Early life

Harring was born in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico. Her mother, María Elena Martínez-Cairo, is a spiritual teacher, real estate investor, and secretary. Her father, Raymond Harring, was a developer and organic farmer of Austrian-German descent. The two divorced in 1971. Harring lived the first ten years of her life in Mexico, before her family relocated to San Antonio, Texas. Harring suffered a head wound from a .45 bullet when she was caught by stray fire from a driveby shooting at age 12. At age 16, she convinced her family to let her study in Switzerland at Aiglon College. She eventually returned to the United States, settling down in El Paso, Texas and entered the world of beauty pageants. She won the title of Miss El Paso USA, and soon after, Miss Texas USA, ultimately going on to win the title of Miss USA 1985. Harring spent the next year traveling through Asia, exploring Europe and working as a social worker in India. In 1987, she married Count Carl-Eduard von Bismarck-Schönhausen, great-great-grandson of Otto von Bismarck. While she retains the title of Countess von Bismarck-Schönhausen, the couple divorced in 1989.

Career

Harring studied theatre at the London Academy of Performing Arts, having trained in the Italian Commedia dell'arte, as well as Latin dances, including the Argentine tango. She began her acting career playing Jerri in the film Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! and, in television, portraying Raul Julia's character's wife in the NBC television movie The Alamo: 13 Days to Glory (1987). In 1990, Harring was lead actress in the Columbia Pictures release The Forbidden Dance, and in same year began recurring role on the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital, as Carla Greco. The next few years she had supporting roles in films like Exit to Eden (1994), and Black Scorpion II: Aftershock (1997). In 1997, she played the role of Paula Stevens in the NBC soap opera Sunset Beach. She starred in the soap from January 6, 1997 to December 17, 1997, and after leaving it, guest-starred on Frasier, and appeared in comedy film Little Nicky.

Harring is most well known for her performance in David Lynch's cult film Mulholland Drive (2001), opposite Naomi Watts and Justin Theroux. Harring went on to work twice more with Lynch—as an anthropomorphic rabbit in Rabbits (2002) and in a cameo appearance in Inland Empire (2006).

In 2002, she appeared in John Q, and was female lead opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in Derailed. In 2003, she starred in Mi Casa, Su Casa together with Barbara Eden of I Dream of Jeannie fame. In 2004, she was John Travolta's spoiled wife in the movie adaptation of Marvel Comics's The Punisher. In 2005, Harring starred in the independent film The King, and later had roles in Nancy Drew, Love in the Time of Cholera, The Caller, and Drool.

In 2006, Harring joined the cast of FX's crime drama, The Shield, as defense attorney Rebecca Doyle. From 2009 to 2010, she also had a recurring role as Evelyn Bass/Elizabeth Fisher in The CW series Gossip Girl. She's also guest-starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2003, Law & Order: Criminal Intent in 2010, and NCIS: Los Angeles in 2012.

Filmography

Film

Television

[ Source: Wikipedia ]