Moved several times throughout her school years as the daughter of a Navy captain

At age 13, posed as a boy for a period in Japan

Developed an interest in theater while living in Greece by attending plays at the Herodus Atticus, an old theater near the base of the Parthenon (date approximate)

Began college in Athens, Greece

Continued her studies in Munich, Germany

Began acting on the Munich stage performing in plays by Edward Albee and Chekhov

Completed her BA at the University of Texas

Moved to Washington, DC; began acting in regional theater and local TV

Appeared in "In the Lion's Den," an unsold pilot presented on "CBS Summer Playhouse"

Had title role in Rebecca Miller's short "Florence," playing an empathetic woman who develops amnesia

Feature film acting debut as Verna in the Coen brothers' "Miller's Crossing"

Portrayed screen siren Ava Gardner in the CBS miniseries biography "Sinatra"

Delivered a strong turn as a pop culture freak who dresses up as various actresses in "Used People"

Acted in the Off-Broadway play "The Years" alongside Frank Whaley and Paul McCrane

Appeared on Broadway as Harper Pitt in Tony Kushner's "Angels in America: Millennium Approaches"; earned a Tony nomination; later reprised role in the epic's second half "Angels in America: Perestroika"

Starred opposite Ed Harris and Beverly D'Angelo in Sam Shepard's play "Simpatico"

Delivered a monologue about the death of her character's mother in "Talking With" (PBS), directed by Kathy Bates

Offered fine supporting turn as an abused wife in "The Spitfire Grill"

Played an FBI agent in the HBO docudrama "Path to Paradise: The Untold Story of the World Trade Center Bombing"

Co-starred opposite Robin Williams in "Flubber"

Portrayed a single woman who decides to have a child with her gay best friend until she meets a man she thinks may be Mr. Right in "Labor of Love" (Lifetime)

Appeared as one of Anthony Hopkins' daughters in "Meet Joe Black"

Played Susan Silverman, the girlfriend of private eye Spenser (played by Joe Mantegna) in "Small Vices" (A&E)

Reprised Susan Silverman in the sequel "Thin Air: A Spenser Mystery" (A&E)

Had featured role as a NASA engineer romanced by astronaut Tommy Lee Jones in "Space Cowboys"

Delivered a scene-stealing turn as artist Lee Krasner in the biopic "Pollock," directed by and co-starring Ed Harris

Co-starred as a woman who asks a writer friend (Judy Davis) to help her locate her missing husband in "Gaudi Afternoon"

Acted in the New York Shakespeare Festival summer production of "The Seagull," staged in Central Park by Mike Nichols

Again reprised Susan Silverman in A&E's "Walking Shadow"

Co-starred with Richard Dreyfuss in "The Education of Max Bickford" (CBS)

Played Tim Robbins' wife in the Clint Eastwood directed, "Mystic River"; received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress

Appeared opposite Julia Roberts in "Mona Lisa Smile"

Played Gene Hackman's former girlfriend in the comedy "Welcome to Mooseport"

Cast opposite Laura Linney and Topher Grace in "P.S."

Cast opposite Billy Bob Thornton in the remake of the "Bad News Bears"

Had a recurring role as undercover agent Dana Lewis in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC); earned an Emmy nomination in 2007 for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Played a Laura Bush-esque first lady opposite Dennis Quaid in Paul Weitz's political satire "American Dreamz"

Portrayed a devastated mother of a Columbine-type killer in "American Gun"; earned an Independent Spirit Award Nomination for Best Supporting Female

Played the mother of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) in Sean Penn's adaptation of the non-fiction book, "Into the Wild"

Co-starred in Alison Eastwood's directorial debut, "Rails and Ties"