Grew up in the San Fernando Valley in California

Stage debut at age 12 in "Hansel and Gretel" with the Teenage Drama Workshop at California State University (date approximate)

Performed with Los Angeles Free Shakespeare Company for two seasons while in high school

First appeared on TV at age 16 singing on "The Gong Show" (date approximate)

Played the leading role of Maria in her senior class production of "The Sound of Music"; was seen by agent Meyer Mishkin, who signed her as a client (date approximate)

Landed episodic guest roles on shows like "Starsky and Hutch", "Family" and "James at 15"

TV series debut as Nettie Peters on the short-lived ABC period drama, "The Young Pioneers"

TV-movie debut in "Special Olympics/A Special Kind of Love"

Film acting debut in "One Trick Pony"

Sang in the TV-movie, "Freedom", in which she also starred

Returned to features after four years to join a group of young actors dubbed "the Brat Pack" for "St. Elmo's Fire"

Released first album, "What Might Be"

Earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination as Jennifer Jason Leigh's sister in "Georgia"

Co-starred as Lurleen Wallace in the TNT biopic "George Wallace"

Had recurring role of a pathological liar on "ER" (NBC)

Co-starred with Felicity Huffman in the based-on-fact Lifetime TV-movie "Snap Decision", playing a mother whose children are taken from her after a photographer friend photographs them and is then charged with child pornography

Played the mother in the Pasadena Playhouse staging of "Side Man"

Guest-starred on an episode of the HBO drama "Six Feet Under"

Cast on the short-lived CBS' series "The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire"

Guest-starred on an episode of NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"; received an Emmy nomination for Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series