Anne Archer(I)
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Anne Archer was nominated for an Academy Award®, a Golden Globe and the
British (BAFTA) Academy Award for her role as
Michael Douglas' sympathetic,
tortured wife, "Beth Gallagher", in
Adrian Lyne's 1987 thriller
Fatal Attraction (1987). Archer
is also well-known for her poignant Golden Globe-winning performance in
the ensemble cast of
Robert Altman's
Short Cuts (1993) and for playing CIA
agent Jack Ryan's beleaguered wife, "Cathy", in
Patriot Games (1992) and
Clear and Present Danger (1994),
both based on Tom Clancy bestsellers.
Archer was born into a show business family in Los Angeles, California,
the daughter of actors Marjorie Lord (née
Marjorie F. Wollenberg), who appeared on TV's
The Danny Thomas Show (1953),
and John Archer (born Ralph Bowman),
who starred in White Heat (1949). Her
ancestry includes German, English, Czech, and Scots-Irish.
Archer studied theatre arts at Claremont College before debuting on the
motion picture screen opposite Jon Voight in
The All-American Boy (1973).
She won critical acclaim for her leading role in
Lifeguard (1976) as
Sam Elliott's old flame.
Throughout her motion picture career, Archer has starred opposite some
of Hollywood's most dynamic and respected leading men, not only
Michael Douglas and
Harrison Ford, but also
Gene Hackman in
Narrow Margin (1990),
Tom Berenger in director
Alan Rudolph's romantic comedy
Love at Large (1990),
Donald Sutherland in
Eminent Domain (1990) and
Sylvester Stallone in
Paradise Alley (1978). In 2000,
she appeared in
The Art of War (2000) with
Wesley Snipes and
Rules of Engagement (2000)
(her first project with
Tommy Lee Jones), which was one of the
box office hits in Spring of that year.
With husband Terry Jastrow (an
Emmy-winning sports producer), she co-produced and starred in the
feature
Waltz Across Texas (1982), a
modern romance set in the Texas oil fields. In 1998, Archer worked with
husband Jastrow again as co-producer and co-host, with
Isabella Rossellini, on ABC's
World Fashion Premiere from Paris (1998),
a history-making two-hour special. Again the following year, she served
as a producer on the telecast. With complete backstage access, the
shows spotlighted the haute couture shows of the most famous designers
in the world.
Archer has essayed dramatic roles as complex and disparate characters
in cable productions of equally distinct genres. She starred with
Michael Murphy in the
contemporary romantic drama
Indiscretion of an American Wife (1998)
for Lifetime and opposite
William Petersen in
Present Tense, Past Perfect (1995),
based on a bittersweet story by
Richard Dreyfuss, who also directed the
Showtime drama. Previously, for the same network, she portrayed
Dennis Hopper's sexy former wife in the
contemporary, gritty Nails (1992)
and for HBO, again, starred with Jon Voight
in the period piece
The Last of His Tribe (1992).
Her television performances have also included
Neil Simon's
Jake's Women (1996)
opposite Alan Alda and CBS's
Jane's House (1994)
opposite James Woods. Recently, she
received acclaim for a three episode arc on Fox-TV's series
Boston Public (2000), created
by David E. Kelley.
She had a starring role opposite
Courteney Cox in the independent feature
November (2004) and appeared in
Revolution Studios' comedy
Man of the House (2005),
portraying Prof. Molly McCarthy, opposite
Tommy Lee Jones. She also had a role on
Showtime's provocative series
The L Word (2004) with
Jennifer Beals,
Mia Kirshner and
Pam Grier.
Her stage work includes the world premiere of "The Poison Tree" at Los
Angeles' Mark Taper Forum, the Williamstown Theatre Festival production
of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" in Massachusetts and the starring role in
the London West End production of "The Graduate", for which she
received rave reviews. Archer's New York stage debut was as "Maude Mix"
in the celebrated Off-Broadway production of
John Ford Noonan's "A Coupla White
Chicks Sitting Around Talking".
British (BAFTA) Academy Award for her role as
Michael Douglas' sympathetic,
tortured wife, "Beth Gallagher", in
Adrian Lyne's 1987 thriller
Fatal Attraction (1987). Archer
is also well-known for her poignant Golden Globe-winning performance in
the ensemble cast of
Robert Altman's
Short Cuts (1993) and for playing CIA
agent Jack Ryan's beleaguered wife, "Cathy", in
Patriot Games (1992) and
Clear and Present Danger (1994),
both based on Tom Clancy bestsellers.
Archer was born into a show business family in Los Angeles, California,
the daughter of actors Marjorie Lord (née
Marjorie F. Wollenberg), who appeared on TV's
The Danny Thomas Show (1953),
and John Archer (born Ralph Bowman),
who starred in White Heat (1949). Her
ancestry includes German, English, Czech, and Scots-Irish.
Archer studied theatre arts at Claremont College before debuting on the
motion picture screen opposite Jon Voight in
The All-American Boy (1973).
She won critical acclaim for her leading role in
Lifeguard (1976) as
Sam Elliott's old flame.
Throughout her motion picture career, Archer has starred opposite some
of Hollywood's most dynamic and respected leading men, not only
Michael Douglas and
Harrison Ford, but also
Gene Hackman in
Narrow Margin (1990),
Tom Berenger in director
Alan Rudolph's romantic comedy
Love at Large (1990),
Donald Sutherland in
Eminent Domain (1990) and
Sylvester Stallone in
Paradise Alley (1978). In 2000,
she appeared in
The Art of War (2000) with
Wesley Snipes and
Rules of Engagement (2000)
(her first project with
Tommy Lee Jones), which was one of the
box office hits in Spring of that year.
With husband Terry Jastrow (an
Emmy-winning sports producer), she co-produced and starred in the
feature
Waltz Across Texas (1982), a
modern romance set in the Texas oil fields. In 1998, Archer worked with
husband Jastrow again as co-producer and co-host, with
Isabella Rossellini, on ABC's
World Fashion Premiere from Paris (1998),
a history-making two-hour special. Again the following year, she served
as a producer on the telecast. With complete backstage access, the
shows spotlighted the haute couture shows of the most famous designers
in the world.
Archer has essayed dramatic roles as complex and disparate characters
in cable productions of equally distinct genres. She starred with
Michael Murphy in the
contemporary romantic drama
Indiscretion of an American Wife (1998)
for Lifetime and opposite
William Petersen in
Present Tense, Past Perfect (1995),
based on a bittersweet story by
Richard Dreyfuss, who also directed the
Showtime drama. Previously, for the same network, she portrayed
Dennis Hopper's sexy former wife in the
contemporary, gritty Nails (1992)
and for HBO, again, starred with Jon Voight
in the period piece
The Last of His Tribe (1992).
Her television performances have also included
Neil Simon's
Jake's Women (1996)
opposite Alan Alda and CBS's
Jane's House (1994)
opposite James Woods. Recently, she
received acclaim for a three episode arc on Fox-TV's series
Boston Public (2000), created
by David E. Kelley.
She had a starring role opposite
Courteney Cox in the independent feature
November (2004) and appeared in
Revolution Studios' comedy
Man of the House (2005),
portraying Prof. Molly McCarthy, opposite
Tommy Lee Jones. She also had a role on
Showtime's provocative series
The L Word (2004) with
Jennifer Beals,
Mia Kirshner and
Pam Grier.
Her stage work includes the world premiere of "The Poison Tree" at Los
Angeles' Mark Taper Forum, the Williamstown Theatre Festival production
of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" in Massachusetts and the starring role in
the London West End production of "The Graduate", for which she
received rave reviews. Archer's New York stage debut was as "Maude Mix"
in the celebrated Off-Broadway production of
John Ford Noonan's "A Coupla White
Chicks Sitting Around Talking".