runaway in “Where the Day Takes You” (1992) and as the voracious, former girlfriend of Mike Myers’ Wayne in “Wayne’s World” (also 1992). She delivered a delicately nuanced performance as Matthew Modine’s shy lover in “Equinox” (1992), directed by Alan Rudolph before turning villainous in the cliché-ridden “The Temp” (1993). She was fine as the target of a hit man in John Dahl’s neo-noir “Red Rock West” (1993) and as the spunky collegian in the triangular “Threesome” (1994). Reunited with Modine, Boyle shone as Rachel in the biblical miniseries “Jacob” (TNT, 1994). Her sultry charms were employed as a women driven to prostitution by her husband in the 50s-era “Cafe Society” (Showtime, 1996) and as a barmaid in the comedy “The Big Squeeze” (1996).
While receiving a string of favorable reviews for her film and television work to date, it was not until she returned to series television that Boyle started to become a household name. In 1997, she joined the cast of David E Kelley’s legal drama “The Practice” (ABC) as an assistant district attorney attracted to defense lawyer Dylan McDermott. She also reunited with director Alan Rudolph as a young woman involved with a much older handyman in “Afterglow” (1997). In 2002, Boyle scored her first blockbuster hit after replacing actress Famke Janssen in “Men In Black II.†Boyle returned to regular series life with a recurring role on “Huff†(Showtime, 2004- ), an award-winning medical drama on which she played a mental patient with uncontrollable violent impulses. She then joined the cast of “Las Vegas†(NBC, 2004- ) as a new casino owner who ruffles the feathers of her employees, especially the head of security (James Caan).
- Born:
on 03/24/70 in Davenport, Iowa
- Job Titles:
Actor
Family
- Father: divorced from Boyle’s mother c. 1976
- Grandfather: Charles Boyle. was US representative from Illinois
- Mother: Sally Boyle. handles her daughter’s career; divorced Boyle’s father c. 1976
Significant Others
- Husband: John Patrick Dee. married on August 11, 1996 in Las Vegas; divorced in 1998; while Flynn refuses to confirm this marriage, Talk magazine in October 2001 reported it
- Companion: David Spade. dated for approximately six months from 1998-99
- Companion: Eric Dane. had on-again, off-again relationship beginning in early 2001
- Companion: Jack Nicholson. had on-again, off-again relationship from summer 1999 to summer 2001
- Companion: Kyle MacLachlan. met on set of TV series, “Twin Peaks” (1990-91); separated 1991
- Companion: Richard Dean Anderson. no longer together
Education
- Chicago Academy for the Arts, Chicago, Illinois
Milestones
- 1987 Made TV acting debut as Robert Urich’s daughter in the ABC miniseries “Amerika”
- 1988 Feature acting debut, “Poltergeist III”
- 1989 Had supporting role in “Dead Poets Society”
- 1989 Played homicide victim Jennifer Levin in the ABC TV-movie “The Preppie Murder”
- 1990 Portrayed Donna Hayward in the ABC drama series “Twin Peaks”
- 1991 Cast opposite Judd Nelson in “The Dark Backward”
- 1992 First collaboration with Alan Rudolph, “Equinox”, opposite Matthew Modine
- 1992 Reprised her TV role in David Lynch’s feature “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me”
- 1993 Garnered critical praise for her turn as the target of a hit man in John Dahl’s “Red Rock West” (aired on HBO)
- 1993 Had title role in the thriller “The Temp”
- 1994 Starred opposite Matthew Modine in the TNT biblical miniseries “Jacob”
- 1996 Played a call girl in the 1950s in the noirish “Cafe Society” (premiered on Showtime before its theatrical release)
- 1997 Returned to series TV as co-star of the ABC legal drama “The Practice”; cast as assistant district attorney Helen Gamble
- 1997 Had supporting role in the quadrangular drama “Afterglow”, directed by Alan Rudolph
- 2002 Played the chief villainess in “Men in Black 2″; replaced Famke Janssen who withdrew because of family illness
- 2004 Returned to television in the recurring role of a manic-depressive patient in the Showtime drama “Huff”
- 2005 Joined the cast of NBC’s “Las Vegas,” as the new owner of the show’s Montecito Resort & Casino
- Diagnosed with integration disorder, a learning disability; attended workshops at Loyola University and was enrolled at the Piven Workshop for treatment
- Moved to Chicago suburb when she was an infant
- Moved to Los Angeles with her mother
- Will join the cast of NBC’s “Las Vegas” for at least six episodes (lensed 2005)
- Wrote and acted in local Chicago-area theater productions
