A strawberry blonde player, held in high regard for her abilities by Hollywood, Tess Harper made a big impression in her very first feature film role as Robert Duvall's much younger wife in "Tender Mercies" (1982). She earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work as Chickie, the cousin and nosy neighbor, in "Crimes of the Heart" (1986).Harper performed in children's theatre and dinner theatre, as well as in TV commercials, in Texas before being cast in "Tender Mercies". She followed that with the unfortunate "Amityville 3-D", a horror film about poltergeists, and a small
