Lived with her foreign-diplomat father and family in Canada, Cuba, Venezuela, England and Washington, DC before age of 17

After father's death, settled in Missouri with mother and siblings

Moved to NYC; within a month landed an agent; within four months had a part in an Off-Broadway play, "Mr T"

TV debut on the NBC soap opera "The Doctors" as Nola Dancy Aldrich, a poor girl who married well

Broadway debut in "Gemini"

Had breakthrough screen role as Matty Walker opposite William Hurt in her debut feature, Lawrence Kasdan's "Body Heat"

Acted opposite Steve Martin in the comedy "The Man with Two Brains"

Portrayed a business woman turned prostitute in Ken Russell's "Crimes of Passion"

First role opposite Michael Douglas, "Romancing the Stone" as fiction writer Joan Wilder; also first film with Danny DeVito

Played hit-woman to Jack Nicholson's hit-man in John Huston's "Prizzi's Honor"

Reteamed with Douglas and DeVito to reprise Joan Wilder in the sequel "The Jewel of the Nile"

Earned Best Actress Oscar nomination playing a middle-aged woman who finds herself reliving her teenage years in "Peggy Sue Got Married"; helmed by Francis Ford Coppola

Returned to the theater in title role of "Camille" at the Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, Connecticut

Narrated the documentary compilation, "Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam"

Provided the voice of Jessica Rabbit for the animated feature comedy, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"; later voiced Jessica in the animated shorts "Tummy Trouble" (1989), "Rollercoaster Rabbit" (1990) and "Trail Mix-Up" (1993)

Reteamed with Hurt and Kasdan for "The Accidental Tourist"

Third film with Douglas and DeVito, the black comedy "The War of the Roses"; helmed by DeVito

Returned to the Broadway stage as Maggie in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"; received a Best Actress Tony nomination; also hosted the annual telecast of the Tony Awards

Portrayed the title role of private investigator "V.I. Warshawski"

Played the title role in John Waters' "Serial Mom"

Directorial debut with the 30-minute Showtime film "Leslie's Folly" (for the series "Directed By")

Made TV-movie debut in "Friends at Last" (CBS)

Co-starred in the Broadway production of "Indiscretions"; was only cast member of five not nominated for a Tony Award

Had supporting role in "Moonlight Over Valentino"

Made London stage debut in "Our Betters"

Appeared as TV anchorwoman Brenda Whitlass in TNT's satirical "Legalese"

Played the comic villain in "Baby Geniuses"

Portrayed the stern and dowdy mother of five daughters in "The Virgin Suicides"; directed by Sofia Coppola

Returned to London, making her West End debut as Mrs. Robinson in a stage version of "The Graduate"; reprised role in Broadway production in 2002

Returned to broadway to star as Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"; earned a Tony nomination for her role

Voiced a creepy-looking house in the animated feature "Monster House"

Stage-directing debut, "Crimes Of The Heart" at the Williamstown Theater Festival in Massachusetts; moved to off-Broadway in 2008

Joined the cast of Showtime's "Californication" as a lit agent who has a thing for David Duchovny's Hank